Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Wiring for this bass
- Thread starter Dcparker
- Start date
I have never seen a Vantage with 3 knobs. Looks like someone may have added a preamp and a third knob in the middle for volume bass treble. Maybe is has been wired back to passive, just volume tone. A picture of the guts would help. Fitting a preamp in that cavity with a battery must have been a squeeze.
It looks like it’s set up as volume only. I can’t really see the connections on that first potentiometer. I’d probably use a Pbass diagram and connect it volume, tone and leave the middle pot in as a place holder or replace it with a hole plug or a nice chrome button head Allen bolt. Japanese made Vantages are usually good instruments.
dimarzio pickups? looks like its setup for V/V/tone. but volume for each split pickup?..soldering connections look pretty old...hmm. Cool bass tho.
It's an odd duck. Its a VS600B with a third knob. If you look at one that is original you can see that the outer knobs match up well so it appears the third one was modded inbetween them. But the knob looks original and that wiring is indeed old. So who knows. Plug it in and start twisting knobs to see what happens.
Vantage VS600b 1979 | Reverb
Vantage VS600b 1979 | Reverb
Thats what I am seeing too. The pickup goes to that pot and then the red wires take that pot straight to the jack.
I'll third that. Looks like the leads to the other two pots are cut. Definitely seems like it's seen a few modifications based on that red lead to the jack being spliced like that. In fact, that doesn't even look soldered, just twisted.
OP, you could just run this with one volume pot and leave the other two alone. That is pretty much what they've got wired up here, just poorly done.
Any reason why other than you don’t like the way it looks?
P bass wiring makes a lot of sense. You do have an opportunity to use the third knob for something other than a producer switch/knob. I'd probably wire in a capacitor switch like a Tonestyler + series/parallel switch for the Model P, it should open up a few other tonal options. Another option is to keep it wired in series, but add a Q-filter (inductor), to sweeten the tone. Slightly different trick...
You actually have bigger problems to address first. That bridge is not functional without saddles. Also, only one half of the pickup seems to be screwed in (barely)? not sure what's going on there. I'd fix those, string it up, set up, and observe how it behaves under tension. The correct wiring would be the least of your concerns if those issues aren't addressed first...
You actually have bigger problems to address first. That bridge is not functional without saddles. Also, only one half of the pickup seems to be screwed in (barely)? not sure what's going on there. I'd fix those, string it up, set up, and observe how it behaves under tension. The correct wiring would be the least of your concerns if those issues aren't addressed first...
I do have the saddles and screws, I had just removed them while preparing for other work.
If that's a Dimarzio Model P, then I'd definitely recommend doing something like:
- Remove everything in there
- Wire the pickup to a 2-way DPDT switch for series parallel
- Make a P bass wiring harness
- Install the switch between the knobs
- Install the volume pots on the outer 2 pot holes (jack stays where it is).
The Dimarzio P sounds great in both modes, meaty and full in series, crisp and clear in parallel. It would eliminate the need to plug the hole and actually makes it useful.
If it weren't that pickup, you could still possibly do similar wiring, but if you didn't even want to mess with parallel on that, you could just do a "mute" switch there and it would be fine, too.
Or... just add a plug to the hole!
Those are what I'd do, personally.
Old school Matsumoku basses are great, so it's definitely worth making it a functional beast.
- Remove everything in there
- Wire the pickup to a 2-way DPDT switch for series parallel
- Make a P bass wiring harness
- Install the switch between the knobs
- Install the volume pots on the outer 2 pot holes (jack stays where it is).
The Dimarzio P sounds great in both modes, meaty and full in series, crisp and clear in parallel. It would eliminate the need to plug the hole and actually makes it useful.
If it weren't that pickup, you could still possibly do similar wiring, but if you didn't even want to mess with parallel on that, you could just do a "mute" switch there and it would be fine, too.
Or... just add a plug to the hole!
Those are what I'd do, personally.
Old school Matsumoku basses are great, so it's definitely worth making it a functional beast.
Yeah, series parallel or a switch to select capacitors are good ideas. I have several basses with that bridge and it works just fine. Have the front height screw set up a little higher then the two in the back. When or if you reinstall the saddles they should be numbered, it works much better if you get them in the right spots. If you decide to replace it check the dimensions against whatever you’re replacing it with. I think most of the Japanese basses with that bridge used the Gibson standard dimensions but some may not have. Also, I believe the bridge is recessed into the body a little, if the new bridge is significantly larger it may not go all the way down and you might need to shim the neck.
I've played Vantage basses since the early 80's and have never seen one like that.
P-bass pickups are always V/T per pickup. V/T/V/T for double P
I think the bridge works just fine altough, as mentioned, not as flexible as others.
Can't remember numbers on the saddles, but i can send you pics of mine if you need it.
The pick-ups are Matsumuko clones of DiMarzio.
P-bass pickups are always V/T per pickup. V/T/V/T for double P
I think the bridge works just fine altough, as mentioned, not as flexible as others.
Can't remember numbers on the saddles, but i can send you pics of mine if you need it.
The pick-ups are Matsumuko clones of DiMarzio.
My thoughts exactly. Gut out the cavity, wire it like a P with a phase switch between the 2 knobs.
Very cool bass, totally deserving of the small amount of time, effort, and money it will take to get it up and rocking again
Last edited:
