Warwick $$ double buck MEC pickup / preamp replacement?

3bc · #1 02-01-2011, 11:44 AM

Has anyone done this? I got an amazing deal on a $$ but the tone is not doing it for me completely. I'd like a broader range of useful tones and to scale back the aggressive low-mids that almost explode out of the speakers like "plosives". I'm fairly certain that some of this tone is a result of the woods in the bass itself but if anyone has had success getting a more balanced sound out of the $$ by swapping out electronics I'd like to hear your story. I'm personally looking at bartolini pickups and 2 band preamp, any suggestions?

Unrepresented · #2 02-02-2011, 12:31 AM

I swapped out the MEC pickups on my $$. I felt that the high end was too brittle. Local luthier recommended I use the ceramic Basslines pickups, and the result was awesome. The highs are in a much more useful frequency range and the lows are good too. It became my "go to" bass as a result.

JimiLL · #3 02-02-2011, 12:34 AM

I suggest what he did

MaddAnthony_59 · #4 02-02-2011, 10:04 AM

Interesting. I am taking possesion of an NT $$ Corvette in the next couple of days. I'm sure the maple neck through Snappiness will ring true, but I was wondering about the MEC units. I have 1 Bassline already that I took out of a Vintage Stingray. Maybe another would be a Good investment, and then A/B the 2 setups.

3bc · #5 02-02-2011, 12:12 PM

After a few discussions with the guy over at bestbassgear.com I'm going to go with a pair of MM4CBC pickups and a 4.5ap preamp. I'll do a before and after comparison for those interested. I suppose it should come as no surprise considering Warwick refers to the $$ as the unruly sibling at the family gathering in their own marketing, but this bass with the stock electronics really is overly aggressive. With very modest settings on my 750x it makes my otherwise very capable megoliath teeter on the edge of fartiness. The aural enhancer really isn't much of an option as frequencies start to get very out of control. The bass has good high/mid/low balance in that all strings are audible at near the same volume but otherwise the sound is not terribly balanced or warm or tight, and it seems most good quality basses should be able to pull off warm or tight, if not both. Just my findings after using this on and off for several months.

Unrepresented · #6 02-04-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3bc

After a few discussions with the guy over at bestbassgear.com I'm going to go with a pair of MM4CBC pickups and a 4.5ap preamp. I'll do a before and after comparison for those interested. I suppose it should come as no surprise considering Warwick refers to the $$ as the unruly sibling at the family gathering in their own marketing, but this bass with the stock electronics really is overly aggressive. With very modest settings on my 750x it makes my otherwise very capable megoliath teeter on the edge of fartiness. The aural enhancer really isn't much of an option as frequencies start to get very out of control. The bass has good high/mid/low balance in that all strings are audible at near the same volume but otherwise the sound is not terribly balanced or warm or tight, and it seems most good quality basses should be able to pull off warm or tight, if not both. Just my findings after using this on and off for several months.

I approached my local trusted repair guy/luthier with nearly these exact same concerns, expecting a preamp to be necessary to reduce these issues. He kept encouraging a pickup swap first. I'm glad I did. The preamp swap would've been costly and unnecessary for me.

Perhaps our sonic goals are different, but I'm very happy with the Basslines pickups -- here's a direct recording I did shortly after I had them installed.