Need Help please with wiring Spector and40DC's

[mrdak]

This a Rebop5 DLX I swapped out the 40HZ's with 40DC's. PJ at Spector says the 40DC's will work fine with the Tone Pump. I followed the wiring diagram at the EMG site. The pickups are working but cancelling one another out..Can anyone tell me what I may be doing wrong here ? It's Late but I need to use the bass tomorrow, and Im going out of town in the morning. Please Help ??

Heres a pic.

[Ace Of Bass]

If no one's helped you out by the time I've finished my dinner, I'll help you.

I've never swapped passives for actives before, but I've done just about everything else on a bass.

 

If you could lable the wires, that would help.

 

I'm assuming you've already read through this:

http://www.emginc.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/PJ_models.pdf

[mrdak]

Hi Ace, yeah, I read that. Thats what I used to get the wires where they're at. But the PU's are cancelling one another out. The front is much much louder than the back, and when I turn either one all the way up, it cancels the other. And you have to remember I have the tone pump in there too. the top center is the bridge vol. and the left side is the neck vol. The 40DC's are dual coils. The bottom left is the hi tone and the bottom right is the low tone. Thats the tone pump in the blk box on the upper right. The blk and wht wires are goin into it. I disconnected the ground from the bridge. Thats the red wire up top right coiled up. you can see where it was on the bridge vol. I know this is going to be something simple, If someone with the tonpump see's this I'll hopefully be saved.

What do you think ?

 

You know what, PJ over at Spector said the HZS and the DC's are hooked up almost the same, except the DC needs power. when I had the HZ's in there The red wire went straight to the pots. Now that I've hooked the reds to the red from the battery, do I need to tie into the black battery wire somewhere else maybe ?

[Ace Of Bass]

By cancelling each other out, to you just like a volume drop, or does the tone get very thin?

 

When I have wiring problems, first step is always to simply everything to find the problem. In your case, I'd totally bypass the active preamp and just wire the pickups straight to the output jack--no tone, or anything. If that solves the problem, you know the issue is in the tone controls.

If you still have the same problem, you know it's just in pickup and volume wiring.

[mrdak]

Complete volume drop. The tone controls are almost doing exactly what they did before. What do you think about what I said about the power.

before, with the HZ's They didn't need power. As of now, I only changed the way the power hooks up on the red side of the circuit, It's still the same on the black wires as it was with the HZ's... shouldn't I have to change the black side in accordance with what I did to the red wires ? For the DC's They all hook up on the red side of the battery, now,, how else could the black side hook up. I think it's a power problem really, not tone. I may be wrong but what do you think about that ?

[mrdak]

Ace, Do you have a Spector with a tone pump ? Im hoping someone with a Euro 5LX with the actives and a tone pump comes along man... They could just look at their setup.

[Ace Of Bass]

Nope, I don't have one (But I'd love one!)

 

The standard way to wire any active bass is to have the (-) of the battery connected straight to the ground and nothing else.

 

The (+) then is connected to everything else that needs juice. Internally, the (-) of every componant is connected to the signal's ground (and thus to the (-) of the battery).

EMG makes two kinds of all-passive pickups: the HZ and the Selects. The HZs don't need (and shouldn't be connected to) power of any kind. They just connect straight to the preamp (or the vol/tone controls/output jack in an all-passive bass.)

 

Now, just to make sure I've got this right:

With the neck pickup on full, bridge off, you get full sound.

With the neck PU off, bridge on full, you get full sound.

With both PUs on full, you get silence?

[mrdak]

OK, the battery (-) is going to the output jack. (+) is indeed connected to everything else.

 

Now, I double checked and this is what I got. Seems more like Im having a pot problem, maybe.

neck pickup full volume from beginning to end of vol control, and at full vol. it dies some. bridge pickup very low. no matter what. When bridge pickup is turned all the way up, it causes neck pickup to go slightly lower. What~ a bad pot ? hope it;s not a bad pickup.

 

The neck pot reads 5000K and the bridge reads 4000K

 

Both are 5000K pots, and the reading is when they are turned all the way up... Is that how it should be read ? Do you know if I can try anything else ?

[mrdak]

Ace, Look at my pic, that white wire coming from the tone pump, going to the bottom pin on one volume, and then to the bottom on the other volume. Thats how it was with the HZ's. and the redhot side of the HZ's went right there also,

 

shouldn't that wire be connected to the center pin on both vol. pots instead ?

 

No No ,,,That would cause a short... forget that... Im really friggen sleepy.. But still awake for ideas... LOL.

[Ace Of Bass]

Those reading sound fine. Resisters are often rated to +/- 20%, so 4000 is acceptable.

5k is the standard for active electronics.

 

This'll be a pain in the ass to check, but if you bypass the pots, do you get the same thing? If you try it with only the neck pickup connected, no pot, then only the bridge (no pot) and then both without pots, do they seem to sound right?

 

This really isn't my strongpoint in electronics.

 

One thing I would check before doing anything else is that your battery is new. a dead or weak battery can cause all sort of weird stuff.

