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Carvin BB75 and Jazz pickups...

D.Don

D.Don

Mar 6, 2008
2,396
7
Swede lost in the 5th republic
#1
I have a Carvin BB75 (fiver) that I long-time borrow from a friend for an eventual future purchase (he quit playin jazz and now only work with classical composing). Now my question is, the pups on it today looks like jazz pups but they are active (or at least there's an active pre and eq installed) and sure in my ears sound a bit "high tech", so, what should I look to instead if I want a more warm classic jazz sound?

The body is neck thru so I believe the tone is great (it sounds nice unplugged) though I think that these pups just make the bass sound and feel sterile.

Suggestions?

Thanks!


D.Don
 
#2
Are you positive the pickups are active?

More then likely the pickups are passive and the 3-band or 2-band onboard pre-amp is active. That's how most basses are in most cases.

Meaning, if you like the pre-amp you could swap out different passive pickups, or you could swap out a different onboard preamp.

Just going with a different preamp that's setup with an active/passive option could give you what you're looking for. Possibly.
 
#3
stflbn said:
Are you positive the pickups are active?

More then likely the pickups are passive and the 3-band or 2-band onboard pre-amp is active. That's how most basses are in most cases.

Meaning, if you like the pre-amp you could swap out different passive pickups, or you could swap out a different onboard preamp.

Just going with a different preamp that's setup with an active/passive option could give you what you're looking for. Possibly.
Click to expand...

Oh, that's a clever one, of course, maybe I should just go see a guitar doctor and get a different setup done for a start....

Damn I like this forum!!

Cheers!!

:P

D.Don
 
#4
Another thing you could try is to check out what you think of the sounds on that bass with the knobs at 1/2 volume or so. Often 1/2 or 3/4 volume to full volume isn't that big of a change, but the tone change is quite noticable. On several of my active basses I can get some very nice passive vibe just by turning the knobs down to 65% or so, and usually don't have to bring up the volume on my amp because due to the nature of the more passive sound I automatically dig in more then with the Modern sound I get at 100%.

Also ok to back off of the Treble on the bass EQ. No sin in doing that... sometimes all the way to 0 or full cut.


The objective is the sound... not how you go about getting it.
 
#6
All Carvin BB75s come stock with active/passive pickups. Check out Carvin's website, the Carvin club on Talkbass, or get on Carvin's forum for input from Carvin players. You should be able to bypass the active pickups and get the tone you're looking for. Maybe not a classic Jass bass tone, but a workable tone for sure.
 
#8
smogg said:
D. Don,
I believe that Carvin active basses go to passive mode by via a push/pull on the volume knob. have you tried that yet?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, however, none of the pots are push/pull (this bass is at least ten years old).

These are the pups (or at least that's how they look)

(here was before an image of the kind of pup, but that aparently was not allowed to link)

"The H50S stacked humbucking bass pickup has great tonal range with a full clear bell tone. This J-bass sized pickup has moderately low output and is ultra quiet. H50S pickups come standard on most Carvin basses. Not available on Icon basses."

From Carvins site.

How would that compare to a cpl of more "standard" jazz pups or something in that direction?

D.Don
 
#9
If you don't like the H50S then just pick up a set of the J99's which are Carvin's version of a single coil jazz pup. That way no mods required, they will just drop in. Carvin also offers a passive or active/passive system that should be a simple drop in as well. I would def give them a call or e-mail and see what they can do for you. they are a pretty good bunch at Carvin.
 
#10
D.Don said:
Thanks for the advice, however, none of the pots are push/pull (this bass is at least ten years old).
Click to expand...
If it's that old and has the original pickups, then they're not H50S. Most likely H50N.
Look at the Carvin logo on the pickup. Just to the left of the C in Carvin, is there a dot? If not, it's an H50N.

220.jpg

Top H50N stacked humbucker - no dot
Bottom J99 single-coil - black dot

Below H50S stacked humbucker - blue dot
DSCF1217b.jpg


While the H50S may still have "moderately low output," it is a slightly higher output than the H50N p'ups that I think you probably have. And it has a lot more lower midrange thump.
 
