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Off with its head! 6-string headless conversion/parts build
- Thread starter Reedt2000
- Start date
Just made an offer on a darkglass tone capsule on ebay (always wanted to try one so what the heck 
)
)
So the Ebay offer didn't work out, but I've actually been gigging so my BS money envelope has expendable funds in it and I just bought tone capsule from sweetwater 
Now I'd ask some advice from the TB hive mind. I have to get a volume and blend control in a concentric pot so I'll have 4 knobs total. I could also run a bypass on the preamp so my questions are.
1- is the bypass worth it? I've never played a bass with the tone capsule so I don't know if or how much it boosts or colors the tone when the EQ knobs are centered. I guess the bypass could always be a dying batteries safety net...
2- what pot value for the volume pot? These DCB pickups are humbuckers, and only 2 conductors so no need for fancy coil stuff. Is 500k right? I did a little poking around and found a TB thread (what else
) talking about this. It had links to these pots:
500k/220k volume blend
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked Control - Best Bass Gear
And the same with push/pull for active/passive switching
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked (Push/Pull) Control - Best Bass Gear
What say you brains of TB?
Now I'd ask some advice from the TB hive mind. I have to get a volume and blend control in a concentric pot so I'll have 4 knobs total. I could also run a bypass on the preamp so my questions are.
1- is the bypass worth it? I've never played a bass with the tone capsule so I don't know if or how much it boosts or colors the tone when the EQ knobs are centered. I guess the bypass could always be a dying batteries safety net...
2- what pot value for the volume pot? These DCB pickups are humbuckers, and only 2 conductors so no need for fancy coil stuff. Is 500k right? I did a little poking around and found a TB thread (what else
) talking about this. It had links to these pots:500k/220k volume blend
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked Control - Best Bass Gear
And the same with push/pull for active/passive switching
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked (Push/Pull) Control - Best Bass Gear
What say you brains of TB?
Sorry man...I'm as useless as a chocolate teapot on this one....So the Ebay offer didn't work out, but I've actually been gigging so my BS money envelope has expendable funds in it and I just bought tone capsule from sweetwater
Now I'd ask some advice from the TB hive mind. I have to get a volume and blend control in a concentric pot so I'll have 4 knobs total. I could also run a bypass on the preamp so my questions are.
1- is the bypass worth it? I've never played a bass with the tone capsule so I don't know if or how much it boosts or colors the tone when the EQ knobs are centered. I guess the bypass could always be a dying batteries safety net...
2- what pot value for the volume pot? These DCB pickups are humbuckers, and only 2 conductors so no need for fancy coil stuff. Is 500k right? I did a little poking around and found a TB thread (what else
500k/220k volume blend
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked Control - Best Bass Gear
And the same with push/pull for active/passive switching
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked (Push/Pull) Control - Best Bass Gear
What say you brains of TB?
Are you using a Noll 3-band or the Darkglass? I have no experience with either, but I believe PassingWind does with Noll (I dont know how to tag someone on here)So the Ebay offer didn't work out, but I've actually been gigging so my BS money envelope has expendable funds in it and I just bought tone capsule from sweetwater
Now I'd ask some advice from the TB hive mind. I have to get a volume and blend control in a concentric pot so I'll have 4 knobs total. I could also run a bypass on the preamp so my questions are.
1- is the bypass worth it? I've never played a bass with the tone capsule so I don't know if or how much it boosts or colors the tone when the EQ knobs are centered. I guess the bypass could always be a dying batteries safety net...
2- what pot value for the volume pot? These DCB pickups are humbuckers, and only 2 conductors so no need for fancy coil stuff. Is 500k right? I did a little poking around and found a TB thread (what else
500k/220k volume blend
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked Control - Best Bass Gear
And the same with push/pull for active/passive switching
Noll 500K/220K Volume/Blend Stacked (Push/Pull) Control - Best Bass Gear
What say you brains of TB?
