BTB845V tune BEADG? Can I?

[iiipopes]

Hey iiipopes!
Just an update, I got a custom made nut for my bass and so now it's tuned BEADG and I like how it's playing! It's great how it's 33" and that much easier to play.

I had a question about the pickups that you switched it to, the USA Bart CBC. How has it changed your tone and volume? The Bart BH2 sounds nice but I feel like it doesn't cut through that much, even in recording. I'm not sure if raising the treble knob alone helps. Do you have a recording of your BTB845V with the new pups?

Thanks for your questions. Answers:

1) I run a direct box, so the volume is all relative as it is all set by our soundman. When practicing at home, it is about average as active basses go for volume. I also found the Ibby preamp lacking, so I upgraded that as well. I have the pickups running into an EMG onboard preamp for passive pickups, BQC system HZ. As versatile as it gets, and dead quiet.

2) Compared to the stock BH2 pickups, the CBC pickups are much cleaner, less muddy, have better presence, linearity, roundness, and girth. I also thought the BH2 pickups were too dull and I couldn't do anything with them. The first couple of gigs before I upgraded even my sound man commented how deficient it sounded. The last outdoor gig we had a few weeks ago, the assistant sound man told me they had the best presence, punch, and slotted the best in the mix of any bass he had heard in quite awhile. But it's not all the pickups. The clean dead quiet versatile preamp is as much a part of the overall sound as anything.

3) Sorry. I don't have any sound clips of the bass.

 

[Winton]

Thanks for your questions. Answers:

1) I run a direct box, so the volume is all relative as it is all set by our soundman. When practicing at home, it is about average as active basses go for volume. I also found the Ibby preamp lacking, so I upgraded that as well. I have the pickups running into an EMG onboard preamp for passive pickups, BQC system HZ. As versatile as it gets, and dead quiet.

2) Compared to the stock BH2 pickups, the CBC pickups are much cleaner, less muddy, have better presence, linearity, roundness, and girth. I also thought the BH2 pickups were too dull and I couldn't do anything with them. The first couple of gigs before I upgraded even my sound man commented how deficient it sounded. The last outdoor gig we had a few weeks ago, the assistant sound man told me they had the best presence, punch, and slotted the best in the mix of any bass he had heard in quite awhile. But it's not all the pickups. The clean dead quiet versatile preamp is as much a part of the overall sound as anything.

3) Sorry. I don't have any sound clips of the bass.

hey, I have another question concerning the preamp you installed. I've recently been feeling the compressed sound on my BTB845V. So I've finally been wanting to replace the preamp. Is this the BQC preamp you replaced it with?
Link Removed

Since the Ibanez BTB845V has 5 holes, I was wondering why you chose the BQC over this BQS: Link Removed

Also, were you able to install it yourself?

 

[iiipopes]

hey, I have another question concerning the preamp you installed. I've recently been feeling the compressed sound on my BTB845V. So I've finally been wanting to replace the preamp. Is this the BQC preamp you replaced it with?
Link Removed

Since the Ibanez BTB845V has 5 holes, I was wondering why you chose the BQC over this BQS: Link Removed

Also, were you able to install it yourself?

I like the stacked bass/treble, since for what I play I usually adjust both about the same amount to get a scoop tone on the songs that need that. My other Ibanez bass has an EXB, so stacking the treble & bass is better for me on stage. I did get the "HZ" since the Bart pickups are passive. I did install it myself; then again, I have been wiring my own guitars for over 45 years. I don't currently use the stacked midrange control, but the face of the guitar does have a place for it.

 

[Winton]

I like the stacked bass/treble, since for what I play I usually adjust both about the same amount to get a scoop tone on the songs that need that. My other Ibanez bass has an EXB, so stacking the treble & bass is better for me on stage. I did get the "HZ" since the Bart pickups are passive. I did install it myself; then again, I have been wiring my own guitars for over 45 years. I don't currently use the stacked midrange control, but the face of the guitar does have a place for it.

What did you do about the extra hole? And what about the toggle switch since the BQC HZ has a mid sweep knob? I was thinking it would be cool to make it into a kill switch.