#11
A typical jazz bass PU are ;
neck PU; 91mm width , 37mm for the screws
Bridge; 94mm width , 38mm for the screws

Carvin PU ; , both are 94 mm and have 38,, for the screws.


You'll be able to change the bridge PU but not the neck one.
My 15 year Carvin PU are both the same width. ( I don't think it has changed seeing the pics..... ) :(
 
#12
Correct. All the Carvin J-size pickups are the same size as Fender bridge pickups.
I believe some companies will sell you a set of neck and bridge pickups that are both sized like the bridge if you request that.
(I don't know who does or doesn't. I've never explored aftermarket pickups, but I know lots of Carvin players have. I'm pretty sure Bartolini will sell sets like this.)
 
#14
I agree this forum is a great resource. Thanks Talkbass!!!
I`m pretty much dissatisfied with the electronics in my early 1990s Carvin six string with H50N , too hot, muddy, and tinny sounding. The bass is otherwise acceptable especially for its price. My deal is that Momma gonna be way unhappy if i spend another $100+ on the bass and still ain`t satisfied, so i gotta get this right the first try, or get another job which she, me and the kids really don`t think is a good option.
The way I figure it, my best options are as follows:
1. Switch the H50N w/ Bart 69J---and then go passive if still not satisfied
3. Switch the H50N w/ Carvin J99 (which I`m reluctant to do given my dissatisfaction with the H50N)
4. Switch the Carvin preamp with another, maybe Aguilar
5. Compress my signal

I found a couple things from a Talkbass discussion chain from 2004 that has me perplexed. One guy said the old Carvin electronics are too hot, I agree (FYI - this is my 1st active bass and I`m wondering if the "too hot" is what makes it tinny). Another guy said he "switched the H50N pickups for Bartolini 69J's, and there wasn't a major difference in tone at all, after recording both pickups under identical conditions and listening back to both. Seriously, I was hoping for a major difference to justify buying the Barts, but it just wasn't there."

What should i do?
 
#15
Jeremommy said:
What should i do?
Click to expand...

In my opinion, there isn't any single, obvious solution here. You have multiple options.

If it were my instrument, I'd upgrade both the pickups and the preamp. I love Carvin basses for their precision construction methods, fine materials and aesthetic appeal. But until quite recently, their electronics were rather sub-par.

I bought my first Carvin LB70 in 1992. Got it without the onboard preamp, so I was running those H50Ns passive (I don't think those should ever be run passive). Hated 'em. Replaced 'em with a set of active EMG-J pickups...and a BadAss II bridge to replace that crappy Wilkinson bridge. Much better... :)

I've since bought two more LB70s - a 2004 and a 2005 - both with the J99s. These are actually pretty nice pickups. They'll do until I get some Delanos in there...

I can't speak to your friend's mediocre experience with Bartolini pickups. But I'd bet that just about any combination of high-quality aftermarket pickups (Barts, Duncans, etc.) + onboard preamp (Bart, Aguilar, etc.) would make that instrument sound a lot better than it does now...

Sorry I can't give you more detailed recommendations than that...

MM
 
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#18
Hey D. Don, after letting the all the info. sink in; I`m thinking replacing the pre-amp will improve my situation more that replacing the pups. But that`s just a wild azz guess based upon the following:
I have 3 issues with my sound, they are that the bass is
1. tinny sounding -I can`t recall ever having heard passive sound tinny so I`m thinking the tinny sound ain`t from the pups

2. muddy sounding

3. too hot -another Talkbass guy that has a lot of experience with active basses thinks the older Carvins electronics are too hot and I know passive pups are never too hot.

That doesn`t address my muddy sounding issue but i can adjust around that if I solve the other 2 issues

if you`d be so kind to reply to this post after you do your thing to let us know how it goes. I`d greatly appreciate it. I`ll do the same.
 
#20
i found a nick in a pup lead. Taped it up and improved things. Will have to spend some time time re-learning the dials before deciding what to do. I do know this though, I thought the bass was thicker, rounder, more punchy, and less tinny this week. Me happy w/ bass today.
 

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