Modifying preamps?

[Persona87]

I have a bass for sale that I don't dislike, but there are certain things about it that I'm not crazy about. It has Bartolini soapbar pickups and a 4.6AP system that's wired with four knobs: master volume with a push-pull active/passive toggle, blend, mids with a push-pull mid selector, and a stacked bass and treble boost cut. If it doesn't sell, there are a few things I'd like to do to make it fit me better.

I'd like to see if it's possible to rewire it to be a dual volume rather than volume and blend, and convert the second volume knob to be a push-pull to coil split the pickups.

Would this be possible, and if so, how difficult or expensive would it be?

 

[line6man]

What you are describing has nothing to do with the preamp, in most cases. That's just making a different wiring choice, unless you have a preamp with PCB-mount pots.

 

[RobbieK]

^ +1

Yep that's a pretty simple mod man. A push-pull pot is the only part that's needed and that should be under 10 bucks. If you buy on ebay from china, then it'll be under 5 bucks.

A tech shouldn't charge much for this. It's a 10 minute job.

 

[maurilio]

Let's see, open ctrl cavity, prewiring pot, unsolder (sp?)installed one, rewire existing master vol for vol vol, split and rewire pickups leads, testing functionality, close ctrl cover, little clean up: total 10min!
This has to be a new world record!

 

[LoveThatBass]

I disagree, Tech's are in the business to make a living. That would probably incure a $50 labor fee. Find a friend to do it for you. Not hard. basically pull the blend and then transfer the wires over to the new single volume pots. The switch is a little more complicated but not that hard if you know how to sold, get a diagram to follow.

 

[RobbieK]

That would probably incure a $50 labor fee.

50 bucks is hardly a lot of money.

Ask a mechanic or a plumber (or a dentist or a lawyer!) to do a similar sized job. A friend of mine heard a rattle coming from the front of her car, and was charged 80 bucks to have a mechanic drive around the block, then replace a number plate screw...

I often have to completely rewire the dodgey job that "a friend" did on some one's guitar. I did two like that last week.

Oh and there is a trick to this while I think of it. Make sure you tap a north coil from one pickup and a south from the other...

 

[Persona87]

Thanks for the quick answers, guys. I understand how to use these sorts of electronics, but not what's involved in modifying them! :sheepish:

 

[line6man]

50 bucks is hardly a lot of money.

Ask a mechanic or a plumber (or a dentist or a lawyer!) to do a similar sized job. A friend of mine heard a rattle coming from the front of her car, and was charged 80 bucks to have a mechanic drive around the block, then replace a number plate screw...

I often have to completely rewire the dodgey job that "a friend" did on some one's guitar. I did two like that last week.

Oh and there is a trick to this while I think of it. Make sure you tap a north coil from one pickup and a south from the other...

So you're saying we should pay the mechanic to tighten a license plate screw? Spending that kind of money on little things like this is absurd. Why throw your hard earned money around so needlessly? $50 is a lot for a job like this, when you can either do it yourself, or find a friend to do it.

 

[Funkinthetrunk]

50 bucks is hardly a lot of money.

Could you hook me up?

 

[RobbieK]

I didn't know things were that tough in america.

I had another bass come in yesterday that had a dodgey wiring job in it. And it was full of gaffer tape. This bass was worth 2000-3000 bucks. For the cost of a set of strings, the previous owner could have had a professional do the simple repair and it would have been a reliable instrument. Instead, the preamp failed and my customer had to get through the gig in passive mode.

So you're saying we should pay the mechanic to tighten a license plate screw?

Of course we shouldn't. But we do, because that's what they charge. Any decent tradesman or technician will charge 80-100 bucks an hour. The number plate story is an unlucky example of this, but if you hear a rattle from the front of your car and you don't know what you are doing, you should not just get the spanners out and start tinkering under the bonnet.