[Ace Of Bass]

 

Originally posted by mrdak Ace, Look at my pic, that white wire coming from the tone pump, going to the bottom pin on one volume, and then to the bottom on the other volume. Thats how it was with the HZ's. and the redhot side of the HZ's went right there also, shouldn't that wire be connected to the center pin on both vol. pots instead ? No No ,,,That would cause a short... forget that... Im really friggen sleepy.. But still awake for ideas... LOL.

 

 

When I wire pickups, I usually put the hot from the pickups on the bottom pin, the ground on the top, and the "output" from the middle pin going to the tonepump (except I don't have a tonepump.) This seems to be standard, but it works just as well as having the PU lead going to the middle, the ground on the top, and the "output" on the bottom pin.

[mrdak]

Well Ace, I appreciate your giving it a try, but I have to leave for new orleans in the AM, and Im duckin bigtime.. I'll try your idea with the pots in the morning before I leave, and I'll post back for sure, to let you know whats up. Im syartin to think one of the pickups is a dud...

I bought them used from someone for 40.00 bucks each.. go figure. If one of them is good, I still saved a bunch.

you're a gentleman. By the way.. Im gettin 9.9v on my battery....

Dak

[Ace Of Bass]

Originally posted by mrdak you're a gentleman. Dak

Have you READ my other posts???

[mrdak]

Originally posted by Ace Of Bass Have you READ my other posts???

 

 

Yeah man, ha ha I sure have..

[MageZ]

IIRC active pickups need different pots - 25K ohm IIRC.

 

This looks like it's the problem.

[MageZ]

 

Originally posted by MageZ IIRC active pickups need different pots - 25K ohm IIRC. This looks like it's the problem.

 

 

 

I have Spector NS-2a.

 

Original PUs were passive EMGs Select and old original Spector active elrctronics.

 

The previous owner swapped them for active EMGs with Spector Tone Pump electronics.

 

The Tone Pump came wired, the EMGs came with own pots.

 

When I bought active EMGs for my another bass, they camw with own 25K ohm pots too.

[Rippin' Robin]

Originally posted by MageZ I have Spector NS-2a. Original PUs were passive EMGs Select and old original Spector active elrctronics. The previous owner swapped them for active EMGs with Spector Tone Pump electronics. The Tone Pump came wired, the EMGs came with own pots. When I bought active EMGs for my another bass, they camw with own 25K ohm pots too.

 

Maybe you could help by posting a pic of your control cavity?

 

(No, this is not a sneaky way of getting nudy MageZ pics )

[mrdak]

Originally posted by Rippin' Robin Maybe you could help by posting a pic of your control cavity? (No, this is not a sneaky way of getting nudy MageZ pics )

 

Its right up top.. you didn't see it ?

 

I have to leave to go out of town in like a second so could you possibly post a pic of yours too ..

Mine is up top so ,,, Im sorry to sound like a dick while you're trying to help, but I have to go,,The old lady is like breathin fire.. hurry.. with any help you may have.

I hope you have a tone pump with 40DC PU's..

[mrdak]

Originally posted by Rippin' Robin Maybe you could help by posting a pic of your control cavity? (No, this is not a sneaky way of getting nudy MageZ pics )

 

OH OK,,, I see what you did now Rippin you were talkin to MAGE Z... Sorry.. I hate being in a hurry... It screws me all up.

 

 

Yeah mage.. A pic would be great.

[mrdak]

OK Guys, I solved the problem...I did like Mage Z said and the 25k pots did it..

Thanks man, I changed them out when I was in New Orleans this past weekend, and whooah the difference is there across the board... and I only paid 40$ each for these from some nice old gentleman I met on ebay..new 40DC's for 40bucks each.. Im in Tone heaven over here..

 

Thanks for any and all effort from you guys ...really !

 

Dan

[Rippin' Robin]

 

Originally posted by mrdak OK Guys, I solved the problem...I did like Mage Z said and the 25k pots did it.. Thanks man, I changed them out when I was in New Orleans this past weekend, and whooah the difference is there across the board... and I only paid 40$ each for these from some nice old gentleman I met on ebay..new 40DC's for 40bucks each.. Im in Tone heaven over here.. Thanks for any and all effort from you guys ...really ! Dan

 

 

Good deal!

 

Glad you solved it.

[Ace Of Bass]

I really should have realized that.... Sorry.

[mrdak]

Originally posted by Ace Of Bass I really should have realized that.... Sorry.

 

No Charge bro.............

[Bruce Pettengill]

This is the thread I've been looking for. Recently purchased used EMG HZs for my performer (found the EMG SSDs weak a hollow sounding). Also purchased a used Tone Pump from a fellow member of the Spector FB group. Meticulously wired them up. Plugged it in a buzzing growl from the bridge & nothing from the neck. Double checked the solder. Now nothing. I've checked ohms from the pots & they seem to be getting signal from the pickups. It's like the tone pump has shyte the bed. Any suggestions? If I could find a wiring diagram for the tone pump itself maybe I'm know for sure that's what it was.