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J Pickups & Preamp Suggestions for Warwick 5 String?

dgrizzly

dgrizzly

Apr 28, 2014
1,020
805
USVI
www.boogiemammoth.com
#1
Hey guys,

I got a sweet deal on a '95 Warwick Fortress One 5 String.

Its got a busted pot so I'm considering getting a new preamp (although I may just get the pot replaced - undecided right now).

I was wondering what kind of jazz pickups and electronics the Warwick aficionados like in their 5 strings?

I'm simply trying to get some ideas to consider / research while deciding if I want to update or fix. All suggestions welcome! :)

My info for specifics:
I play a wide variety of jam-style music (funk, disco, electronic, reggae, classic rock, blues, etc).

Mostly finger style using rounds with just a bit of slap. Commonly use synthy effects (octave, envelope filter, dirt) and ambiance effects (mod, delay, reverb).

I like to be able to go back and forth between 2 clean tones:
  1. Go-to tone (funk, disco, rock) EQ flat, slightly favor bridge pickup, play closer to bridge.
  2. Deep tone (reggae, blues, electronic) Bass slightly up, treble completely cut, slightly favor neck pickup, play closer to neck.
The stock MEC TJ pickups and MEC 9V electronics sound powerful and good, but slightly bright to my ears. I never have a need to boost treble (set flat is the highest it goes).

Rig is a GK MB 800 with 1 or 2 Avatar B210 neos (Eminence Deltalite2 2510).
 
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#4
I'm in a similar spot myself.... I have a 96 ProM that I also find to have a bit of an overly "bright" tone. A bit more color than in my corvette that has a P/P passive option. I bought a used Delano T/J to replace the MEC and just need to decide on a Pre. The guys at BestBassGear have recommended a Noll 2 and 3 band as well as the Aggie and Glock 2 band. Check out the Noll 3 band, looks to be a perfect fit for the 3 knob control layout.
 
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#5
Haven't had luck repairing the pot and have been leaning towards getting a new preamp anyway, so time to decide! :)

Both the Bart and the Noll 3 band options look like they'll fit the bill.

Both have Volume push/pull for active/passive, pickup blend and stacked bass/treble which I like.

The difference is:
  • Bart has push/pull frequency selector for the midrange pot (250 or 800Hz)
  • Noll has a midrange/mid frequency selector stacked pot (from 280Hz to 1,5KHz)
I like the idea of having more midrange control from the Noll, but not sure how it stacks up against the Bart sound-wise.

I sent a message over to the guys at BestBassGear to see what they recommend, but any other suggestions are also welcome! :)
 
#8
Mine is a 94 Fortress One 5-er. MECs are all original and I love how it sounds both active and passive. A friend with an identical one put in Barts several years ago to play in a church group. He says if he began playing in a rock group again he'd put the MECs back in. I agree with JMic113 about the tight room in the Fortress. Not much room for what came with it so be sure you're getting what will fit. FWIW I play mine through a GK MB500 fusion into one GK 212 II Neo cab, using rounds. In active I keep the EQ flat on the fusion. In passive I boost the low mids to +2, and back off the bass to -1. I like that setting for me.
 
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