tech support! Wilde Pickups - quiet J pup

[speyer]

So, last summer I routed out my brand new American standard P for a J pup and installed a brand new Wilde PJ set of pups wired vol/vol/tone and installed a side jack on the body. After installing the Pups which were and still are a sonic upgrade to my ear... I noticed that the J pup is significantly quieter than the P pup. Not thinking much of it because the bass is really sounding great with the P pup favored.. I recently began copping some sounds favouring the J pup and I'm loosing a ton of volume. I would say that if the P is 100% soloed, the J is about 25%-30% of that soloed.

After doing a bit of research and coming up with nothing... I am wondering if anyone tell me what could be the cause a J pup to be so much quieter other than say - the wind of the pickup? A wiring problem perhaps? It just sounds thin and quiet, nothing like any J pup Ive had in any bass, Or PJ for that matter. Other than removing the pickup and measuring the inductance to confirm its build to spec - does anyone have any ideas of what else could cause this? Does anyone else here have a Wilde PJ set in their bass who can share their experience?

Honestly, the P sounds friggin glorious! And just fine or better with the J mixed in but as soon as you dial any of the P out... the volume and tone drop considerably at the same time.

thanks in advance! link to my specific pups below. cheers

Bass Pickups

 

[byacey]

It's normal for the J pickup in a PJ configuration to be somewhat lower in level, because the string isn't swinging about it's axis as much closer to the bridge. How much lower compared to the P pickup, I can't say exactly.
I really like the Wilde pickups too.

 

[speyer]

It's normal for the J pickup in a PJ configuration to be somewhat lower in level, because the string isn't swinging about it's axis as much closer to the bridge. How much lower compared to the P pickup, I can't say exactly.
I really like the Wilde pickups too.

Ya I kinda gathered that... even mirrors my experience over the years. But the difference in volume and tone are far more significant than anything I’ve heard. I would say the J pup is unusable on its own- now that ain’t right is it?

 

[Slater]

In a passive P/J set, it’s normal for the P pickup to have noticeably more output than the J pickup. The DC resistance of the average J pickup is usually just over half the DC resistance of the average P pickup. I haven’t had the pleasure to own or use the Wilde pickups, so I don’t know what their normal performance should be like.

 

[speyer]

Hmmm. This was my understanding as well but I just can't see how the bridge pickup could end up sounding so much quieter and basically sounding like crap. Mabye I should post a clip of what Im hearing recorded with my phone later... I'm thinking also best to contact Wilde to discuss it with them. maybe they can make me a hotter pickup or something.

 

[Slater]

Is this a new development, or did you have low output from the J pickup from day one?

This is what I would try...

Remove the pickguard, but leave everything wired up. Then, play a few notes through an amp and see if the J pickup comes to life. This will check to see if you had some connections touching and affecting your J pickup when the pickguard was screwed down.

Next, wire the J pickup straight to the output jack. This will take the electronics out of the equation, and help determine if there is a problem with just the J pickup.

Also, if you have a multimeter, check the DC resistance of the pickup against the manufacturer’s specs.

The results of the above will determine your next move.

 

[96tbird]

Maybe I’ll get flamed but ANY j pup in the bridge position sounds like poop to my ear. Ads grat tone blended but alone or favored? Yuck.

Sorry Jaco, you could play like the wind but that tone is practically un-listenable to me.

Back on topic, raise the bridge pickup very close 3/16” approx and lower the P until output is even. Adjust the gain on your head to compensate.