Carlo Robelli Club!

[GKon]

Hello CR Club! Just got this and thought I would share. Neck through. Longest sustain of any bass I've had. Made me laugh out loud how long a high G sustained.
Pickups look stock but no way that the varitone is stock. Pretty cool and usable tonal options. View attachment 4435165 View attachment 4435166 View attachment 4435167 View attachment 4435168 View attachment 4435169 View attachment 4435170 View attachment 4435171 View attachment 4435172

Well, I haven't been on Talkbass for a while. Sorry for the delay in responding.

That is one BEAUTIFUL Carlo Robelli! I love seeing new and different body styles, finishes, and setups that I haven't seen before. Glad you're enjoying it!

You are officially member #21. Welcome!

 

[GKon]

Hi Everybody,

A few weeks ago I made an impulse buy at a pawn shop.
I couldn't pass up a 34" scale 6-string for a couple hundred bucks.
The playability of this neck is still blowing my mind.

The previous owner obviously knew what was up and could either do their own work or had it setup nicely.
The string action is perfect from first to last fret. Even with a low action, there is still somehow plenty of dynamic range and doesn't bottom out unless really digging in. The neck doesn't curve slightly to one side like I've noticed on other basses where you have a lot more tension on the B/E side than the G/C side.

I'm teaching myself how to do fret leveling and dressing on some other basses. I've got a lot to learn yet but I still can't achieve this nice of a setup on much pricier basses. Ironically this Carlo Robelli has become my reference point.

Since these pictures I've added ultralight tuners because the neck dive was so bad it was practically unplayable for me.
The remaing issue is the electronics. Either the pre is shot or something is wired wrong.
The Treble and Bass just don't do anything. Volume works. Blend acts more like a 3 way switch than a blend.

Any chance anyone has experience with these electronics please let me know.
Debating on tinkering with the current setup or dropping in a new pre when I find a good deal.

Oh and do I qualify for a club number?

These pictures are before I did any work.
View attachment 4880522 View attachment 4880523 View attachment 4880524 View attachment 4880525

Hey there! So sorry for not responding sooner. I've been off of Talkbass for a few years. I just bought another Carlo Robelli so decided to log in and, to my delight, saw that folks are buying them, and posting to this club!

That's one of the more beautiful CR basses I've seen. I'm glad your impulse buy has turned out to be such a good instrument for you. These truly are fantastic basses!
I love when people find that out firsthand.

So, I'm going to have to guess that there's an issue with your electronics in that, if they were working properly, they should sound fantastic. The active electronics on these basses is just so dang good!
I don't have enough experience to guide you on how they should be wired. Maybe it's just a broken wire or something? Anyone you know that does that type of work that can take a look?

For example, I just bought a fretless CR. It's passive, with PJ pickups. The P pickup knob isn[t working properly. I suspect a broken wire.

Anyway, glad you found us! I plan on being a bit more active again.

Your member number is #22! Wear it proudly!

 

[Tpi]

I guess this counts.
Sam Ash, New Haven, CT, ~1995/96
Apx $300-$350
Kept 2-3yrs, sold ebay Apx $300 iirc
The only surviving picture and likely it's ebay sales pic.

I went in to the store knowing I could walk out with something, but not knowing what. Well, it was to be my 1st and only 5-string to date. Never heard of Robelli before, but found out then it was the Sam Ash special.

Whether the neck was thicker or wider than I'd have liked, I don't recall. The tiger stripe finish wasn't a selling point for me and if I kept it, I would have stripped it down. The sales point was the price as a new 5-string for $300 was unheard of back then. Today, you can find 5-strings a-plenty on ebay (as to quality though...).

I did love it while I had it and took immaculate care Was surprised for the quality/store brand aspect. Best lesson of all was that 5-strings are their own beast to tame; and introducing me to the B I subsequently learned I could sacrifice those top few notes in exchange for a BEAD-4. I havent' looked back, but am exploring a 5-string option again at the moment.

