brensabre79 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hi everyone. I've got a pair of Wizard '74 custom built pickups in my Jazz. After switching to 70s spacing recently with the purchase of a new body I'm noticing that the bridge pickup seems weak in the bass region compared to the neck (which sounds awesome and deep). In fact I've had to screw the neck pickup down so far its level with the scratchplate just so I don't get a massive drop in volume when I switch to bridge P/U. The Bridge has plenty of mid and top, just seems to be lacking in bass frequencies. When I use both together it sounds mostly like the neck P/U but with a little bit of the bridge twang. The problem was also there when I had standard spacing but nowhere near as pronounced. I measured the resistance at the jack socket for each one: Bridge: 201 ohm Neck: 201 ohm I was expecting there to be a difference, to explain the difference in volume, but they are both exactly the same which leads me to think that the pickups are not the problem here. So my question is... Is the difference in bass response normal? My standard american jazz doesn't seem to suffer this problem (although that is standard spacing). And any ideas what I can do about it (other than turn the bass freq. up every time I use the bridge P/U alone?). Thanks P.S. I'm running my amp pretty much flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'd say you should expect the difference. Your bridge pickup is closer to the bridge with 70's spacing, meaning a less bassy tone, that's the whole point of using that spacing. I don't think you've measured the resistance of the pickups properly, because your average J pickup is about 7k. Check your soldering, because on my J with 70's spacing I have the bridge pickup 3mm from the bottom of the string and the neck 5mm to get a balanced output. You're never going to get the same bassy response from a bridge and neck pickup, but in terms of actual percieved volume, it sounds like there's something wrong if you have the neck pickup screwed right into the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 OK Thanks Doc! I'll check the wiring and check the resistance of the actual pickup rather than the output Jack just to be sure... Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 OK I've checked contacts, all ok and tested pickup resistance at the pickup wires.. Yes my original figures were way off! All in Kohms: Switch in Bridge position: BPU: 10.71 NPU: 10.46 Switch at Parallel position (i.e. both): BPU: 5.29 NPU: 5.30 Both (B+N-): 5.30 Switch at Neck position: BPU: 11.17 NPU: 10.08 Switch at Series position: BPU: 10.74 NPU: 10.10 Both (B+N-): 19.80 Not sure what to make of the results. Seems strange that the Bridge pickup resistance changes with switch in Neck position (when its not even in use!) Have I got a short somewhere or is this normal..? seems that when I can hear the bridge pickup its giving 10.71k and the neck on its own 10.08k. Both together either halves or doubles depending on circuit... But there is a definite volume drop from the bridge pickup, I appreciate the tone will be different from the two As I have it there is about 6mm difference in height and the bridge still seems quieter. BTW I have an EMG BTC preamp and a CTS 500k volume pot after the switch. Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Take the pre amp out of the equation and test again. The vol drop shouldn't be that noticeable with the 70s spacing. Also check with Wizard what your expected readings should be - if you don't already know... (presumably you do as they were custom built for you) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thanks Ou7shined. Preamp was out of the equation when I tested. I think the figures are about right for the pickups (should be between '64s at 8.5k and '84s at 11.5) so they are still on the loud side, just no bass! I'll check with Andy at Wizard to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 You could try flipping one of the pups to see if it is a phasing issue. Just to check ... the pre had been de-coupled from the circuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 I only notice the problem when Bridge only is selected so probably not phase issue. Yes the Preamp was both coupled and decoupled for the test with no difference. I also checked all other connections for a short circuit to no avail. Maybe I just need to get a beefier winding on the bridge PU... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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