Calling all ACG filter preamp users!

[Skelf]

Hi
As far as I am aware the installation would be the same as any other installation.

Which pre-amp you choose is as much dictated by the holes in the bass as anything.
The EQ02 comes in 3/4/5 knob versions.

The EQ01 is also available in 3/4/5 knob version but is best suited to the 4 knob version.

Alan

[Sublab]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bassie720

I have only had mine installed for a couple of days. It is staggering. Paired with Delano pickups it is amazing in its tonal range. I wish I could offer a more informed opinion. I can say that the first impression is that this it one of most important pieces of gear ever conceived. The customer service at ACG is phenomenal. Alan gives a level of personal attention that is not the norm in this day and age. I will post a proper review after some gigs.

Hey Mr. Bassie, which Delano pickups are you using?

[Skelf]

Hi
Just like to point out that the EQ01 is now also for sale because of the up coming release of the ACG EQ03.

I only have a few 01 versions at the moment until the next batch comes in.

Alan

[sprocket123]

Originally Posted by Skelf

Hi
As far as I am aware the installation would be the same as any other installation.

Which pre-amp you choose is as much dictated by the holes in the bass as anything.
The EQ02 comes in 3/4/5 knob versions.

The EQ01 is also available in 3/4/5 knob version but is best suited to the 4 knob version.

Alan

Thanx for the comeback , i ll have to contact you then , see ya buddy

[kris pung]

I have the older version that has 2 LPF and no HPF paired w/ 2 Nordy Fat Stacks and I love it. The preamp really helped my tame my really bright graphite necked bass and the tone possibilities are staggering. All that said it did take a lot of time and tinkering to really figure out how to use it.

Like others have said this is probably the best gear purchase I've made to date but it wasn't cheap.

[sprocket123]

Originally Posted by kris pung

I have the older version that has 2 LPF and no HPF paired w/ 2 Nordy Fat Stacks and I love it. The preamp really helped my tame my really bright graphite necked bass and the tone possibilities are staggering. All that said it did take a lot of time and tinkering to really figure out how to use it.

Like others have said this is probably the best gear purchase I've made to date but it wasn't cheap.

You bet buddy , but with the Nordstrands on , it must be a blast , on what bass do you have these on

[TheWoodShed]

You probably saw my thread about these, but I'll chime in anyway.

Paired them with a set of EMG 35DC's in my Acacia Custom 4 and ran at 18v. The stock passive tone does not work with the EMG's, so I passed on it. However, once installed the pre-amp brings out the best of tonal variation in the DC's. The tonal variations can go from glassy high end to almost dub-like lows- very lively. Right now, I am happily stuck on very good Wal-like tone, it is is where the pre stays parked most of the time. It lends a very aggressive, very "hot" tone. It may be too hot, as some of my vintage pedals are having issues dealing with it. Easy to deal with, considering the gain trim pots inside the amp.

It takes a bit of time to get used to though, but once you do it is hard to turn back. Normal pre amps seems dull sounding in comparison.

[sprocket123]

Ok thanx TheWoodShed for the comeback

[kris pung]

Originally Posted by sprocket123

You bet buddy , but with the Nordstrands on , it must be a blast , on what bass do you have these on

The bass is a homemade 5'er w/ a Moses neck.

[sprocket123]

Originally Posted by kris pung

The bass is a homemade 5'er w/ a Moses neck.

Cool,what wood do you have on the body then , with a graphite neck , it must kick ass

[kris pung]

Originally Posted by sprocket123

Cool,what wood do you have on the body then , with a graphite neck , it must kick ass

It's alder w/ a wenge top (bass on the right).

[sprocket123]

Originally Posted by kris pung

It's alder w/ a wenge top (bass on the right).

Thanx for the comeback

[sprocket123]

Any news on the latest on board preamp

[cmoore]

Redeemer SC5 with ACG pre. Love the sound very versatile pre amp

[sprocket123]

Originally Posted by cmoore

Redeemer SC5 with ACG pre. Love the sound very versatile pre amp

Wow , nice bass out there

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by Sublab

Nice, keep the posts coming!

I would also like to hear how you owners feel about the passive tone knob! I'm thinking it makes a nice addition to a sculped active sound, especially with those filters, dialing in some passive tone to further shape the tone. I'm guessing that it is best used subtly?

Me want one! NOW!

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

I don't have the passive tone knob on mine. As I said, I tend to treat the ACG as a "supercharged" version of the passive tone, so I honestly don't know how much use an additional passive tone knob would be. After all, the passive tone simply cuts frequencies above a certain cutoff frequency (based on the capacitor value), and you've already got a LPF doing the same thing in a more flexible way.

Maybe someone who has an ACG with the passive tone can chime in about how they use it?

I was searching for something else and found this thread. It's from back in January but I thought I'd comment for anyone that is interested.

I had experience with the EQ02 from having one in my (since departed) Stambaugh fretless. So I had a good idea of what to expect from the EQ01. And when Alan mentioned the new EQ03 being available I thought it would be cool to have the added active/passive mode, tone control and mid boosts but I had no idea exactly how useful they'd all be, especially the tone control.

