preamp? electronics?

B

bassicaddiction

Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
can someone please help elucidate for me the fine points of electronics? i always, for example, thought a preamp was a separate piece that attached to the battery to modify sound with active pickups...the more i look for good preamps, the more it looks like what companies describe as "electronic systems" ARE preamps...also, what are some good active pickups, electronics, etc... i am building a Warwick custom and i am thinking about an EMG LJ pickup at the bridge, an EMG 35DC at the neck, and an EMG BQC system (preamp?). please let me know if this is a good idea or if it will sound terrible! thanks for anything anyone can help with.
 
Dual coil at the neck and J at the bridge? :shock:

Which woods will you use?
Which sound would you achieve?
What do you play?

Nothing sounds terrible, if you like it
 
i am using a flamed maple neck-thru with a swamp ash body and a flame maple cap. i want to achieve versatility in sound and power. do you think that this setup is good for that or should i consider an EMG LJ and SJ at the bridge and neck positions respectively?
 
bassicaddiction said:
i always, for example, thought a preamp was a separate piece that attached to the battery to modify sound with active pickups...the more i look for good preamps, the more it looks like what companies describe as "electronic systems" ARE preamps....
Click to expand...

Very true. They are still preamps. Whether you're looking at an electronic 'system' with a proprietary pickup, or something more generic, a preamp does basically the same thing, but not necessarily in the same way.

All preamps provide buffering, impedance matching and signal conditioning. Active pickups typically contain an op amp that is designed to isolate the loading effects of the pickup so it is not felt by the following stages.

Signal conditioning amounts to equalization, either by means of active filters or by parametric EQ.

Impedance matching occurs at all stages in the preamp. Ultimately, the output of the bass needs (somewhat) to match the impedance of the input of the amplifier it's plugged in to, which has it's own preamp.

On and on,

O
 
bassicaddiction said:
i am using a flamed maple neck-thru with a swamp ash body and a flame maple cap. i want to achieve versatility in sound and power. do you think that this setup is good for that or should i consider an EMG LJ and SJ at the bridge and neck positions respectively?
Click to expand...

I prefer the single over the dual at the neck.

You are going to use very bright woods, so maybe a less opened, lower growling pickup could suit better.

I'd consider also a pair of passive, AlNiCo pickups, eventually with an active electronics.
But, of course, it's just me.
 
I've just installed a pair of passive custom wound pups in my main bass and retained the active MEC preamp circuit. The bass used to have a pair of 'active' MEC pups in, the battery powered the pups and the preamp circuitry. I now have passive pups + active EQ circuit whereas I had active pups + active EQ circuit.

I can now genuinely be fully passive when I use the push/pull pot (even in the unlikely event of a dead battery). The new pups have given my bass a more open sound (I can genuinely A/B the tone as I have an identical stock bass to compare it with) with improved clarity. Not necessarily a better tone but... different.

I've found that Bartolinis work very well in Maple bodied Warwick basses but it is so subjective as we may not like the same tone!
 
warwickhunt said:
...I've found that Bartolinis work very well in Maple bodied Warwick basses but it is so subjective as we may not like the same tone!
Click to expand...

I think the same, especially with older Maple/Wengé Streamers.
Bartolini are good on Maple/Ash Jazz basses too
 
Never tried one.

But I prefer a classic J+J, the best pair IMHO if you want to blend two pickups
 
on my custom shop bass (two twin J's; each one is splittable)... I can approximate that setting by splitting only the bridge pickup...

...it doesn't sound bad at all, really... makes a sort of sense if you think about it... putting the meatier sounding pickup where you get the most low end response and the tinnier pickup where the most overtones are...

...it's deep, with a crispy top end. But, it's not a very versatile configuration.

Pros and cons for everything, you know.
 
warwickhunt said:
I've just installed a pair of passive custom wound pups in my main bass and retained the active MEC preamp circuit. The bass used to have a pair of 'active' MEC pups in, the battery powered the pups and the preamp circuitry. I now have passive pups + active EQ circuit whereas I had active pups + active EQ circuit.
Click to expand...
Are you sure the MEC pickups are active (ie have some circutiry built in)? I understood they were passive, and I can't see any way power from the battery can get to them.

I'm after a darker sound from my Thumb and am considering swapping an old set of 70's DiMarzio Model J's from my fretless. Does anyone know if they'll match up OK with the Warwick reamp?
 
ToneRanger said:
Are you sure the MEC pickups are active (ie have some circutiry built in)? I understood they were passive, and I can't see any way power from the battery can get to them.
Click to expand...

Remove the battery from your bass and try to use it into an amp on passive... it won't work!

It's a common misconception by Warwick users that the pull pot, passive setting on a MEC equipped bass is truly passive, it is not. If you look in the control cavity of your bass you'll see that the MEC pups have a pair of wires from each pup (one is probably white and significantly thicker than the other), the thick white cable consists of an inner hot wire and the outer shielding is the ground. The pup will also have a red wire that goes to the battery, this powers the pup.
 
warwickhunt said:
Remove the battery from your bass and try to use it into an amp on passive... it won't work!
Click to expand...

Just an FYI. That's true about the Thumb, but not for all Warwick basses...
 
EVOLVEBASS said:
warwickhunt said:
Remove the battery from your bass and try to use it into an amp on passive... it won't work!
Click to expand...

Just an FYI. That's true about the Thumb, but not for all Warwick basses...
Click to expand...

OK I do know that it is true for the Thumb, Streamer Stage I & II, Infinity & Dolphin... I've owned them and tried it! It may be that others in the Warwick range differ but if it is MEC equipped, active and has a thick white screened lead and a separate coloured lead going from the PUP to the battery then it won't work without a battery.
 
Agreed. I just meant basses with passive pickups and an active preamp (with passive bypass) - e.g. the $$, Jazzman, etc. Certainly if a bass has active pickups it must have a battery to function...
 
So can I put passive pickups (eg old Di Marzios) in my Thumb and still connect to the preamp? Or is there a mismatch in impedance and/or output level?
 
ToneRanger said:
So can I put passive pickups (eg old Di Marzios) in my Thumb and still connect to the preamp? Or is there a mismatch in impedance and/or output level?
Click to expand...

I have put true passive pups into my '91 'F' hole Warwick with no issues. If you've got an hour spare just try it, if it doesn't work swap it back!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top