Which preamp...?

Kitsapbass · #1 11-09-2008, 06:57 PM

I have a Tobias Toby Pro 5 that I bought from Capnsandwich. It's a great bass, has a great feel, I'm really big on it. Only problem is the electronics. It has Bartolini pickups and a Bart Preamp in it, which for some people would be the be all and end all, but I'm not too hip on it. I'm really in a tone dilemna with it, to the point I was almost thinking about selling it. But after playing it acoustically for an hour or so today, I can't get that feel out of my other basses, so I feel I need to keep it. I have another 5 string with EMG's, but I'm not too hip on the sound I'm getting with it, so I know EMG's are pretty much out. I'm really thinking about going with the SD NYC-5 pickup set, which is a passive pickup set - going for the Fodera feel without dropping $3k+ for a new bass. That being said, which preamp would you recommend for this type of pickup? Nordstrand? Aguilar? John East? Glockenklang? Anybody have a set of these pickups, please help me out!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

kirkm24 · #2 11-09-2008, 07:00 PM

I'm not sure what you would else you would be looking for. If you don't like EMG's than I'm assuming you want something with more mids. EMG's are very scooped sounding and I would assume the Bartolini setup in the Toby are also pretty scooped. You might want to consider Delano pickups and preamp. I have a John East preamp on my Marcus Miller and love it but I'm not sure what he offers for basses beyond Jazz Basses. You might want to Google that.

Kitsapbass · #3 11-09-2008, 07:23 PM

Actually, the big thing I don't like is the Bart pre - the pickups with the pre bypassed sound better. A little too clean and hi-fi for the sound in my head with a VERY pronounced mid, but it sounds good. I like the sound of Duncan pickups better than the Bart's - at least on other basses I have owned/tried out.

The reason I brought up the East preamp is looking at the site, he has some that will fit, once I drill a hole. I'm not really going to sell this bass, so I'm not worried about re-sale. I do appreciate someone responding so quickly!

Davo-London · #4 11-10-2008, 06:12 AM

Well the J-Retro and the Audere will slot into the available space w/o modification.

The Nordstrand and Glockenklang pres are relatively new. I only have experience with the Audere, which I'm very happy about (sound and customer support) but I note that with Cliff Bordwells custom built basses the pres are mostly Glockenklang and Audere.

Davo

capnsandwich · #5 11-12-2008, 07:10 PM

Hey Nate, if you swap out the pups and pre, can I buy them from you? I love those pups and preamp. They're quad coils and sound awesome, IMO. I'd love to have them in one of my new basses. Let me know what you do with them.

Also, I would maybe recommend an Aguilar OBP-1 2 band pre for the Toby and maybe a set of Nordstrand Fat Stacks of Big Splits. I had the Big Singles in my Lakland and I loved those as well but if you're trying to get a more Fodera-like sound I'd go with something like the Big Splits. More meaty sounding than the Big Singles IMO.

newbold · #6 11-12-2008, 07:22 PM

Why not just get a ToneHammer?

Does the bass have a preamp bypass?

Why change it if you might sell it down the road?

Kitsapbass · #7 11-13-2008, 01:51 AM

Yes, Capn - of course I would sell them to you. I don't know when I'll be pulling them out, but when I do, I will most definitely let you know. I did thing\k about the Nords, but they are bigger than the routs, & I would feel, um.... a little nervous about routing the pickup holes bigger (by a 1/4"). That's why I was thinking the Basslines NYC, because they will fit in the existing rout. While I did notice Carey has the DC's in the size that will fit, I'm a little gun-shy to drop the cash on something I'm not 100% sold on. Maybe a trip to BassNW to try out a bass with those p/us would be in order, eh?

New bold, thank you for your suggestions - I did think long and hard about just using the Bartolini's passively, but while to my ear it is better than the sound with the pre, it still is not what I am looking for. I do, however, like the Basslines pickup in my P bass - and going with my previous experience with SD, I should be able to get the sound I like without too much fuss. I also thought about getting the tonehammer, but i was really looking for something onboard. Right now, I have a Sansamp BDDI, which I have used for years. I'd really like to get away from having to use that as well. And finally, the feel of this bass is absolutely incredible. Excellent sustain as well, no real dead notes, very even sounding acoustically. I figured I'd rather keep the bass, and just get electronics that will fit with my idea of how it should sound. The bass already did have the p/us and the electronics changed out, so I'm not worried about resale - but thank you for your concern/questions and suggestions; I do appreciate them!