Bart P/U's

[jphilauren]

Picked this up recently, built early to mid 90's. Not really happy with the sound of the pickups, has 2 band Bart preamp considering changing to either Bart CB or Bart CBC pickups. What's lacking is the high end punch on D and G string which does not really cut through mix. Looking for recommendations, my rig is a Thunderfunk 750 with 2- EA 2 x 10 cabs

[JOME77]

IMO swapping out the Bart 2 band for a 3 band might be the first thing to try. The ability to fine tune the mids better would probably be your best shot at getting a better cutting tone.

If that doesn't get it exactly where you want to be, then give the Bart CB's a shot.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by JOME77

IMO swapping out the Bart 2 band for a 3 band might be the first thing to try. The ability to fine tune the mids better would probably be your best shot at getting a better cutting tone.

If that doesn't get it exactly where you want to be, then give the Bart CB's a shot.

[LilRay]

Originally Posted by Gard

Ain't it cool to have an army of rabid Roscoeheads to help ya take care of your light work?



God Bless, Ray

[Gard]

Originally Posted by LilRay

Ain't it cool to have an army of rabid Roscoeheads to help ya take care of your light work?



God Bless, Ray

Yes. Yes it is.

[jphilauren]

Seems that changing preamp first is first step, should I go with Bart or another preamp?

[Gard]

Originally Posted by jphilauren

Seems that changing preamp first is first step, should I go with Bart or another preamp?

Hmm...depends...and no, not diapers!





Where are you looking to go? Do you want a smooth/fat tone that you can hear well, or a edgy/aggressive one?

Smooth/fat: Bart 3-band
Edgy/aggressive: Aggie OBP-3



Either will give you midrange control, and that is what you are looking for - see here for more information on the topic of being heard in a mix.

[jphilauren]

Looking for a more edgy sound, but if Bart Roscoe p/u's have a more compressed sound is it not a waste of installing a 3 band preamplifier since pickup sound has been compressed

[Gard]

Originally Posted by jphilauren

Looking for a more edgy sound, but if Bart Roscoe p/u's have a more compressed sound is it not a waste of installing a 3 band preamplifier since pickup sound has been compressed

Well, compression does not cause the issues you're describing by itself, and a bit of it is a good thing. I'm certainly not saying this will definitely be the answer, but it would help - and from your comments, I'd go with the Aggie OBP-3. If that doesn't fix it THEN start looking at the pickups. The issue you are describing to me is more of a missing mids thing than anything else...

[brad houser]

"cutting thru" in a mix is not always desirable, especially when backing a vocalist. I now believe that if a bassist can hear every detail of his sound all the time, then the bass is probably too loud in the mix. most of the time the tone that works best to my ears uses the neck pickup primarily. instead of cutting thru the mix, you can surround the mix. having strong clean technique is the key. pay attention to note length, leave space between those notes. you can gain clarity by using note length to advantage.
I have found that in larger venues with big sound systems that I needed to raise my string height. with lower action, I found that the strings werent "grabbing" the subs. as soon as I raised the strings a little...., magic. the bass became "easier " to play because it was grabbing the speakers more efficiently. food for thought.

[jphilauren]

Solution changing pickups to the Bart Classic Bass "CBC " model, really nice open sound and still keeping a growl. May eventually change preamp but after much discussion with builders and bestbassgear was that if the sound was not there in original pickups adding preamp might help a little but trying to get something that isn't there would only add noise with little improvement.

[JOME77]

Great news! Good to hear that you're fine tuning the sound to your liking.