• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

does this kind of preamp exist in USA?

mellowgerman

mellowgerman

Supporting Member
Jan 23, 2008
4,324
4,180
Orlando, FL
#1
Hey everyone. I'm currently considering adding a preamp for my starfire bass. The one that I've found (exactly the controls I'm looking for) is a Noll TCM-3P. The problem is it's only available in Europe. I suppose I would be okay with buying one of these, but with the exchange rate ($ to Euros) I'd much rather find something similar domestically.
So I'm wondering if there is any preamp available by US-brands that has the same or a similar layout?
TCM3P_Grafik-2.gif
 
#2
If its the semi-parametric aspect of the preamp that you like, I am with you. That looks like the coolest preamp I've ever seen. The only preamps I've found in america that have any type of adjustable Q are the EMG BQS/BQC preamps and the John East j-Retro, but on these, only the middle frequency control is semi-para. I am trying to wire my Bartonlini preamp that way, too. See thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=576485
 
#6
Xx: V L F :xX said:
Semi-parametric EQs have an adjustable 'Q' center frequency, but not an actual 'Q' (or bandwidth) adjustment. You knew what I meant.
Click to expand...

Q is not the same thing as frequency center.

Q is the width of the EQ band (whether it affects a narrow band of frequencies or a broader spectrum) while the frequency is the center point of the band.

I knew exactly what you meant, but stuff like this makes it confusing for any newbies reading this, that may not be fully clued in on how everything works.
You have to get the nomenclature straight...
 
#10
Maybe I'm being a Luddite here, but to me that's just too much stuff to send your bass signal through. There is an argument that simpler circuits will have better tone than more complex ones, as each band of EQ introduces phase shift around its frequency.

If you need that much eq correction right on the instrument, you should just get a better-sounding bass!
 
#11
walterw said:
Maybe I'm being a Luddite here, but to me that's just too much stuff to send your bass signal through. There is an argument that simpler circuits will have better tone than more complex ones, as each band of EQ introduces phase shift around it's frequency.

If you need that much eq correction right on the instrument, you should just get a better-sounding bass!
Click to expand...

When I saw this, I was thinking it was kind of cool, but then that was my second thought...
If you need to have that much control over the signal from the bass itself, then something needs changing somewhere, something isn't sounding as good as it should.
 
#14
walterw said:
If you need that much eq correction right on the instrument, you should just get a better-sounding bass!
Click to expand...

Well maybe some kinds of tones can't be easily available on a bass with simple or no EQ, and if it's what the OP is after, let him the freedom to do so.
Many professionals -and among the greatest- have 2 or 3-band EQ on their bass, and their tone is good (at least to some people's ear). I think a 3-band semiparametric EQ is fun to experiment with, and to find the center frequencies and voicing that you like. Noll's preamps are not expensive, and probably rack-mount units with such a tonal flexibility are more expensive.
 
#15
you guys can bash basses with lots of controls as much as you want; that's your opinion.
but here are two bassists that I look up to more than anyone. dig?
and for that matter, please show me one stock bass that sounds anything like yggdrasil or the godfather. I rest my case ;)
JackCasady.jpg
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#17
mellowgerman said:
...please show me one stock bass that sounds anything like yggdrasil or the godfather. I rest my case ;)
JackCasady.jpg
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

Xx: V L F :xX said:
I'm with Mellowgerman. Having more versatility is almost never a negative. One could wire a preamp bypass switch if they wanted to, anyway. Maybe Mellowgerman stumbles upon some cool new sound/effect/gimmick/role for the bass guitar.
Click to expand...
sure, but i think you guys have just made my point about trying to fix bad-sounding basses with extravagant EQing for me :D

you're right about the idea of stumbling on new sounds/technology, though; after all, wasn't it phil lesh's quest for a better sound from his guild that led to all that research with rick turner and alembic?
 
#18
mellowgerman said:
Hey everyone. I'm currently considering adding a preamp for my starfire bass. The one that I've found (exactly the controls I'm looking for) is a Noll TCM-3P. The problem is it's only available in Europe. I suppose I would be okay with buying one of these, but with the exchange rate ($ to Euros) I'd much rather find something similar domestically.
So I'm wondering if there is any preamp available by US-brands that has the same or a similar layout?
TCM3P_Grafik-2.gif
Click to expand...

Yes I bought a few preamps exactly like that off of ebay ... way under $100 as well.
 
#20
walterw said:
Maybe I'm being a Luddite here, but to me that's just too much stuff to send your bass signal through. There is an argument that simpler circuits will have better tone than more complex ones, as each band of EQ introduces phase shift around its frequency.

If you need that much eq correction right on the instrument, you should just get a better-sounding bass!
Click to expand...

Erm... a lot of amps offer you this degree of control. Nobody argues that you need a different bass if you use so many controls in your amp, right?

The purpose of a preamp, on the actual bass, is to give you the possibility to get very different tones without twiddling knobs on an amp, and being able to generate the sound you want from the bass itself rather than from the amp.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back