Bartolili pickup and pre-amp wiring help

BassPlayer3187 · #1 08-17-2009, 03:07 PM

I recently bought a Bartolini DL5CBC pick up and a NTBT 3 Band preamp with Volume, Blend, Treble, Mid, Bass, and mis frequency selector switch. The diagram that came with the pick up is really confusing to me and I can't seem to figure out where each wire needs to be connected, or even what each wire is. I also bought a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II for the neck pickup and wired that in with no problem. Can anyone help me PLEASE?!?

Zombbg4 · #2 08-17-2009, 03:21 PM

The wiring diagrams from Bartolini are pretty straight forward. The wires are color coded and are shown connected to their respective pots/grounds ect. I had zero wiring experience and still don't really know what I'm doing, following the diagrams has worked great for me. If it comes down to it you can have a tech do it, but I couldn't justify spending what they charge.

Edit: Wait, isn't the NTBT the 2 band preamp? If you have bass,mids with freq select ,treble then its a 3 band and the NTMB preamp.

BassPlayer3187 · #3 08-17-2009, 04:25 PM

First of all I know what I'm doing and talking about I'm not some kind of ****** so don't tell me that the diagrams are easy and straight forward and to just follow that. I'd rather you not have replied at all. The problem I'm having is that it doesn't tell me which wire is hot, which is my ground, etc. The diagram has them all color coded and show them all going to the mid frequency selector switch. I know one has to be a ground and also that one has to go to the blend knob as the diagram that came with my preamp shows. I just don't know which wire is which. And also no it is a 3 band it has Volume, Blend, Mid, Treble, and Bass like I mentioned before. Thanks for trying to help but next time if you don't know any information that will help please just don't reply.

Zombbg4 · #4 08-17-2009, 04:45 PM

If you're going to be rude (censored myself) you won't get much help. You were pretty vague about what you needed help with which, I tried to help.
I'll leave it at this- the NTMB is 3 band, NTBT is 2 band. If that isn't helpful I don't know what is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassPlayer3187

First of all I know what I'm doing and talking about I'm not some kind of ****** so don't tell me that the diagrams are easy and straight forward and to just follow that. I'd rather you not have replied at all. The problem I'm having is that it doesn't tell me which wire is hot, which is my ground, etc. The diagram has them all color coded and show them all going to the mid frequency selector switch. I know one has to be a ground and also that one has to go to the blend knob as the diagram that came with my preamp shows. I just don't know which wire is which. And also no it is a 3 band it has Volume, Blend, Mid, Treble, and Bass like I mentioned before. Thanks for trying to help but next time if you don't know any information that will help please just don't reply.

BassPlayer3187 · #5 08-17-2009, 04:53 PM

Ok sorry I had one letter wrong, but that's why I said what knobs it came with was to clarify the fact that it was 3 band. But anyways I had asked for wiring help because the diagram sucks and all you told me was follow the diagram. I'm not asking what preamp or pickup I have which is what you keep insisting on telling me. I'm asking what color wire each wire from the pick up is or where it goes. Which one is my ground? Which one is hot? The diagram doesn't specify any of this.

I don't mean to be rude but you were giving me information all irrelevant to what I asked, as well as making it sound like I don't know what I'm talking about when you said "the diagrams are pretty straight forward and I can understand them so just follow them" Anyway thanks for trying I guess

Zombbg4 · #6 08-17-2009, 05:16 PM

That one letter dertemines if its an entirely different preamp or not, that's why I asked. Its called troubleshooting and that's what I was attempting to do. By getting rid of certain problems and clarifying what is what it leads to a solution. The diagram doesn't specify the pickups ground/hot because its for the preamp, not the pickups. The bart pickups I've dealt with usually have a ground of plain silver wire, and the other being hot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassPlayer3187

Ok sorry I had one letter wrong, but that's why I said what knobs it came with was to clarify the fact that it was 3 band. But anyways I had asked for wiring help because the diagram sucks and all you told me was follow the diagram. I'm not asking what preamp or pickup I have which is what you keep insisting on telling me. I'm asking what color wire each wire from the pick up is or where it goes. Which one is my ground? Which one is hot? The diagram doesn't specify any of this.

I don't mean to be rude but you were giving me information all irrelevant to what I asked, as well as making it sound like I don't know what I'm talking about when you said "the diagrams are pretty straight forward and I can understand them so just follow them" Anyway thanks for trying I guess

BassPlayer3187 · #7 08-17-2009, 05:32 PM

ok thank you that helps some. This pick up has a silver, red, black, white and green wire. Do you know which one goes to the blend pod? Attached are links to the 2 schematics I have maybe I'm missing something.

http://www.bartolini.net/1_wirngs/4cnd_sw1.htm
(mine is the 2nd from the bottom on page 1 with on-on-on)

http://www.bartolini.net/pdf/Ntmb_918.pdf

Zombbg4 · #8 08-17-2009, 05:52 PM

I had bart dual coils with the same wires. What I did was solder the green and silver together (this was the ground)n,solder the red and white together and wrap in electrical tape or heat shrink, and the black is hot (goes to blend pot) . The was for series wiring I believe, what ever wiring (series/parallel) has more mids and output. The mid switch shouldn't have anything to do with the pickups wiring, what are the problems you're having with the switch?

BassPlayer3187 · #9 08-17-2009, 06:17 PM

the diagram that came with the pickup shows the green and silver wire soldered together like you were talking about but then it has them going to the middle conductor on the switch and then to the ground somehow, the red wire to the other middle conductor, the black to one of the ends and then going out i guess to the blend, and the white to another end conductor on the switch. This is why I was confused originally. I knew one of the wires should go to the blend, and one should go to the ground. Do you think i should just do the black one to the blend, green and siver to the ground and then solder and tape the red and black together?

BassPlayer3187 · #10 08-17-2009, 06:19 PM

i mean red and white together and tape them

Zombbg4 · #11 08-17-2009, 06:30 PM

Oohhhh, I see what's going on. That wiring you just described is to select parallel/series/bridge or whatever for the pickups, not a freq selector for the mids, though you can use that switch for either. Wire the pups the way I told you and it should work. The mid switch should be wired exactly like the diagram, check out bestbassgear.com.

BassPlayer3187 · #12 08-17-2009, 06:54 PM

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH now i get it. Ok so I did what you said and everything works but... when I play hard on the beidge pickup it is distorted but not clipping on the signal. any ideas? If not don't worry about it I'll leave it as it is and just keep myself under control

Either way thanks for all your help, and again sorry for being rude in the beginning I was just really frustrated with the bass.

Zombbg4 · #13 08-17-2009, 06:59 PM

Cool, no idea about the pickups though...maybe adjust the gain on the preamp.