As to Robelli, I would not turn my nose up at one for my experience. There are certainly far cheaper 'generics' out there these days. What Robelli quality is like now, I don't know. This thread is certainly not the most active of all the 'bass clubs' with only 10 pages in near 10 years of posts. But the few, the proud, the (former in my case) Robelli owners. I had thought my Dean fretless 4 was something of a rare brand, but this Robelli thread shows me true brand-rarity.

I think one adequate summary of this thread is it's safe to say a cheap Robelli is worth the out of pocket. A brand where you are getting as much or more than you are paying for, new or used.

 

[GKon]

Hi everybody.

I haven't been very active for a while. I hope to change that, now.

Ended up buying this Carlo Robelli fretless to add to my other two Robellis (4 string with flames, and 8 string).

It was in decent shape when I got it, although it was grimy, and smelled like a mixture of pets, and cigarettes. There are some scratches on the body, and ding on the face, and a couple on the neck. (I knew about them before I bought it).
Also, a few dings on the headstock, which I covered up with nail polish.

Took everything apart. Cleaned, lubed, and tightened the tuners. They work as they should.

Cleaned all the grime off of the fingergoard. Used some 0000 steel wool and lighter fluid. Yeah, I know. Ouch. But it worked.
Conditioned the fingerboard with boiled linseed oil on a recommendation from a luthier. Yeah, I know it's a hot topic. I figured I'd give it a shot. I don't feel like any back and forth about the pros and cons of it. Consider it an experiment.

It had some disgustingly grimy round wounds on it. Although they left some minor impressions on the fingerboard wood, once I cleaned it up they mostly went away.

Strung it with La Bella black tapewounds, then did a set-up. Adjusted the truss rod. I think I reached the end of its adjustment. I'm guessing it was never adjusted before. There was a bit of a bow, but I got rid of it.
Letting it acclimate to the dry environment in New Mexico for a week also helped.

Had to clean up the slots in the nut, adjusted the bridge for string height and intonation. The neck is now nice and flat, string height is really low with no buzzing, and the fingerboard feels nice and clean and silky.

Added Fretglo dots for the finger position markers, as the ones on the bass are teeeeeeeeeeeny. Plus, I often practice in a dark room. They help a lot.

It's passive (my other 2 are active). Neck pickup volume knob, bridge pickup volume knob, and tone. The bridge pickup potentiometer isn't working properly. It goes from zero volume to slight volume for 3/4 of the turn of the knob, then somewhat high volume at the end. Need to address that.

I also want to try and steam out the two dings on the back of the neck, because they land right where my thumb sits when playing certain notes.

All in all, I'm VERY happy with it. Glad I got it.

P.S. I have two more Robellis on the way! I'll post those when they're here.

 

[Illbass]

Hey there! So sorry for not responding sooner. I've been off of Talkbass for a few years. I just bought another Carlo Robelli so decided to log in and, to my delight, saw that folks are buying them, and posting to this club!

That's one of the more beautiful CR basses I've seen. I'm glad your impulse buy has turned out to be such a good instrument for you. These truly are fantastic basses!
I love when people find that out firsthand.

So, I'm going to have to guess that there's an issue with your electronics in that, if they were working properly, they should sound fantastic. The active electronics on these basses is just so dang good!
I don't have enough experience to guide you on how they should be wired. Maybe it's just a broken wire or something? Anyone you know that does that type of work that can take a look?

For example, I just bought a fretless CR. It's passive, with PJ pickups. The P pickup knob isn[t working properly. I suspect a broken wire.

Anyway, glad you found us! I plan on being a bit more active again.

Your member number is #22! Wear it proudly!

Cool!
Thanks for the reply and the number!
Glad you think it looks good. It seems to have been taken care of but not needed anymore.

I'll have to revisit the electronics, but I may pass on troubleshooting and just see what this thing can be with a new pre. I have an unused pre from a Fender Delux P, might be interesting to see how it reacts.

 

[GKon]

Cool!
Thanks for the reply and the number!
Glad you think it looks good. It seems to have been taken care of but not needed anymore.

