Bought a 55-01, a few questions

Emprov · #1 04-10-2010, 01:23 PM

My 55-01 arrived in the mail yesterday and it's pretty cool, but I'm not at all a fan of the MK-1's. Granted, this is a beater bass, a stand in to preserve the looks of my 55-94, so I'm not looking to spend a bunch of cash on it, but I do want to improve the tone. I also have a Repob with EMG BQC preamp, 40P/J pups and I absolutely love to tone -- it has a hi-fy warmish tone that absolutely kills. If I could come close to that while not routing the body of the 55-01, I'd be in heaven. As much as I love my 55-94, the tone is a bit sterile to my ears.

So, will swapping the preamp or the pups first give me the most bang for the buck. And, any idea what pup/preamp combo will come close to the above EMG setup?

bamabass · #2 04-10-2010, 01:26 PM

I would look at the East U Retro.....I love that thing, and probably a set of nordstrand fat stacks.

capnsandwich · #3 04-10-2010, 01:34 PM

I'd start with the preamp first. Get whatever you like, Aguilar, Bartolini, Nordstrand, EMG, etc. If it still doesn't do it for you try some Nordstrand signature pickups like Big Singles, Fat Stacks, Dual Coils, etc. There are plenty of pickup options that will fit that bass. I had the Nordstrand Big Singles and a Bart NTMB 18v preamp and it made that bass awesome.

jarrhead · #4 04-10-2010, 01:35 PM

personally i'd get a set of EMG soapbars with a pre - the same kind they put in spectors stock. They give a cut with warmth at the bottom.

Emprov · #5 04-10-2010, 01:45 PM

I know that there are a ton of options out there, but that's the thing -- what the heck do you buy? I'm pretty much a moron when it comes to this stuff -- the only real experience that I have with pre's are the Bart that came in the two Laklands (MK-1 and NTMB IIRC) and the BQC. How do the two that I like (BQC and MTMB) compare to the Aggie, Delano's, East U Retro's, Audere's, etc...? And how much of the tone comes from the pups vs the preamp? Are most pre's fairly transparent?

MooseLumps · #6 04-10-2010, 01:47 PM

I wish I had a 55-01 as a beater

capnsandwich · #7 04-10-2010, 02:01 PM

Consult the 55-01 club here on TB started by Super Tanker. He's a cool guy with a ton of info on these basses. Here's the link:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showth...20#post8041820

Emprov · #8 04-10-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarrhead

personally i'd get a set of EMG soapbars with a pre - the same kind they put in spectors stock. They give a cut with warmth at the bottom.

I love that idea, I can't see that the EMG's will go in without body routing though.

4Mal · #9 04-10-2010, 02:16 PM

Preamp: The Audere 4 band Classic is a big step up fro the Bart MK-1. I chose that one due to Audere's transparency and the overall voicing of the pre.

Pickups: I did Nordstrand Big Splits in the last 55-01 I had. Liked 'em a lot. The new owner does as well. More body than the MK1's without the annoying bite on top... This time around I'm going custom with pickups from Vintage Vibe. Probably Alnico magent material, adjustable poles and split coils for hum cancelling. Given the adjustable poles, probably a bottom mount, swapable magnet setup like his typical blade / Charlie Christian/P-90 style guitar pickups.

The other possibility magnet wise is going with neodynium slugs on screws.

Adjustability for string to string balance is a big deal with me....

Emprov · #10 04-10-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnsandwich

Consult the 55-01 club here on TB started by Super Tanker. He's a cool guy with a ton of info on these basses. Here's the link:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showth...20#post8041820

Subscribed, thanks.

jarrhead · #11 04-10-2010, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emprov

I love that idea, I can't see that the EMG's will go in without body routing though.

Doesn't matter if you're putting the pickups in there. Have a professional do it if you like.

01 club? I think this place is better!

LAKLAND OWNERS GROUP #42