What is in my bass?!

[Blank_0101]

So I traded an amp I wasn't using for a geddy Lee bass with heavy modifications to the guts.

Some kind of baselines pickups (I'll pull them to show later)

And this weird nameless green foam protected custom setup and control plate. There is no batteries in the bass, or clip for one. The bug green rectangular foam unit is on a rotary switch.

I'm not sure if the basslines are meant to be active or the preamp is, or if it's user error, but I can't get it to hardly work. Some positions work and are decent to great, others very weak, and others dead silent. I can't figure out what exactly this setup is, but looks to be a comercial unit, not a one of just forking around piece.

I'm still on the fence if I want to keep the bass, so I bought a stock control plate, and trying to source some pickups for it if these aren't very good.

Aside from some light wear, and a hipshot de tuner it's a solid bass. I don't know much about geddy Lee basses but it has a limited edition neck plate and a badass II bridge.

Any and all info on any of these personal mysteries is appreciated!!

 

[The_Janitor]

While I have no idea what's going on there, looks like several of the pins of the rotary switch are not connected to anything, so it makes sense that some of the positions don't work.

Beyond that, I have no idea what's going on with the rest of the wiring job. Might be easiest to rip all of that stuff out and wire it like a traditional jazz bass.

 

[Clark Dark]

Those are Seymour Duncan pickups and it looks like a varitone with series parallel switching between the two pickups and a kill switch. If you took the pic where you can look down on the wiring instead of a side view it could be figured out better.

 

[line6man]

While I have no idea what's going on there, looks like several of the pins of the rotary switch are not connected to anything, so it makes sense that some of the positions don't work.

Rotary toggle switches typically have more poles on them than you need, on basses. So having a large number of unused terminals is not unusual.

 

[JustForSport]

Stacked master vol/tone, series parallel switch, blend, kill switch, varitone, output jack?

 

[Jon Clegg]

Stacked master vol/tone, series parallel switch, blend, kill switch, varitone, output jack?

Yeah, I think that's pretty close to what it is. It looks to be a pretty professionally done job on the control plate; probably purchased as a pre-wired unit. I'd want to shield that cavity more if it were my bass.

 

[Blank_0101]

Ok so it's not a brand name unit. Just well made. ill get better pics today.

 

[Hopkins]

The pickups are Duncan SJB-3's or Quarter Pounders, they are hot, passive pickups. My guess would be the same as @JustForSport as far as the controls go. whoever wired that did a very nice job, so if it works I don't think I would change it unless you just want to simplify your setup to a stock VVT, in which case you could probably sell the setup you have.

 

[JustForSport]

whoever wired that did a very nice job, so if it works I don't think I would change it unless you just want to simplify your setup to a stock VVT, in which case you could probably sell the setup you have.

Yes, that's very tidy work there, and a good job squeezing it into that cavity-
I'd give it a good run, see what it's capable of- looks like someone put some serious effort into getting a versatile setup made with lots of care into the construction.