BottomE Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi, I have a Hamer Cruise bass which allegedly has Fender Custom Shop PuPs installed. My problem is that the tone knob only effects the sound when it is on full or off. Anything in between sounds the same. I wonder if they are really Custom Shop PuPs. They sound ok - its just there is no range in tone. Could this be because: [list] [*]The PuPs are not very good [*]The PuPs are good but i am too dumb to appreciate them [*]The pots are rubbish [*]Capacitors [/list] At one point i had some SD Quarter Pounders installed but didn't like them so had these (which came with the bass when i bought it) Custom Shop PuPs re-installed. The bass is beautifully built and i want to do it justice. Any advice will be gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 The simplest thing to try would be replacing the cap. Are you sure the control circuit is wired up correctly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Id probably replace the tone pot and get a higher value capacitor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thanks guys. What would be the easiest thinig to do first for someone who is a complete technophobe? The PuPs were installed at a local shop so if the wiring is wrong i am happy to take it back and get them to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 If you have basic soldering skills swap out the cap 1st. It's the only thing capable of affecting the tone in a passive circuit. Next would be the pot but only if you suspect that it is faulty - it can be checked with a multimeter. After that it's the pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I would guess that whoever replaced the pups reused the pots and caps that were already there. If the tone control does nothing until the very end of it's sweep then it's generally the wrong type or value for the pups you have installed. If you're happy with the sound when the tone is rolled back (i.e. at it's bassiest) the the cap is doing it's job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 As well as changing the cap, you could always try swapping the existing tone pot out for a linear pot. Most passive basses have audio taper (logarithmic) pots which don't really do much from about 1 - 5, so effectively they go straight from 0% to 60 or 70%. This results in all the control being at one end. Linear pots are proportional so 3 on the dial will give you 30% and 8 would give you 80%. These pots are fine for volume or tone and are more commonly used on audio equipment, although logarithmic are more common on passive basses. I'm not big on electronics, but I'm sure if I'm talking complete nonsense someone will correct me pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 [quote name='TRBboy' post='1176678' date='Mar 25 2011, 10:52 PM']As well as changing the cap, you could always try swapping the existing tone pot out for a linear pot. Most passive basses have audio taper (logarithmic) pots which don't really do much from about 1 - 5, so effectively they go straight from 0% to 60 or 70%. This results in all the control being at one end. Linear pots are proportional so 3 on the dial will give you 30% and 8 would give you 80%. These pots are fine for volume or tone and are more commonly used on audio equipment, although logarithmic are more common on passive basses. I'm not big on electronics, but I'm sure if I'm talking complete nonsense someone will correct me pretty quickly. [/quote] You lost me when you said logarithmic but i appreciate your reply. Not even owning or ever using a soldering iron i am a bit stuck as to what to do next. That said i'll give it a go if i can find the right parts but i am a bit wary of screwing up a lovely bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 (edited) [quote name='BottomE' post='1176789' date='Mar 26 2011, 01:02 AM']You lost me when you said logarithmic but i appreciate your reply. Not even owning or ever using a soldering iron i am a bit stuck as to what to do next. That said i'll give it a go if i can find the right parts but i am a bit wary of screwing up a lovely bass.[/quote] Basically what he's saying is that you get 2 (for the sake of argument) types of pot, one with a steadily increasing effect as you turn it and the other with most of it's effect toward one end of the sweep - like what you are describing with yours - although you would expect to have more of a degree of control. The wrong value of pot can make it seem more like an on/off switch in terms of control. We are presuming that the guy who put your pups back in didn't change your pots (why would he unless you asked him to?) therefore if you hadn't noticed this lack of control before then it must be down to something else. Perhaps a clear pic of the wiring and pots may help. Also if you can make out the numbers on you cap and pots it would be handy to know too. It might be daunting to consider having a go at tweaking it yourself but believe me you won't kill it, even if you went in there and ripped out all the wires it's all fixable. These sorts of jobs are equivalent to changing a wheel or topping up the oil on a car and as a musician you really aught to be as familiar with them as you would a expect a car owner to be able to change a flat tyre. Edited March 26, 2011 by Ou7shined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Axesrus have got quite a handy little guide to pots and caps down the right hand side of this page. [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm[/url] Can't get link to work properly so copy and paste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 [quote name='TRBboy' post='1176678' date='Mar 25 2011, 10:52 PM']As well as changing the cap, you could always try swapping the existing tone pot out for a linear pot. Most passive basses have audio taper (logarithmic) pots which don't really do much from about 1 - 5, so effectively they go straight from 0% to 60 or 70%. This results in all the control being at one end. Linear pots are proportional so 3 on the dial will give you 30% and 8 would give you 80%. These pots are fine for volume or tone and are more commonly used on audio equipment, although logarithmic are more common on passive basses. I'm not big on electronics, but I'm sure if I'm talking complete nonsense someone will correct me pretty quickly. [/quote] re: log vs linear... isn't it the other way around? Meaning that our ear perceives these changes in a log fashion, so for us to hear a smooth (linear) change we need a log pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 [quote name='mcnach' post='1177361' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:04 PM']re: log vs linear... isn't it the other way around? Meaning that our ear perceives these changes in a log fashion, so for us to hear a smooth (linear) change we need a log pot.[/quote] Log for volume generally speaking Less consensus for tone controls, but whichever one it is currently I'd be inclined to swap it out for the other and see if that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 [quote name='mcnach' post='1177361' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:04 PM']re: log vs linear... isn't it the other way around? Meaning that our ear perceives these changes in a log fashion, so for us to hear a smooth (linear) change we need a log pot.[/quote] Yeah, I believe that's the reason log pots are more commonly used, because they're better matched to the way our ears percieve the change. A linear pot is more directly proportional and accurate but might not sound as we expect it to. I know what I mean, it's just hard to explain it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1177546' date='Mar 26 2011, 08:29 PM']Log for volume generally speaking Less consensus for tone controls, but whichever one it is currently I'd be inclined to swap it out for the other and see if that helps![/quote] Thanks folks. I think i understood some of that. Time permitting i am gonna open up the bass and take some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS73 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Before you go swapping out parts, are you sure the pups are wired the right way around, a Jazz works like a humbucker when both are selected, if one pup is wired backwards it will sound thin, only way to know is to swap one pup around and try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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