Marcus Miller Pre Amp

[Spaz0405]

In advance Forgive me if this has been asked or discussed before

I went into a shop a few weeks ago and was playing around with a Fender Marcus Miller Jazz and fell in love. I dont exactly understand the whole pre amp thing. I know this is a total noob question because I have herd the term floating around for some time but

-How exactly does it work?

-Does it make a load of difference?

-How do you know when to change the batteries, and what if the batteries die when you are performing?

As you can tell I'm a fairly new bassist I do everything by books ear and the net so any info would be awesome Thanks

[bh2001]

The pre-amp boosts the signal from the pickups and the EQ is also a part of the pre-amp. The Marcus Miller bass has an active/passive switch which means you can turn off the pre-amp. With the pre-amp off you only have volume controls for each pickup the other two knobs have no effect. If the battery goes flat you have to switch to passive mode or you get no signal. There was some talk of the active/passive switch on the Marcus Miller not being true bypass which might mean you might get no signal at all if the battery goes flat unless you rewire it.

[Spaz0405]

How do you know when its about to die?
How long does the batteries generally last?

[Gabeja15]

I have a japanese MM thats a few years old. The switch on mine at least is not true bypass, so if the battery goes dead so does the bass. But with that said, I've had most of my batteries last about 7-9 months by simply remembering to switch the pre-amp off when i'm finished playing.

[Vakmere]

Originally Posted by Spaz0405

How do you know when its about to die?
How long does the batteries generally last?

Buy a volt meter.

[Spaz0405]

Anyone with a pre amp bass ever have it crap out while they were performing? I just cant get over how much that would suck.

That alone makes me really hesitant on getting one.

[chjohnst]

Always keep spare batteries with you and if you are gigging might make sense to stick a new battery in to be on the safe side.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Spaz0405

How do you know when its about to die?
How long does the batteries generally last?

Originally Posted by Spaz0405

Anyone with a pre amp bass ever have it crap out while they were performing? I just cant get over how much that would suck.

That alone makes me really hesitant on getting one.

it's not like it's going to surprise you on a gig.

as the battery dies, the sound just gets weaker and more distorted. you'll know when the battery is getting tired.

[chjohnst]

audere preamps have a light on them to indicate battery life

[Bobbo 77"]

Originally Posted by Spaz0405

In advance Forgive me if this has been asked or discussed before

I went into a shop a few weeks ago and was playing around with a Fender Marcus Miller Jazz and fell in love. I dont exactly understand the whole pre amp thing. I know this is a total noob question because I have herd the term floating around for some time but

-How exactly does it work?

-Does it make a load of difference?

-How do you know when to change the batteries, and what if the batteries die when you are performing?

As you can tell I'm a fairly new bassist I do everything by books ear and the net so any info would be awesome Thanks

Órale 0405,
Aside from the Cat who come up with the MM pre, Tommy Thompson is THE MAN who know's all the tech stuff about the pre. I believe you can look up some of his thought's on the pre on Harmony Central, and The Marcus Miller website.