Fretless Corvette $$ + Seymour Duncan Steve Bailey fretless preamp = !!!!

[One Bad Monkey]

Thanks to my new role blogging for Seymour Duncan, I get free swag on occasion (typing in my new SD shirt). The first thing I opted for was a STC-3SBp Steve Bailey 3-band preamp. I've wanted a mid control on the fretless $$ for a while, since the times I've used a stompbox pre with a mid, it's yielded some fine results.

It came today and I wired it in. When the pre is run completely flat, I can't tell any difference from the MEC preamp (which is a good thing). It's when you start playing with the onboard EQ that it becomes apparent. The mid control is something that needs to be on all $$ basses, because it makes that versatile setup even more so. I could easily dial in settings that took a little work prior.

The only thing I don't particularly care for is the push/pull volume, which engages a preset. I found the preset to be quite shrill, but I'm going to attribute a lot of that to the pickups that are being used. Thankfully, the internal trimpots on the EQ board are available, so I can dial in something that I will use more often.

 

[Stroud]

Ohh that's some sweet swag

 

[Augie]

Sounds like a cool gig that gets you pre's and tee's!
That preset is pobaly designed to bring up the harmonics, artificiall harmoics and high chords that SB is the master of, mere mortals probaly would struggle to fit that into 'normal' playing. Cool to know it can be tweaked tho.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Sounds like a cool gig that gets you pre's and tee's!
That preset is pobaly designed to bring up the harmonics, artificiall harmoics and high chords that SB is the master of, mere mortals probaly would struggle to fit that into 'normal' playing. Cool to know it can be tweaked tho.

True, and to be fair it does. But I think the pickups on the $$ are already super clear and articulate, so accentuating those frequencies isn't needed on this bass (and since SB uses more of a soapbar/jazz bass style pickup, it's understandable). Yeah, two internal trimpots on the pre, so I can do whatever I want with it.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Ohh that's some sweet swag

It is. Ironically, two of my 'wicks already sport some SD; the Streamer LX has a STC-3a pre and the Corvette Std. has AJB-5 pickups and an STC-2a pre.

 

[StoneAje]

Nice, I'm glad it worked out.

 

[thefitz]

I had that preamp along with the pickups that went along with it, and the preset could still be a little shrill. There are internal trim pots to increase/reduce the amount of frequency boost you get when you engage the preset.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

I had that preamp along with the pickups that went along with it, and the preset could still be a little shrill. There are internal trim pots to increase/reduce the amount of frequency boost you get when you engage the preset.

Good to know that it's not just me. Planning on fiddling with the trimpots, just haven't had time yet. But man, the mids are glorious. I wonder if I can get a preamp made with internal treble/bass controls and just a mid on top (so it would be master vol, blend, mid)?

 

[Florin]

Well, you can "forget" the pots inside the compartment, why not?

 

[Augie]

I have always dreamt of bass with maybe 2-3 pre's inside with trimpots for the B/M/T and all you have on the front is a stacked vol/bal and a toggle for the preamp presets. totally clean body with 1 knob and 1 switch. or 2 prestes with only one stacked push/pull.....custom electronics build anyone?

 

[golem]

I had that preamp along with the pickups that went along with it,
and the preset could still be a little shrill. There are internal trim
pots to increase/reduce the amount of frequency boost you get
when you engage the preset.

+1 about the shrillness. I have an SD 3band and matching PU in
one of my StingRays. I almost parted with it before I found the
trim pots and the push pull. YEA ! I had no idea of that stuff for
YEARS .... having bought that bass used. The wiring on this bass
has the shrill mode on the PUSH, and I didn't know it had a PULL,
for years ... duh :-/

After I figgered out the controls, I couldn't part with it !

 

[BassFingers]

Jon, which 3 band SD preamp do you recommend for a Corvette 5 String STD that's made for 3 knob control basses and still allows active/passive push/pull on the volume knob?

 

[thefitz]

Jon, which 3 band SD preamp do you recommend for a Corvette 5 String STD that's made for 3 knob control basses and still allows active/passive push/pull on the volume knob?

I don't believe SD offers an A/P preamp. I think they only have the four - Duncan and Bailey 2 and 3 band preamps.

I just pulled a preamp out of my Thumb that was modified to include the A/P push/pull, as well as relegating the scoop function to a switch.

 

[BassFingers]

So to get a 3-band pre I need to cut another hole in my bass? I need another option besides SD I guess.

 

[thefitz]

Best Bass Gear sells Aguilar OBP-3 preamps with a 3-pot config, and I believe 3-band Bartolinis as well.

If you'd like my 3-pot active/passive Duncan, feel free to make me an offer - although it's not the Bailey, it's the regular STC3-A.

 

[BassFingers]

I think what I'm going to do is research the Aguilar and some of the other brands, thanks for the info.

 

[golem]

`

Sounds like a cool gig that gets you pre's and tee's!
That preset is pobaly designed to bring up the harmonics, artificiall
harmoics and high chords that SB is the master of, mere mortals
probaly would struggle to fit that into 'normal' playing. Cool to
know it can be tweaked tho.

Yup. Even as PK, I'm quite mortal, and never use the brite contour,
as it's waaaaay trebbleeey and snappppy. The deep setting OTOH
is very much a classic electric bass voice. To my ear, even the deep
contour wasn't quite "classic" until I tweaked the tweaker pots ....
which still failed to put the brite contour into a useful-to-me range.

BTW, mine is a 3-band in a 3-hole bass, using one stacked knob,
but it's only a single PU bass. Maybe there's a version that would
also stack the volume and fader so you can have a dual-PU 3-band
in a 3-hole bass ?

 

[LoerEnd]

3-hole bass

That's a bowling ball, man, not a bass.