Calling all ACG filter preamp users!

[Jared Lash]

I don't think Phil understood how the pre-amp worked and to be honest did not seem interested in working it out. However Tom did give an alternative view of the pre-amp which was very much appreciated by myself.
As you say if you make something very flexible it is possible to pull out sounds that you think are dreadful but to the next guy that might be what he is looking for. The flexibility has always been my goal with the basses I want a bass that can go from a quiet subtle Jazz gig to a death metal gig all in the same bass. I only use about 40% of the pre-amp capabilities myself that is what produces the sounds I personally like chances are it may be only 20% of the 40% you use but it needs that for us both to get what we want from it.

There is a learning curve I am the first to admit that but I still feel the effort is worth it. I also accept not everyone agrees with me on that.

Very true.

One last post from me. I understand the appeal of the traditional 2/3/4 band preamps. They allow on the fly changes making it easy to transition if you want slight tweaks for pick vs fingers or fingers vs slap or just need to make adjustments to better fit the room you're playing.

To each his own but I make those changes at my amp. Which is why my non-ACG basses are (and will likely continue to be) passive instruments.

While you certainly can make on the fly tweaks with the ACG (and I freely admit it isn't as simple as on a traditional EQ) the true advantage is being able to truly change the voicing of the bass. I can easily get smooth, modern tones, Stingray sounds, vintage P-bass like thump, super heavy dub tones (WITHOUT touching my amp's EQ), Jazz bridge pickup burp, Ric like snarl, Wal-like authoritative midrange and more. A brief experiment with flats on a couple strings even got me those hollow Hofner tones.

Lots of instruments promise this sort of versatility, but outside of something that uses digital modeling like the Line 6 Variax the ACG is the only bass that has delivered it for me.

 

[Skelf]

That is good to hear Jared because that is very much what I am trying to achieve.

 

[echoSE7EN]

Anyone use their ACG in a P/J set-up? a P/something else set-up?

 

[HertzWhenIPlay]

That is good to hear Jared because that is very much what I am trying to achieve.

i second what Jared is saying. I absolutley love the flexibility of my eq01 and have gotten nothing but comliments from those who have heard it and cash offers from the few who have played it.

 

[LukeFRC]

That is good to hear Jared because that is very much what I am trying to achieve.

I had just about convinced myself that I didn't want an ACG Eq... then read this!

 

[MaHei]

In the news section you will find a clip I did of the Recurve 6 fretless Alan made for me. (Below the pic, under "Related Files")

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First I swipe through the range of the LPF using the bridge pickup, play a few licks, progressively darkening the tone. Then I do the same for the neck pickup.

Not a comprehensive overview, but you get an idea of the preamp's flexibility.

 

[Jared Lash]

Anyone use their ACG in a P/J set-up? a P/something else set-up?

I haven't seen it, but I'm sure someone has. With all the filters open and no boost it is set flat (and flat on this preamp sounds better than most) so it should give you the classic P/J tone and a lot more.

i second what Jared is saying. I absolutley love the flexibility of my eq01 and have gotten nothing but comliments from those who have heard it and cash offers from the few who have played it.

Yeah, it's really a pretty amazing piece of gear. And in that sweet RD Artist I bet it gets some great tones.

I had just about convinced myself that I didn't want an ACG Eq... then read this!

I gambled a bit when I had my Stambaugh fretless built by opting for the EQ02 without ever trying or even seeing one. But as Chris said at the time, "It's just a preamp, you can always swap it out". Turned out to be a great decision for me and I think most people will love the ACG preamps, but if not you can sell it used and try something else.

In the news section you will find a clip I did of the Recurve 6 fretless Alan made for me. (Below the pic, under "Related Files")

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

First I swipe through the range of the LPF using the bridge pickup, play a few licks, progressively darkening the tone. Then I do the same for the neck pickup.

Not a comprehensive overview, but you get an idea of the preamp's flexibility.

Very cool and gives people a good idea of the range of the LPFs. For me the real magic is the next step, setting each filter and boost and then blending the pickups. Adding in the tone knob and mid boosts just creates a ridiculous number of tonal option.

 

[Skelf]

I have built a couple of basses with a P/J set up in them. A Finn R Type 5 single cut and a J Type 5 both worked out very well. I am just waiting for a Split Coil to go into another to replace a MM humbucker which will make it a P/J set up as well.

 

[HertzWhenIPlay]

I am planning an upgrade for a bass that is sentimentaaly priceless to me.
It's an ibanez sb-1500 with a P/J configuration.

plans include the eq-01 with lindy fralin pickups.

the bubinga/wenge neck on this instrument is fantastic.

 

[Skelf]

Sounds like a good combination all round.

