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Bass Mods Preamps... Anyone use them?

#82
I put a Bassmods in my Squier also. I put up a video on Youtube with a before and after. I also did a video of the BEQ12 that I put in an Ibanez GSR206. This pre is similiar to the Aguilar in that it has a big bottom and I love the gain adjustment pot on the module. I have both of the basses with a hot output.
 
#83
Robear22 said:
I put a Bassmods in my Squier also. I put up a video on Youtube with a before and after. I also did a video of the BEQ12 that I put in an Ibanez GSR206. This pre is similiar to the Aguilar in that it has a big bottom and I love the gain adjustment pot on the module. I have both of the basses with a hot output.
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Ive seen your vid. Its a great value!
 
#85
alexofc69 said:
Indeed. I will be using in a few other Mods i will be doing soon. No, its ebanol and I like it! Here is "Darth Vader" my other Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass V Active. This has an OBP-3
Link Removed
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alexofc69 how do you like that OBP-3 in your Squier? I have a black one that I installed the OBP-3 in and it made a big difference to me. I need to get some pics up I also did some cosmetic stuff to it.
 
#86
metermech said:
alexofc69 how do you like that OBP-3 in your Squier? I have a black one that I installed the OBP-3 in and it made a big difference to me. I need to get some pics up I also did some cosmetic stuff to it.
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I like the OBP-3 alot. It goes good with the Basslines SJB-5s. It has plenty of nice tones. I prefer the BEQ-12 for the price. It doesn't color the tone too much, but a very good pre.
 
#87
alexofc69 said:
I like the OBP-3 alot. It goes good with the Basslines SJB-5s. It has plenty of nice tones. I prefer the BEQ-12 for the price. It doesn't color the tone too much, but a very good pre.
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Thanks..I like the tones I get with my deluxe squier. I ordered one of the Bassmods and I'm going to experiment with my Lakland 55-01.
 
#91
metermech said:
I will report back when I install it next week.I'm hoping for some kind of change in tone no matter how small.
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I really vacillate on the sound of my 55-01.... I like it more when playing with the Band then in the studio.... but I don't hate it... Live it seems to kill (from what people tell me.......) it seems that many on TB that have a 55-01 prefer to upgrade the pickups and pre... and again "I will be interested in how it sounds......."

I'm really anxious to get my new build under way... I've got everything but the body and neck.... they will take the most $$$
I'm going Warmoth, the body will be a Deluxe 5 P Bass and the neck a Deluxe 5 4+1 fender style.....
 
#95
Just thought I'd follow up and say I was able to verify that the EMG BTS preamp was the cause of the hiss... when I bypassed it and ran the HZ pickups straight into my amp, it was equally loud but the hiss was completely gone. I've ordered a BassMods 3-band BEQ preamp to replace it, and in the meantime I'm just running it totally passive (no tone controls).
 
#97
c0d3h4x0r said:
I recorded this demonstration/comparison MP3 that illustrates how hissy the EMG BTS preamp really is compared to other active preamps: Link Removed
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That's interesting, and I sure can hear it. I haven't bought an EMG preamp since the mid 90s. Maybe they are noisier now?

Here's an EMG BTC in one of my basses with my ND3 neo pickups. It starts off passive and then at 31 seconds you can hear me switch in the preamp. I then go through the pickup combinations again. Later in the clip I crank up the treble all the way. This bass (the one in my avatar) was built in 1994, and had the BTC in it since that time, and originally with active EMG pickups. I no longer have the preamp, as I sold the last two I had. The current owner of both hasn't complained about noise.

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You can hear that I'm not getting any hiss except what the mixer is adding, which is very slight and present in the passive section of the clip. This was recorded direct to a Roland VM-3100Pro digital mixer.

They must have changed the op amp they use.
 
#98
SGD Lutherie said:
That's interesting, and I sure can hear it. I haven't bought an EMG preamp since the mid 90s. Maybe they are noisier now?

Here's an EMG BTC in one of my basses with my ND3 neo pickups. It starts off passive and then at 31 seconds you can hear me switch in the preamp. I then go through the pickup combinations again. Later in the clip I crank up the treble all the way. This bass (the one in my avatar) was built in 1994, and had the BTC in it since that time, and originally with active EMG pickups. I no longer have the preamp, as I sold the last two I had. The current owner of both hasn't complained about noise.

Link Removed

You can hear that I'm not getting any hiss except what the mixer is adding, which is very slight and present in the passive section of the clip. This was recorded direct to a Roland VM-3100Pro digital mixer.

They must have changed the op amp they use.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the preamp in your recording sounds the way I'd expect one to in terms of not noticeably adding any noise. Thanks for confirming I'm not crazy :)

I think over any 15 year period it's quite typical for a company to switch parts suppliers or revise their design. I wouldn't expect the BTS/BTC controls made today to be identical to the old ones -- but I would expect them to sound just as good. Something strange is most definitely afoot at the Circle K.
 
#99
c0d3h4x0r said:
I think over any 15 year period it's quite typical for a company to switch parts suppliers or revise their design. I wouldn't expect the BTS/BTC controls made today to be identical to the old ones -- but I would expect them to sound just as good.
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The newer EMG preamps are different, and they don't look the same either. So beyond possibly changing the IC, they changed the layout as well.
 
#100
SGD Lutherie said:
The newer EMG preamps are different, and they don't look the same either. So beyond possibly changing the IC, they changed the layout as well.
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Mine looks exactly like the photos of the BTS currently on EMG's web site. Do you happen to have a picture anywhere of the older BTS control? I'm curious to see what the difference is.

I suspect that the modern trend by EMG and others towards miniature surface-mount electronics and ICs built onto a tiny PCB right on the knob itself is to blame for a generally poorer quality of audio amplification and/or a higher defect rate off the assembly line. I get the intention -- save on costs while also providing something more compact that people can easily swap into an existing instrument without having to route new holes in the body -- but I suspect something built out of more traditional parts and then sealed/potted inside a little box is just generally going to have fewer issues.
 

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