d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hello fine folks, bit of input required: Got a second hand Sei bass last month, love her, so easy to play and a real beaut but the sound ain't quite there. there isnt the punch and power of my Dingwall, this is to be expected since much of this is the scale of the Dingy but I am considering upgrading the pickups and pre on the Sei and would appreciate some advice or thoughts. The current Bartolini pups don't do her justice i believe and the pre will need attention at some point as it has clearly taken a bash in the past and the pots are a little dodgy. Pup wise I want something powerful and punch in a 6 string humbucker/soapbar stylee. Nothing too aggressive but something with thump and character. I predominantly play rock and metal. I like the look of Nordstrand dual coils but £300 is a bit steep. Pre wise there are currently 5 holes in the top so it will have to be something to fit that. Love the idea of an ACG 02 as the sound from Alans basses is nothing short of incredible and the preamps are so versatile. My concern is that the pots on my sei are very close together and that the concentric knobs on the pre maybe to tightly packed to be used easily. do you think this is a realistic problem? is there somewhere you can buy skinny concentric knobs? any other suggestions for preamps? I aint looking to purchase stuff right away but ideas will help fuel my GAS and decisions here is a picture of the bass in question [attachment=18315:DSC00187.JPG] thanks in advance for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Wizards? I'm sure Andy and co would be quite happy to take the pup housings and make custom pups for you, powerful as you like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 is that easy to do with Barts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Delano?! As used by yours trully...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hi With the 5 knob version of the EQ02 3 of the knobs are single with the other two stacks. Looking at the pic I don't think it would be a problem. I will get the outside diameters of the lower ring of the stack for you later tonight. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks Alan, that would be great, was very impressed with the EQ in your basses so this is the next best think till I can afford (and justify) an ACG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 [quote name='yorick' post='374158' date='Jan 8 2009, 03:50 PM']Delano?! As used by yours trully......[/quote] were is the best place to get Delano's in the uk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 It's a beautiful bass and would complement the ACG pre well methinks. If you go for an ACG pre I'd hang fire on the pups and see if you need to replace them. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 [quote name='GreeneKing' post='374395' date='Jan 8 2009, 08:16 PM']It's a beautiful bass and would complement the ACG pre well methinks. If you go for an ACG pre I'd hang fire on the pups and see if you need to replace them. Peter[/quote] thats my plan, the current pre is damaged yet the current pickups are just a bit disappointing so pre then pups is the obvious order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 [quote name='GreeneKing' post='374395' date='Jan 8 2009, 08:16 PM']It's a beautiful bass and would complement the ACG pre well methinks. If you go for an ACG pre I'd hang fire on the pups and see if you need to replace them. Peter[/quote]Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hi The lower ring on the stack is 20 mm in diameter. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 thanks Alan, it is going to be a squeeze but a lot less than I though, thing the East knobs just look uber chunky. Better start saving for a pre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_russ Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I've never had much luck with bartolini pickups - If I owned that bass I'd replace the pickups first (flog them on here) and run it passive until I had the cash to replace the preamp. What pre do you have in there currently? I'm assuming it's a Schack - IMO get it completely bypassed first (don't necessarily trust the bypass switch), it'll be easy to get it sorted with a basic vol/blend/tone passive setup so you'll know exactly what it is you don't like before you go spending £200 odd on an onboard pre - if it still sounds crap to your ears then adding a preamp isn't likely to improve it - you can't polish a turd and good pickups are infinitely more important than an onboard pre. On the other hand, you may actually like the sound of the barts without the nackered pre in getting in the way, in which case - start looking at replacement circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 The bass doesnt sound bad just not quite as oomfy as I would like, I have no idea what the current pre is, will have a gander inside see if it is market in any way. Pre isnt knackered yet, bit dunted and one iffy post but nothing up sound wise. Still skint at the moment so this is all hypothetical. Thanks for any input folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Brown Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Just an obvious track, how about getting in touch with Martin at Sei and discussing possible options and costs ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleal Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thats a lovely bass !! I traded a flambouyant headless 6 on here for a through neck warwick thumb 6 for the same reason, my sei bass just lacked punch, it seemed ok when i played it on it's own but when i played it with my band the sound got lost. strange thing though is both basses have bartolini pickups but my thumb thunders through the sound of my band, i now wonder if i put mec actives in the sei the same as my warwick has if that would have made the difference?? Just a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 [quote name='d-basser' post='374391' date='Jan 8 2009, 08:11 PM']were is the best place to get Delano's in the uk?[/quote] I think any Sandberg dealer should be able to get them - from memory they are connected to Sandberg and have the same distributor. Failing that, Jon Shuker can source them (he's fitting a set to my singlecut ). I'm sure he could help if you give him a call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I would give the Wizard guy a call,at least he can give you free advice,i doubt his pickups would be as expensive either,even if it was a special job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmanfunk Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I'm in the exact same situation as the OP. I just got my hands on a Sei but I'm left slightly underwhelmed by the tone of the Bart pups and/or pre. I find that they are just too dark sounding and lack any bite or sparkle despite spending quite some time with the controls both on the bass and amp. What I'm really struggling with now is what tone am I actually looking for? I thought, given that I play in a jazz/acoustic climate, that a darker sound would be ideal but it doesn't seem to give me goosebumps like my Larkin bass did. Anyway, rather than spend countless hours staring at my bass from across the room, I'm just going to rip its heart out and get a set of Nordy dual coils and East retro deluxe and hope for the best! I'll keep you posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My ACG Harlot doesn't leave me looking for tone, just choosing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I really don't like Bart pickups and preamps. I think your bass will come alive when you put some new pickups in. What about something like the Big Singles or Big Splits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I have a Kent Armstrong pickup with the Schack pre in my Sei. The combination is a good one, but that ACG pre is very powerful and, to be honest, if I had the spare cash I'd put one in my Sei and sell the Schack (if you open the back and find a circuit board with several little switches on it, you have the Schack pre). The range of tones on the ACG is absolutely ridiculous. I've had the chance to directly compare the two pre's and the ACG's the clear winner (but then I have to put more holes into my beloved Sei bass), I had the bass wired with just a volume before and it just sounded a wee bit thin. The Schack has really improved things though. As for Wizard, I've been really tempted to ask him to rewind the pickup, but a combination of cowardice and lack of cash has prevented me from doing so. With the ACG 9 coming, that'll have to wait for the piggy bank to fill up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I've got Barts on my Sei - although they're the custom Gary Willis ones - and combined with the ACG gives me everything I want tonally out of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 [quote name='YouMa' post='378512' date='Jan 13 2009, 12:26 AM']I would give the Wizard guy a call,at least he can give you free advice,i doubt his pickups would be as expensive either,even if it was a special job.[/quote] I asked about a custom precision pickup - nothing fancy just with bigger pole pieces = £120 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Doesn't sound bad to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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