 

[bassplace]

I have built a couple of basses with a P/J set up in them. A Finn R Type 5 single cut and a J Type 5 both worked out very well. I am just waiting for a Split Coil to go into another to replace a MM humbucker which will make it a P/J set up as well.

I have 0054 Harlot with this configuration. I don't use a lot of voicings but sure found what I like. Fantastic sounding bass.

 

[Jools4001]

Anyone use the passive tone knob and how does it sound blended with the preamp filter?

I'm hoping to find out in a few weeks. I bought an EQ02 a couple of years ago to fit into my fretless but, to my shame, I haven't got around to fitting it yet.

Long story but basically it's because the preamp is slightly too big to fit the control cavity of the bass it's destined for, plus the fact that I chose the 5 control version with the passive tone and to fit the controls where I want them also means that the control cavity needs to be enlarged. Finally the thread on the pots is also a tad too short to go through the wood so I need to make the control cavity a touch deeper so that the wood is a bit thinner (maybe a couple of mm).

I needed a router to do a good job, but I didn't own a router until a month or so ago...been meaning to get one for a while but other priorities and life got in the way. Still I have one now and I've built a few woodworking projects using it so I'm confident enough to apply it to my bass now...just as soon as I get some templates made...

I'm not holding my breath 'cos I've got a few gigs coming up and time is scarce. I've also taken the opportunity to take the fretless apart and start on other jobs on it, like epoxy coating the fingerboard, but hopefully it'll be done by Christmas..


Don't know what year though

 

[Bright Midnight]

Yeah, I want one in my P bass, but I'm afraid the printboard and battery won't fit in the control cavity. May as well go for a Xerograph pedal filter instead.

 

[SPYD3R #9]

Based on what I've read around the boards, I've been thinking about swapping out my current pre (glock 3band) with either the ACG EQ-01 or 02 (5 knob w/ passive tone) The bass is a 5 string Cort RB5, a pair of Bartolini MK5CBC with coil switching for each pups.

Anybody have any experience with any of these combinations?
what is the different between EQ01 vs EQ02? pros and cons from both ACG preamps?
the glock was a nice preamp, the clarity was very nice, but i was looking for more versatility, since i had to cover from Motown to Metal, Funk to Punk and anything in between

Just some wondering if anybody had any thoughts on this. Cheers!

 

[mikezimmerman]

The difference between the 01 and the 02 is that the 01 (the version originally designed for Alan's basses, before the new 03 version came out) has a separate low-pass filter control for each pickup, while the 02 has a single low-pass filter control for both pickups. The 01 offers more variations since you can EQ each pickup separately, but my guess is that most folks will find the 02 a little simpler to work with.

The ACG preamps allow for an extraordinarily wide range of tones, but they do operate in a way that's rather different from your typical 2- or 3-band boost/cut EQ. So, you can go from very bright to very growly and aggressive to very deep and dark quite easily, but you can't boost the low end or the mids a little bit and leave everything else the same. That's really the biggest downside.

 

[SPYD3R #9]

^^^
thanks Mike, so the 02 was simpler and cheaper than 01.

about the knob layout, since my current had 5 knob >> vol - pan - bass - mid - treble, then for the ACG:
the 02 >> vol - pan - bass filter stack - treble filter stack - passive tone (similar to east U-retro knob layout??)
the 01 >> vol/pan stack - bass filter stack (neck pu) - bass filter stack (bridge pu) - treble filter stack - passive tone

can anyone on the boards post some pics from the guts of EQ01 and EQ02, i need to see how crowd it is.. thanks a bunch!

 

[echoSE7EN]

This is a bit of a follow-up add-on to my P/J question, but would the EQ-01 work better with two similar pups (e.g. a pair of MMs), or does it matter?

 

[mikezimmerman]

The classic problem with P/J setups is that the P is naturally louder than the J. One of the really nice things about the 01 is that it has separate adjustable gain settings for each pickup, making it very easy to match two pickups with very different output levels.

This is a bit of a follow-up add-on to my P/J question, but would the EQ-01 work better with two similar pups (e.g. a pair of MMs), or does it matter?

 

[kesslari]

Man, reading this thread and remembering the tonal flexibility of my GWB1 fretless... My Zon has such a wonderful tone as is and I really don't want to mess with that. If there was room I'd love to put the ACG into it with a switch between the ACG and the Bart...
Not feasible, though.

 

[echoSE7EN]

The classic problem with P/J setups is that the P is naturally louder than the J. One of the really nice things about the 01 is that it has separate adjustable gain settings for each pickup, making it very easy to match two pickups with very different output levels.

Thanks Mike. Putting output aside for a second and looking at it from a tone perspective, does the 01 lend itself more to a humbucking pup vs. a single coil? I'm still slightly up in the air whether or not to pair the 01 with a P/J, or a P/MM configuration.