Calling all ACG filter preamp users!

[Skelf]

Barral jack wiring.

http://www.bestbassgear.com/articles...arrel-jack.pdf

My colour scheme.
Orange is the output, hot from pre-amp.
Green the pre-amp ground.
Black Ground to connect to the cavity.
Black negative on the battery clip.

Alan

[jacojbass]

so how big of an advantage is the 01 vs the 02, I'm speaking towards flexibility, is having control of both pickups that much of a difference? i can get an 02, but for almost 100 bucks more is it the 01 that much better?

[Skelf]

In my opinion yes. The filters come in to their own once you can blend two different sounds. It also allows you to address to frequency areas with the filters say using the neck filter to supply the bass end and the bridge filter to address the mids. This to me is the real strength of working with filters and while the 02 does a good job the 01 makes it easier and better. There is however the trade of that the 02 is easier to use.

[jacojbass]

any specific cavity size needs to install the eq-01

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by jacojbass

so how big of an advantage is the 01 vs the 02, I'm speaking towards flexibility, is having control of both pickups that much of a difference? i can get an 02, but for almost 100 bucks more is it the 01 that much better?

I'd definitely agree with Alan. I had the EQ02 on my old fretless and have the EQ03 (Alan's new pre that has all the features of the 01 with a few extra tweaks) on my current ACG and it's a huge difference. I liked the EQ02 in my fretless (really lets you hone in on the mid frequency you want to emphasize) but it isn't nearly as versatile as the EQ01 (or 03). The real magic of the filter stacks is in being able to set them at different points (and with different amounts of resonance at the cutoff) and then blend them.

I could use the EQ02 on a fretless again, but I'd prefer the EQ01. For a fretted, I'd go with the EQ01 all the way.

Originally Posted by jacojbass

any specific cavity size needs to install the eq-01

It doesn't take up a ton of space:

[badboy1984]

after another 2 days of messing with the EQ01 i can say the preamp is truely the best preamp i ever use so far, better then the J-Retro i got on my jazz. Don't get me wrong the J-Retro is good and perform well on the jazz but the EQ01 is very unique and can dial the sound i want that i can't get with a global EQ preamp.

It takes abit of time to get the sound because every turn you make on the knob it will change the sound.

I usually blend to the neck pickup only and adjust the low end tone to a reasonable amount and then blend it to the bridge pickup and adjust the mid i want on the pickup then i can just use the blend knob to blend the sound i want.

Infact is more easier to use then a global system once you know what you doing .....

[Sublab]

A few weeks ago I came across a guy wanting to part with his Status S1 on a local secondhand site in Belgium. Status basses are not well know in these parts so very few people responded to his add. I ended up trading my brand new American Special Precision (950 euro) for his six year old S1 - a good trade, very good! But as with most of the basses I've owned I'm tired of even the preamp in this bass. It's musical and versatile, but it's a regular cut and boost, something my Ampeg head is much better at. Having lots of synth and filtering experience the two LPF EQ01 is really giving me gas. I've read just about anything about these filter preamps, not in the least on TB. Just imagine what this filter preamp could do to my S1. Once I get the cash to do it I will fit an EQ01 in it, together with some SGD or Delano quad coil soapbar humbuckers, a Sansamp programmable BDI in front of the Ampeg head and Tecamp L810 cab, and it'll be little short of tone heaven.

I can't really speak just yet, but filtering is the way to go!

[jacojbass]

well, my jaw is still on the floor, what an amazing preamp.......not to hard to learn. I got the eq-01 on recommendation...well thank you all that helped. I feel like i can get any tone I want. I think I have my got to pre now for sure...anyone need a bart pre ahahah

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by jacojbass

well, my jaw is still on the floor, what an amazing preamp.......not to hard to learn. I got the eq-01 on recommendation...well thank you all that helped. I feel like i can get any tone I want. I think I have my got to pre now for sure...anyone need a bart pre ahahah

+1

This afternoon I finally installed my EQ-02 into my new HK 6 string fretted bass. I bought the EQ-02 as a Christmas present to myself, but this was 2 years ago!

It was originally destined to go into my fretless but the control cavity was too small for the preamp. I had still planned to install the EQ-O2 into my fretless until very recently, but, the 6 string fretted came along as a project that promised great performance from a reasonably priced bass, and I bought it with the express intention of hotrodding it with upgraded electronics etc.

Again, the plan was to fit a U-Retro into the 6'er but I then realised that for the same sort of money I would spend on a U-Retro I could buy an EQ-01...and the EQ-01 would fit more easily into the fretless control cavity. So, instead of earmarking the EQ-02 for the fretless I decided to fit it to the fretted 6 instead.