Sure, you can throw the bass into passive mode and have simplified controls of volume, balance and tone. It lets you hear exactly what the bass sounds like without any EQ and makes it easy to cop more of a vintage vibe.

But in active mode it also interacts in an incredibly important way with the LPF and HPF stacks. The LPF have a range of 7kHz (wide open) down to 70 Hz (all the way closed) with an overshoot peak boost of up to 10 dB and the HPF is a shelving control from 1.5 kHz to 10 kHz with a ton of boost on tap (+18 dB).

As you close the LPF it starts cutting treble and then high mids (and eventually low mids and high bass if you keep going) but the HPF stack can add some of these cut frequencies back in.

The problem is that because it's a shelving control it can get harsh quickly when boosted. The tone control allows you to roll off that top end to keep a full but smooth sound.

On my old EQ02 I rarely boosted the HPF much, if at all. With my new bass I boost it all the time and take the edge off with the tone control. It is (IMO) a HUGE upgrade to the preamp, making it far more versatile and useful. The mid boosts are a stroke of genius too, especially now that I've tinkered with them and have them set to my taste.

I've had a number of very good preamps in my basses over the yeasr (Audere, Pope, Bartolini, Glockenklang, Aguilar, 2 & 3 band Stingray) and a few others that I wasn't as fond of and while I wouldn't hesitate to use or recommend any of them, the ACG EQ03K is far and away my favorite preamp I've ever used.

There is a definite learning curve to it, but the tonal rewards are so worth the time spent getting comfortable with it.

[HertzWhenIPlay]

in my gibson rd artist bass, i have an acg eq01.
this bass can produce tones ranging from vintage to sizzle.
i have had alembic players compliment the tones from my bass.

highly recommended!

[Skelf]

That is good to know. I have a 03 in my own bass but without the passive tone so I have spent most of my time with it as the active only version which is always my preference. I had not thought of using it in that way but it does make a lot of sense and would make the passive tone much more useful than I had appreciated. I can't fit the 5K version in my own bass due to there being no space. It is the Wenge Salace with the multi coil pickup in it.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by Skelf

That is good to know. I have a 03 in my own bass but without the passive tone so I have spent most of my time with it as the active only version which is always my preference. I had not thought of using it in that way but it does make a lot of sense and would make the passive tone much more useful than I had appreciated. I can't fit the 5K version in my own bass due to there being no space. It is the Wenge Salace with the multi coil pickup in it.

With small children in the house time for such a project is scarce but when I can I want to make a video detailing all the aspects of the preamp and how I dial it in for certain tones. I think a full detailed look at the preamp would make things so much clearer for people.

I remember reading Phil Maneri's comments in the Bass Gear Magazine review of the ACG S Type where he said the bass was "uneven sounding", being super deep on the low strings and thin and twangy on the D & G. And having spent a lot of time with the preamp I bet I have a pretty accurate mental picture of how he had the preamp set. And it most likely involved sizable cuts to the LPF's, thinking that the detents of the overshoot peak boosts were zero rather than halfway boosted and significant boost added to the HPF stack. All of that results in a very scooped sound.

And I say that because I've gotten the exact type of tone he describes. I didn't like that tone, but I also don't like the tone you get with an Aguilar OBP-3 with the bass all the way cut and the treble all the way boosted.

There are some 3 band preamps (the Nordstrand comes to mind) which offer such relatively mild boosts and cuts that it's hard to dial in a bad tone. But preamps that allow more extreme EQ options give the user more control but also create a greater potential for dialing in a bad sound. The difference is that we're all familiar enough with 3 or 4 band EQ's that we can quickly dial it back to something less obnoxious.

Filter preamps simply involve a different type of thinking but the cool (and slightly unexpected) part for me is that after just a bit of time the preamp seems completely natural to me. It reminds me of the clock on my desk at work:


When I first got it I could figure out the time but I'd have to sit and figure out each digit. At this point though I read it as quickly as a digital clock. Which isn't surprising, we all read analog clock faces without having to multiply 5 x 7.2 to realize that it's 36 minutes after noon. It's just a matter of your thinking adapting over time. Same thing with the ACG preamp.

And again, I think it pays off handsomely when you do.

[Skelf]

I don't think Phil understood how the pre-amp worked and to be honest did not seem interested in working it out. However Tom did give an alternative view of the pre-amp which was very much appreciated by myself.
As you say if you make something very flexible it is possible to pull out sounds that you think are dreadful but to the next guy that might be what he is looking for. The flexibility has always been my goal with the basses I want a bass that can go from a quiet subtle Jazz gig to a death metal gig all in the same bass. I only use about 40% of the pre-amp capabilities myself that is what produces the sounds I personally like chances are it may be only 20% of the 40% you use but it needs that for us both to get what we want from it.

There is a learning curve I am the first to admit that but I still feel the effort is worth it. I also accept not everyone agrees with me on that.