Ric pick ups

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:31 pm

i recently bought a Pbass copy. the pick ups sounded really low in volume.
so i bought a pair of seymour duncan bass line quarter pound p/u`s.

i just got the bass back today and even though they have more output volume than the stock pick ups, the Ric p/u`s blow them away.

is there any device that can be plugged in between the amp and bass to increase volume?no distortion type box just a plain volume booster.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:39 pm

some distortion boxes will increase volume with no distortion, I have a Danelectro unit that will do this.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:45 pm

which one do you have bob?

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 2:14 pm

There are a lot of volume boost type preamps out there, like the Sadowsky preamp or the Raven Labs PHA-1 for just two examples.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 3:31 pm

Get an EQ pedal ... then you can use it as a boost and / or change tone settings as well ... this is a good toll for a lead player as well to boost leads ...

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 3:34 pm

Do you mean the Ric pickups "blow them away" in output volume? Then something is wrong, either in the controls, the pickup wiring or the windings. The SD Basslines QP Precision pickups are very high output.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 4:31 pm

dave,

yes in output volume.

put it this way, my ampeg b 100 r 100 watt amp. all knobs at 5. bass/ trebble boost on volume 3,with Ric loud

with p bass copy and 1/4 pounders and same settings, it is much lower.

this is the second set of duncans, i thought the first set might be bad since i didnt get that dramatic increase in volume over the stock p/u`s or as loud as my Ric.

first time i wired up the p/u`s.

i thought i may not have done it right so i brought it some place to have it done. they changed the 2 pots ,jack and cap.
i may hear a slight difference but nothing to make me smile......

the only other thing i can think of is the place i got them from might have gotten a bad batch.

i went in expecting to pay 60 bucks for them, as they are advertised every where, but to my surprise they were on clearance for 27 bucks.

i have already made customer service aware of the situation and if this set fails to perform as stated they will take them back.

i dont really trust them ( the pick ups ) now.

needless to say i am disapointed with the situation right now.

marcinkus · Post by **marcinkus** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 12:08 am

Doesn't your amp have a gain knob? You can adjust volume differences this way.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 2:30 am

i have gain, i guess i`ll just chalk it up to ric`s being the best, as already known!

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 6:23 am

But Rics being the best has to do with their tone, not their output millivoltage.

There has to be something wrong with the QP P-bass pickups or the bass' own wiring for the output to be so low. The QPs are high output.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:19 am

dave,

i agree.

heres the list of events.

got new cheapo backup bass p bass copy.
decided to put in the duncans.
just wired them right up the the pots that were there just like the stock p/u`s.

didnt do anything

brought p/u`s back to the store claiming they didnt change the output.
brought home new set and pots jack and cap.
put them in according to the schematic in the duncan box....no change.
put old p/u`s back in
took bass to reliable shop and had new pots and the duncans"proffesionally " installed.
not much of a difference.

now heres the one thing that may hinge on it all.

the duncan QP`s cost 60 - 70 dollars everywhhere. i just so happened into a guitar center where i got them on clearence for 27 dollars. i asked the salesman why are they so cheap ..he says they are discontinued. this was news at duncan.

i may yank them out again and send them back to duncan, they already told me if there was a problem with this the 2nd set to send them back.

i am a liitle irritated at this point but optomistic that they will stand behind their products....

with all that what do you think ?

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:45 am

Maybe there were near a transformer or something that weakened the magnetic field, something sounds fishy if Duncan doesn't know about the special clearance, they (no pun intended) sound defective to me.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 12:25 pm

gotta be bad pickups, I have a 1/4 pounder in a MIM P bass - if it had rounds on it like my rick (it does not it has flats on) Its actually a more powerful pickup than the RIC's. My amp has an overload light and the P bass makes it light up more often than my 4003 at the same settings.

ricnbacker · Post by **ricnbacker** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 1:56 pm

"something sounds fishy if Duncan doesn't know about the special clearance"

a very helpful rep at seymour says that when GC stops stocking something they call it discontinued.

owen

with my stuff right now its the opposite! lol

anyway, i got a return number and was told i can have anything they stock, same price range of course, so instead of installing yet another set of p/u`s i opted for an exchange. they are sending me a (copy and pasted from their site)

SFX-01 Pickup Booster Pedal
The first effects pedal designed specifically to work together with the pickups in your instrument to achieve optimum gain and resonance for all your tonal applications. Turn the knob to dial in pure, flat-EQ gain, ranging from 6dB, all the way to an astonishing 25dB!
In addition, the Pickup Booster can add thickness to a single coil pickup. By engaging the Resonance Switch, the resonant peak of a single coil pickup can be lowered, making a Strat® pickup sound similar to a vintage humbucker or even a high-output humbucker.

pretty cool...

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 4:20 pm

Hmm, interesting. I've been thinking of dropping quarter pounders in my hybrid P/J. Never really heard anything negative about them. Jeff Rath swears by them, so I'll probably try them.