It took me a while to fit, but that included removing all of the original electronics and lining the control cavity with copper foil, and in truth I still have a couple of hours work to cut all the wires to length and make it a really tidy installation, but I did jury rig it so that I could see what all the fuss was about.

WOW!!! JUST WOW!!!

I've only had half an hour with it so far but even in that short time I have got some jaw dropping tones. I agree with everyone else, this thing seems able to get any tone I've ever dreamed of and then some. Just in half an hour I've found some great finger funk tones, a tone that makes the 6 sound like a Gibson ES175 when noodling high up on the C string and a tone that sounds like a good Ric on steroids.

I'm still twisting knobs the wrong way, but even after a short time I'm learning how to quickly access the tone I'm looking for, as everyone has said though, it can be a bit sensitive so I'm quite glad I got the 5 control version with the passive tone. I haven't wired the passive tone in yet but my plan is to set it in the mid range so that once I've dialled up a killer core tone with the filters, I can quickly go a bit brighter or darker.

I'm taking it all out again tomorrow to work on detail like how far the pot threads protrude from the body, to tidy up the wiring and to make sure it's all earthed properly but even after such a short time I'm seriously thinking of replacing the electronics in all my active basses with an ACG

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by jacojbass
I'm interested in one of theses pre's. How hard are they to install, any soldering to do at all? I plan to uses mk-5 barts, anyone do this?

Yes, I know...two posts one after the other about the same thing.

I spent the day on Saturday installing this properly and decided to start from scratch. The control cavity in the bass I installed it into had an odd routing pattern, where the whole cavity was routed to about 3/4 of the overal depth, but then each of the 5 pots was routed a bit deeper so that each of the pots sat in it's own little well. That had given me problems installing the copper foil as neatly as I wanted and also with clearnace for the pots - and especially the ribbon cables. So, out with all the controls again, and stripped the bass right down. Pickups out, bridge removed, neck removed, then out with the router and 15 minutes later the control cavity was all smooth bottomed in a conventional way.

Lined the cavity bottom and sides with copper foil again, then slowly worked through all the wiring - starting with the pup and bridge grounds. The bass has got an individual 'bridge per string' and I found that none of them were grounded properly because they had a piece of enalled wired snaking between the saddles, but the enamel had not been scraped away so they were all still insulated. Battery leads and jack socket wiring followed, then installing all the pots in the positions I wanted them - My jury rigged attempts had shown that I actually wanted the controls in a different position to how I had imagined and so I repositioned them from how I had put them in the first place.

Then I replaced the pups, wired everything up, then gently wiggled the preamp into a suitable nesting spot between all the wires...plugged in and was treated to....silence.

One of the only downsides with installing one of these preamps is that the filters are connected by ribbon cables, which can't be shortened. The volume and balance cables also have their own connectors, so they can't be shortened either and what with several earth wires, battery leads and so on, no matter how carefully you install it, the control cavity quickly becomes cluttered. It's also surprisingly easy for the vol and bal connectors to be pulled out when trying to ease the preamp into the cavity and that's what had happened...

So, installation isn't hard, a bit of soldering of ground wires to the copper screen but the rest done with screw terminals. The screw terminals are a bit fiddly when trying to persuade a pup wire and a wire from the passive tone into the same connector with sausage fingers., and, like I said, the crowded wiring led to a workmanlike and functional install rather than the ultra neat control cavity I wanted.

Only a couple of things that the install and instructions could improve on, the pictures showing the orientation of the pots and cables are taken as if you are looking from the front of the bass (as if the wood or scratchplate was invisible), so you have to think "upside down" when installing the ribbon cables - and in my case the layout also meant using the rear mounted filter stack connector, so it was a case of telling myself "now the side of the ribbon nearest the control shaft needs to go into the connector on the flat side of the preamp" - it caused a bit of head scratching that using a marker pen to put a simple red stripe on the cable and a red spot on the connector resolved - could help a lot if the preamp came already marked or if the instructions gave that tip. Also, on the instructions I had the orientation of the vol and bal cables was impossible to see because they're completely masked in shadow on the photo - not difficult to work out that if the controls work in reverse to how you would expect you have them the wrong way round.

All of these little things aren't difficult but add a few minutes of chin scratching - which can all be overlooked when you've finally got it right and you start using it because the sounds are incredible. I'm still getting used to the way the LPF and HPF interact because there is a substantial crossover region, but even after a couple of hours I'm starting to get the sounds I want intuitively rather than having to think about it.

