Is my bass broken?

[ubit]

I have a Gibson Les Paul bass that I got from my girlfriend for my birthday a few years back. It's a lovely red sunburst colour and feels just great. I have not gigged it and it just comes down from the wall every so often for a muck about. Thing is, I am just starting to think I am only getting one sound out of it. When I turn the tone knobs I can hear absolutely no difference. The selector switch is faulty. It will not stay in the rhythm mode and clicks back to the centre detent. It works on treble and centre and if I hold it, I can get the rhythm side to work.so its working just not staying on it's top detent. I get confused though. When I put it to rhythm (ie neck pick up) the volume works on both the treble and bass pick up controls and vice versa. I would have thought one would be cut. As I say both tone controls seem to do nothing. I can play and hear no tone change at all.

I am beginning to think something is wrong as a bass of this quality should surely have a bigger range of sounds. I know I need to get the selector switch replaced but as I say, it works it just won't stay in the rhythm detent. It used to click back after a while but now won't stay in rhythm at all.

Does anyone have any experience of these basses or similar Gibson basses?

[Stub Mandrel]

No-one understands how Gibson tone controls work, not even Gibson...

[Dad3353]

49 minutes ago, ubit said:

...Does anyone have any experience of these basses or similar Gibson basses?

For all things guitar/bass electronics, I'd recommend our very own @KiOgon. A wiring loom from him would, I'm sure, bring out the best in your otherwise fine instrument. Worth a try seeing what he might suggest, maybe..?

[ubit]

6 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

For all things guitar/bass electronics, I'd recommend our very own @KiOgon. A wiring loom from him would, I'm sure, bring out the best in your otherwise fine instrument. Worth a try seeing what he might suggest, maybe..?

Cheers Dad, I have used KiOgon a couple of times in the past and he has supplied superb electronics but I just can't understand how this bass after having never being gigged can just stop working. To be honest it may have been like this from new and I haven't noticed too much as the sound I am getting from it is pretty good, its just that I can't change it. When it is on both pick ups, if I turn down one volume, whether neck or bridge, the sound goes off completely. I would like to know what is wrong rather than just change everything. It may be a capacitor that is faulty. All the wiring is sound and secure. I know I need a new toggle switch but that doesn't explain the lack of tone control.

[Dad3353]

20 minutes ago, ubit said:

Cheers Dad, I have used KiOgon a couple of times in the past and he has supplied superb electronics but I just can't understand how this bass after having never being gigged can just stop working. To be honest it may have been like this from new and I haven't noticed too much as the sound I am getting from it is pretty good, its just that I can't change it. When it is on both pick ups, if I turn down one volume, whether neck or bridge, the sound goes off completely. I would like to know what is wrong rather than just change everything. It may be a capacitor that is faulty. All the wiring is sound and secure. I know I need a new toggle switch but that doesn't explain the lack of tone control.

Maybe take a photo of the wiring cavity; it may help diagnostics at a distance..? There are many reasons why stuff happens, either from new or later on, and there's always a solution, but I agree that it's best to know what's going on. Trouble-shooting won't be difficult if you're handy with a soldering iron, but it would have to be done on a 'one step at a time' basis. Can we start with a clear photo, please..?

[ubit]

Ok mate, I understand that diagnostics are hard from afar but here is the pic as requested.

[Stub Mandrel]

41 minutes ago, ubit said:

When it is on both pick ups, if I turn down one volume, whether neck or bridge, the sound goes off completely.

I think that is normal for Gibson wiring. Effectively the two volume controls are wired side by side with both pickups selected, so if one is turned right down it mutes both pickups. I think the assumption was 'why would you want one pickup turned right down when you have selected both?'

I think this may match your wiring, i can't find one without eth band on top.

[KiOgon]

Well! If I worked for a 'top brand' guitar maker like Gibson, I'd be ashamed of that mess 🤣

The wiring looks in tact, let's have a look at the switch - probably the thing wants a good kicking I mean a bit of tender fettling and fiddling to get it working like it should.

Cheerz, John

[ubit]

49 minutes ago, KiOgon said:

let's have a look at the switch

I think I will just get a new switch. It's no use that it won't stay on the neck pick up position on its own. Pretty annoying for a bass that costs a lot and hasn't been used that much.

[ubit]

Edited May 27, 2020 by ubit

[gary mac]

2 minutes ago, ubit said:

I've replaced an awful lot of these switches in customer's Gibsons. They should be good but they're just not.

[ubit]

7 minutes ago, gary mac said:

I've replaced an awful lot of these switches in customer's Gibsons. They should be good but they're just not.

Yup, gonna have to order a new one. Hopefully once that's in I can concentrate on the nuances of the tone controls.

