Preamp for Basslines Quarter Pound 5 string jazz pups

[bassophile]

Hi there,

I replaced stock Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless with Basslines Quarter Pounders (SJ5-3) on my American Deluxe Jazz V few days ago as I found them thin and muddy in live situation. I have '77 jazz and EBS rig and I know what is good punchy sound. Something is not good with SCN pups IMO. Solo sound is great but with band they loose every good aspect they have when played solo.
Quarter Pounders are way better. Sound is bigger,a little agressive but it cuts through band amazingly in all registers. B string is also much much better. I wired them passively as I found them to be more organic and dinamically better than active with fender onboard preamp.

Now I'm searching for good onboard preamp to match quarter pounders as they are already big, but for some subtle refinements. Let's say not to drastical. I want it also to retain dynamics of pups. I play mostly funk/soul/r'n'b...

Any suggestions...?


Thanks!

[kyral210]

If its not broke dont fix it. I would perscribe a simple 'buffer board' to be installed in the bass with an 18v supply. This maintains all the characteristics of the pup while overcoming the tone sucking of cables, and effects which otherwise load down your rig.

I am working on a site to design your own preamps on, very early days as yet, I need to sort the maths out still.

[bassophile]

Originally Posted by kyral210

If its not broke dont fix it. I would perscribe a simple 'buffer board' to be installed in the bass with an 18v supply. This maintains all the characteristics of the pup while overcoming the tone sucking of cables, and effects which otherwise load down your rig.

I am working on a site to design your own preamps on, very early days as yet, I need to sort the maths out still.

Thanks, I agree, but I don't need so much buffered signal as some versatility in mid and treble frequencies.

[edwinhurwitz]

Well, the obvious ones to try would be the J-Retro (which I have in my Lakland JO5) and the Audere. Both are great versatile pres. I am very curious to try the Quarter Pounder 5s. Years ago (1981 to be exact), as a college freshman, I was in San Francisco with some friends and we drove past a music store. There was an Alembic bass in the window, which I had never tried before. So we went in and they said I could try it if Bobby said it was OK. Bobby said it was OK, but I had to try his bass first. He had a '62 Jazz which his friend Seymour Duncan had wound some pickups for that were going to be released as the 1/4 lb pickups. He also had the prototype for the Badass II on there. Great sounding bass. I still really enjoyed checking out the Alembic, though.

Thanks, Bobby!
Edwin
PS Mr. Vega still play the hell out of that '62 Jazz.

[bassophile]

I've experimented with 500k pots instead of factory recomended 250K. Wow, it changed sound significantly, altering hi-mids and treble freq, while maintaining even response in all registers. Before it was a mix of Music Man and jazz bass sound; now it's more jazz bass, which I like...