megallica Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) I boought a second hand Ibanez Roadster a couple of weeks ago and it is really nice to play and sounds very good too. The first owner replaced the Dimarzios with EMG's, I then bought the bass from the second owner who didn't know much about the pickups. I've been playing around with the pickup controls and noticed that the P neck pickup sounds very loud and the bridge pickup is very quiet. If I turn the volume on the neck pickup off the bridge pickup sound is almost non existent. I've had a look inside the control cavity and there are no loose wires or anything obviously wrong but it's a bit beyond me to be honest. I should mention that, first thing I did was change the battery, still the same, Is there anything glaringly obvious that I've missed? [URL=http://s712.photobucket.com/user/darkskies/media/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40477_zpsd8e81487.jpg.html][IMG]http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/darkskies/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40477_zpsd8e81487.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s712.photobucket.com/user/darkskies/media/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40478_zps3bc2f71a.jpg.html][IMG]http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/darkskies/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40478_zps3bc2f71a.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s712.photobucket.com/user/darkskies/media/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40479_zpsb1059869.jpg.html][IMG]http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww129/darkskies/Ibanez%20EMG%20pics/STA40479_zpsb1059869.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Edited June 27, 2013 by megallica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 is that a switch in the top right of the recess? it looks like all or most of the wires have been cut off it? it might sound daft but the neck pickup hasnt been wired so its active all the time and the bridge pup wired passive hence the huge difference in volume? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Actives and passives don't mix-and-match. There are good FAQ's on the EMG factory website that explain why. You need to decide whether you want actives or passives and match the pickup you want to keep with one of the same characteristics, or if you really don't like either, then go with a conventional set of either that you like with new wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 [quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1372334231' post='2124406'] is that a switch in the top right of the recess? it looks like all or most of the wires have been cut off it? it might sound daft but the neck pickup hasnt been wired so its active all the time and the bridge pup wired passive hence the huge difference in volume? [/quote] yes, should have said there is a switch which doesn't do very much, and now you've pointed it out, there is nothing connected to it. Yeah maybe the neck pickup is active and the bridge is passive. I'll follow the cables from the bridge pickup and see if they attach to the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 The red leads that come from both pickups are soldered to the battery, the neck pickup is quite noticably louder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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