Very low output from Essence

[tomhug]

I've had this bass  for about a year. I just played a series of shows associated with a festival that had a bunch of bass players. There were 2 rigs in use across the 3 different events. On Friday and Saturday nights the bass players used my rig (a Trace-Elliot AH500X), and at the beach show we used an Ampeg SVT 400T. So it was a good opportunity to see/hear A/B comparisons using the same equipment.
 
About a 2 weeks ago, I opened up the back panel and set the little blue pot to the maximum output position. Even in this position, this bass does not put out very much signal, when compared to other basses. This is after comparing to both the active and passive basses that were used by the other players. In fact, Trace Elliot has both an active and a passive input, and I get roughly the same result by running this bass into either input.
 
So far this has not been enough of a problem for me to do anything about; I've been able to get enough tone and volume even with the lower output.
 
It just seems odd to me that someone with an inexpensive passive bass from the 70's would be getting a beefier tone than these Essence electronics.
 
And yes, it was a fresh battery.
 
Like I said, I am not even sure this is a problem (I did in fact get some complements on my tone). Can any other Alembic players comment on this phenomenon?

[pacificshine]

The audio cord (especially the type using phone plugs) is critical in achieving a good, clear signal path.  I've personally thrown out many bad or questionable cords that exhibited a similar symptom or other noises and replaced them with new and reliable cords.  The cost of a good, reliable cord (whatever it may be) is well worth it.  Personally, I make all my cords now.  I found that using a quad microphone cable works best (I like the Mogami Quad Hi Definition mic cable).  I twist the two blue wires together and the two white wires together, solder the white wires to the tip of the plug and ground the two blue wires together with the shield conductor to the ground lug of the plug.  I can also customize the length of the cord and it's not too expensive if you get the cable in bulk (on a spool).  Use high quality phone plugs and you'll have a reliable instrument cord that will not fail you.

[tomhug]

Good general advice, Alan. I would definitely consider swapping out the cords. However, I have tried different cords and get pretty similar results across the board. Also, I use these same cords for my other instruments without any issues. I like your idea about manufacturing your own though. I might just do that.  
 
Thanks, Tom

[pacificshine]

It's true that cords in working order should not make a noticeable difference in sound quality, but the higher quality cords are likely to better protect you in noisy environments.  They are also more rugged and will withstand greater abuse.  The Quad Mic cables are designed for a balanced output signal (XLR output) as they tend to cancel noise better than the regular mic cables.  I tried it once on a phone plug (unbalanced signal) and really liked it.  The two wires connected together to the tip and the other two wires plus the shield jacket connected to the ground terminal on the phone plug make it a really strong and reliable connection.  After trying the Mogami cable I just couldn?t go back to any standard, pre made cord.  To make it really work use high end phone plugs (I think we use Switchcraft, all metal plugs).  The good quality plugs are easy to solder to and the insulation will not melt as you heat up the terminals.  I was surprised how easy it was to make these cables with only a few simple tools.

[mica]

I checked with my dad, and neither one of us remember hearing that the Essence didn't have enough output. You should be able to overdrive the amp when the trimpot is at maximum. So I think that in the 15 years since the bass was made, something has gone awry that is causing the drop in output.  
 
To test if the problem is potentially in the pan pot, unplug the pickups from the pan pot and plug one directly into the 2-pin connector on the filter control. Report if the volume is similar or increased.
 
If the volume increases, then you need a new oan module.  
 
If the volume doesn't change, then I'd suggest sending the filter and Q switch in to us for testing/repair. If you need to send the filter in, we should communicate by email or phone about the particulars for getting it here.

[pacificshine]

Just realized that my two posts in this thread actually belong in a different thread, titled Fixing RF Issues, which was posted under Alembic Basses & Guitars.  I have no idea how I managed to that as I was responding to the member's issue with RF.  The original thread belongs here but for now I'll post my comments over there, unless the text can be moved around by a moderator and placed in the right thread, including moving the whole thread to the troubleshooting category.
 
I guess I?m still learning how to use this forum?
 
Thanks,
Alan