All I need now is a few more pounds in my piggy bank and in the next week or so an EQ-01 will be on it's way into my fretless

[echoSE7EN]

Is it possible to wire a "kill switch" that would just shut-off one of the pups? Has anybody tried this sort of thing with the EQ-01 w/ Passive?

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by echoSE7EN

Is it possible to wire a "kill switch" that would just shut-off one of the pups? Has anybody tried this sort of thing with the EQ-01 w/ Passive?

I don't believe the EQ-01 ever had a passive option as I thought the push/pull active/passive control only came about with the EQ-03.

I'm not sure if what you're asking is possible (and I would think the blend knob would cause issues even if it were) but my question is why you'd want to do so. I'm simply curious.

[echoSE7EN]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

I don't believe the EQ-01 ever had a passive option as I thought the push/pull active/passive control only came about with the EQ-03.

I'm not sure if what you're asking is possible (and I would think the blend knob would cause issues even if it were) but my question is why you'd want to do so. I'm simply curious.

I own an EQ-01 5-knob/passive (tone) version. They are available here:
http://www.bestbassgear.com/acg-eq-01-preamp.htm

The kill switch would be to completely remove a pup without having to dial a knob -- basically a faster kill mechanism giving me the ability to maintain the amount of blend between the pups, while negating one. I just like having as many options as possible.

[dmusic148]

Sure, just place the switch between the pups and pre. Simple.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by echoSE7EN

I own an EQ-01 5-knob/passive (tone) version. They are available here:
http://www.bestbassgear.com/acg-eq-01-preamp.htm

The kill switch would be to completely remove a pup without having to dial a knob -- basically a faster kill mechanism giving me the ability to maintain the amount of blend between the pups, while negating one. I just like having as many options as possible.

Interesting on the EQ01 with passive option, I didn't know that.

I'm not as technically savvy as many but wouldn't the killswitch mean that when you cut a pickup with a blend that the pickup left on would be a big drop in gain?

[echoSE7EN]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

Interesting on the EQ01 with passive option, I didn't know that.

I'm not as technically savvy as many but wouldn't the killswitch mean that when you cut a pickup with a blend that the pickup left on would be a big drop in gain?

That's actually one of the intents to the switch. There are a few times I'd want to use the kill switch. One being, if the switch is wired to cut the bridge pup, and I have the blend set fully to bridge, I should be able to quickly throw the switch back and forth creating a stutter effect (then combine that with different effects to create some interesting sounds). Lead players use this technique a lot.

Another thought is that the pup that's "off" would be used during a boosted part; used in conjunction with a volume pedal maybe, or just switched on to give some omph. Really I just like trying out new things and seeing how things can be worked/wired in slightly out-of-the-box ways. I've been giving thought to tremolo systems, movable pups, built-in effects...things outside of the ordinary.

[Skelf]

Sound clip using an EQ03 5K in a Finn Classic 5.

https://soundcloud.com/acguitars/acg-1st-time-bounce

[SPYD3R #9]

I had major GAS on ACG and the EQ03 for a while now, but doesn't had the loot right now, so after reading the thread, I was tempted to try the EQ01
compare to the EQ03, is the EQ01 good enough?

[mikezimmerman]

Originally Posted by SPYD3R #9

I had major GAS on ACG and the EQ03 for a while now, but doesn't had the loot right now, so after reading the thread, I was tempted to try the EQ01
compare to the EQ03, is the EQ01 good enough?

Spyder,

My understanding is that the EQ03 is not available separately--you can only get it if you buy an ACG bass.

I believe the main differences between the ACG01 and 03 are that the 03 adds pull-out boost switches for each of the pickups (low-mid for the neck, high-mid for the bridge) and a passive option. Since it's quite new, it's safe to say that very few ACG owners have tried them, and even if they may like the 03 better, the 01 is what most ACG basses have, so it's certainly "good enough".

[SPYD3R #9]

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

Spyder,

My understanding is that the EQ03 is not available separately--you can only get it if you buy an ACG bass.

I believe the main differences between the ACG01 and 03 are that the 03 adds pull-out boost switches for each of the pickups (low-mid for the neck, high-mid for the bridge) and a passive option. Since it's quite new, it's safe to say that very few ACG owners have tried them, and even if they may like the 03 better, the 01 is what most ACG basses have, so it's certainly "good enough".

yes Mike, I notice that EQ03 was exclusively comes with ACG bass, I was curious to compare on the preamp only, any video about the EQ03 yet?