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The only thing wrong with that particular bass is that it's a 5 string and not a 4 string - I really wish it was a 4 string...
Only the first year "Pickguard Pilots" do have the arm cut. The next year they had arm and belly cuts.
Here's a couple more of mine:
The edit function is found if you push the three little black lines found directly under your "guildsofgrot" sig line...
Some do...
The battery was moved out of the foto, resting on the back of the body - you can just make it out here where the red and black leads are going off to...
I've thought about adding an EMG BTC Stacked Control (from my parts drawer) to my '85 Pilot P.
I wonder if it will provide the additional 12db of boost/cut in treble and bass without changing the overall tone into something sterile sounding.
I am not usually a fan of most active basses, my Pilot P is an exception but there is obviously no pre-amp in it.
I tend to like passive old school sounding basses.
I just sold a really well built Dean European Custom Select bass that had two EMG 35CS Soapbars and an EMG BTS pre-amp which is essentially the same pre as the BTC Stacked Pre.
So I wonder what made that bass sound sterile, the EMG 35CS soapbars or the EMG pre-amp.
If anybody here has added a pre-amp to their Pilot, please let me know how if effected the sound.
Thanks!
I wonder if it will provide the additional 12db of boost/cut in treble and bass without changing the overall tone into something sterile sounding.
I am not usually a fan of most active basses, my Pilot P is an exception but there is obviously no pre-amp in it.
I tend to like passive old school sounding basses.
I just sold a really well built Dean European Custom Select bass that had two EMG 35CS Soapbars and an EMG BTS pre-amp which is essentially the same pre as the BTC Stacked Pre.
So I wonder what made that bass sound sterile, the EMG 35CS soapbars or the EMG pre-amp.
If anybody here has added a pre-amp to their Pilot, please let me know how if effected the sound.
Thanks!
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So the EMG 35CS pickups are very modern and squeaky clean sounding? ....it's the pickups, not the EMG pre-amps? ...thanks for that.
I've read postings here on TB where some folks feel that the original EMG P and J active pickups sound sterile....my Pilot P does not.
I am a big fan of the EMG GZR P passive pickup these days as well, but the EMG P active in my Pilot sounds very good.
Since I have three Peavey Furys (w/ split P's) I could buy an EMG original active P pickup and put that in a Fury with the BTC Pre....and not mess with my Pilot's great tone.
When I got my Pilot, it had DR Black Beauties, and I stay with those to keep it sounding as awesome as when I got it.
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Can’t speak to the BTC in a Pilot, but I added one to my Mikro. I actually added both the BTC (because I needed stacked tone controls) and an EMGX preamp. The combined sound was great, but I gotta think that the BTC alone might be a bit sterile.
Any time you make a change, especially one as bud as a preamp or different pups, you’re going to have a change in tone.
Even something as minor as changing string height, or pickup height, or type or size of strings, has a pretty big impact on tone.
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It’s a real nice set.
Plug and play pups and preamp together.
Minimal soldering.
