F Bass - BN5 preamp upgrade project

[choad42]

2006 F Bass BN5 preamp tweak project

New preamp: Custom F Bass/Seymour Duncan STC-3

New preamp functions: volume control (with pull out slap contour), blend control, single coil/humbucking mode switch, three band eq.

After careful consideration and thorough investigation I decided it was necessary to tweak my BN5's preamp. Over the last few months I've had several discussions with George Furlanetto on how to get my BN5 to sound more modern without losing the F bass fundamental tone. Contrary to popular demand, my personal tone preference has always leaned more towards the modern bass tones out there so changing from the stock F bass preamp was necessary. I did fully intend to return to the stock preamp if the tweaked preamp didn't work out.

I am not going to B.S. anyone here. My initial decision to use the Seymour Duncan preamp over all the other fine preamps currently available was based on the fact that Alain Caron had the same preamp installed on his main fretted bass many years ago. I fell in love with that tone, however as we all know the tone is more in the fingers than the gear. Having said that, I really appreciated the fact that even though Alain's tone is very modern, it still has the fundamental F bass tone to some degree IMO.

Depending on how you look at it, I personally consider my F Bass BN5's Seymour Duncan preamp to be a moderate tweak as the stock F bass preamp was one of the finest preamps that I have ever heard. IMO though, I now have a tighter, clearer, more focused BN5 with a slight nudge into the modern tone arena. Thanks to George's wonderful overall design and fantastic pick-ups I was still able to retain the very essence of the F Bass tone as it really is all in the wood. I'm closer than ever to having the feel, look and sound that I have been searching for.

Now this tweak was not with out a cost, both financially and functionally. Due to the format of the Seymour Duncan preamp, I lost the passive tone as well as the ability to switch to passive mode. For me this is not too large an issue as I never really used the passive mode, although it was nice knowing it was there if I ever needed it. I will really miss the passive tone control though, no big deal though as I love the new preamp's tone!

The preamp install obviously cost a lot more than if I had done the install myself, however I was not going to take any chances. I did the only thing anyone looking to tweak their F bass would do, I took it to George Furlanetto. I have to say that George was extremely helpful and the fact that he performed the entire conversion himself really makes this whole experience very special IMO. George also had to create an entirely new wiring harness for this install as well which I greatly aprreciate. The coolest thing is that the preamp arrived at the F bass shop on thursday and George installed it yesterday, what a great guy! Bottom line based on the tone - George did a fantastic job!

To sum it all up, I am very pleased with the new tones I have available. The trade-offs were slight and it still has the distinctive overall F bass tone, albeit with a slightly more modern slant. I gigged it last night and it smoked! So it worked out very well, because I still wanted this to be an F bass and not some ridiculous hybrid off shoot. Since I had the bass at the shop I also asked George to do a setup with fresh F bass strings and that just sealed the deal. I couldn't be happier at this point.

If you are considering an F bass know this, George made me feel so comfortable, welcome and appreciated as an F bass user you would never know that I didn't buy my F bass from him directly, let alone used. The entire process was not only extremely fun and educational, but it also demonstrated how much George cares not only for his basses but for the bassists that use them. Thanks again George!

Here's another photo of the new control layout as well as a link to a small soundclip of the BN5 with the SD preamp run flat:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=6056399



Cheers,
Paul Theriault
Bassjones
http://www.myspace.com/paultheriault

[fullrangebass]

I can say that George Furlaneto is a very nice person, as well as a top notch luthier. He got my F Bass spot on once I told him what I was looking for tone-wise. He is one of my favorite luthiers. Highly recommended

[Dave Hill]

you need to re-do one of your older clips so we can hear a before/after

[choad42]

Originally Posted by Dave Hill

you need to re-do one of your older clips so we can hear a before/after

Good point Dave. Here are links to the same basic clip, one with the stock F bass preamp and one with the Seymour Duncan preamp:

BN5 with stock F bass preamp:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=5784322

BN5 with Seymour Duncan preamp:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=6058129

Cheers,
Paul Theriault
Bassjones
http://www.myspace.com/paultheriault

[emjazz]

I was shocked to read that you changed out the F Bass preamp....but after listening to the clips...I agree that the sound, to me, is better now. It pops more...sounds punchier.

