DocTrucker

What options would be recommended for a practice & rehersal (guitarist has loud but physically small marshall valve amp) amp/speaker setup that adds minimal tonal change to what comes off my preamped pedal board? I would like to get to the point where I have my tones sorted as far as possible in a quiet environment before plugging a balanced feed from my pedal board into a PA. This would best be portable as our common rehersal space uses an ashdown 4x10 combo, which I'm assuming colours the tone as I was struggling to make it sound brighter on last rehersal. I am playing covers with a guitarist and drummer with an aim to hit band open mic nights later next year. Plenty of growing left to do in my playing but I really struggle with my hearing (a-symetric loss on right with aid - off for rehersal!) in a noisey environment, and in such a situation the subtlies of my tone are lost on me. I am not likely to be capable to tweak for tone in a live environment. Edit: Budget is key here and I'm researching at the moment before spending later next year. Don't mind having a period of waiting for the right second hand deal on specific components.

Good spot! The Boss GT 1000 there looks great too, but that is a tad out of range!

@dudewheresmybass certinally no harm in trying! Only recently nailed the issue down to to the preamp. 30/12/23 Edit: Issue appears to be a PSU dropping out. Likely nothing wrong with the Digbeth Pre.

Pretty sure my Digbeth has developed a fault that makes it into something I can't rely on. 😞 Never knowingly pushed it hard but now the output occasionally drops to next to nothing. I did at first think it was the active electronics in my Harley 6 string, but it also happened with my Squire Vintage Modified Jazz 4 string. Alas well past warranty period. Used the same combo amp without the digbeth at rehersal direct from the squire with no issues last week. It's a frustating occasional drop, perhaps something isn't cooling right. 30/12/23 Edit: Issue appears to be a PSU dropping out. Likely nothing wrong with the Digbeth Pre.

Not that it changes this much but I mainly focus on plucking and have recently added a couple of pick tracks to the rehersal list. I don't slap at the moment. My equipment is a daily 4 string Squire Vintage Modefied and a Harley fretted Six string which is in the process of being having its electronics swapped at the moment.

Morning all. I'm a notch or two up from beginner on the bass and reherse monthly with a guitarist and drummer in a local studio. I like blues rock through to heavy metal with a few outliers like Vangellis and Zimmer sound tracks. The musical tastes of the others is wider still. I've been looking at multi effects units as both a similification (aside from the learning curve!) and cost perspective. My ears aren't what they used to be. I have Meniere's disease which comes hand in hand with a-symetric hearing loss which is profound at high pitch and severe throughout the rest of the spectrum on my right side and normal ish for a ~40 year old on my left! With that in mind the highest details of digital vs analogue are likely to be lost on me and it makes setting tones on the fly in a noisey environment very difficult. So for a broad spectrum unit that does well from bypass (/tuner) out towards more synthy blade runner sound track like stuff what are the community favorites without loosing £300+? Would these allow me to set up a play list and increment through them quickly at a poor light (had thoughts about adding a light to the pedal board!) gig? I wouldn't mind a balanced out (stereo as going to PA) but could easily add that separately. Zoom B9? Boss GT-10b? Something else? I was thinking whether this should be my next investment or a rig, but the more I think about it working towards getting a PA ready output seems more sensible, but stand to be corrected!

Yup, that's the way it's going. I have two DPDT pickup tap switchs on order so I can do single/parallel/series changes on the coils, making sure I keep the current flow in the right direction for the humbucking. It won't be pretty but it will give the pickups a fair chance before looking at routing out for Warman MM6s.

Looking at other 6 string bass pickups on ebay that resistance (when wired in series) is about half that you'd expect for a 6 string pickup. So perhaps the fix would ideally include pickups too?

Just stripped it back a bit to see what I have got. Neck pick up looks to have nicely matched coils, one of the coils on the bridge is a bit mismatched, but at only 2.2% higher resistance than the other of the pair I'm assuming this is within the relms of matched? Neck (Ohms) 7160 black green (white red joined - serial) 3580 white black 3580 green red Bridge (Ohms) 7210 black green (white red joined - serial) (+0.7% over Neck) 3570 white black 3650 green red (+2.2% over first coil) Edit: Having written that I guess coil matching has to consider inductance too, so DC resistance only part of the story?

