Capela Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Hello guys, I've been working with this bass for a while. The construction and feel is great but the pup's and electronics are a bit away from i expected - a complete mess. I've read a lot about different upgrades and i now that there's a lot of stuff around but still haven't decided. For those who have or had this bass what do you recommend and why? Thank you! Best regards from Lisboa, Portugal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chardbass Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 [quote name='Capela' post='985902' date='Oct 12 2010, 04:43 PM']Hello guys, I've been working with this bass for a while. The construction and feel is great but the pup's and electronics are a bit away from i expected - a complete mess. I've read a lot about different upgrades and i now that there's a lot of stuff around but still haven't decided. For those who have or had this bass what do you recommend and why? Thank you! Best regards from Lisboa, Portugal[/quote] I only use my MM bass for fun but the first thing I did was change the pre (I went for the Sadowsky as it is a simple system) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 (edited) Change the pre first...for something like a Sadowsky or a Bart 3 band...the preamp is the downfall for the MIJ Miller jazz.IMHO... Edited October 13, 2010 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockinRoadie Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 After recently buying a Lakland 44-02, I've decided my MM Jazz could also do with a new lease of life... Does anyone have any preamp recomendations that wouldn't be too hard to install? Anything that doesnt change the bass cosmetically and can still have the preamp on/off switch would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 John East! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyparrot Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I think the US version is the real deal. But iv heard the sadowski pre is the way to go. I had one for a week, it sounded great on its own, but never cut through on stage. Was a bit peed, at the bass itself so got rid. I have a thing about putting an active bass into another active pre amp, too much electronics. Better to swap out with the j east, now that is a good bit of kit. At the moment im finding great joy in a £400 esp 6 string with im guessing a cheap board in it, but sounds awesome. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmandan Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='986673' date='Oct 13 2010, 10:18 AM']John East![/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichF Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 [quote name='bassmandan' post='986727' date='Oct 13 2010, 10:59 AM']+1[/quote] +1 (whole package (unit+service)=class) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockinRoadie Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 The John East is far too much money... I was thinking along the lines of an Aguilar OPB-2TK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capela Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Hello guys. Thank you for the comments! It seems that the John East will be the easiest choice. It looks almost plug and play. I could order one but i never heard this combination before on a Marcus. The Aguilar seems also a good and cheaper choice. Is it easy to install? I'm ok with electronics not an expert thought, and i'm afraid to have in the end a bass sounding like a washing machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Pepper Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 My 2p's worth..... I also spent many hours looking at which pre-amp to change in my MM Jazz. After much discussion on this site and others, for me it appeared to come down to the J East Marcus retro and the Aguilar OBP-1. (Quite a difference in price though) As it happened, I managed to find a discontinued Bartolini TCT pre-amp (This is the one installed in Marcus' bass)on ebay for £20. A quick trip to a local guitar shop that does mods/repairs and job done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 So how does it sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Pepper Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 [quote name='BassBod' post='989113' date='Oct 15 2010, 12:37 PM']So how does it sound?[/quote] Fantastic! It's now only missing Marcus Miller's talent. Seriously, it can be a bit growly (almost mild overdriven sound) if you dig in but it's basically, the MM CIJ Jazz sound with a bit more oooomph. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Unless you're handy with a soldering iron I'd go with the John East, which is plug and play (no soldering) - literally! If you're going to have to pay someone to install an Aggie pre you're almost into the East territory anyway. (If you're handy with a soldering iron you could have a go at fixing the error in the MM preamp for a start before spending any money - see the Harmony Central review of the MM for a description of how to do it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 If you don't go down the East route, a Bartolini preamp and pickups will produce an incredible tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD1 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 East definitely an improvement on the original (not difficult) - but for me, a bit too fiddly. Also the parametric mid was too "peaky" for my tastes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 This is peculiar, I actually quite like the stock preamp in my MM. It's easy to attain that Marcus tone but I also find it quite flexible tone wise as well. I've owned a Sadowsky MV4 before and if anything the tone is very similar to that, powerful and variable. Maybe I've just got a good one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD1 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 As ever with stuff like this its in the ear of the beholder and there are so many other variables messing with the equation. I felt the original was a bit un refined, and I wasn't too keen on how it was voiced (rumble and clank). But like I say, horses for courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 (edited) [quote name='JD1' post='989373' date='Oct 15 2010, 04:00 PM']As ever with stuff like this its in the ear of the beholder and there are so many other variables messing with the equation. I felt the original was a bit un refined, and I wasn't too keen on how it was voiced (rumble and clank). But like I say, horses for courses.[/quote] Indeed man, it just generally seems to me that the consensus with the MM jazz is that the preamp is weak and should be replaced. Much the same with Spector Euro's and the Tonedump. Edited October 15, 2010 by Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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