I'm using a Nordstrand 3B for mine and have a rotary switch wired to select the preamp or a passive tone (Or, not both by my design) The switch is silent, but ai can definitely tell a difference between the 3B with the pots centered vs the passive tone . It just sounds 'sweeter, more hi-fi'.
You can make an outboard mockup to play with the wiring and experiment. I'm using a 25K-A volume pot and (right now) a 1M-B tone with a 22nF cap (since I'm also running a Graphtech Ghost piezo into it) I tried a 500K-A pot for the volume and it was noisy. This also might be because I'm running the pickups into a Bartolini MPB2 buffer.
Are your pickups active or passive?
You tag someone like this: @Passinwind
(the @ symbol and their username, TB will give you a drop down of potential members when you start the process)The preamp is a darkglass tone capsule, the pickups are Aguilar DCBs (passive, ceramic bar magnets). The Aguilar wiring (for a passive setup) shows 250k pots. Apparently the vol/blend concentric pot is a rare item and only offerd by warwick and noll (at least I haven't found others yet). The push/pull bypass would be ideal (no new hole for a mini toggle needed). There are plenty of 250k/250k vol/vol pots out there so I could go that route, or mini toggle 3-way switch for pickup selection and master volume...
I'm no brain, but all 3 of my active basses use a 500k volume pot.
@Reedt2000 testing, testing....You tag someone like this: @Passinwind
The preamp is a darkglass tone capsule, the pickups are Aguilar DCBs (passive, ceramic bar magnets). The Aguilar wiring (for a passive setup) shows 250k pots. Apparently the vol/blend concentric pot is a rare item and only offerd by warwick and noll (at least I haven't found others yet). The push/pull bypass would be ideal (no new hole for a mini toggle needed). There are plenty of 250k/250k vol/vol pots out there so I could go that route, or mini toggle 3-way switch for pickup selection and master volume...
Do you like the stacked Vol/Blend configuration? I have it on my Warwick Fortress and I honestly hate it (but to each their own) The pot in it looks just like the Noll part, except there is no push/pull function.
You have 4 holes in the body already. What are the other controls?
I do like it in My Warwick FNA Jazzman 5-string, which also has the push/pull active/passive feature. The other controls on the tone capsule are bass (70hz) mid (500hz) and high mid (2.8khz). Those 3 pots and solderless connectors come with the pre.
I'd just pull the trigger on the noll unit, if it wasn't quite so pricey. The pot and knob are $50 and I'd hate to get it... and hate it
Theres half the issue right there
The bass-mid-treble are standard 50K-B split/knurled pots. You said your top is 5.5mm thick, will the Darkglass pots fit?
You could put in a stacked bass and treble pot using a modifed or rebuilt Darkglass harness. Then you could have mid by itself, a volume with push/pull, and a blend. I think EMG offers a 25K blend also.
Or did you want to keep the solderless wiring intact?
I could help you out with a modified harness if you want, I have tools and connectors. I just need to know the pitch (looks like 0.1" spacing with a square pin on the back of the Darkglass module.)
Theres half the issue right there
The bass-mid-treble are standard 50K-B split/knurled pots. You said your top is 5.5mm thick, will the Darkglass pots fit?
You could put in a stacked bass and treble pot using a modifed or rebuilt Darkglass harness. Then you could have mid by itself, a volume with push/pull, and a blend. I think EMG offers a 25K blend also.
Or did you want to keep the solderless wiring intact?
I could help you out with a modified harness if you want, I have tools and connectors. I just need to know the pitch (looks like 0.1" spacing with a square pin on the back of the Darkglass module.)
I was planning on keeping the darkglass setup as is. The vol/blend/bypass pot would be ideal as it would be the same configuration as my Warwick which has been my #1 for many years.
I guess the potential problem would be that a 500k pot is brighter (I think?). Does the fact the pickups hit a 220k blend first negate that?
I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the Noll pot. Ive done more reading and with the lower value blend, it won't be like going directly to a 500k volume pot.
Have you thought of an Audere? They seem to have about any option RE: knobs and bands available.
