kedo Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Last year I bought this so called 'Wolf' bass (check out the photo of the headstock) made by John Gormall for about £400. There is a problem with the neck just below the headstock where the truss rod is trying to break through, hence the low valuation. However it has been like that since it was new and doesn't affect the playability. It was cutom made for a bass player with a well known band, but I don't know who. Apparently it cost about £2,000 about 20 years ago. I suppose that's possible. I bought it so as not to expose my custom shop Jazz to wear and tear during practice sessions, but have become extremely attached to it, so much so that I use it as my first instrument most of the time. It's full scale, the neck is slim, the action superb and with light strings it's a joy to play. Only trouble is that I am a dinosaur and have never used an active bass before. The pickups and controlls are EMG and there are 5 rotary controlls but one of them is concentric making 6 in all. I mess about with them trying to get the best sound, but haven't a clue as to what they all do. The changes are subtle and it's hard to work out what's going on. Very frustrating. This is a common set up and I'm sure there are bassists out there who can help me with this dilema. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 (edited) It is possible that there is also an EMG EQ circuit, judging by the standard issue EMG knobs. Given the number of knobs I'd say that it's separate volume for each pickup then a BQS control which is bass, treble and a sweepable mid on the concentric (top bit is the mid level and the bottom bit is the mid frequency). If I'm right then two of the knobs (governing pickup volumes - probably the ones nearest the pickups) will not have centre detents (where there's a bump where the knob would like to centre) and then the other two (bass and treble) will have the detent. The concentric will have a detent on the top bit but not the bottom bit. That's my guess A photo of inside the control cavity will confirm. Edited July 1, 2011 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Lovely bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I'm with neepheid, but I'd say that the bass likely has a BQS system with master volume and blend. I have the same circuit (except it's the BQC, which has treble and bass on one concentric pot). I keep treble and bass mostly flat (centre detent), except when I need more oomph. Then I boost the bass slightly. I wind the mid sweep (the bottom part) down to its lowest setting and boost the mid control when I want to cut through a bit better. I have my amp's controls set as I like them and use the bass's active controls for minor adjustments. That's a cracking bass you have and excellent electronics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.