Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

How do I actually measure the output of my bass?


Owen
 Share

Recommended Posts

As in actual Volts (or whatever I am meant to say here!).

I am trying to sort out stuff and would like to know in numbers whether one of my basses is SUPER HOT on output or whether my problem is elsewhere. Do I put a multimeter across a jack plug?

TIA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, a multimeter across the lead (red to tip, black to sleeve) will give you the output in millivolts as you play, but will fluctuate wildly with playing dynamics - the harder you hit, the greater the reading. 
 

you could also put your multimeter across the hot and ground connections on your pickup(s) too - this time measure the dc resistance of the pickup. Generally a jazz bass pickup will be anywhere from 6.5 to 8 ohms, but I’ve seen some up at 11. There’s more to it than this, but it’s a good indicator that a pickup is either ‘hot’ or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are just interested in comparing it's output to other of your basses you could simply record the different basses if you got a DAW installed on your computer and a sound interface, just using the same settings on whatever gear you eventual use between the bass and sound interface (like a preamp, EQ e.t.c), and playing the exact same with about an equal amount of force behind your picking on the different basses you want to compare, that way you would get both a dB measurement of the difference between the output of your different basses and you would get a visual idea of it by comparing the graphic representations of the recorded bass signals in your DAW.

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...