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new preamp or new electronics

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by natebass, Oct 27, 2001.

  1. Oct 27, 2001 #1
    natebass

    natebass

    Sep 6, 2001
    Bremerton, WA
    I have a fender made Kubicki bass with a problem...the problem is a lot of noise with the current preamp. It has developed a problem over the last few weeks which is very disturbing to me. I am receiving a terrible amount of hum on the passive settings, while on the active settings it is actually feeding back, even with the amp barely audible. My options as I see them are this: I can replace the existing preamp with an exact replacement from Kubicki (he once again manufactures the basses again, after the licensing agreement expired), or I can buy some EMG 35dc's for it for a little bit more. My main concern is that there is no way to be certain the problem is the preamp (although it is HIGHLY improbable that both pickups grounds could have shot to s*** on the same day) and I really don't like gambling with that much money...so tell me what you guys would do in this situation...
     
  2. Oct 28, 2001 #2
    Geoff St. Germaine

    Geoff St. Germaine Commercial User

    Aug 31, 2001
    Victoria, British Columbia
    I would take it to a bass shop to get checked out before dumping hundreds of dollars into it, becasue it could be as simple as a ground or some other poor connection. Oh, and I find it improbable that the bass would have two grounds, as this doesn't make too much sense electrically. But hey, stranger things have happened. NEVER FORGET MURPHY'S LAW.

    Geoff
     
  3. Oct 28, 2001 #3
    natebass

    natebass

    Sep 6, 2001
    Bremerton, WA
    I had it checked out by the guitar player - who is an electronics engineer - and he checked the ground on both pickups (he said, i'm unfortunately ignorant on such matters) and said that it could (theoretically) be the shielding on the pickups, but for it to be reacting how it is, both shields would have to be screwed up.
     
  4. Oct 28, 2001 #4
    JimS

    JimS

    Jul 18, 2000
    Incline Village (Lake Tahoe)
    You live in WA so why not have the folks at BassNW look at it?

    Alternatively, and this is a p.i.t.a. you could ship it to Roger Sadowsky in NYC who does phenominal work and will not bull**** you at all. He is uncommonly honest. If there is not an electrical problem with your bass, then Sadowsky will not try to sell you a preamp that you don't need. While checking out hi basses at his shop I have seen him explain to people all they need is a simple fix and not major work.

    If you do want a better preamp, the Sadowsky on-board pre sounds incredible, is dead quiet, and totally devoid of interference from RF.
     
  5. Oct 28, 2001 #5
    Bob Gollihur

    Bob Gollihur GollihurMusic.com In Memoriam

    Mar 22, 2000
    Cape of New Jersey
    Big Cheese Emeritus: Gollihur Music (retired)
    All due respect to your EE guitarist, but take it to a music shop with a good tech (get referrals from other players if possible- most other locals will know who to go/not to go to for electronic problems).

    It is not brain surgery to bypass the preamp to determine if the pickups, preamp, or wiring are at fault. These are not complex operations and anyone with familiarity with musical instrument systems should be able to diagnose the problem. It's simply a matter of isolating each component to determine which is at fault. Don't buy anything without knowing what you need to buy <g>.