I'll have to revisit the electronics, but I may pass on troubleshooting and just see what this thing can be with a new pre. I have an unused pre from a Fender Delux P, might be interesting to see how it reacts.

You bet! Sorry it took so long.

Keep us posted on the upgrades.

I ended up buying 2 more Robellis in the last 3 weeks, so I'll be posting those soon.

 

[GKon]

Added another Carlo Robelli to my collection this week.
This is the CRFB700EQ acoustic/electric 4-string bass. Not sure how many different models of acoustic/electrics they made.

It's got an on-board EQ for adjusting low, mid, and high frequencies, a volume knob, and a "presence" slider. The electronics work really well, with no crackling, and give you a lot of good sounding variation. The piezo pickup located under the bridge works quite well, also.

After I got it I cleaned the body (lots of dings and scratches, but I knew that before buying it. It actually gives it a well used, in a good way, appearance). I cleaned and oiled the fretboard (it was thirsty!) which is in excellent condition, as are the frets.

I also cleaned, tightened, and oiled the tuners, which work well, as well as cleaning the bridge, and nut slots.

Finally, I strung it with La Bella white tapewound strings. The action is low, and the neck is nice and straight. It sounds really full, and warm with these strings!

The only negative thing I've found is that the neck is narrow so, if I'm not careful, the G string pulls off the neck as I'm playing.
It's kind of annoying, but doesn't seem to be an issue as long as I'm paying attention.

All in all, I'm quite happy with it, and glad to have my Robelli collection slowly growing.

 

[GKon]

Bought yet another Carlo Robelli. Third one in a month and a half, for a total of 5. I'm a happy guy.

Picked up this 5 string. It's in really good shape. Active electronics with a push/pull knob to activate it.
Pickups sound really good, potentiomenters are not crunchy at all.
Took the old strings off, removed the tuners and bridge saddles. Cleaned everything really well, lubed and reinstalled the tuners, cleaned and reinstalled the
bridge saddles, cleaned and treated the fretboard with boiled linseed oil. All in all, everything cleaned up REALLY nicely!

I put a new set of gold, Aurora strings on it. I absolutely love Aurora strings. They feel and sound fantastic. The gold color really goes will with the
color of the tuners, bridge, and body. Speaking of which, I can't get over the really deep and detailed finish of the body, as well as the contours shaped into it.
My three other electric Robellis have relatively flat and square bodies. This 5 string has a lot of contour to it.

Oh, and it came with a hard shell case! All for $300. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

 

[B-Mac]

Bought yet another Carlo Robelli. Third one in a month and a half, for a total of 5. I'm a happy guy.

Picked up this 5 string. It's in really good shape. Active electronics with a push/pull knob to activate it.
Pickups sound really good, potentiomenters are not crunchy at all.
Took the old strings off, removed the tuners and bridge saddles. Cleaned everything really well, lubed and reinstalled the tuners, cleaned and reinstalled the
bridge saddles, cleaned and treated the fretboard with boiled linseed oil. All in all, everything cleaned up REALLY nicely!

I put a new set of gold, Aurora strings on it. I absolutely love Aurora strings. They feel and sound fantastic. The gold color really goes will with the
color of the tuners, bridge, and body. Speaking of which, I can't get over the really deep and detailed finish of the body, as well as the contours shaped into it.
My three other electric Robellis have relatively flat and square bodies. This 5 string has a lot of contour to it.

Oh, and it came with a hard shell case! All for $300. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

View attachment 5180138 View attachment 5180139 View attachment 5180140 View attachment 5180141 View attachment 5180142 View attachment 5180143

These look like a lot of aughts Dean models (for me that's a good thing), especially the Edge 4.
I was just looking at a few on the MRG used bass section.

 

[GKon]

Wanted to share a picture of my small, and growing collection of Carlo Robelli basses.

From left to right I have the flame 4-string with active electronics. Next to that is my 8-string active. I've had both of these for at least 15 years. Played countless gigs with the flame bass, recorded with it. Played live and rehearsed with the 8-string a handful of times.

Within the last two months I purchased the acoustic/electric. Cleaned it, did a set-up, and strung it with LaBella white tapewounds. The action is low, and the onboard electronic sound really good.

