Hey everyone! New to TalkBass. I have recently bought a couple of new basses (Yamaha TRBX 4 string, LTD 6 string) and have been really impressed with the sound on these two basses. I have been playing a Carvin 5 string for many years (since 2000). I paid $2000 for the Carvin way back then. And ballpark $700 (each) for my two new basses, which just seem to sound way better than the Carvin. Have electronics advanced that much in sound over the past 25 years?? Thanks!
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Advances in Bass Electronics over the past 25 years
- Thread starter BassMarathon
- Start date
Your $2,000 purchase in the year 2,000 when adjusted for inflation in the US is roughly equivalent to a $3,700 purchase today. That's a considerable leap compared to a couple of basses valued at $700 each. To your point, electronics have improved but I would argue that everything has improved. It's most noticeable in the low to middle tier of instruments where the baseline of quality has drastically improved. It's less apparent in the upper tiers of instruments where everything becomes a game of inches. The reality is that in 2025 there are shockingly high quality instruments available that land in the middle and lower of a manufacturer's roster of instruments.
Wow 2k on a Carvin 20 years ago? They don't change the electronics when things like finishes and woods get more exotic unfortunately.... I have gotten really good sounds out of Carvin, although the pickups are a somewhat weak spot IMO. EQ'ing can make up for it in a lot of cases.
Preamps are probably better and quieter, but pickup technology is pretty much the same.
And the irony is that modern electronics major goal is mostly to recreate vintage tones.
I had a Carvin SB5000 which I loved. You can't beat the construction and wood choice by quality builders compared to a mass produced cheaper instrument. But just as Lackey said, the electronics were the weak point on my Carvin.
Now I own a Cort Elrick NJS5 and, man, the build of that bass considering the price is amazing! I love the neck feel, which gets pretty close to the SB5000. People have complained with the electronics on this is also weak. But honestly, even if I didn't go through my Sadowsky SBP2 pedal or Joyo American Sound, I still can get a good sound with its onboard preamp.
Now I own a Cort Elrick NJS5 and, man, the build of that bass considering the price is amazing! I love the neck feel, which gets pretty close to the SB5000. People have complained with the electronics on this is also weak. But honestly, even if I didn't go through my Sadowsky SBP2 pedal or Joyo American Sound, I still can get a good sound with its onboard preamp.
edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
In general, bass electronics are better. More versatile and much quieter. Lower current draw and smaller. But there is still a lot to be said about some of the pioneers of active electronics, such as the Alembic Series II system in my Starfire which are ca. 1973.
CNC has made a big difference in improving build quality. Components have also gotten better. Electronics have gotten more reliable, quieter. I think also manufacturers are building better product at low end to attract buyers to their brands, selling them as "loss leaders." My Sire P5R and Ibanez SR370EF are two of my best playing basses, even though they are in the sub-$500 range.
EMG quick-connect is an incredible blessing to bass players.
I would add that many smaller companies use PLEK machines when compared to the early 2000's, and that makes a difference as well. Quality control is better with some companies, still sketchy with others. That makes a difference, too. But, yes. OVERALL (not just electronics), basses/guitars are imho "better" than two decades ago (if you remove nostalgia from the equation).
Note: my 1992 Carvin still gets a lot of love! But a $700 Sire or MTD, for example, are quite comparable.
Note: my 1992 Carvin still gets a lot of love! But a $700 Sire or MTD, for example, are quite comparable.
Pickups/tone networks have advanced somewhat, but for me, the biggest jump is in amps, speakers, and cabinets.
Pickups, simple, I prefer real EMG low impedance pickups. Silent, toneful, plug-in installation, and I have no Battery Fear. I am NO fan of traditional high-impedance (passive) pickups hooked up to active tone and gain preamp setups. Passive pickups done right are just fine with passive tone networks, no problem.
But as someone who made my bones in the 70's and 80's lugging heads pushing 40 or 50 pounds, and 215 bins or folded 18's that ran 120 to over 150 pounds just for half-assed power sections that ran out of steam at 200-odd watts, the very idea I can have 800 watts in a 5-pound cigar box-sized head in a tote bag over my shoulder, and TWO Subway 215's weigh less than (and handle far more power and sound much better) my old Peavey (135 lbs) or Yamaha scoop 215 (165 pounds) is like a dream. And I don't have to max out everything to try and keep up with some schmuck guitar player with a 50w single 12 guitar amp is just a God-send. Class D power, lightweight but solid cabinets and Neodymium speakers have been as big a jump as steam to diesel, or propellers to jets.
Since I began in the mid-70's (much less the last 25 years back to 2000) things have improved mightily in just about any kind of bass gear you can name, and the number of choices is so very much broader than the choices I had in '77 or '00.
Ah but I was so much older then . . . . .
Pickups, simple, I prefer real EMG low impedance pickups. Silent, toneful, plug-in installation, and I have no Battery Fear. I am NO fan of traditional high-impedance (passive) pickups hooked up to active tone and gain preamp setups. Passive pickups done right are just fine with passive tone networks, no problem.
But as someone who made my bones in the 70's and 80's lugging heads pushing 40 or 50 pounds, and 215 bins or folded 18's that ran 120 to over 150 pounds just for half-assed power sections that ran out of steam at 200-odd watts, the very idea I can have 800 watts in a 5-pound cigar box-sized head in a tote bag over my shoulder, and TWO Subway 215's weigh less than (and handle far more power and sound much better) my old Peavey (135 lbs) or Yamaha scoop 215 (165 pounds) is like a dream. And I don't have to max out everything to try and keep up with some schmuck guitar player with a 50w single 12 guitar amp is just a God-send. Class D power, lightweight but solid cabinets and Neodymium speakers have been as big a jump as steam to diesel, or propellers to jets.
Since I began in the mid-70's (much less the last 25 years back to 2000) things have improved mightily in just about any kind of bass gear you can name, and the number of choices is so very much broader than the choices I had in '77 or '00.
Ah but I was so much older then . . . . .
This could be what I am hearing then. The preamps nowadays seem to have a lot stronger signal, and the tone controls seem to have a lot wider range.
Yes, I don't know what my Road440 cab with the 18 weighed, but it was built "for the road" and probably pushed 120 lbs or so. I actually chose my car at the time just cause it would fit in the back (Volvo 245 station wagon). Like your Peavey, it has castors but that didn't help much on stairs. The head probably weighed about 45 lbs.
Truth is, though it was indeed loud, it wasn't great sounding. Solid state amps of the early 70's just didn't sound that good. I coveted the Ampeg tube jobs my friends had. Warm sounding.
Oh ain't this the truth!!! I just bought an Ampeg Rocketbass 1x12 combo unit and was amazed at the sound, volume, and very light weight. But then I was like --- hmmmm, I might need a bit more power in some situations. So I bought the Rocketbass 210, so I could compare them side by side and keep one, returning the other. Could not decide, so I just kept them BOTH! Amazing amps at a great price. I love the refinements in bass technology nowadays!
No one has mentioned, LTD. usually a good bang for the buck. They fly under the radar. I have a 25 yr old LTD B205 that is still killer!
- Apr 18, 2008
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Huh??? Not any of the many modern preamps that I've used in the last fifteen years.
