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Going passive on SR406 Ibanez

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by lovethegrowl, Dec 15, 2014.

  1. Dec 15, 2014 #1
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    This one will be short & sweet. My active Ibanez onboard preamp stinks! My pickups are DX6s, exact same as EMG Mitymite split coils inside a soapbar housing.

    To replace with passive volume, blend, tone pots, do I go with 500k ohm pots all around, like on a Jazz bass?
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2014
  2. Dec 16, 2014 #2
    Hopkins

    Hopkins Supporting Member Commercial User

    Nov 17, 2010
    Houston Tx
    Owner/Builder @Hopkins Guitars

    500k if you want a brighter sounding bass. If you want to warm it up a bit go with 250k
     
  3. Dec 16, 2014 #3
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    OK, but when you turn the tone pot down to a certain level doesn't the sound get dark anyway?
     
  4. Dec 16, 2014 #4
    Hopkins

    Hopkins Supporting Member Commercial User

    Nov 17, 2010
    Houston Tx
    Owner/Builder @Hopkins Guitars

    Its the wide open sound that is affected. When the pots are at 10 a 500k pot has a higher resistance to ground, there for less frequencies are being bled off resulting in a brighter wide open tone. Its not really the same effect of bleeding treble frequencies to ground through a capacitor, but rolling the volume back slightly will do the same thing. I usually only recommend 250k pots on basses that have rather bright pickups to begin with, I don't know what those Ibby pickups sound like, so its hard to say.
     
  5. Dec 16, 2014 #5
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    I am told by very reliable TB sources, that the DX6s are the same Korean (Cort factory) made pickup as the EMG Mightymite.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2014
  6. Dec 16, 2014 #6
    Hopkins

    Hopkins Supporting Member Commercial User

    Nov 17, 2010
    Houston Tx
    Owner/Builder @Hopkins Guitars
    I dont doubt it, but I also dont really know what the EMG Mightymite sounds like either.
     
  7. Dec 17, 2014 #7
    bassbenj

    bassbenj

    Aug 11, 2009
    Give you want a blend control, (which is two more pots in parallel) I'd start with the higher 500k values. If it seems a bit too bright (which I doubt will happen with Ibby humbuckers but you never know) then you may have to pull back to 250K, but I doubt you will. As for the tone control you'll just have to experiment. If you use 500k and there seems to be a big rotation between 10 and when the tone starts to mellow out, then a 250k will reduce that. But a lower tone value will tend to mean that 10 will be slightly less bright.

    This is why I prefer to add an on-off-on switch with two different tone caps and an center off position. That way "off" is always as bright as the bass can go as no pot at all in in the circuit. In this case a 250K tone pot works just fine.
     
  8. Dec 17, 2014 #8
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    Thanx. Plans have changed now. Because my 6 string jazz bass cant be salvaged, I will be putting my Lo Riders on this bass & will either put Carvin j99a pups in the soap bar cavities* or keep the Humbucker in the neck position, & put the Carvin in the bridge cavity, in effect making an Aerodyne style bass. I definitely want snarl & growl & do need to use 500k pots.

    *unfortunately that neck position cavity is about 1/2" closer to the bridge than Fender 70s Jazz Bass repositioning. It might be too lean there. The bridge cavity is about the same as 70s positioning. Any insights you have on this you are welcome to share. Formerly the Carvins were in those cavities, but those active electronics were too smooth & veiled to evaluate the sound.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  9. Dec 17, 2014 #9
    JustForSport

    JustForSport Guest

    Nov 17, 2011
    As far as 'humbuckers' go, a split 'P' is more like a split jazz, staggered, than a 'dual-coil' humbucker.

    1/2" closer to the bridge shouldn't matter that much unless it covers/crosses the octave line.

    I'd try 500k pots with .047 or larger caps to start, then go from there,
    but if that's a maple-bodied SR406, you may prefer 250k pots, if you don't like to have the brightness avail.
     
  10. Dec 18, 2014 #10
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    Is maple almost as bright as Ash? My ash bodied Marcus Miller bass is bright, & I would definitely not put 500k pots on that. (Actually, tomorrow I am dropping that off for a set up & installation of blend, passive treble, all 250k). Maybe I should reconsider for the Ibby.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2014
  11. Dec 18, 2014 #11
    lovethegrowl

    lovethegrowl Inactive

    Oct 30, 2013
    70s Fender Jazz bass spacing is about 27 7/8" from nut to center neck pup. The empty soap bar cavity would actually put that pickup 3/4 closer to the bridge. I am not one to split hairs, but I tend to anticipate a loss of punch & a leaner sound being so much closer to the bridge than the Squier pups' post (or pre?) 70s spacing. About an 1 1/2" (the Squier not here so I can't measure it.) I suspect a DiMarzio would sound good there if all else fails.

    To put this issue in perspective, the center of the neck pickup of a Rickenbacker is about where the 26th fret might have been located (if there was one) & the center of the Ibanez neck pup is about 3 1/2" from the 24th fret

    The bridge pup can get 1/2" farther away from the bridge than 70s spacing. That's a good thing.

    The point is I want beef, punch & grit. The DX6s are beefier than the Carvins, but may be too smooth. The Carvins are gritty but can that neck position pickup yield enough beef being so close to the bridge. I'll know in a few days.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2014