OzJzF Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Does it sound good acoustically? If not fiddling with electronics will likely not help, and it might be time for a new instrument. As far as the electronics go, it's a matter of finding what is the weakest link. Cheap way to do that is bypassing the preamp and seeing what happens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfacefour Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 Yes it sounds great acoustically which is why I haven't got rid of it yet. Just found the sweepable mid control on John easts site. https://www.east-uk.com/product/mid-sweep-01/ Do you think I could simply add this on to the existing preamp to pull out the right mid freqs? Cheaper than (some) strings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 4 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said: Yes it sounds great acoustically which is why I haven't got rid of it yet. Just found the sweepable mid control on John easts site. https://www.east-uk.com/product/mid-sweep-01/ Do you think I could simply add this on to the existing preamp to pull out the right mid freqs? Cheaper than (some) strings! Cheers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 44 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said: Yes it sounds great acoustically which is why I haven't got rid of it yet. Just found the sweepable mid control on John easts site. https://www.east-uk.com/product/mid-sweep-01/ Do you think I could simply add this on to the existing preamp to pull out the right mid freqs? Cheaper than (some) strings! Can you get the sound you're after by EQing on your amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 13 minutes ago, Doctor J said: Can you get the sound you're after by EQing on your amp? Don't think it is real, but miracles happen ! 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzJzF Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Fishfacefour said: Yes it sounds great acoustically which is why I haven't got rid of it yet. Just found the sweepable mid control on John easts site. https://www.east-uk.com/product/mid-sweep-01/ Do you think I could simply add this on to the existing preamp to pull out the right mid freqs? Cheaper than (some) strings! John's products are very well regarded (I use on of his piezo/magnetic buffers in one of my basses and it's great) and he is a very helpful guy, so you could just ask him to get a definitive response as to whether it will work. The thing is though, if the existing preamp simply doesn't sound very good, adding an mid EQ, no matter how lovely, is unlikely to magically fix the problem. Equally if the pickups don't sound good the preamp won't fix it. Onboard EQ is no different from your amps EQ except in the specifics of the EQ curves and any coloration that the particular circuit introduces. The one big advantage of having electronics on the bass is the ability to drive long cables without (particularly high frequency) signal loss (or for a few circuits like the John East preamps to actively buffer the pickups separately). The EQ is more of a convenience item. Having said that passive basses work just fine and many people prefer them to actives. Not many pickups actually need an onboard preamp to work hence my suggestion to see what the bass sounds like with the preamp disengaged. On a wider note do you find the sound you like with other instruments (you mentioned a Lakland 5502 - I have one and it's great!) or though other reproduction (amps/recording gear etc)? If you are seriously trying basses in shops bring yours for direct comparison, since the amplification and the acoustic space will have big effect on sound quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 http://www.audereengineering.com/index.htm If you're going for a preamp, I can thoroughly recommend these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 It sounds like you've tried lots of options and there is divided opinion on pups v preamp replacement; so can I just through into the mix that sometimes when a bass doesn't sound good, it is the bass! Some basses can have various reasons why they lack resonance or have too much in certain areas and no amount of tweaking other areas, resolves this. I've known basses have neck pockets that weren't secure enough (screws loose easy fix), nut cut so badly strings didn't sit full depth and transfer vibration and worst of all, plain badly seasoned/dried timbers that just leached certain resonances. If you love the bass and need to persevere I'd go with the option that is easiest reversed and achieved with the least loss; a pre amp pedal does exactly what an on board pedal does but... your amp has a preamp which should allow adequate manipulation. Can you borrow pups from another bass or source appropriate ones 2nd hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH73 Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 I've used to chase sound. It's a subjective matter. YouTubers often e.g. play Maiden bass cover , clanky bright sound. It's not about the clank and bright sound. There are many factors when it comes to dialling in Maiden bass. It can can vary from a middy almost like nasal sound to bright sound with clarity. Do you play with a pick, fingers, slap? What's your picking position in relation to the pick ups? Volume, tone ratio adjustment in the bass? Flat wounds, rounds, tape.....Do you prefer using fresh bright strings or dead flats... I would first settle with strings, adjust everything on bass and amp the same settings and go from there. Experiment with playing position. Most importantly, the sound you hear from the speakers may sound different depending on your listening position, direct in front of the speaker from side etc. Headphones...stay consistent. I once managed to nail the Piece of Mind bass sound and Seventh Son era sound by setting up the amp with SM57 placed at 1 metre (3 ft) away from the centre of the 15 inch speaker recorded .Well I cannot find the notes I made at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 (edited) Entirely depends on the bass in question. If it sounds great acoustically, unplugged, I would say new pickups with a tone profile that fits your personal preferences better than the stock ones would probably be your best bet, perhaps new pickups plus new preamp, but I'd go for the pickups first, as that part of the foundation of what makes the basis of the amplified tone of your bass, and if you don't like the basic tone of the stock pickups it is doubtful that swapping the preamp will fix that. Personally I only have great experiences with swapping stock pickups on my basses for something more to my liking, can potentially make a huge difference and take a decent sounding instrument to a great sounding one (that is of course again depending on the specific bass, and that you swap for pickups with a tone profile that actually nails what you are looking for). Edited July 8, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 (edited) My solution was ( with my Jazz ) a simple fix ) Note the Jazz text is only on the image for reminder not on the actual MXR !! Edited July 8, 2023 by BassAdder60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Great excuse to buy another amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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