its boost only. so all the way down is flat. dont own a bass, but i sure do love my outboard pre
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You got it bro....boost only. It sounds so good that it is hard not to crank it up! I typically leave it pretty flat for recording but live I will twist the knob until it feels right...usually about 25 or 30% bass boost and treble flat to up to 50% boost. Generally I never get past those settings but nothing is in stone...Turn them until it sounds good! Bruce Swedien (a famous engineer and friend) used to tell me to close my eyes when reach for the EQ section and just listen to what the knob turning is doing. If you like it stop if you are not there yet keep turning knobs until it sounds right. Most people tell you that you should not do certain things but I don't buy it, tweak until YOU like it. Tom Dowd used to scratch off the EQ settings on his consoles. He said if you couldn't hear what you were doing you didn't deserve to sit in that chair and do that job. Those 2 guys are 2 of the greatest recording engineers who ever lived and I have lived by a lot of what I learned from them my whole career and in my life as well. Both are wonderful people and I am very honored to have known and learned from them. I miss Mr. Dowd every day and I have not seen Mr. Swedien in many years now. If it was good enough for them it is certainly good enough for me!
Peace,
T
Tom Dowd Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dowd
I HIGHLY Recommend reading this to anyone who can find the time:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
be sure and click next at the bottom of the page for it take you all the way through.
This is the DVD here if you want to order or see if you can find it in a library or some other source. It is fascinating if you have any interest in the history of music. Tom was right there for it all. I was fortunate enough to become his apprentice for a time and eventually his friend. I wish I knew all the stuff that he forgot before he passed on.
http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/
Bruce Swedien Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Swedien
Bruce is probably most famous for being Michael Jackson's engineer among many others. He did a lot of the classic recordings in the early days. Along with Tom Dowd and a guy named Al Schmitt, he and the other 2 probably recorded 75% of the classic records that were done in the late 40's through the modern recording era.
Al Schmitt Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Schmitt
Happy reading!
+1 to the above posts. Volume, Volume (with pre bypass), passive tone, treble boost only, bass boost only.
You will hear (I think you can hear it on the clips I posted) just a very slight widening of the tone (just a bit of a bass and treble boost... very slight) with the preamp engaged and flat versus the preamp bypasses. So, it's quite transparent.
Pure IMO, but since the Alleva's to my ear are really meant to cop a pretty accurate Fender type J tone, I rarely use the bass and treble boost at all. The most I ever do is add maybe 10% bass boost in some rooms or when slapping to just fatten the low end. I've never touched the treble control. Again, as you can hear from my clips, these basses have plenty going on up top inherently, and even though I like a grindy, treble present sound, I usually have the passive tone control dialed back a touch, especially on the LM ash/maple 70's model. (Edit: this assumes you are using a relatively accurate and transparent type backline rig. If you are using a very voiced head, like for example, a DB750, cranking the treble boost might be more subtle and actually necessary).
Use your ears is obviously good advice, but even though the pre is quite subtle through even extreme boost settings (compared, for example, to the Sadowsky pre), the more of that treble and bass boost you add, the less it 'sounds like an Alleva' to me personally (meaning the less it sounds like a true, relatively accurate vintage J).
It's a GREAT preamp, and just having the ability to fatten the low end a bit is wonderful. My LM and LG are literally the first basses I've owned that I would be very happy to play passive
Tom7
I'm so bright, my mom called me son! ;-)
Another thing to know about the Alleva Coppolo preamp, and Ken and Tom and these more knowledgeable guys can confirm or correct this, but I recently read that that turning off the preamp still burns battery.
The Scott in me has me turning off the preamp on other basses while practicing so as to preserve battery life, but that apparently won't work with our Coppolos.
Also, I don't have experience with Alleva Coppolo basses other than my own so I can't speak for them, but my bass definitely seems to have been designed to be mostly used with the preamp on. I strongly prefer the tone of my Coppolo with the preamp on, even if it is all flat.
How much I tweak my knobs though, as others have indicated, depends on the rig, room and desired tone.
The Scott in me has me turning off the preamp on other basses while practicing so as to preserve battery life, but that apparently won't work with our Coppolos.
Also, I don't have experience with Alleva Coppolo basses other than my own so I can't speak for them, but my bass definitely seems to have been designed to be mostly used with the preamp on. I strongly prefer the tone of my Coppolo with the preamp on, even if it is all flat.
How much I tweak my knobs though, as others have indicated, depends on the rig, room and desired tone.
All (or virtually all) on-board preamps are the same as far as I know. The 'bypass' is just that... it bypasses the preamp but does not turn it on or off. It's always on unless you actually engage the 'on/off' circuit, that is activated when you plug in and unplug your cable from the bass.
I too leave mine engaged all the time, but it to me is almost identical in tone to the passive mode, which to me is a rare and wonderful thing (I agree though, the very slight 'fattening' of the tone is in a positive if subtle direction).
So, you get the advantage of active output with the preamp engaged but flat, which means limited impact of head/preamp input impedance levels across various brands of rigs, and virtually no impact of cable design (capacitance) or cable length, but still get a very traditional passive J tone!
Quick update on my LG5, stuff is still in paint, so I'm figuring a late April delivery... maybe even later. No biggie, just an FYI. I figure any delays introduced at this point could possibly be considered a stay of execution for one or more of my other basses... maybe... 
- Oct 17, 2006
- 731
- 21
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar Amplification, Dunlop/MXR
Quick update on my LG5, stuff is still in paint, so I'm figuring a late April delivery... maybe even later. No biggie, just an FYI. I figure any delays introduced at this point could possibly be considered a stay of execution for one or more of my other basses... maybe...
Mine is still in paint, too. Hopefully I see mine by the end of this month as well. I'm playing in a jazz festival on May 8th and I would looovee to test out the LM5 in that environment.
Hey Guys..
It's been quiet here lately,huh? I think I'm a bout 2 weeks out from getting my KPB4!I want to try Jimmy's half round strings,I hope he has them.
Aj
It's been quiet here lately,huh? I think I'm a bout 2 weeks out from getting my KPB4!I want to try Jimmy's half round strings,I hope he has them.
Aj
Cool! It sounds like quite a few Alleva's will be delivered to various TBers within the next few weeks or so. I look forward to some fresh pictures, and maybe a clip or two from those who have that capability, especially of the P Basses.
Chef
In Memoriam
Ken...???
Curious about P-bass tone?
huh......
Wanting to hear it is a very different thing from wanting to buy or play one!
I've never really heard one of Jimmy's P's. There was a clip on his site, but the recording was really bad (I'm glad Jimmy took that one off of the site!).
- Oct 17, 2006
- 731
- 21
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar Amplification, Dunlop/MXR
Chef
In Memoriam
I got a dollar that says that it's sonic blue LG-5 that's in the pics from namm with P turner and the bass player from the commitments. Search the oldest threads you'll find it.
Aj
Aj
I don't know about now but he actually had a few really nice pieces in the last time I talked to him a couple of weeks ago. Give him a call! I have a 3TS LG5 with Dalbergia on the way and I can't wait...
Peace,
T
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