Hi, I recently purchased a Spoiler and have a few questions.  I have noticed that the neck pick-up is quite a bit weaker in volume than the bridge pick-up.  The height of each is about the same.  I checked the volume adjustment for both pots and they are both wide open.  Do these pick-ups go bad?  Is there a better way to determine if one is bad or not?  Also, any idea what a replacement would cost if needed?   Secondly, my bass has issues with the finish on the back.  It has some buckle rash and cracks in the finish. What would be the best way to refinish it myself, other that sending back to the factory?  I do woodworking and have a good working knowledge about finishes in general, just unfamiliar with the finish on this bass.  Will try to add a picture here. Serial is 83S2942.  Thanks for all the help...  Stirling

 



  {moderator's note - edited for picture alignment}   (Message edited by adriaan on April 07, 2010)

Welcome Stirling~
 
If both pots are full open and the neck is quieter, have you tried turning down the bridge pickup pot to balance them?  As long as they're balanced, you should be able to adjust for less output with your amp/volume.
 
If the pickup is so quiet that you think there might be something wrong, you can easily disconnect the pickups and switch the connections.  If the quietness moves to the bridge pickup when you swap the connections, you may well have something wrong with that one pickup.  
 
Hope that makes sense... that's where I'd start, but there are some much more knowledgeable folk around here who will probably be responding shortly.  
 
Lovely quilt on that maple- I'll leave the refinish questions to somebody who knows what they're talking about.

Thanks for your reply.  I actually did turn the bridge pickup down to balance them out.  It just seems like it's missing something set that way.  When I turned the bridge pickup back to full volume it was very noticeable.  Not sure what the best course of action is.  The bass plays terrific, just struggling to find the bottom I'm looking for.  And I'm afraid new pickups will cost more than the bass did.  Either way, I'm happy to own it.  Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Thanks to all,
Stirling

Did you find the trimpots in the control cavity? They set the pre-amp volume, so you can set the pickups at the height you prefer, and adjust the volume to correct the balance.
 
You may want to refer to this FAQ thread on the Spoiler electronics ...

Try swapping the pickup leads to see if it stays with the pickup or preamp.  
 
Keith

I did switch the leads and now the neck pickup is the strongest.  I did try adjusting the trim pots but they are both wide open.  Thanks for your help!
 
Stirling

Stirling,  
You do not really want the trim pots wide open. Their function is to balance the level between the two pickups. It is expected that their will be some variation between the output of the two pickups. Some of this could also be related to pickup height. Here is a link to the  folder. It covers several different folks thoughts on setting pickup height and the effect on pickup output.  
 
Keith

Don't the pickup screws look like all 4 are on top not 2 underneath + 2 on top ?

Cory,
Good eye. They are on top. Which is not correct.
 
Keith

Well spotted! And woodscrews too?

Thanks for all the good info.  And thanks for pointing out the mounting screws.  I'll take care of that.  It does make me wonder what the previous owner was thinking...Hmmm...
 
Stirling

The front of the bass is beautiful.
I wonder what the back of the bass looks like . . . .

Well, it is beauty and the beast.  I'll get a pic of the back posted soon!
 
Fixed the pickup mounting problem.  For whatever reason, someone mounted them on top of foam with all the screws on the top.  Excellent tech advice in the mentioned articles.  Got the sound dialed in that I was looking for.  Thanks to all!

Well, here's the back.  There are two screws broken off at the heel of the neck.  He tried to drill one of them out with no success. There are two more holes where he mounted a strap peg and changed his mind.  Also some buckle rash.  I am fanatical about the condition of my instruments so it's a little tough to see it like this.  However I got such a deal on it that it was impossible to not buy it.  Any Ideas?
 
Thanks!

take a deep breath, and ignore them.
 
 
Or, cover them with sticker, something pithy.
 
Have Alembic install an inlay! A logo would cover that nicely.