Next to that is a 5-string. The first 5-string I've ever owned, or played. Active electronics with a push/pull on-off volume, blend, and the best I can gather, two tone pots. I'm not 100% sure of that. If anyone else knows for certain, please do let me know.
Cleaned and set it up, and strung it with Aurora strings in gold to match the hardware. Thise are my all-time favorite roundwound strings. The bass sounds really good. I will say that the active electronics they put in these basses are truly excellent. A couple of the pots are a little crunchy, but usable. It came with a hard case.

Finally, on the far right is my unlined fretless, with passive P and J pickups. It set up with volume, volume, tone. I had to have the J volume pot replaced. The stock one wasn't working properly. The new pot works well, so now both pickups are usable. As a frwtless, I really like the sound and feel of the fingerboard. As with the others, I cleaned and set it up. I got the neck flat and strung it with LaBella black tapewounds.

 

[GKon]

Picked up one more Carlo Robelli to add to my small collection! This makes 5 electric, and one acoustic electric. It's a PJ style, passive bass.

It was listed for $100 on ebay + $35 shipping for the bass, and a gig bag. The owner sent me an offer for $75 + shipping. I asked him if the neck was straight, truss rod was free, and if the potentiomenters worked well, with no scratching. He said all was well, so I bought it.

It arrived a few days ago. The fretboard was GRIMEY! And there was some sort of translucscent splatter on the headstock, neck, body, pickguard, tuning pegs and bridge. A fine scotchbright pad and some naptha didn't remove it, so I had to use a 0000 steel wool pad and naptha (only on the headstock, neck, and hardward) which did remove it. Was careful with the headstock, to not remove the logo at all. I didn't have a green scotcbrite handy, which I think would have ended up doing the trick.

This is the only PJ style Carlo Robelli I have; actually, the only PJ bass out of all of my basses I own.
Also, this is the only headstock shape of this style on a Robelli that I own, as well as my only Robelli with 4 tuning pegs on one side and with this style of Carlo Robelli logo style.

I really, really like the pickguard shape! I find it interesting, and tasteful. I also like the old style knobs a lot. They look really cool to me, and complement the pickguard and color scheme of the bass. Another thing I find interesting about the knobs is that they are (from L to R) P pickup volume, J pickup volume, and Tone. However, the P volume is marked "Tone", the J volume is also marked "Tone", and the tone knob is marked "Volume".

That oddity, and noticing that a couple of the dings in the body (which were disclosed by the owner pre-sale) show red paint underneath, made me wonder if the previous owner had repainted the body, and changed to knobs. According to him, he is the original owner who bougt it new sometime between 1998-2001, and he's never done any modifications to it. I wonder if the red "paint" was a primer or sealant of some sort?

I took the bass apart (minus removing the pickguard. Just wasn't in the mood. I'll do it another time.), cleaned everything, installed a new set of strings that were in the pocket of the gig bag (I'm wondering if he didn't realize they were in there? Mainly because they were a sealed package of Dunlop Superbright medium gauge strings for a 5-string bass. Obviously, I just used the E, A, D, and G strings. Anyone need a B string?).

I did have to adjust the truss rod slightly. It moved well, and smoothly. Bridge height was way high, so I took care of that, as well. String height at the nut had to be adjusted a little bit for the A, D, and G strings. Then, I set the pickup heights. They were a bit close to the strings.

Finally, I set the intonation. I had a very peculiar issue where the G string saddle had to be brought VERY far forward (toward the neck) in order to get proper intonation. The adjusting screw had to be backed out so far that only about 1/3 of it is still in the saddle. I even had to replace the spring the adjusting screw goes through to a longer one. That's the first time I've ever had that issue with any bass I've owned. Witness points for the string were set properly, everything else was as it should be as mentioned above, so I'm really perplexed as to what the issue is. If anyone has any input, please do let me know. All I can do is suspect the string.

All the other strings were able to intonate normally.

