I was searching the forums and I found this thread. May be of use to you.
L-1329 05-19-2005 09:25 AM
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All Bart modded Schecter review.
For anyone interested I have recently had my Schecter Stiletto Elite 5 gutted, and upgraded with Bartolini classic bass soapbars and the Bart 3 band active/ passive preamp. Took a while to track down the parts but was certainly worth the effort!
The bass came with EMG Hz's and two band active pre. This bass is naturally very deep in the lows and has some nice bright highs, but there was just nothing in the mids coming out. Also the bass/treble pre only accuentuated those area's and was no help bring up any mids at all. Also I was just not a fan of the rough, or harsh tone of the Hz's. The goal here was to smooth out the tone, get some mids back into it and get a pre that is useful and compliments the bass. Researching all this lead to Bartolini.
So, after the swap, I have to say I am MUCH happier with this bass. The tone from the Bart CBC's is very much what I was hoping for. It is much warmer, and the mids are a lot more present. It has a full tone that still kind of has that old school bass vibe, it's original voice is still there, but is coming through much clearer and still with a good bit of punch. The output level is not as strong, but I may be able to up that with the pre. The pickups themselves suit this bass perfectly, and really make this bass sing.
The preamp is a little different than I was expecting. It has a master volume, pan, bass/treble stack, push/pull mids and an active passive switch. The tone pots on this are extremely effective. Doesn't take much movement at all to get a change in tone, especially with the mids. The mid pot has two freq bands, push or pull to switch back and forth. This pot is so effective that it almost acts like a volume pot. I think that the mid band could be a little narrower perhaps, or something do keep the signal level from jumping around so much. Not really a problem though, because I really think that the flat tone is very good and doesn't need much tweaking at all. The bands match up fairly well with the pickups, and add a better and more balanced tone as a complete package. The bass still has it's signature huge, deep and powerful lows but is now much more than a one trick pony. I like it!
I have found that I can get a nice variety of tones with the time I've had with it so far. It also doesn't take much at all to go from one to a much different one. To get a nice round, smooth tone is just a small blend and mid adjustment. To get back to the edgier, more mid pounchy tone just flatten it back out. I haven't used this in a band setting yet but I am thinking that I will be better able to fit this bass into the mix on the fly than my other basses.
So overall I really feel that this project was worth every cent, and it did cost a few. It has always been a very comfortable, great looking and nicely made bass, and now it has a very good voice to go along with that. This one will certainly be a keeper!
EricTheEZ1 05-19-2005 11:36 AM
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I have a Schecter Stiletto Elite-4 that I've been thinking of tinkering with (more so). I would love to hear some clips of this bass. I'm stuck between Barts (that I can never quite identify and decide on) and EMGs (that I have experience with). Please post clips if you can.
I gotta tell you, I totally agree with the tonal possibilities of this line of basses. The HZs totally kill the tone but a good replacement set of pickups just opens it up completely.
-Eric.
refinedbass 05-19-2005 11:44 AM
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Very nice review. I would also like to hear some clips. I used to have a Stiletto Elite 4, but the tone just wasn't versatile enough for me. Looking forward to hearing more
L-1329 05-19-2005 12:41 PM
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I wish I had some clips of this, but I just haven't had the time to record anything yet. The difference really is night and day and if you guys like how the basses play, they can benefit huge with the Barts.
Beam is a member at Harmony Central, and has a Custom 4 that he just modded with Bart pups, and all passive tone pots. He is very happy with that project, and has posted some clips. You can find them here:
http://acapella.harmony-central.com...threadid=913528
Schecter should be sued for even putting Hz's in these basses in the first place, because it will go from a decent mid level bass to a great bass. Enjoy!
