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Noll bass preamp ?
- Thread starter Shiveringbass
- Start date
I know this is a really old thread but still wanted to get on the record with my love for my Noll preamp.
I replaced the preamp in my 10 year old Warwick Streamer $$ with a TCM 2 several months ago. My background is with stereo equipment where the quest was for gear that did not artificially color your sound. These preamps do just that, provide good clean power that pretty much mimics the passive sound from your pickups when you have them set to their center detents in active mode. Adjusting the pots for the sound you desire is easy enough from that point. Could not be more pleased with their products or service! I'll definitely look to Noll Electronic if ever I need another preamp!
I replaced the preamp in my 10 year old Warwick Streamer $$ with a TCM 2 several months ago. My background is with stereo equipment where the quest was for gear that did not artificially color your sound. These preamps do just that, provide good clean power that pretty much mimics the passive sound from your pickups when you have them set to their center detents in active mode. Adjusting the pots for the sound you desire is easy enough from that point. Could not be more pleased with their products or service! I'll definitely look to Noll Electronic if ever I need another preamp!
Thanks for speaking up! I'm using a 4 band NOLL for almost a year now and couldn't be happier. EQ points are 40, 400, 1200 and 4000 Hz, quite wide Qs and perfectly musical. Even when boosting or cutting aggressively the resulting Tones are always useable! I dig that the 4 band is really competetively priced, too.
EDIT: Ordering through bassparts.de, I even could spec a custom knob layout with no added charge!
EDIT: Ordering through bassparts.de, I even could spec a custom knob layout with no added charge!
Not sure what you mean by "gainy"....if it's the voltage gain w/all freq.pots at 0 position,then yes,I can confirm that the gain is 1 or "unity gain".Thus said,it means that the output buffer stage delivers a typical 0,95...0,97 % of the input signal.In other words,with all tones at the central position,shifting between passive and active mode does not affect the volume.If ,by "gainy",you meant how many dB's are Noll preamps capable of when you begin turning clockwise the pots, all Noll variants do the same,max.+/-15dB,6dB/octave tone correction.
In terms of comparation,really isn't too much to say (I have a limited experience with other exotic brands,tough).Noll's biggest thing is TRANSPARENCY.No matter where and how much the tones are turned,wood,PUs and strings remain reconogizable.Very musical,no trace of harshness as associated sometimes with MEC or EMG.The second best thing is that they're dead quiet (assuming that all the other bass' components and way of wiring/isolating doesn't inject any noise).The only other brand I know wich is "on-par" with Noll (in terms of neutrality in the "0" position) is Seymour Duncan.Of course,SD is another kind of beast when one begins twisting the pots but this is another story.
Otherwise,some other widely-used,great brands such as Aggie or Bart do have their own "character".Looks like such preamps have been carefully "voiced" in a way or another.Not a bad thing at all,it's only a matter of taste.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Here is a link to a Invalid Link Removed.
John East
Commercial User
In order to give you an accurate understanding of the U-Retro, it didn't have a truly flat response setting, due to an inbuilt contour (gentle boosts at low and high end), effectively giving rise to the colouration. Also the bass was boost only, so there was bass boost in the centre click which some assumed was colouration too.
U-Retro discontinued over a year ago and its successor - UNI-PRE does have true flat response, but also includes user jumper-link to set the contour on or off. Units are shipped with bass cut/boost, a user jumper-link allows boost only if preferred.
For those that find this thread when looking for Noll preamps (I was looking for info and reviews for the 4 XM), understand the 2,3, & 4 band EQs do NOT have the larger 9 lug jacks. They are not parametric EQs.
Just wanted to point that out since some of us are newer to this terminology than others.
Just wanted to point that out since some of us are newer to this terminology than others.
Quick update now that i have installed my 4XM...
Like I said before it uses the stereo 3-lug jack which is CLOSE to the size of your standard 2-lug jack but it seemed just a tad wider and long. Take that into account when upgrading to active from passive as you may have to widen the hole a bit and it may protrude into your control cavity if the 2-lug was already tight.
Not trying to freak anyone out or discourage them, but forewarned is forearmed.
Like I said before it uses the stereo 3-lug jack which is CLOSE to the size of your standard 2-lug jack but it seemed just a tad wider and long. Take that into account when upgrading to active from passive as you may have to widen the hole a bit and it may protrude into your control cavity if the 2-lug was already tight.
Not trying to freak anyone out or discourage them, but forewarned is forearmed.
Sorry to resurrect.
I just got a TCM 4XM to put in my Corvette Standard. The input jack seems WAY to small. Am I doing something incorrect?
I just got a TCM 4XM to put in my Corvette Standard. The input jack seems WAY to small. Am I doing something incorrect?
Too small in what way? for your cable? For the hole in your bass control cavity?
Well, the old jack is like three inches long. The new one is one inch at most. It does'nt fit in the hole...or it doesn't seem to. I am certainly not a guitar tech, but it seems way to small.
That is a very interesting jack... What is on the NOLL system is the current "standard" for guitar/bass input.
Was the old system active? perhaps you can just solder on the the wires to the old jack... but if it's not a stereo jack, it won't work the same, you'd have to set up an independent kill switch as the second channel of the stereo jack serves that purpose to preserve battery life.
I guess you *could * wire it so the circuit is always on, but I would not recommend it....
Was the old system active? perhaps you can just solder on the the wires to the old jack... but if it's not a stereo jack, it won't work the same, you'd have to set up an independent kill switch as the second channel of the stereo jack serves that purpose to preserve battery life.
I guess you *could * wire it so the circuit is always on, but I would not recommend it....
The old one is very old...the bass was built in 98...21 years ago. Yikes, that means I'm, VERY old. I'm thinking I'm going to have to enlarge the whole in the bass.
Before you do something drastic, see if you can get a name for that kind of jack. Then, I bet you can find a replacement/alternative to modifying your bass for hopefully very little money.
This is a Warwick Corvette, right?
If it was already active, it's just a matter of resoldering the right wire to the right contacts.
