Sadowsky Outboard preamp/di on an active Ibanez

[ahkiatt]

I have been disappointed with the sound of my Ibanez RD500, especially the G string, it sounds very twangy, not boomy enough.

So I bought myself the preamp, hoping to attain a better sound, but up til now, nothing seems to work. It still sounds twangy. I have not played many other basses, but is the G string supposed to sound so... acoustic guitarish? Anyone using this box too? Any tips on settings?

Thanks in advance.

Kiat

[bongomania]

The Sadowsky preamp is a great way to give a modern sound to a passive bass, and the onboard version is a good upgrade to replace your existing onboard pre IF you like a modern, sometimes a bit scooped sound.

Unfortunately it will NOT make a poor-sounding active bass sound better. It will just amplify the poor sound, and boost your highs or lows. It will never improve twanginess in any way. In fact, since the controls are boost-only, doing anything at all with the treble control will make your twangy sounds even more obvious and bright.

I'd say have a luthier look over your bass and see if they can make any recommendations for a different setup with different strings. I'm almost positive that will be the #1 best approach to your tone problem. If a setup and string change doesn't do it, then either look into replacing the pickups and/or preamp onboard, or get a different bass. If that's all out of the budget, try a Sansamp or other amp modeler instead, something that allows you to either boost mids or roll off some highs.

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by bongomania

The Sadowsky preamp is a great way to give a modern sound to a passive bass, and the onboard version is a good upgrade to replace your existing onboard pre IF you like a modern, sometimes a bit scooped sound.

Unfortunately it will NOT make a poor-sounding active bass sound better. It will just amplify the poor sound, and boost your highs or lows. It will never improve twanginess in any way. In fact, since the controls are boost-only, doing anything at all with the treble control will make your twangy sounds even more obvious and bright.

I'd say have a luthier look over your bass and see if they can make any recommendations for a different setup with different strings. I'm almost positive that will be the #1 best approach to your tone problem. If a setup and string change doesn't do it, then either look into replacing the pickups and/or preamp onboard, or get a different bass. If that's all out of the budget, try a Sansamp or other amp modeler instead, something that allows you to either boost mids or roll off some highs.

+1...