Finally, I plugged it in and played! I'm not a huge fan of the strings. WAY too bright, and they feel weird under my fingers (the packaging said something about being made for slap bass. I don't slap, so maybe that's the problem? LOL! Reminds me of an old joke where a guy has both of his hands chopped off in a horrible accident. A genius surgeon is able to reattach them so that the patient will have full use again. The patient asks, "So Doc, will I be able to play the piano?". Doctor says, "You sure will!". Patient says, "Great! I've never been able to before!". I wonder if these strings will make me able to slap now...).

The output of the pickups is really good! Solid, crisp, booming. The pots work well, as advertised. Lots of headroom for both the P and J pickup volume ("tone") knobs. And the tone ("volume") knob has a really nice, big sweep of changing the tone.

The neck profile is, in short, fantastic. Comfortably wide, with a really smooth, flat back. One of my favorite neck profiles in a bass. The wood on the neck has a really nice flame pattern. It's quite pretty, actually.

The tuners are what I guess you'd call Fender style. They needed some tightening, but they work well, and smoothly.

When I eventually take off the pickguard I'll give you all a rundown on the electronics.

Thanks for reading.

 

[OhhWell0525]

I was originally a guitar player. Sometime around 2002 or so I had gotten into home recording and was tired of using an octave effect to play a bass line on my guitar so I went on down to the Clearwater FL Sam Ash.

I was not looking to spend much as it was just for that one very simple task and I had never really played bass before. As I was looking around, this very nice looking 6-string hanging on the wall caught my eye and then the price tag held it. It was a Carlo Robelli USB896 and I still have it today.

Well, I started playing and getting used to it and somehow found I had a decent ability. I had studied classical guitar some in my late teens and I guess it helped. Anyhow, a friend at work had a band that needed a bass player so I said what the heck and joined.

From then on I was officially a bass player. After about a year of that and having gotten somewhat decent on the instrument I decided it was time to get a real bass. I went to Sam Ash again with about $1,500 to spend and tried out basses. Well, for whatever reason, I just couldn't find any that I liked better than that friggin CR.

So I played "professionally" with it for years until I had to settle down and get a "real job". Then I played gigs here and there for fun with it for another decade or so. I still have the thing today and only recently got my second bass, a Harvey Benton 6 string fretless. Yeah, I went cheap again because I wasn't sure if I would be any good at fretless and again, I really like that bass too. Maybe I am just a cheap-bass person.

Here are a couple bad pictures of the CR and if it will let me a sample or two of me playing it back in 2005. I thought it had a pretty good enough tone in passive mode between just the bridge pickup for lighter stuff and the middle position on the selector for rock and pop.

 

[OhhWell0525]

Hi Everybody,

A few weeks ago I made an impulse buy at a pawn shop.
I couldn't pass up a 34" scale 6-string for a couple hundred bucks.
The playability of this neck is still blowing my mind.

The previous owner obviously knew what was up and could either do their own work or had it setup nicely.
The string action is perfect from first to last fret. Even with a low action, there is still somehow plenty of dynamic range and doesn't bottom out unless really digging in. The neck doesn't curve slightly to one side like I've noticed on other basses where you have a lot more tension on the B/E side than the G/C side.

I'm teaching myself how to do fret leveling and dressing on some other basses. I've got a lot to learn yet but I still can't achieve this nice of a setup on much pricier basses. Ironically this Carlo Robelli has become my reference point.

Since these pictures I've added ultralight tuners because the neck dive was so bad it was practically unplayable for me.
The remaing issue is the electronics. Either the pre is shot or something is wired wrong.
The Treble and Bass just don't do anything. Volume works. Blend acts more like a 3 way switch than a blend.

Any chance anyone has experience with these electronics please let me know.
Debating on tinkering with the current setup or dropping in a new pre when I find a good deal.

Oh and do I qualify for a club number?

These pictures are before I did any work.
View attachment 4880522 View attachment 4880523 View attachment 4880524 View attachment 4880525

Well, look at that. A fellow USB896 owner!