Thanks. Don't mind active that come with recomendations! Yes, thos units look only a little more pricy than a decent CTD or Bournes audio pot! From memory I think I had access to more than just hot and ground from the coils. Is it worth thinking about switches to change the wiring of each pickup, or is that only really useful/distinguishable for the most acutwly trained ear?

Great. Think that is the best way forward then. Not worth trying to fault find in that bird's nest! I did sketch out the the loom at one point but long since lost that! Link to model: https://harleybenton.com/product/b-650-bk/

Terminology not likely to be on point! There is a pre amp in the cavity. Is it anyones guess what a double humbucker is likely to sound like in the double volume tone setup? Is it something that lends itself to a specific style or are setup changes like this more subtle? Edit: Yeah, needs a clean! Been sat on thw side for a few months!

I should clarify as I imagine most are not familiar with this beginner 6 string. This has a volume knob that when pulled out the active system is used and when pushed in it works as passive. Guess I've answered my own question on if passive can be used, so the question remains. Would you: Use existing pickups and rewire for pure passive. Or Look at alternative active electronics and either use a jack controlled power, add a switch somewhere, or simply remove battery as habit.

Morning All, Disclaimer: Early stage player with an urge to tinker with most things! Appreciate a 6 string wouldn't be most people's pick for me, and to reasure I have a trusty squire vintage modified which is my default rehersal bass! Earlier last year I bought a Harley Benton 6 string to experiment with. I enjoy playing it (after a comprehensive setup by Luither which corrected intonation issues) and am begining to use the extra strings a little more. There are however gremlins in the electronics. The sound out of the amp sometimes drops right down or becomes dull, doesn't appear to be down to my active pedal pre amp as my squire has so far been immune. I also find the push in volume knob switch to activate the active pickups infuriating as it has nearly always been knocked and flat by the time I need it! So at least a soldering iron job and at most a brain & pickup transplant! A few options... 1) Jack plug power cut for active pickups:- I think you can get jack plugs that control the power and use that to cut the power feed from the battery, or failing that add a switch somewhere. 2) Convert to plain passive:- Are the pick ups likely to be usable for conversion to passive? If so swap to a double tone and volume setup? 3) Alternative pickup & active:- Due to the neiche market for 6 string basses I'm assuming an alternative active pickups (or any pickups for that matter) are expensive? I've no issue with passive electronics as my squire sounds great to me. I appreciate the Harley Benton won't be the best advert for active, so won't judge active vs passive purely on this one! What are your thoughts on these options? I'm leaning to conversion to passive if people think that is likely to be feasible.

I've set my string height with a depth gauge to the top of the string rather than using this ruler as I find it more consistent.

It is difficult to get a decent photo of action but that first one was just trying to show the angle of the fret board. I'll try and post another for action on B shortly. Any lower and I get buzz on first 2-3 frets but the action is plenty low enough for me I think! My skills are not near the session musician end just yet! This was a little compensation for knuckling down to some more dull time with scales. Gap under the 7th fret with the first and 24th held down is about 0.25-0.5mm. Photo of action to follow...

2.7mm at B string 12th fret.

It'd be more useful if you suggest what action you believe to be correct between an open B string and the top of the 12th and the same for the C.

Think the saddles are high to cope with the neck angle. I'm going through setting up the action. To be honest action at the 12th fret was in the right ball park as pictured. Bridge pickup was high as I was part way through experimenting with improving passive mode tone. Pickup was moved toward strings, not strings up from pickup. I'll see what the saddles are like with the action set right.

Thanks @Doctor J relieved to hear it's not a fail straight away. Will run through a setup and see how things go. This is the guide that I have followed in the past for - but not specific to - my Squire Jazz Bass: https://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-perfect-bass-guitar-setup

Hi all, I was half expecting issues with this because of the price. Return this bass? The finger board isn't parrallel to the body. Looks like the action has had to be set very high.

So thinking something like: Intro 1 2 3 Verse 1 2 3 4 Giving the ability move about a bit it somrone comes in a bar or two too late for a solo, or singing a verse?