Adding a boost control to an Audere preamp

[LHbassist]

I'm saddened by the closing of The Audere company. I have two of their four knob preamps, and I love them. One is in my 'Davenbacker' Rick tribute bass. It has nice hum-cancelling UK Creamery pickups. I have an issue with this bass- really the only issue left in a series of bugs that have now all been resolved. It sounds great. But, it's much lower in output, than all of my other basses, both active and passive. I want to keep it an active instrument, and I'd like to know if anyone out there has an idea on adding a boost control to that preamp. Yes, I know there are a multitude of pedals that would do just this. I don't want to carry and use a pedal. That said, I'm back to just using a bass, a single cable, and one amplifier live, no effects. I'd like the bass to have at least as much signal as my other instruments, because I like t switch basses for different sets. Bass is pictured here for reference. I'd like the boost to be internal, say a small trim pot- I don't want to add another knob. I have another build with an EMG PA booster inside the cavity. Would one of those work?
Thanks in advance.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I know tonally, flat EQ on the Audere preamps is about as close to "uncolored" as you're going to get (without a dedicated passive switch). I'm not sure if that's the same on volume, but I have a hunch it would be the same.

Seems like the issue would be the pickups in this case, which IIRC the Ric style pickups aren't known to be high output. Adding gain in this fashion may introduce unwanted noise in the preamp circuit (especially with a treble boost). An EQ pedal (just using volume slider/knob), Clean Boost, or Compressor would all fit the bill pretty nicely. At that point in the signal chain, it's less likely to wreak havoc if you want a treble boost or some other shaping in the preamp section.

If the boost is POST-EQ with the onboard preamp, I suppose that could work. Personally, that would be more trouble to wire up than I'd be willing to deal with, but I do my own mod work. If you've got a Tech who's handy with this stuff, it may be a cinch for them. I'd still toss my vote in for a clean boost or compressor, as I have a similar issue with one of my basses, but I'm considering a swap to EMGs on it anyways (what most all of mine have).

 

[Jerry Catanescu]

I make an inline booster that I designed specifically for this kind of situation:

JTEX Electronics - ILB (Inline Booster/Buffer)

The ILB is a tiny booster/buffer primarily designed for installation onboard a bass or guitar, directly inline after a passive pickup. It features a "set-and-forget" gain trimpot with a range from unity to +20dB. The ILB can be used to match levels between dissimilar pickups, between two

www.jtex.ca

 

[LHbassist]

I make an inline booster that I designed specifically for this kind of situation:

JTEX Electronics - ILB (Inline Booster/Buffer)

The ILB is a tiny booster/buffer primarily designed for installation onboard a bass or guitar, directly inline after a passive pickup. It features a "set-and-forget" gain trimpot with a range from unity to +20dB. The ILB can be used to match levels between dissimilar pickups, between two

www.jtex.ca

I'm going to be ordering one soon... thanks!

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'm saddened by the closing of The Audere company. I have two of their four knob preamps, and I love them. One is in my 'Davenbacker' Rick tribute bass. It has nice hum-cancelling UK Creamery pickups. I have an issue with this bass- really the only issue left in a series of bugs that have now all been resolved. It sounds great. But, it's much lower in output, than all of my other basses, both active and passive. I want to keep it an active instrument, and I'd like to know if anyone out there has an idea on adding a boost control to that preamp. Yes, I know there are a multitude of pedals that would do just this. I don't want to carry and use a pedal. That said, I'm back to just using a bass, a single cable, and one amplifier live, no effects. I'd like the bass to have at least as much signal as my other instruments, because I like t switch basses for different sets. Bass is pictured here for reference. I'd like the boost to be internal, say a small trim pot- I don't want to add another knob. I have another build with an EMG PA booster inside the cavity. Would one of those work?
Thanks in advance.

He didn’t install the Audere-provided capacitors between the pickups and preamp, did he?

 

[LHbassist]

He didn’t install the Audere-provided capacitors between the pickups and preamp, did he?

I did not. I think those are for use with active pickups, the Creamery pickups are passive dual coil.