Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
You're welcome. Remember that the P2 (5-string) and P4 (6-string) Bart sizes are essentially the same length, just a hair narrower, so if you don't mind a small gap, or are willing to fill the gap with a thin spacer, then any of the Bart P2 offerings, and by extension, others who make pickups in a P2 size, will fit.
So I just snagged a deal on an Ibanez SRMS800 off Reverb that I wasn't expecting to get it for (after offering a ridiculous lowball offer) and hoping to swap the pickups once I get it. Will be following this thread for updates!
I'm loving mine. The spacing is a bit narrow compared to my ehb but plays beautifully. The neck has a bit of chunk to it but I like it. Only thing I did do was run a little green scour pad along it ( the finish felt kinda sticky) Only about 10 seconds top to bottom.
I have my eye on the SRMS800, do you think the different tension due to the fanned frets has something to do with the tone you're getting?
I was in a similar situation where I really liked the woods, appearance, acoustic response, and playability of my SRMS805 but felt the tone was a bit dark and bland with the Bartolini BH-2 and electronics. I searched around and ended up replacing the BH-2 pickups and electronics with a P4 size set of Nordstrand Zen Blades and a Dark Glass Tone Capsule. I find the Zen Blades have a more open tone with better clarity - really nice and well balanced pickups. The Dark Glass preamp has well voiced EQ points and adds a lot of dynamic to the sound. It certainly does not get lost in a mix. Here is a picture of mine and a link to the thread with my custom wiring diagram and the experience of others.
The active/passive switch in my bass is in the 50k low mid pot equipped with push/pull switch. To keep things simple, a first step might be to connect the Zen Blades wired series with the existing MK-1 preamp and see if it takes your tone in the right direction. See Post#114 in the thread link below.
Nordstrand Zen Blade
Last edited:
I picked up a Darkglass Microtubes X7 preamp, no more blandness here 
It adds a new dimension to my GK Fusion 550, can't wait to get a SRMS800 to plug into them.
It adds a new dimension to my GK Fusion 550, can't wait to get a SRMS800 to plug into them.
I know what you mean about the lack of dynamics, I felt the same way with my BTB. I put in an OBP3 preamp, and that helped the sound, but it still felt limited dynamically. My BTB came with BH1s, I recently swapped them out for Bartolini Classics. The difference is huge, dynamics feel wide open now, the output level is also much higher. It feels like the bass is alive now.
Personally would advocate upgrading the Bartolini to REAL Bartolinis. You will hear the difference TREMENDOUSLY.
Been lurking a bit in this thread. I own the lovely BTB845V with BH-2 pickups and "Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ w/ 3-way Mid frequency switch. I am also experiencing flat sound, harsh EQ and not very pleasant sounding tones. But I like the 33" scale and balance of the bass. It seems very solidly built! Link [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I would like to change out the electronics to something better, warmer and clearer or more velvetlike-ish.
On previous basses I have owned, I have switched out the pickups with "boutique" name brands. This has always helped. Nowadays I am more a P than a J guy, so when considering pickups to replace the BH-2's, that has to be factored in somehow.
Currently aiming towards ther Aguilar DCB's.
Preampwise I only need a high quality device, canb be almost anything, as I dont use it much at all, but I might add or cut bass depending on the room.
Any advice?
I would like to change out the electronics to something better, warmer and clearer or more velvetlike-ish.
On previous basses I have owned, I have switched out the pickups with "boutique" name brands. This has always helped. Nowadays I am more a P than a J guy, so when considering pickups to replace the BH-2's, that has to be factored in somehow.
Currently aiming towards ther Aguilar DCB's.
Preampwise I only need a high quality device, canb be almost anything, as I dont use it much at all, but I might add or cut bass depending on the room.
Any advice?
Don't mean to hijack this thread but there seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people watching it. I just acquired an SRMS805 and was hoping to use it in passive mode for home practice. The problem: I get a pretty loud hum in passive mode at any decent volume level. It goes away in active mode. I'm not sure where to start on solving the problem. Is the hum a common issue with these basses?
So im curious which bart pre amp did you use as a replacement , did it require changing out the wiring harness and pots ? i generally love barts but in this case (ehb1005 headless) they seem excessively dark sounding ,did the pre amp rectify the lack of high end ? or should i be looking at chaging both the pu's and pre amp?...
I'm not sure about Bart preamps, but I found that switching out the pickups had a bigger effect on the high-end than switching my preamp did. I put an OBP-3 preamp in mine a while back, and it made an improvement. But the biggest improvement was switching the pickups for Bartolini Classics. The difference was night and day regarding tonal range and output, it really made it feel like my BTB came to life.
I no longer have the Ibanez bass I put the bartolini preamp on however, I did install a Bartolini HR 4.5 on a recently new Ibanez Mezzo bass I bought. Wiring harness did have to be ripped out from the original pre that’s inside but the input Jack was left inside as there was no need to replace that. Same with pots as they were an easy drop in to install with the Bartolini preamp.
I wouldn’t say the preamp “rectified” the lack of high end rather it made a slight difference in voicing than before. I never went with the Dimarzio pickups in the photo and went with stock for now as I honestly like the sound of the stock pickups.
The only benefits of going full Barts is the ability to adjust the boost knob in the preamp.
The H6, which are the direct replacement size for BH1s and MK2s. In specific for my bass I went with the H66CBC. Each pickup is dual coil, so I also wired in a 3-way switch for each pickup to choose between dual-coil or either single coil.