BnB
BnB
I did, but they have a rep for being transparent which is not what I'm looking for here. The Darkglass has that modern growly mids thang which I think would be cool (or at least I've had GAS about for a while
)
I did, but they have a rep for being transparent which is not what I'm looking for here. The Darkglass has that modern growly mids thang which I think would be cool (or at least I've had GAS about for a while
I'll agree with that to a degree. I've got one that I've moved around between basses over the years and they all tend to sound like themselves, just a little more upfront and in your face. I just really like the various offerings they have and the decent price.
BnB
Hmm.... maybe my Wenge Cirrus needs one of those. I saw they make the potted style with the pigtails (wires coming out one side)I did, but they have a rep for being transparent which is not what I'm looking for here. The Darkglass has that modern growly mids thang which I think would be cool (or at least I've had GAS about for a while
Nice long weekend going on so I put some time in today. I bought a pin vice (little jewelers hand drill) and used it to clean out the holes in the head nub (which had been poly-ed over). Polished the string retainer, and installed the bar and string locks. The nut is just sitting there cause it may need final height adjustment, gotta wait until it's time to string and set it up
Its in the 20s here today and even though my basement is only in the low 60s, it's still a little brisk so I'm working on the kitchen table (hence the bath towel).
The fretboard had been masked multiple times and had a bunch of tape residue so it got a gentle but thorough cleaning. Then the neck and body met for what I hope will be the final time.
Here again it's passing the couple feet away test
Up close there are some tiny imperfections but nothing I can't live with
I just ordered the rest of what I need, strap buttons (black), jack plate (black) and output jack (gold), and a C string string cause I have a bunch of 5 string sets. I also took some kitchen twine and checked the B & C string paths. They fall right where they should in relation to the edge of the fretboard and well within the pickups field area (yay!
). Its been in pieces for a while so I hoped all of my prior measuring and alignment would still be true at this final assembly point.
Best Bass Gear got my concentric pot and knobs here today, the preamp should be here really soon. In the meantime I'm gonna put the Fender preamp back together and sell it (so if you're interested let me know).
Getting close!
I do have a question which I'll pose here before searching or starting a new thread. Do you pre-load truss rod tension? I've had these dual rods loose while working on this so I have no idea how the neck is gonna like string tension. Some truss rod tension is almost always needed on any bass so I'm thinking I should try to get em at least a couple turns into tension 1st. What do y'all do?
Its in the 20s here today and even though my basement is only in the low 60s, it's still a little brisk so I'm working on the kitchen table (hence the bath towel
).The fretboard had been masked multiple times and had a bunch of tape residue so it got a gentle but thorough cleaning. Then the neck and body met for what I hope will be the final time.
Here again it's passing the couple feet away test
Up close there are some tiny imperfections but nothing I can't live with
I just ordered the rest of what I need, strap buttons (black), jack plate (black) and output jack (gold), and a C string string cause I have a bunch of 5 string sets. I also took some kitchen twine and checked the B & C string paths. They fall right where they should in relation to the edge of the fretboard and well within the pickups field area (yay!
). Its been in pieces for a while so I hoped all of my prior measuring and alignment would still be true at this final assembly point.Best Bass Gear got my concentric pot and knobs here today, the preamp should be here really soon. In the meantime I'm gonna put the Fender preamp back together and sell it (so if you're interested let me know
).Getting close!
I do have a question which I'll pose here before searching or starting a new thread. Do you pre-load truss rod tension? I've had these dual rods loose while working on this so I have no idea how the neck is gonna like string tension. Some truss rod tension is almost always needed on any bass so I'm thinking I should try to get em at least a couple turns into tension 1st. What do y'all do?
Last edited:
I don't usually preload the TR, but just tighten it so it's not loose. Then I string it up and see where it lies before adjusting it. Curious to see what others say...
SameI don't usually preload the TR, but just tighten it so it's not loose. Then I string it up and see where it lies before adjusting it. Curious to see what others say...