I never messed with the electronics as they did fine by me for over a decade. I did however remove the battery I think the 2nd day I owned it and just used it as a passive bass. I seem to remember the active electronics seems to just be a mid-range boost.

Did you ever do anything to yours? I would be very interested to hear what your results were as I still have mine.

 

[Illbass]

Well, look at that. A fellow USB896 owner!

I never messed with the electronics as they did fine by me for over a decade. I did however remove the battery I think the 2nd day I owned it and just used it as a passive bass. I seem to remember the active electronics seems to just be a mid-range boost.

Did you ever do anything to yours? I would be very interested to hear what your results were as I still have mine.

Heya,

Well, for a while I bypassed the preamp using the push-pull and that worked well enough. I dont mind the pickups, but they do have a hotter and mid-boosted output. For a while I debated trying out some different pickups, but decided to not put more money into it at the time.

I recently took an Aguilar OBP-3 out of a Fender and plan to put it in the CR. It has a fairly useful 2-band mid cut/boost and I think I can get a more flattened output.

I did mention before I put on hipshot ultralight tuners, which was not a cheap upgrade, but I'm happy I did. Trimming a few grams off of 6 tuners adds up.

It came with D'addarios, probably medium-light gage nickle rounds. I think I may try something else to breathe a little life back into it.

If I get these things done I will record some playtime and post a link.

 

[GKon]

I was originally a guitar player. Sometime around 2002 or so I had gotten into home recording and was tired of using an octave effect to play a bass line on my guitar so I went on down to the Clearwater FL Sam Ash.

I was not looking to spend much as it was just for that one very simple task and I had never really played bass before. As I was looking around, this very nice looking 6-string hanging on the wall caught my eye and then the price tag held it. It was a Carlo Robelli USB896 and I still have it today.

Well, I started playing and getting used to it and somehow found I had a decent ability. I had studied classical guitar some in my late teens and I guess it helped. Anyhow, a friend at work had a band that needed a bass player so I said what the heck and joined.

From then on I was officially a bass player. After about a year of that and having gotten somewhat decent on the instrument I decided it was time to get a real bass. I went to Sam Ash again with about $1,500 to spend and tried out basses. Well, for whatever reason, I just couldn't find any that I liked better than that friggin CR.

So I played "professionally" with it for years until I had to settle down and get a "real job". Then I played gigs here and there for fun with it for another decade or so. I still have the thing today and only recently got my second bass, a Harvey Benton 6 string fretless. Yeah, I went cheap again because I wasn't sure if I would be any good at fretless and again, I really like that bass too. Maybe I am just a cheap-bass person.

Here are a couple bad pictures of the CR and if it will let me a sample or two of me playing it back in 2005. I thought it had a pretty good enough tone in passive mode between just the bridge pickup for lighter stuff and the middle position on the selector for rock and pop.



View attachment 5440728 View attachment 5440729 View attachment 5440730

Ι'm glad to hear how you stumbled onto your Carlo Robelli only to find that it is, indeed, a kick ass bass! Most of them are really lovely instruments, even given the low price. Most people who haven't had or played one regularly seem to understand that. Thanks for sharing your story. It put a smile on my face.

 

[GKon]

Heya,

Well, for a while I bypassed the preamp using the push-pull and that worked well enough. I dont mind the pickups, but they do have a hotter and mid-boosted output. For a while I debated trying out some different pickups, but decided to not put more money into it at the time.

I recently took an Aguilar OBP-3 out of a Fender and plan to put it in the CR. It has a fairly useful 2-band mid cut/boost and I think I can get a more flattened output.

I did mention before I put on hipshot ultralight tuners, which was not a cheap upgrade, but I'm happy I did. Trimming a few grams off of 6 tuners adds up.

It came with D'addarios, probably medium-light gage nickle rounds. I think I may try something else to breathe a little life back into it.

If I get these things done I will record some playtime and post a link.

I just put a set of Aurora strings (gold in color, which has nothing to do with the sound) on my CR 5-string and they sound really, really good, in my opinion. I am a fan of Aurora strings, so I may be biased.

