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What is wrong with my bass?

wubalubadubdub

wubalubadubdub

Guest
Dec 29, 2016
21
1
#1
Hello, I'll start by saying that I am an absolute beginner (less than an year that I blay bass) and I have minimal knowledge about electronics, so please don't roast me if I say any nonsense.
I have a Cort gb74 p (with both magnetic and piezo pickups) which I thought had the active/passive switch, as the two step switch toggle suggest (I'll attach some photos if needed).
Some days ago the bass stopped emitting any sounds (whether with active/passive or piezo pickups), so even if I thought it could be a tinning problem and maybe the jack was not transmitting any sound e changed the battery and magically everything stepped back to normality.
I want to ask if my bass has actually an active/passive switch (I could not find any info online about this model), and if the answer is yes why it won't play without battery? If it's no why if I toggle the switch it sounds like I am turning on the preamp?
 
#2
The bass doesn't have a passive mode, the switch is to change the Humbucker pickup to single coil. Your battery was probably almost dead. Always unplug the bass when not playing, when it's plugged in the preamp is always on, and using battery, it will last much longer that way. I've never heard the bass, but the coil tap switch seems a nice option, for a different sound. What you are hearing is probably the humbucker having less output in single coil mode. There are no bad questions, welcome to TB\
 
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#3
Growlmonkee said:
The bass doesn't have a passive mode, the switch is to change the Humbucker pickup to single coil. Your battery was probably almost dead. Always unplug the bass when not playing, when it's plugged in the preamp is always on, and using battery, it will last much longer that way. I've never heard the bass, but the coil tap switch seems a nice option, for a different sound. What you are hearing is probably the humbucker having less output in single coil mode. There are no bad questions, welcome to TB\
Click to expand...

Thank you for answering,
Yes, it definitely was the battery, but the mystery of the switch remains because there is another toggle that does what you are saying, and yes it raises the volume but not much as the other switch. I'll attach you a picture, if helpful.
 

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#4
I read a review, of your model, the guy doing the review really liked the bass, he says one switch is a coil tap switch, as I described, the other is a slap contour switch, (it cuts mids, leaving more treble and bass), supposedly for better slap tone. Cort used that switch on their Curbow model, I played one of those a few times, I personally didn't like the tone with the mid-cut, but, that's opinion, someone else might love it. So, you do not have a passive mode, but, you certainly have a lot of tone options with that bass, but the preamp stays on for all of them. If you unplug when not playing, and use a good battery, you should get really long battery life. There's quite a few active basses, that do not have a passive mode.
 
#7
So..coil splitting is used on a 2 coil pickup to turn of one of the coils, coil tapping is one coil, with the option to have only part of the windings in the circuit, or to use the entire winding...am I getting this?, or...will I remain confused? :) (the terms were sadly interchangeable till I read this post, by Line6man, and JustForSport....and thought about it.)
(sorry to go off topic, but, it isn't really, as the info I posted could be wrong)
 
#8
Growlmonkee said:
So..coil splitting is used on a 2 coil pickup to turn of one of the coils, coil tapping is one coil, with the option to have only part of the windings in the circuit, or to use the entire winding...am I getting this?, or...will I remain confused? :) (the terms were sadly interchangeable till I read this post, by Line6man, and JustForSport....and thought about it.)
(sorry to go off topic, but, it isn't really, as the info I posted could be wrong)
Click to expand...

That's correct.
 
#9
Growlmonkee said:
I read a review, of your model, the guy doing the review really liked the bass, he says one switch is a coil tap switch, as I described, the other is a slap contour switch, (it cuts mids, leaving more treble and bass), supposedly for better slap tone. Cort used that switch on their Curbow model, I played one of those a few times, I personally didn't like the tone with the mid-cut, but, that's opinion, someone else might love it. So, you do not have a passive mode, but, you certainly have a lot of tone options with that bass, but the preamp stays on for all of them. If you unplug when not playing, and use a good battery, you should get really long battery life. There's quite a few active basses, that do not have a passive mode.
Click to expand...

Thank you Growlmonkee for your help, I feel a little stupid for thinking that the EQ switch was the active/passive switch, but that's ok.


line6man said:
There is a mistake in the literature for this bass. The pickup coils should not have any taps on them. The switch is for coil splitting, not coil tapping.
Click to expand...

I've heard before of coil splitting, but never of coil tapping. If I understood correctly tapping is only for the single coil pickup, and it means to give "less importance" (forgive my low language) to a pickup by reducing the length of the wire and decreasing the resistance. Is that right?
 
#10
wubalubadubdub said:
I've heard before of coil splitting, but never of coil tapping. If I understood correctly tapping is only for the single coil pickup, and it means to give "less importance" (forgive my low language) to a pickup by reducing the length of the wire and decreasing the resistance. Is that right?
Click to expand...

You can coil tap a humbucker. Many Gibson guitars have tapped pickups.
It gives a preset reduction in output by reducing the number of coils of wire in the circuit.
A tap gives lower output while maintaining hum cancelling. It changes tone less than a coil split.
 

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