Dean Club!!!

[B-Mac]

So no one has a Dean Entwistle Spider (import version)? Been looking for one for years and can't find one for sale. Would be interested in opinions from anyone that owns one, even if not for sale.

Like this one:

What about getting a Dean Z Fluence and painting your own spider webs for now?
half serious half kidding

 

[B-Mac]

I recently bought a circa 2008 Dean Edge 5 bass. Wondering about the 4-knob preamp. I can't tell that the tone controls do very much but my hearing's not so hot above 6 kHz. Any detailed info available on the electronics? Also, this one has "EMG" upgraded pickups AFAICT.

My impression somewhat reflects this person's experience.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/co...-10-active-eq-controls.1276451/#post-19871415

Please provide a photo of the back of headstock, back of body and inside of control cavity if at all possible.

The link you posted is for an Edge 10A which where made in China from the get go and totally different. They came in double soapbar and P/J configurations.

 

[Digital Larry]

Please provide a photo of the back of headstock, back of body and inside of control cavity if at all possible.

The link you posted is for an Edge 10A which where made in China from the get go and totally different. They came in double soapbar and P/J configurations.

I opened up the back and pretty much answered my own question. I guess the pickups are active but the EQ is not. The tone controls are marked "EMG passive tone" B124rH which is exactly what they seem like. I plugged it directly into my mixer's hi-Z input rather than my bass preamp and confirmed both tone controls affect a slight amount of the high end. Each pot has a little circuit board on the back for a solderless connection. Volumes are B122rH. I can't tell if there are any actual electronics on them. There's a set of 3 red wires that go to a header that plugs into just a plastic block so perhaps it's expandable. It's probably some stock EMG harness, I'll see if I can find it.

Yeah I know the link was for a different bass. Just the story sounded similar.

 

[B-Mac]

I opened up the back and pretty much answered my own question. I guess the pickups are active but the EQ is not. The tone controls are marked "EMG passive tone" B124rH which is exactly what they seem like. I plugged it directly into my mixer's hi-Z input rather than my bass preamp and confirmed both tone controls affect a slight amount of the high end. Each pot has a little circuit board on the back for a solderless connection. Volumes are B122rH. I can't tell if there are any actual electronics on them. There's a set of 3 red wires that go to a header that plugs into just a plastic block so perhaps it's expandable. It's probably some stock EMG harness, I'll see if I can find it.

Yeah I know the link was for a different bass. Just the story sounded similar.

As I said before, that is a totally modded bass by a previous owner. It is not stock.
The non-quilt Edge 4/5/6 came with DMT (Dean Magnetic Technologies) pickups and a 2 band preamp. (Vol/Blnd/Treb/Bass)
Dean would always have the EMG passive pups with a 2 band or 3 band preamp.
Those are actually Active EMG pups and EMG pots direct from EMG in your bass.
When I was comparing yours to be equivalent to an Edge 1, I was assuming the previous owner simply ripped out the original electronics and by-passed everything making the bass totally passive.

This is your bass before previous owner mods.

Dean 2008 partial price list

Yours are something like these, but you didn't provide pix for me to nail it down. How many batteries?

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or
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Also note, that some EMG pups are still EMG-HZ even though the cover only indicates 'EMG' with no HZ. That can be verified on the EMG website.
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EMG Vol Pot
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EMG Tone Pot
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[Digital Larry]

How many batteries?

Just one.

 

[B-Mac]

Just one.

That's interesting. The EMG data shows one battery for each Vol and Tone control combined, so since yours is doubled I figured two batteries, one for each combined pairing.

 

[B-Mac]

Just one.

Also, on your bass, it appears the PO kept the original Dean control knobs rather than using the EMG control knobs.

 

[Digital Larry]

They are the 25 k pots so will assume pickups are active.

 

[B-Mac]

They are the 25 k pots so will assume pickups are active.

Yep, they'd have to be based on what you provided and a battery being present. Otherwise the battery would be for an actual preamp.

 

[RICHIERICH66]

So no one has a Dean Entwistle Spider (import version)? Been looking for one for years and can't find one for sale. Would be interested in opinions from anyone that owns one, even if not for sale.

Like this one:

There was one listed on FB Marketplace listed last December in the PNW for $500.
The listing has been deleted but here's the link.

 

[RL5]

There was one listed on FB Marketplace listed last December in the PNW for $500.
The listing has been deleted but here's the link.

Well, the link isn't active anymore, but thanks for pointing that out. Maybe I can expand my search area on there.

 

[B-Mac]

Well, the link isn't active anymore, but thanks for pointing that out. Maybe I can expand my search area on there.

At least you know one is actually out there!

 

[Digital Larry]

I'm a little surprised after looking at EMG's tone control sets. A number of them, even though they appear to be active, are 1-pole (non resonant) filters. EMG are also not at all clear whether they allow boosting or cut only, and other filtery things like what's the corner frequency etc.

I don't take any issue with this but it seems to be at odds with most active basses I've tried which have 3-band EQs with about an extra 5 dB on each band that you're not going to get much use out of. However I had not knowingly experienced passive tone controls on an active bass. Is it common?

As I mentioned, when I bought this bass I twiddled the tone controls and they were acceptable for my purposes but they are not capable of making large changes. Probably helps that I have only played passives for decades.

From a practical perspective, the pickup "volume" acts as a bass cut control. Sure it cuts everything else but this is a bass! Get that set first then tweak the other things if it even matters.

 

[B-Mac]

I'm a little surprised after looking at EMG's tone control sets. A number of them, even though they appear to be active, are 1-pole (non resonant) filters. EMG are also not at all clear whether they allow boosting or cut only, and other filtery things like what's the corner frequency etc.

