idea preamp

[GODSBASSMAN]

Who would build an on board preamp this way ?
bass: 100 Hz
mids : 1000 Hz
no treble circuit
master volume
blend
passive/active on/off
Or am I nutz?

 

[Skywalker83]

Nope not nuts i don't think. I'm actually trying to find an internal preamp at the moment that will have only Bass and Mid boost/cut, which i can put on a stacked pot. I want the following set up for my preamp for my current single cut design.

Bass/Mid boost and cut - Stacked Pot
single volume(push/pull for passive active)

 

[Angus]

Why do you pick 100 and 1000 hz?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Audere is the most flexible of the preamp designs. Personally, I'd just get the treble knob and not touch it.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Well...Demeter just emailed me that his BEQ is 120Hz, 1K and 4K. I can keep the treble at completely cut. That should work just fine.
Angus: I recorded flat bass line and then played with a graphic EQ to come up with those centers that pleased my ears..then EQ'd that on my live bass preamp/amp and it was the same ear pleasing tone. Bear in mind I have a set of Q tuners run thru volume to jack on the bass. I love it crisp and clear. I want to hear the strings. 30 - 50Hz seems too low to me when I play out. Give me definition or death.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Nope not nuts i don't think. I'm actually trying to find an internal preamp at the moment that will have only Bass and Mid boost/cut, which i can put on a stacked pot. I want the following set up for my preamp for my current single cut design.

Bass/Mid boost and cut - Stacked Pot
single volume(push/pull for passive active)

That's should be easy... just don't wire in the treble pot, wire the bass and mid to a concentric pot, volume on a push pull for bypass.

 

[cnltb]

hardy at musiciansounddesign.com appears to do custom stuff and his onboard stuff is absolutely excellent.
You may find something there.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

cnltb, Thanks. Will check it out, brother.
Peace. David

 

[cnltb]

cnltb, Thanks. Will check it out, brother.
Peace. David

All good. I
really hope you'll get somewhere with it
Good Luck!!
He may also be able to cook you up some custom onboard thing.
I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Demeter - made here in USA. Ordered - 2 week ETA.I thank you all.
Peace. david

 

[PilbaraBass]

Why I need treble...

To me, treble with a CF below 6.5k is useless as it only adds “harshness” and not “sparkle”…

But as strings begin to die…I use my treble control to compensate…I’ve found that 10k works well to bring the shine back to an old string…

 

[Jim C]

30 - 50Hz seems too low to me when I play out

David,
Thanks for this post.
Have been frustrated that the big name bass EQ preamp designers (Sadowsky, Aquilar, etc) use approx 50Hz as the bass boost center frequency, when I much prefer 100 to 150 Hz as a boost point both in the studio and with my Trace Elliot.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

JimC,
You are welcome. We all may not be in the same boat but some of us are going in the same direction.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Why I need treble...

To me, treble with a CF below 6.5k is useless as it only adds “harshness” and not “sparkle”…

But as strings begin to die…I use my treble control to compensate…I’ve found that 10k works well to bring the shine back to an old string…

That's cool. You know where you are at and why you are there.

For me, I am hearing "bass" not sparkle. When my strings lose their tone, I change them. (Good for the economy AND my ears).
Peace always. David

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Well, received Demeter's BEQ on board pre yesterday and installed it. It does the trick and then some. Even with all tone knobs fully cut my Clement singlecut custom #122 Q tuner BL6 dual pickup system is really musical and yet with knobs all on boost still sounds like my bass. Never over EQ'd. Never had that experience before. WOW. Bass tone doesn't BOOM, mid not HONKY, treble not HARSH. Did I say I love it. I loved my Clement before now I'm.....
happy, happy, happy.

 

[PilbaraBass]

That's should be easy... just don't wire in the treble pot, wire the bass and mid to a concentric pot, volume on a push pull for bypass.

not quite...you'll need a substitute for the treble pot.

if the preamp is a boost/cut...then substitute the treble pot for either two resistors that equal centre detente or a trim pot in the cavity...

for example if the originall treble pot is 20k then us 2x10k resistors and wire it like a pot, using the "join point" of the two resistors in series as the wiper...does that make sense?

if the preamp is boost-only, generally you can tie the three pot wires together...depends on the circuit

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Well...Demeter just emailed me that his BEQ is 120Hz, 1K and 4K. I can keep the treble at completely cut. That should work just fine.
Angus: I recorded flat bass line and then played with a graphic EQ to come up with those centers that pleased my ears..then EQ'd that on my live bass preamp/amp and it was the same ear pleasing tone. Bear in mind I have a set of Q tuners run thru volume to jack on the bass. I love it crisp and clear. I want to hear the strings. 30 - 50Hz seems too low to me when I play out. Give me definition or death.

If you like it crisp you don't want to wire the treble completely cut, you want to wire it flat. Wiring it cut will remove crispness.

I agree about the bass frequency. You can't hear 50Hz, but you can feel it. I use between 80-100Hz when I EQ my bass for the low end, depending on the bass. Since it's a shelving filter the lower stuff is stil there. Lately I've been setting the mids at about 400Hz. But usually I set them about 1.5K. I'd still include a treble control. You never know when you might need to boost the top end. I like doing that on the neck pickup.

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

David,
The preamp came all wired up except to tie in the bridge ground and the pups. I left the treble in the circuit and drilled the appropriate holes and it is just beauteous.
I should have used the words "quick attack" vs "crisp" ? I like the treble subdued, mellow, smooth, etc. Really a rather continuous tonal character throughout the full range, if that make sense.
Thanks. David

 

[PilbaraBass]

David,
The preamp came all wired up except to tie in the bridge ground and the pups. I left the treble in the circuit and drilled the appropriate holes and it is just beauteous.
I should have used the words "quick attack" vs "crisp" ? I like the treble subdued, mellow, smooth, etc. Really a rather continuous tonal character throughout the full range, if that make sense.
Thanks. David

I would call that tonal characteristic "flat treble"...maybe pulled back a tad...but definitely not rolled off...


Just where I'm at, maybe...but I find treble control more useful than mids...

mids only come into play for me when I'm using bridge pickup primarily and need to bring out the "bark" a little...

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

PilbaraBass,
That is what I like about this Demeter pre. CF = 120 Hz / 1000 Hz / 4 K.
The BEQ has a much more focused EQ curve compared to most others that I know about.
30-50Hz, 400-800Hz, and up to 10-16K is a BIG spread. I can leave my amp and BEQ centered (even the treble knob) and have very pleasing bass tone. My church gig is more orchestral and I don't need to "feel" the low frequencies that would be required for a dance gig or oldies concert; I have other basses for that sort of genre.