Low output sound coming from bass

Burger Boy

New member
Hello everyone,

I have a copy of a dual pickup Ernie Ball Stingray bass. I installed an SMB-4A in the neck and SMB-4D in the bridge. I have these two pups first going into a 5 way super switch (like the original Stingrays do) and then its going into an STC-3M4 tone circuit board.

When plugged into my amp and my PC using Amplitube 3, I am getting a low output sound which is a bit muffled from the amp and PC. I have to turn up the volume/output knobs even higher when playing the bass. I checked all wiring and the 9 volt battery and everything is connected and soldered properly. The problem is not coming from the amp or PC speakers as I plugged in another bass and everything sounds fine and powerful from that one.

Does anyone know how can I fix this problem with the bass? What is causing this low output sound when it's supposed to be bright and clear?

A few more questions.....Are the SMB-4A and 4D passive or active pickups? Is the STC-3M4 passive or active electronics? Are they compatible with the STC-3M4? (I believe that they should be)

Thanks.!
 
Re: Low output sound coming from bass

Assuming the bass came with the board and you didn't install it and the brand new battery, then yeah, change the battery.

The board is active, since it takes a battery. The pickups are passive and can be used with any active or passive circuitry.

Assuming the bass did not come with any active setup, did you also replace the stock jack with the stereo jack? Is it wired correctly?
Confirm the wiring by comparing it to other diagrams that use similar components, not just the specific ones you have.
 
Re: Low output sound coming from bass

The battery is brand new and I double checked it with a battery tester. I brought the pickups and the tone circuit board separately and they were not included in the bass.

The wiring was already done by the factory as the STC-3M4 was built as a harness. I'll double check all the wiring to make sure all contact points are intact. A new stereo stock jack did come with the board and I replaced that as well.

I hope this works now!
 
Re: Low output sound coming from bass

Another important thing a surprising number of people miss: make sure the plug goes all the way in. With stereo jacks, sometimes they're so tight that you shove it in halfway and it feels like it locked in place, but you still have another notch to go.

And on some mounting holes, the tip prong of the jack can get squeezed down by the body, making it difficult to put the plug in all the way.
 
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