I don't take any issue with this but it seems to be at odds with most active basses I've tried which have 3-band EQs with about an extra 5 dB on each band that you're not going to get much use out of. However I had not knowingly experienced passive tone controls on an active bass. Is it common?

As I mentioned, when I bought this bass I twiddled the tone controls and they were acceptable for my purposes but they are not capable of making large changes. Probably helps that I have only played passives for decades.

From a practical perspective, the pickup "volume" acts as a bass cut control. Sure it cuts everything else but this is a bass! Get that set first then tweak the other things if it even matters.

Don't get Passive, Passive with Active Preamp and Active Pups with tone controls confused.
Active pups have the preamp within the pup.

Most 'Active' basses have Passive pups with an Active Preamp with either a Bass/Treb or a Bass/Mid/Treb. @NicJimBass can explain this mush better than I. He experiments with EMG pups on the Dean European Select Basses as well as Spector basses. If he doesn't respond here try a direct PM to him.

You can also send your question directly to EMG via : Invalid Link Removed
They are very good at responding.

 

[NicJimBass]

Don't get Passive, Passive with Active Preamp and Active Pups with tone controls confused.
Active pups have the preamp within the pup.

Most 'Active' basses have Passive pups with an Active Preamp with either a Bass/Treb or a Bass/Mid/Treb. @NicJimBass can explain this mush better than I. He experiments with EMG pups on the Dean European Select Basses as well as Spector basses. If he doesn't respond here try a direct PM to him.

You can also send your question directly to EMG via : Invalid Link Removed
They are very good at responding.

Sorry, don't get on here much these days, but I'll try to answer any questions.

I still have 4 Euro Deans, 3 with EMGs and various preamps, and one with a Fishman Fluence system installed. I have a second Fishman system to install into one of the other 3, just haven't figured out which one. The Fluence system is REALLY good, FYI.

Just reading quickly, it seems like @Digital Larry has a modded Dean. If the electronics are EMG, whether a preamp or tone knobs, I'd encourage you to try other brands. I love EMG pickups, but cannot get along with the other stuff. Their preamps really don't seem to do much in the way of tone shaping, at least compared to other preamps. I would 100% say that an Audere or Darkglass preamp will do so much more than anything EMG has made (in my experience). Or, swap everything for a Fishman system and thank me later. lol

 

[B-Mac]

Sorry, don't get on here much these days, but I'll try to answer any questions.

I still have 4 Euro Deans, 3 with EMGs and various preamps, and one with a Fishman Fluence system installed. I have a second Fishman system to install into one of the other 3, just haven't figured out which one. The Fluence system is REALLY good, FYI.

Just reading quickly, it seems like @Digital Larry has a modded Dean. If the electronics are EMG, whether a preamp or tone knobs, I'd encourage you to try other brands. I love EMG pickups, but cannot get along with the other stuff. Their preamps really don't seem to do much in the way of tone shaping, at least compared to other preamps. I would 100% say that an Audere or Darkglass preamp will do so much more than anything EMG has made (in my experience). Or, swap everything for a Fishman system and thank me later. lol

I have the Fishman Fluence in the Hillsboro and love it.

It's the same Fishman Fluence in the latest Dean Z and 2019 Schecter SLS Elite-5 bass.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Dean put in a 3 way pup switch rather than a blend pot.



I assume these are what you're talking about with the different voicings?

Oh, and thanks for stopping in!!!!

 

[NicJimBass]

I have the Fishman Fluence in the Hillsboro and love it.
View attachment 5351412 View attachment 5351413 View attachment 5351414
It's the same Fishman Fluence in the latest Dean Z and 2019 Schecter SLS Elite-5 bass.
View attachment 5351409 View attachment 5351410
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Dean put in a 3 way pup switch rather than a blend pot.



I assume these are what you're talking about with the different voicings?

Oh, and thanks for stopping in!!!!

Those are the ones! So many good, useable tones.

My financé bought me a Legator Wraith 5 (headless, multi scale, roasted neck, Fishmans) which was my first time trying them, and I fell in love. It's hard to find another one for a price I'm willing to pay, as a backup, so I put them in my orange burst Improv. I mainly use a setting that pulls a very convincing pbass tone. That Improv has been my least favorite, as it's the heaviest of the bunch, and never sounded quite as good as the others. But now it sounds amazing.

 

[B-Mac]

Those are the ones! So many good, useable tones.

My financé bought me a Legator Wraith 5 (headless, multi scale, roasted neck, Fishmans) which was my first time trying them, and I fell in love. It's hard to find another one for a price I'm willing to pay, as a backup, so I put them in my orange burst Improv. I mainly use a setting that pulls a very convincing pbass tone. That Improv has been my least favorite, as it's the heaviest of the bunch, and never sounded quite as good as the others. But now it sounds amazing.

Sounds like a great combination!
An updated picture would be cool to see how it looks!
Glad you’re still rocking the Czech made Deans!

 

[Digital Larry]

Just reading quickly, it seems like @Digital Larry has a modded Dean. If the electronics are EMG, whether a preamp or tone knobs, I'd encourage you to try other brands. I love EMG pickups, but cannot get along with the other stuff. Their preamps really don't seem to do much in the way of tone shaping, at least compared to other preamps. I would 100% say that an Audere or Darkglass preamp will do so much more than anything EMG has made (in my experience). Or, swap everything for a Fishman system and thank me later. lol

Thanks for the input. I'm not unhappy with it. Just curious about these things. I can also tweak the settings on my Tech21 RPM preamp for other toanz as need be. However, since I set up the RPM, I hardly touch it at all. I was also thinking about setting up the GK200 MB in my avatar for some recording, it sounds much different.

 

[scuzzy]

alright Dean'ers. What bass model is this? What scale length is it? And how is the preamp?
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I can't find anything on Dean Prof 5