[inthedoghouse]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I think that is normal for Gibson wiring.

 

I think so too.  I spent hours messing about with a Firebird wiring last year trying to figure out if there was something wrong and even copied the wiring from my LP or SG ... only to find they do the same thing.

Tone controls on Gibson basses aren't always that great in my fairly limited experience.  I remember the first time I played an EB3 in the 70s thinking it might not have been working properly 🙂

[ubit]

Should I buy any three way rocker switch or do I need to get anything special? Just in case it comes and doesn't have the right amount of terminals.

[ubit]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I think that is normal for Gibson wiring. Effectively the two volume controls are wired side by side with both pickups selected, so if one is turned right down it mutes both pickups. I think the assumption was 'why would you want one pickup turned right down when you have selected both?'

I think this may match your wiring, i can't find one without eth band on top.

Where did you find this Stubsy? I looked everywhere I could think of for Les Paul control info.

[Stub Mandrel]

32 minutes ago, inthedoghouse said:

I think so too.  I spent hours messing about with a Firebird wiring last year trying to figure out if there was something wrong and even copied the wiring from my LP or SG ... only to find they do the same thing.

Tone controls on Gibson basses aren't always that great in my fairly limited experience.  I remember the first time I played an EB3 in the 70s thinking it might not have been working properly 🙂

I've got a Tokai SG, unfortunately it's such an accurate copy the wiring is equally hard to get your head around.

[inthedoghouse]

Great wiring resource here I found via the mylespaul forum

https://guitarelectronics.com/guitar-wiring-resources/2-pickup-guitar-wiring-diagrams/

 

[4000]

Selector switch issues aren’t uncommon. Was the bass new or used?

[yorks5stringer]

7 hours ago, ubit said:

I have a Gibson Les Paul bass that I got from my girlfriend for my birthday a few years back. It's a lovely red sunburst colour and feels just great. I have not gigged it and it just comes down from the wall every so often for a muck about. Thing is, I am just starting to think I am only getting one sound out of it. When I turn the tone knobs I can hear absolutely no difference. The selector switch is faulty. It will not stay in the rhythm mode and clicks back to the centre detent. It works on treble and centre and if I hold it, I can get the rhythm side to work.so its working just not staying on it's top detent. I get confused though. When I put it to rhythm (ie neck pick up) the volume works on both the treble and bass pick up controls and vice versa. I would have thought one would be cut. As I say both tone controls seem to do nothing. I can play and hear no tone change at all.

I am beginning to think something is wrong as a bass of this quality should surely have a bigger range of sounds. I know I need to get the selector switch replaced but as I say, it works it just won't stay in the rhythm detent. It used to click back after a while but now won't stay in rhythm at all.

Does anyone have any experience of these basses or similar Gibson basses?

Just to ensure we are on the same page, your pickup selector switch should typically work: centre position 'both pickups', forward position 'neck pickup' and back position 'bridge pickup'. You talk about 'rythmn' and 'treble' but that is not what the selector switch does on a Bass although you will get a deeper sound from the neck pickup and a treblier sound from the bridge one.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

Where did you find this Stubsy? I looked everywhere I could think of for Les Paul control info.

variations on GIBSON BASS WIRING and google image search, that might be EB3

[ubit]

2 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

Just to ensure we are on the same page, your pickup selector switch should typically work: centre position 'both pickups', forward position 'neck pickup' and back position 'bridge pickup'. You talk about 'rythmn' and 'treble' but that is not what the selector switch does on a Bass although you will get a deeper sound from the neck pickup and a treblier sound from the bridge one.

I know but it is taken from the Les Paul guitar. The badge that goes round the toggle switch says rhythm and treble on it. I was using that as a guide. I realise that it's the bridge and neck pick ups.They use the same badge as what's on the guitars.

Edited May 27, 2020 by ubit

[yorks5stringer]

Just now, ubit said:

I know but it is taken from the Les Paul guitar. The badge that goes round the toggle switch says rhythm and treble on it. I was using that as a guide. I realise that it's the bridge and neck pick ups.

Fine, did not realise Gibson had economised on that too! I stand corrected and as others have said, you need a new selector switch.

[police squad]

get your switch from wd products in the uk. email them a picture and I'm sure you'll get the right bit

https://www.wdmusic.co.uk/

 

[ubit]

8 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

Fine, did not realise Gibson had economised on that too! I stand corrected and as others have said, you need a new selector switch.

Yeah, it's a pretty shoddy money saver from Gibson having the same badge as the guitars. For all it would cost to have a separate one for the bass, or even better generalise them all to neck and bridge.

[ubit]

12 hours ago, 4000 said:

Selector switch issues aren’t uncommon. Was the bass new or used?

Brand spanking mate.