I need a preamp that....

[two fingers]

....the EQ frequency ranges are wider and the boost/cut are more "extreme" than the MXR M81.

In other words, the M81 is too "subtle" for what I want to do.

On my bass, I have a a dual coil pickup at the bridge. It has a single/series/parallel switch with it. It compliments the P bass pickup at the neck very well and gives me three very distinct PJ tones.

But it's too thin by itself.

In order to beef it up I picked up an M81 to use as a stomp box to fatten up that pickup and get it closer to Stingray territory.

The M81 is a great preamp, but the bass and low mids simply don't boost enough to get me there. It sounds amazing when I use it to dial in a second tone with my P bass pickup (already pretty beefy). But just can't get me where I want to be with the bridge solo.

So, whataya think? I need my bridge pickup to sound less Jaco and more Stingray. It will not be an always-on box. It will be more of a stomp box for when a Ray-ish growl suits me better than a P-ish growl. Or when I want Jaco clarity with Pino Stingray era warmth.

The bass is all passive with just a volume and tone, selector for bridge/both/neck amd selector for series/single/parallel on the bridge pickup.

Power supply is a COIKS AC10 and this would take the last spot on that.

Thanks!


The aforementioned bass and pickups...

 

[Alien8]

Southampton Ictineo has been close to the Stingray preamp for me in the past, the low end it adds is great.

Aguilar Tonehammer on clean adds heft at 40hz and upwards that works great on both of those pickup options.

The other option would be to get an actual stingray preamp in a box, probably find one on reverb for not much money. The other option is a parametric EQ so you can dial in exactly what you want.

 

[Spidey2112]

TF, if you can, try one of these...

... pretty versatile, tough as nails... I haven't worked with the 'Scrambler' circuit that much, as I'm not a Joe Dirt type player, but it does have a blend which may help achieve the sound you're looking for...

Good luck, with your GAS!

 

[Kro]

Edit, sorry, initially misread your post. I've re-read and realized my error. Carry on!

Edit 2: Damn, the M81 does +/-17dB at 250Hz-1kHz... have you tried maxing that and decreasing bass and treble to try and further accentuate the mids? Just saying, that is a lot of boost/cut leeway...

Thinking...

 

[Linnin]

Take a page out of Billy Sheehan's 'Will Power' bass and run separate outputs for each pickup along with separate amps. Dial in your preferred EQ with a pair of Whirlwind Bass Tens. Piece of cake, right?

 

[Zooberwerx]

TF, if you can, try one of these...

View attachment 3066355

... pretty versatile, tough as nails... I haven't worked with the 'Scrambler' circuit that much, as I'm not a Joe Dirt type player, but it does have a blend which may help achieve the sound you're looking for...

Good luck, with your GAS!

The SCR-DI will provide the more extreme EQ shifts especially with the ultra-hi and/or ultra-lo functions engaged. The Scrambler allows you to add the desired grind independently. It can get downright stupid if you crank it.

Edit: two fingers...if you'd like to trial one, maybe we can work something out.

Riis

 

[MrLenny1]

That's a wicked P bass.

 

[Toolmybass]

Have you considered a rackmount pre-amp?

 

[40Hz]

You want something with a lot of midrange shaping flexibility and probably a HPF.

I think the Tech 21 Q-Strip is a good candidate for that. It’s readily available and affordable too.

The Southampton Ictineo is also flexible but it can take a little time to find the settings that work best for you. It has a lot of settings. And they interact with each other. So plan on doing some knob spinning and switch flipping if you go that route. But that said it’s a great preamp.

 

[kodiakblair]

@two fingers

Have you thought about adding an EQ pedal instead of replacing the M81 ?

I've had the crazy low priced Caline CP-24 for a while and wouldn't be without it. Only +/-12dB so you'd need to balance it against the M81 but it starts at 31.25hz then 62.5hz and keeps doubling up to 16khz.

Could probably find one for $40.

 

[Spent]

You may end up having to go with a rack mount pre amp, a pedal at 9v, is only going to be able to give a limited amount of gain. Also, just because it says 16 dB gain doesn’t make it so. That’s most likely peak and not sustainable, someone like @agedhorse will be able to provide a much better realistic expectation than I can. Finally, that is one nice looking bass! I’m a sucker for matching headstocks.

 

[Janforth]

ISP beta bass preamp pedal

 

[Nighttrain1127]

TC Electronics Spectra Drive Pre. Amazing amount of gain and EQ Boost

 

[two fingers]

Edit, sorry, initially misread your post. I've re-read and realized my error. Carry on!

Edit 2: Damn, the M81 does +/-17dB at 250Hz-1kHz... have you tried maxing that and decreasing bass and treble to try and further accentuate the mids? Just saying, that is a lot of boost/cut leeway...

View attachment 3066362

Thinking...

That pickup is really hot. So I had to jack it down a bit. When I did that it got thin tone wise. It complements the P pickup really well but by itself it is even more burpy than solo Jaco tone.

 

[nilorius]

Take a look at Bartolini® NTBT 2-band EQ w/Eq bypass switch (push/pull).

 

[SirMjac28]

I'm a preamp freak and I have tried more than a few and here are my top three:

Verellen Meatsmoke
Fodera 2011
F-Bass Big F Boost

These are some of the others I have tried

3Leaf Audio The Enabler
Mountainking Electronics Behemoth II
Sadowsky outboard preamp
Mountainking Electronics Behemoth I
Swell B-Pro V3 Tube Pedal
Lights On the Way Out Tube Preamp
Frantone Thunderhead Bass Booster
Tube Works Blue Tube Enhancer 903
Eden WTDI Preamp
Tri-logic II Preamp
AMT Bass Crunch Preamp
Yamaha Nathan East NE-1

 

[pbass888]

I just got this and it rawkz!
I was a unhappy mxr user. I chose this over the Avalon pre
And the reddi.

API TranZformer LX Bass Pedal

 

[somebrains]

Is this bass passive?
I would setup an active preamp that is cut in when you select your bridge only, so it's 1 motion.
Variations of passive tone mods would work also.

Anything that fits in a stomp box would work but it is more involved to switch in and out of "bridge mode".

 

[eff-clef]

Have you tried the older M80 by MXR? The EQ is plus or minus 18 db at 60hz, +/- 10db at 850hz, and +/- 12db at 4Khz.

 

[CryingBass]

Take a page out of Billy Sheehan's 'Will Power' bass and run separate outputs for each pickup along with separate amps. Dial in your preferred EQ with a pair of Whirlwind Bass Tens. Piece of cake, right?

I think they call that Bill O Sound, right?