 

[hooky_marr]

@Flipflop Mojo

Yup! In fact in one of the interviews I read about the EBMM Joe Dart model, they were essentially doing a take on that Carlo Robelli. From what I've read, Jack Stratton originally got it, bypassed the original preamp to run it passively, and replaced the stock pickup with a Seymour Duncan ceramic MM pickup, and Joe ended up playing it a lot on early Vulfpeck records.

 

[Ejtibbetts]

I pulled out my Carlo Robelli 6 string this week and put new strings on it. I bought it new my 10th grade year in the fall of 2000. I have been the only owner since. In fact, it is my oldest bass. One of the knobs snapped off sometime in high school and I never replaced it. The gold hardware has some tarnishing now. I didn't open up the back yet to replace the battery, but the pull on the volume was the only way I could get sound out (I don't remember if that's active or passive). Man, it actually sounded REALLY good with new strings on it. I just put some stainless round La Bella's on it.

Sometime in the near-ish future, my plans are:
- open it up, solder up the loose connections and play it
- potentially upgrade preamp, pickups, etc
- replace the bridge and tuners

Other potentials:
- sand it down and repaint/refinish it
- complete fretjob on it -OR- rip the frets out and make it fretless


Any thoughts on any of that I mentioned?
(Ultimately, I know I will not ever get back out what I'm going to put into it, but it's my oldest bass and at this point of having it for nearly 25 years, I'm just going to keep it and make it more mine.)

 

[GKon]

It always makes me extrememly happy when people are reminded of just how good these basses sound! Glad you had that excellent experience.

I believe your six string is set up like the five string I have, with the push/pull knob to make it active. I'm pretty sure that pulling the knob makes it active, pushing it down makes it passive. At least, that's how mine works. I recently put Aurora strings on mine and I love how it sounds.

As far as the work you want to do, I think opening it up and repairing the loose connection is a must-do. It's an easy fix and will wake the bass up again. Plus, of course, adding a fresh battery.

As far as upgrading the preamp, personally I've found the active pre-amps in my various Carlo Robellis to work really, really well! I've never even thought about needing to change them out.

I'm also a fan of their pickups but that is something that you could play easily changing around just to see if you get a different sound out of them, if that's what you're after.

I tend to like the bridges, as well. They've served me well ovrer the years, adjusted well, stayed put, good contact to the body. Not something I've considered changing just for the sake of changing something.

The tuners are not high dollar, and a pretty straightforward replacement, but mine have worked well, other than two of the octave string tuners on my 8-string. But I could see upgrading them.

As far as sanding and repainting, is it currently the orange finish? Mine is like that, and I love it! But that's up to your personal tastes.
Same thing with de-fretting to make a fretless out of it. Up to you, I'd say. Fretjob if it needs it, of course.

Regarding getting back what you put into it, I've personally never been one to worry about re-sale value (not just with basses, but with vehicles, and other things I do for hobby and fun). I want the basses I have to feel good and play well in my hands. In that regard, I'm willing to put whatever I feel is necessary into them to get to that point. For example, I just bought a Chinese made copy of Lemmy's Rickenbacker bass. I bought a Babicz bridge and had it installed on it. The bass isn't "worth it" in regards to re-sale, but now it looks and plays how I want.

Anyway, once again, really glad to see you happily remember the goodness of your bass. Keep us posted on how you move forward with it.

 

[Ejtibbetts]

Thanks for a quick reply! It is definitely a great sounding bass! As far as preamp and all, part of that is just due to replacing all of the wires, pots, and other components from any corrosion or weather elements that may have affected it. It just easier to replace the whole preamp.
As far as the hardware, the bridge and tuners are excellent, but they are just worn, tarnished and have a little bit of putting. That and I'm not a huge fan of gold hardware - just a personal preference.

I haven't found any pickups yet, in a fairly brief search, that would be a direct drop in replacement just looking at Aguilar and EMG.

As far as refinishing, it's in great shape. I just thought I'd use it as a chance to do something different. The orange isn't terrible and I like the color orange, but I may do some type of flat/matte finish on it or let my wife paint it all crazy, who knows? Lol