Official ATK Club

[danomite64]

Hey - how long do you all find a regular 9V battery lasts in an ATK-305? Like how many playing hours before you have to replace?

I get about a year out of my batteries; more on the basses I don't use much.

Unlike active electronics (18V) they last a long time, provided you remember to unhook the cable from the bass when not playing. I have a rotation of batteries around three months. Yes, it should be more frequent but I know when the batteries are getting dead, choppy sound, and I have spare ones around just in case.

9v preamps are just as active as 18v ones. An Ibanez preamp tends to distort and put out less volume when the battery dies; I wouldn't describe it as 'choppy' sounding.

I thought the ATK was active? Aren't all basses that use batteries considered Active? Or is there something I'm missing?

All ATK's except the 100 series are active. The preamp is what makes them active; the 100 doesn't have a preamp.

The Ibanez catalogue mentions that the pickups are passive, suspect as there's no real pre-amp involved, even if the EQ section needs a little bit power for operational purposes.

A preamp IS an EQ section. You keep acting like it's 2 different things, but it's not. On a bass, an active preamp boosts and (usually) cuts, while most (if not all) passive basses just cut tone.

 

[Discount Saint]

The PICKUP itself = passive

It is connected to a PREAMP with EQ - this is the ACTIVE part

Net result = active bass.

J

So if you were to have active pickups with the active EQ / Pre-amp .. this would be an active bass with a much hotter output, or is there some other advantage to having a fully active setup?

 

[SwamiRob]

Active doesn't necessitate that it has a high output, while this is usually the case it's more about having a clear signal then a hot one. That's my understanding of it anyway.

 

[Jamie_Funk]

Active doesn't necessitate that it has a high output, while this is usually the case it's more about having a clear signal then a hot one. That's my understanding of it anyway.

Active pickups, of which there are VERY few brands/types, are LOW impedance pickups and wound not so much for OUTPUT as expanded frequency range/low noise (ideally). This is because the more wire USUALLY means more output, but at the enpense of wider frequency response....

The preamp in the pickup housing (i.e. EMG) provides the boost needed to account for the lowered output of the low impedance design.

Whether or not it ends up hotter or not is all in the specs. And certainly YMMV - some prefer passive pickups and electronics, some passive pickup with active EQ, some active with active EQ, etc - doesn't matter to me other than it SOUNDS good.

Too confuse the matter further - my ATK has an EMG DC (active pickup) with NO tone controls, but came with a PASSIVE tone control. Before I removed the tone (never used it), the bass was overall ACTIVE, but the EQ was PASSIVE.

Now my ATK is "active" with only a Volume control - perfect for me. I just need to get some dead pots to mount knobs on so I don't have all these open holes

J

 

[Discount Saint]

Thanks for the info everybody.. I'm pretty sure I get the idea now!

 

[German-ATK]

as promissed here are the results of my creativity

feel free to comment...

 

[ksandvik]

as promissed here are the results of my creativity

feel free to comment...

Nice! What's that pickguard made of, wherefrom? I would like to switch out my black one to something similar shiny.

 

[German-ATK]

thanks!

it´s made of an aluminium checkered plate. I got it from our local DIY superstore.

aluminium is pretty nice to work with. In school i hated it to rasp the iron pieces... just saw it out with an electric padsaw and rasp the rest till it fits your belongings
but watch out, if you want to keep it natural than you have to work carefully so you dont scratch the surface...

i hope this little guide will help you

 

[isher1992]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm really looking to replace the four-string pickup into it. Does anyone know if a MM stingRay-style pickup will fit, or if that third hole has to be drilled? I have no problem with drilling a hole for it, if it will fit.

I had a thread dedicated to this, but I found this thread so I thought it'd be better to ask in here. I am another owner of an ATK-3EX1

 

[SwamiRob]

Check out www.Bassculture.de, they make a Stingray style pickup, I much prefer the sound of my ATK now I have mine, less clicky high end and thicker mids. The unplugged sound of the ATK still comes through so it still has an individual sound, but it has more of the growl you might be looking for if you want it to sound MM-like.

They don't cost that much either, and are all lovingly handmade by a very nice German guy that designed them, best customer service I've ever had from anyone too, and that includes from Dave Funk and Jim Bergantino, and their customer service is more then you could ask for.

Also there's a massive selection of pickup covers he offers, mines a really nice hand polished Ebony one, looks really classy, does all kinds of crazy stuff like Zebra-wood if you feel adventurous AND you can get it lacquered if you want.