Is the preamp just the standard Duncun preamp?

[winston]

Paul--both clips sound great! Wonderful tone, feel, and playing. The Seymour definitely seems to have a more modern sheen, especially on the low Bs. Are you using LaBella Super Steps, or something else?

I for one would never change the pre on my BN-5, particularly because I love the passive tone control. At least half the time I use mine in passive single coil mode...but that's just me!

[Lorenzini]

SD seems to own the mix a bit more. Awesome tone!!!
That said, the F preamp is still awesome sounding. That's just a sweet, sweet bass.

[needmoney]

Nice!!! The second clip is total Alain on the slap! Nice work!

[choad42]

Originally Posted by emjazz

I was shocked to read that you changed out the F Bass preamp....but after listening to the clips...I agree that the sound, to me, is better now. It pops more...sounds punchier.

Is the preamp just the standard Duncun preamp?

Thanks for the comments guys! Trust me there was a certain level of trepidation on my part throughout the entire process, however I really dig the new tones and vibe. I miss the warmth of the F bass preamp, but I knew that would be the first thing to go. The only thing that I really miss is the the passive tone control, it's not so much that I really need it now, I just used a lot on before. The slap contour is huge, it's nice having what appears to be a much more immediate response from the preamp. It's no where near as transparent as the F bass pre, but that's why I changed it out. There wan't too much changed other than the actual preamps so I can always switch back to the F bass preamp if required.

As for the Seymour preamp, George had to rewire it from scratch with a entirely new harness. It is a Seymour Duncan STC-3 though for the most part. The new F bass labellas really sing now IMO. The overall tightness and clarity won me over the second I tried it out at the F bass shop, right then and there I could have reversed my decision if it didn't sound good. George really liked it too, it makes for a nice addition to all the wonderful F bases already out there.

Yes I did lose the vintage F bass vibe, but now I have a supercharged BN5.

Cheers,
Paul Theriault
Bassjones
http://www.myspace.com/paultheriault

[Dave Hill]

Paul, Sounds great, definately a little more bite. I had the same preamp in a Warwick SSII, and that thing was a modern beast! Nice bass, but wasn't to my taste after all. I think it sounds better in your F. That bass is "more yours" now, and I hope you enjoy it even more..

Do you still have coil splitting? I wish I lived closer to George so he could work on my basses, in that case, I might experiment a little with it as well.

D

[choad42]

Originally Posted by Dave Hill

Paul, Sounds great, definately a little more bite. I had the same preamp in a Warwick SSII, and that thing was a modern beast! Nice bass, but wasn't to my taste after all. I think it sounds better in your F. That bass is "more yours" now, and I hope you enjoy it even more..

Do you still have coil splitting? I wish I lived closer to George so he could work on my basses, in that case, I might experiment a little with it as well.

D

Thanks Dave. I still have the coil switching via the switch that now resides where the passive tone control was. I really miss the passive tone control though. As you said, this F bass is now very personalized and I really do love the high end snap that it has now.

It is nice living relatively close to the F bass shop as I can always reverse this decision at the drop of a hat. I really shouldn't have called it an upgrade though as it is more of a lateral shift. The F bass preamp was killer in it's own way. If I had the scratch to own two BN5s I would have one stock as the transparency of George's preamp is the best in the business IMO. I'm going to be taking the bass over to Mitch Starkman's place in a few days to have him give it a good once over as he is "The F bass Guru" IMO.

On a related note, while I was at the shop last saturday I played the white Vintage F-5 that was posted in the F-Bass club thread - it was amazing to say the least!!!: Now I just have to wait for Mitch to sell me one of his yet to be built Vintage F-5s...........that may take a while though.

Cheers,
Paul Theriault
Bassjones
http://www.myspace.com/paultheriault

[XavidmanX]

Well, you're playing always sounds great, but I like the stock preamp better.

[Ryan L.]

I think you made a good move, based on the clips. I really like how the SD preamp made it sound.