Carvin LB70 active/passive controls HELP

[Naked Ape]

Can anybody here help with the control layout? Basically trying to determine each knobs function. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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[gumbynotpokey]

hard to see.....answer this....are any of the knobs stacked/concentric, or are all of the knobs simply single knobs? if any are stacked/concentric, which ones are they?

[gumbynotpokey]

the largest knob closest to the neck would be the active/passive switch, in addition to being the master volume

for master volume, simply rotate the knob

for passive mode, pull the knob up. if it does come up and lock into a raised position, you have an active/passive instrument. passive mode bypasses the active eq module and your instrument becomes passive

[gumbynotpokey]

I see no piezo pickups in the bridge saddles. So, you have a two-pickup instrument, not 3. The two pickups are neck, and bridge.

The second large knob - the one toward the bridge, is the pickup pan selector. Twist the knob 100% of the way toward the neck, and you will solo the neck pickup. Twist it 100% of the way toward the bridge, and you will solo the bridge pickup.

What is nice about bass technology is that it was created later than guitar technology, and started from a more developed perspective (less heritage). For this bass, the result is that the very same knob also has incremental amounts of pan/sweep between the 100% bridge and 100% neck positions. That is, you have infinite sweep/blending capability -- you can change the AMOUNT of each pickup in between the extremes. Most guitars don't have this ability. Most guitars have switching, not panning.

[gumbynotpokey]

The three small knobs are high, mid, and low tone shaping knobs for the active 3 band EQ module. The small knob closest to the neck is the high, the middle is mid, and the knob furthest back is low. You can sweep these separately, and tone shape accordingly.

[Naked Ape]

I cannot thank you enough Gumbynotpokey! You are my HERO of the Day!!! Your Immediate response was amazing. Hopefully I can return the favor one day.
By the way...I loved that 'Little Green Ball of Clay'...."Gumby" I have a VHS tape full of Gumby and his Pony Pal Pokey somewhere.

[gumbynotpokey]

Well, I have never played anything but bass. I love the bbs community. Guitar guys are ok, but.....LOL

So, no stacked knob, I assume. Correct? Like, the bottom and top of the same knob rotate separately.

Also, can you give us a shot of the body backside?

Coaching i will say this. Put the three tone knobs in the center detent position and leave them there, with no tone tweaking, for several live performances or band practices in a row. Get to know your pickups and what they sound like panned and solo'd until you get into tone tweaking.

What pickups are those?

[gumbynotpokey]

Love gumby too!

"Love all. Serve all."

[Naked Ape]

No stacked knobs, just the push/pull. I'm actually helping someone else out with this one. I'm not sure which pickups they are, it's very difficult finding info on these. My friend had it Built early to mid 2000's. He can't remember the exact year. lol. He just signed up for Medi-Care. I was surprised to see that it has a spacer wood between the Alder and Walnut. Beautiful Bass! It's a fretless. Here are a few more pics.

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[gumbynotpokey]

Alder body. 5 piece neck (maple with 2 walnut stripes). Claro top without rounded body sides. 9 volt active/passive (not 18volt).

I don't mean to be irritating, but if you take close up pics of the pickups we can identify what type of pickups they are. For now I will say they are stock single coil J99's, but that's just a guess. I believe J99's were the stock single coils back then. It's highly doubtful that there's a J99 at the neck, but a stacked humbucker at the bridge (same shape).

She's a beauty.

[Naked Ape]

Here are some close ups of the pickups.

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They both look the same....to me.?

[Bob C]

Beautiful bass, indeed.

Yes, they look the same to me too. Looks like they have a black dot in front of the Carvin logo, which would make them J99 single coils as gnp reasoned. Does this sound right?

[gumbynotpokey]

I'm sure you are right the black dot means J99. The info on the museum site will tell for sure, as can some even older - time BBS members.

[tbonesullivan]

No dot = H50N pickups. Black dot = J99 pickups. Blue dot = H50S pickups. Brown Dot - J99A pickups.

Also, depending on when the bass was built, the mid control may be the one closest to the bottom of the guitar. The first iteration of that active module had only treble and bass boost and cut. Later the Mid was added, but it was an option, so it was stuck on the bottom. My 2002 B4A is set up like that. My B5, which was made later, has the mid control in the middle, where you'd expect it.

[Bob C]

Yep. Mine was built in 98/99 and has the bass control in the middle.