 

[BoskiDominik]

Talkbass I need your help

Right now my rig is ATK305-> Yamaha BBT500 -> custom made 3x12'' cabinet and I find this rig to be too muddy for this bass. A month ago I played a gig on a hartke stack (2x410) and it sounded much better, but the rig i'm going to buy is Ashdown Evo 500 and 410 custom made cab on same neo speakers that, are being used in markbass cabs.

I would like to hear what's the best amp and cab for ATK in your opinion

 

[ksandvik]

Talkbass I need your help

Right now my rig is ATK305-> Yamaha BBT500 -> custom made 3x12'' cabinet and I find this rig to be too muddy for this bass. A month ago I played a gig on a hartke stack (2x410) and it sounded much better, but the rig i'm going to buy is Ashdown Evo 500 and 410 custom made cab on same neo speakers that, are being used in markbass cabs.

I would like to hear what's the best amp and cab for ATK in your opinion

You will get N answers, where N is a subjective number.

It all depends on the tone you want, if you want colorized sound, go with an amp that colorizes your bass sound, GK et rest. If you want to hear ATK as it sounds originally, MarkBass is it for me.

 

[German-ATK]

Talkbass I need your help

Right now my rig is ATK305-> Yamaha BBT500 -> custom made 3x12'' cabinet and I find this rig to be too muddy for this bass. A month ago I played a gig on a hartke stack (2x410) and it sounded much better, but the rig i'm going to buy is Ashdown Evo 500 and 410 custom made cab on same neo speakers that, are being used in markbass cabs.

I would like to hear what's the best amp and cab for ATK in your opinion

Hi Dominik

I play my ATK with an Ashdown ABM 500 RC EVO III and I like the sound of it very much. But as ksandvik already said it is just my opinion and you have to try it out for yourself...

cheers

 

[Diogenes]

I've only had my ATK700 since last Xmas (my wife bought it for me out of sympathy after my pathetic displays of lusting over it for months). It's definitely my favorite bass out of everything I owned/played since the late 70s.

Link Removed
Link Removed

 

[Diogenes]

Hi Dominik

I play my ATK with an Ashdown ABM 500 RC EVO III and I like the sound of it very much.

I agree whole-heartedly. I have the Ashdown MAG300H which I run through a G-K 410RBH and the tone is sublime with the ATK in my mitts. (well, to my ears anyway.)

 

[ssbass]

Just picked up an ATK3EX1 at the guitar center Guitar-A-Thon this past weekend for $225. I love this bass plays like butter and is very aggressive sounding.

 

[Diogenes]

I have a 3EX1 on hold at my nearest GC. The problem is finding the time to make the 1.5 hour drive each way within the next few days to actually buy it. $200+ tax can't be beat for a brand new ATK.

 

[ssbass]

I have a 3EX1 on hold at my nearest GC. The problem is finding the time to make the 1.5 hour drive each way within the next few days to actually buy it. $200+ tax can't be beat for a brand new ATK.

I went to use my gift card thought i would look at the basses an there she was hanging on the wall in all her glory. I had been looking at the ATK's for awhile and i couldn't resist the $225 out the door. I just cant get over how aggressive this bass is. My jazz doesn't even compare.

 

[Discount Saint]

Having some trouble with my ATK305 ..

I'm just finding that I'm not loving the tone I'm getting out of it.. I think it maybe lacks something in the mids.. or maybe "lack" is the wrong word.. but I find the mids to be very nasally and kind of empty sounding. I just can't get a nice, smooth, punchy sound out of it. I can get boomy and low, or nasal and high.. but having a real problem getting an easy, versatile sound that will punch out in the mix without getting lost in the upper or lower ends of guitar distortion. Also not loving the way it interacts with my effects pedals.. especially my Bass Big Muff and Polish Love Overdrive..

I have been seriously thinking about trading it in and getting something a little more simple, probably in the Passive P vein.. really craving that simplicity right now...

Any thoughts / help?

 

[paganjack]

hmm...i usually EQ mine with like Bass: 70%, Mids: 100%, Treble to taste, and that sounds nice and smooth to me, but it still cuts like whoa. Depending on how you EQ later in your chain, other things might work better. I've actually been enjoying the boom lately so I've been doing B:100%, M:70%, T:50%. That comes out nice and fat.

It's always nice to have another bass to play with for a while- I just put flats on my cheapo P and I'm loving it, but I know I will go back to my ATK soon enough. Sometimes you just gotta take a break and come back with a fresh perspective.

Maybe it's time to try different strings? Maybe flats are what you are looking for? Or you could EQ your amplifier differently? Just suggestions.