emg bqc control vs standard+vmc control

roysloco · #1 07-09-2009, 02:25 AM

Hi,

I've fitted an emg mm-tw into my bass, and very lovely it is too! But it only comes with a volume and a tone pot and i'd like mid-control, so here's my question:

Should I get the bqc control (separate bass+treble+mid) or just the vmc control? Is the 'mid' part of the bqc just a vmc anyway? If so, should I still get the bqc because I get separate treble and bass (instead of just the 'tone' control I've currently got)?

Hope you see what I'm getting at and can save me from buying the wrong thing!

Gopher Bob · #2 07-09-2009, 06:41 PM

I wanted to give this a little bump since I've been reading up on everything EMG. I haven't found a pickup that sounds better to me.

Some EMG preamp advice would be nice.

walterw · #3 07-09-2009, 08:39 PM

i seem to remember some early alembics that had sweepable mid controls but no bass or treble controls, and it made for a weird and counter-intuitive way of tweaking the sound.

the BQC or BQS (depending on number of holes) would be more logical, i think.

personally i prefer just bass and treble controls, and there are arguments that the simpler circuit makes for a more natural sound, so it would be a BTC or BTS for me.

perfektspace6 · #4 07-09-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

i seem to remember some early alembics that had sweepable mid controls but no bass or treble controls, and it made for a weird and counter-intuitive way of tweaking the sound.

the BQC or BQS (depending on number of holes) would be more logical, i think.

personally i prefer just bass and treble controls, and there are arguments that the simpler circuit makes for a more natural sound, so it would be a BTC or BTS for me.

+1

I have owned both and prefer the simple bass, treble setup my Spector has. The mid control is fun to mess around with but I never found it very useful. This is based on how I set up my rackmount preamp. I do a lot of work to make the low mids really growl and then adjust the onboard bass and treble as needed. You can't go wrong either way.

dean owens · #5 07-10-2009, 06:46 AM

i have a bqc in my spector. i don't play with the mid all that much but it has been helpful. i mostly play in church and i have a hard time getting the sound i like out of the amp i have to use there. i usually cut my bass a little and bump my mids some. but when i use my own setup i usually leave my bass pretty "flat" and use my amp to get the sound i want. hope that helps.

roysloco · #6 07-10-2009, 07:11 AM

Thanks for all the advice!

Because most of my gigs involve trains / buses / lots of walking and my gear sitting beside my desk at work all day, I just take my Sansamp and go through the desk (an amp at the gig is a bonus!!).

The Sansamp's got no mid (well ... yes, but ... kinda ...), so I was thinking about having one on my bass.

The sad reality though is that, at most gigs a bassist isn't given enough time to fanny about with the subtle nuances of his eq (generally bass is given about 30 seconds - more of a 'line check' and rough volume check than anything else :< ) so I don't know if it's worth while just getting the treble and bass boost as you say (the 'tone' pot alone isn't really enough, I feel).