 

[iiipopes]

What did you do about the extra hole? And what about the toggle switch since the BQC HZ has a mid sweep knob? I was thinking it would be cool to make it into a kill switch.

1) I have a plastic grommet, or stopper, in the extra hole;
2) I have a bass cut capacitor, like you find on a Rickenbacker bass, wired to a switch between the pickup and the preamp. Since the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge on a Rickenbacker, with less string excursion and less bass to begin with, I use a .01 microfarad capacitor instead of the Rickenbacker .0047. When both pickups are on, it keeps the pickups from comb filtering and keeps the overall volume from dropping from the impedance drop that comes with having two pickups on full at the same time. If you read the Jazz bass threads, you will note that many players who dime both pickups will back off one pickup or the other slightly to avoid the volume drop that comes with the impedance drop.

 

[Aidil]

What did you do about the extra hole? And what about the toggle switch since the BQC HZ has a mid sweep knob? I was thinking it would be cool to make it into a kill switch.

BQS SYSTEM HZ + DPDT on-off-on mini switch for the Barts BH2 coil selector.

No holes left unused, nor cap plug is required.

 

[Winton]

1) I have a plastic grommet, or stopper, in the extra hole;
2) I have a bass cut capacitor, like you find on a Rickenbacker bass, wired to a switch between the pickup and the preamp. Since the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge on a Rickenbacker, with less string excursion and less bass to begin with, I use a .01 microfarad capacitor instead of the Rickenbacker .0047. When both pickups are on, it keeps the pickups from comb filtering and keeps the overall volume from dropping from the impedance drop that comes with having two pickups on full at the same time. If you read the Jazz bass threads, you will note that many players who dime both pickups will back off one pickup or the other slightly to avoid the volume drop that comes with the impedance drop.

Cool, thanks for answering my questions every time. It was really helpful!

 

[Winton]

BQS SYSTEM HZ + DPDT on-off-on mini switch for the Barts BH2 coil selector.

No holes left unused, nor cap plug is required.

Yeah I was thinking of getting the BQS HZ but looks like I can't get it here in Japan. Only the BQC HZ.

 

[Aidil]

Yeah I was thinking of getting the BQS HZ but looks like I can't get it here in Japan. Only the BQC HZ.

Pardon if this is out of the line, but is it too much hassle ordering the BQS HZ from abroad?

I'm not in the States. AAMOF, I live directly across the globe from the US. Still, I imported the BQS Control when I needed it for my Ibanez SRC6. It took some time to arrive. But most importantly, I was able to get what I considered the right parts for my bass.

And coincidentally, I was a Tokyo Alien Card holder when I studied there in 2008-2010. I remember importing quite many things through eBay, mostly computer parts I couldn't get locally after checking at kakaku.com. And I tried to keep the purchases relatively inexpensive in case anything would go wrong. I remember the one I considered the most expensive order was importing an intel mobile processor for upgrading my Fujitsu laptop. Thank God I received all my orders intact.

Again, gomen ne...

 

[Winton]

Pardon if this is out of the line, but is it too much hassle ordering the BQS HZ from abroad?

I'm not in the States. AAMOF, I live directly across the globe from the US. Still, I imported the BQS Control when I needed it for my Ibanez SRC6. It took some time to arrive. But most importantly, I was able to get what I considered the right parts for my bass.

And coincidentally, I was a Tokyo Alien Card holder when I studied there in 2008-2010. I remember importing quite many things through eBay, mostly computer parts I couldn't get locally after checking at kakaku.com. And I tried to keep the purchases relatively inexpensive in case anything would go wrong. I remember the one I considered the most expensive order was importing an intel mobile processor for upgrading my Fujitsu laptop. Thank God I received all my orders intact.

Again, gomen ne...

Daijoubu dayo! That's cool you lived in Tokyo!

I won't mind having the extra hole so the BQC would be okay with me. Especially since iiipopes is using it with no problem. I'm gonna go to Ochanomizu tomorrow and go to ESP to see if they have other options. But my plan so far is to order the BQC from Soundhouse and have ESP install it, fill the hole, and make the toggle switch to a kill switch. As long as it's not too expensive

 

[iiipopes]

BQS SYSTEM HZ + DPDT on-off-on mini switch for the Barts BH2 coil selector.

