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Lack of volume from where? maybe.....


largo
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Hello all

Wee bit of background first....

My current rig is a Momark 800W chassis, in a TA800 configuration. Using a couple of GK Neo 112-ii cabs, which should be plenty loud enough in a 5-piece function band.
I recently moved from using an active bass with 2xJ pickups to a passive bass with PJ pickup configuration. Pickups in the new bass are a set of Nordstrand PJ5 pickups and sound great.

Anyway, not sure if it's coincidence but I now have to really push the volume on my amp to be heard.
Active bass was gain=6/10 master=3/10 to be heard nice and clear with the band. New bass and I'm at gain=8/10 and master at 6/10.
I'm actually scared that I'll blow a speaker as I seem to be pushing so much more volume just to hear myself.

So, any suggestions....

Something I should live with? The amp will go to 10 after all if I need more.
Get the bass checked? Could it be a dry solder, bad wiring, dodgy pickups, low output pickups. Can I check pickup output with a multimeter somehow?
Get the amp checked?
Should I look at new more efficient cabs? Maybe the passive bass is showing defficiency in my cabs? Pair of Berg 2x10's or Vanderkley 2x10's if they come around?

Any advice or troubleshooting would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

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I'd start by checking the pickup heights. If they are too low then it will lead to a loss of output. I'm not surprised that your having to drive the preamp harder with passive pickups, but I wouldn't have expected you'd have to drive the master as well just to compensate. Another thought, have the pickups been wired in correctly - if they are out of phase then it could lower the output. Final thought, I don't know that amp but check that there isn't a pad engaged on the preamp input.

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It's unlikely (I would have thought) that there is a problem with the cabs - the gain knob on the amp is designed to set the input volume into the eq and then the main volume knob controls the power amp level to the speakers.
There are a few things that could be happening here.

try a new lead- the lead is an active part of passive bass to amp - if it's damaged it might not show up with an active bass.
do you have a pad of some kind on the preamp modual? turn the gain up.
is it EQed differently? does selecting different pickups change it? it may be you're used to hearing a certain amount of mids which are scooped out on your bass.
and how high are the pickups- raise them will give you less bass and more mids, as well as more signal... which might sort you out.

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