American Fender Precision Bass Deluxe 1997 preamp question

mitb · #1 08-14-2009, 09:00 AM

hello, i didn't post for a long time on this forum... anyway, i have a question about the preamp/pickups of this bass, is there anyway to make an active/passive switch?
and i have read on fender forums that some people said that fender preamps suck. what do you think about it?
someone recommended to replace the preamp with an aguitar preamp because then it will have less coloration on the pickups.
i wonder if someone can give me his subjective opinion about the issue, because im interested in getting the best sound out of this instrument, which i really like.
it feels great, plays great and sounds great too, but i was wondering if it can sound even greater ;]
my friend has a similar bass from 2005, but his preamp is an 18v one, and somehow it sounds inferior to my bass. i dont know why. maybe someone knows?
cheers

JFN · #2 08-14-2009, 09:20 AM

I have an American Deluxe P Bass that is a few years old and came with the Fender 18 volt preamp. I thought the preamp sounded a little harsh and unpleasant. I replaced it with the Sadowsky pre with the Vintage Tone Control (passive tone control) option and am very pleased with the results.

I think that bass sounds better just passive than with the Fender pre, IMHO. Keep in mind, I am a passive P type of guy and don't want anything too modern or active sounding. The Sadowsky pre is fairly transparent and gives a nice punch when engaged without overly colorization of the tone (whatever that is). Hope ths helps.

John

mitb · #3 08-14-2009, 12:14 PM

did you ever compare the 18v preamp to the 9v preamp? i have older, 9v preamp...
i wonder if its worth replacing it, and what preamp i should get...

mitb · #4 08-15-2009, 07:22 PM

JFN · #5 08-16-2009, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitb

did you ever compare the 18v preamp to the 9v preamp? i have older, 9v preamp...
i wonder if its worth replacing it, and what preamp i should get...

I have no experience with the 9 volt Fender preamp. If you are happy with the sound, you probably don't need to replace it. I found the tone a little too harsh so I went with the Sadowsky on-board pre and was happy with the wau it turned out.