No holes left unused, nor cap plug is required.

I don't use coil cuts. I will not play on stage with something that is not humbucking. That's why I use the Rickenbacker-style low cut capacitor.

 

[iiipopes]

1) I have a plastic grommet, or stopper, in the extra hole;
2) I have a bass cut capacitor, like you find on a Rickenbacker bass, wired to a switch between the pickup and the preamp. Since the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge on a Rickenbacker, with less string excursion and less bass to begin with, I use a .01 microfarad capacitor instead of the Rickenbacker .0047. When both pickups are on, it keeps the pickups from comb filtering and keeps the overall volume from dropping from the impedance drop that comes with having two pickups on full at the same time. If you read the Jazz bass threads, you will note that many players who dime both pickups will back off one pickup or the other slightly to avoid the volume drop that comes with the impedance drop.

I forgot to say that the only reason the hole is empty is that for my current playing, I don't need the mid-eq module. So I took it out. The EMG mid is better than the Ibanez because it has both variable level and frequency, instead of just a frequency switch.

 

[Aidil]

I don't use coil cuts. I will not play on stage with something that is not humbucking. That's why I use the Rickenbacker-style low cut capacitor.

They will still be humbucking, given the balance knob is on center detent. Different is, they are two coils separated far: two outer coils (NS̶ & N̶S) or two inner coils (N̶S & NS̶), instead of all 4 coils (NS & NS) used. These are additional tone options of mimicking jazz pickups, and still have the original two dual coils sound with only a flick of a switch.

To my ears, humbucking coils that are separated fair isn't the same as low frequency cut.

 

[iiipopes]

They will still be humbucking, given the balance knob is on center detent. Different is, they are two coils separated far: two outer coils (NS̶ & N̶S) or two inner coils (N̶S & NS̶), instead of all 4 coils (NS & NS) used. These are additional tone options of mimicking jazz pickups, and still have the original two dual coils sound with only a flick of a switch.

To my ears, humbucking coils that are separated fair isn't the same as low frequency cut.

Of course it isn't. I have known that since the late '70's, and have wired guitars and basses every which way to next Sunday in my 45+ years of playing, tinkering, and repair/upgrade/modifications to my own and to friends instruments for their particular desires and playing styles. I currently have a guitar wired that way, with a couple more trick settings, all on a single multi-plate 5-way Strat Style switch and one push-pull, with a master volume and master tone, so nothing is fouled up on stage. But on a bass with a band leader that wants to keep the tunes going so the dance floor doesn't empty, that is too much futzing about (Me - Oh, sorry, hold on a moment - I missed the setting for this song. Bandleader - that's alright - nice knowin' ya) And being on stage, the audience doesn't know and doesn't care if the bass is doing exactly the tone on the record, or a good emulation of it, so long as they generally recognize the song and the music doesn't stop. The person who does care about what I sound like is my sound man with the 32-channel Behringer digital board that my signal is as quiet as it can be and as reliable as it can be for the mix. On stage, trick wiring WILL go wrong at some point; if it doesn't go wrong, it will drive the sound man nuts with the differences in levels and eq that comes from the single coil/dual coil series settings. That's another reason why a P-bass is so popular, even after all these decades: it doesn't break and it is a known quantity to a sound man. Now, when I'm in the studio, between my instruments and several friends' instruments, I can get any tone desired and try out any trick wiring that I can imagine. But that is why I said in my post that when I'm on stage I will not play anything but straightforward wired humbuckers.

 

[Winton]

I wanna share this video just FYI.
I changed the nut so it's BEADG tuning and I also switched my preamp, as iiipopes suggested. I switched it to the Delano Sonar and it's noticeably better! It's more on the subtle side but it's not compressed like the original preamp. Here it is:

 

[bumble yeti]

I wanna share this video just FYI.
I changed the nut so it's BEADG tuning and I also switched my preamp, as iiipopes suggested. I switched it to the Delano Sonar and it's noticeably better! It's more on the subtle side but it's not compressed like the original preamp. Here it is:

Nice.
Thumbs up from bumble yeti on YT. No. 12.
Nice to hear hear it strung like that.
Thanks for sharing!