Onboard preamp for a "custom" 6-string

[TheMonkeyKing]

I saw a thread on this topic, but it didn't quite seem "directed" enough. Keep in mind this is a VERY SPECIFIC question. But first, the windup....

I intend to build a chop-shop bass out of essentially a neck-through 6-string, probably a Peavey Grind bass since they get good reviews, look good enough, and are cheap. I'm thinking of getting q-tuners since they are "wide open" I've heard, and I'd like to get EVERY nuance/harmonic out of my sound, and just cut what I don't like with my eq (Peavey Tour 700, with 9-band).

I want a very POWERFUL sound, that is, I generally cut the 200s and 400s substantially, and give moderate boosts to the lowest of the lows and the 800-4k range, with my biggest variable being the 800s depending on if I want to sound more or less like Les Claypool

That being said, since I don't change my eq settings much, what kind of preamp do I need? Ideally my bass would have a volume knob and a pickup blend knob. The eq just gets in the way for me. Can I get a preamp that doesn't "color" the sound? Does that defeat the purpose of an onboard preamp, or do active pickups need to go through an onboard device of some kind? Keep in mind I already have a V-Amp going into a power amp that has 9-band eq.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for bearing through it and offering any advice you have. Keep in mind I am a seasoned bassist, so "you should just get a Warwick" doesn't cut it for me. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Only I have played an amazing bass for over a decade, and only now need to construct a new one as a backup. I can guess all day as to why my bass sounds so amazing, and hopefully it has nothing to do with the fact that it weighs 15 pounds

Thx again.

 

[Kwesi]

That being said, since I don't change my eq settings much, what kind of preamp do I need? Ideally my bass would have a volume knob and a pickup blend knob. The eq just gets in the way for me. Can I get a preamp that doesn't "color" the sound? Does that defeat the purpose of an onboard preamp, or do active pickups need to go through an onboard device of some kind? Keep in mind I already have a V-Amp going into a power amp that has 9-band eq.

Thx again.

Kind of. I normally set my amp so that I get the tone I want without using the onboard preamp. The onboard comes into play when I need a drastic change in tone quickly, say if I wanted to go from the mid-heavy Jaco growl to the super scooped Marcus Miller tone quickly. Either that or you find yourself constantly making small changes to your EQ. If neither of those apply to you then you might just want to go passive.

However, if you just would like to have an onboard preamp for the convenience you might want to look into Glockenklang preamps. They're probably some of the most transparent preamps I've ever played through.

 

[line6man]

That being said, since I don't change my eq settings much, what kind of preamp do I need? Ideally my bass would have a volume knob and a pickup blend knob. The eq just gets in the way for me. Can I get a preamp that doesn't "color" the sound? Does that defeat the purpose of an onboard preamp, or do active pickups need to go through an onboard device of some kind?

People add preamps for three reasons:

1. To lower the output impedance of the signal.
2. To provide onboard EQ for their bass.
3. To impart the preamp's voicing/coloration to the tone of the pickups.

Since you already have a low impedance output with the active pickups, you don't need/want onboard EQ, and you don't want to color the sound, why exactly do you need a preamp?

I would leave the controls passive.
And to answer your question, active pickups are usually ran through passive controls, but they can be used with a preamp as well.

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'll look into Glockenklang next.

I just looked up q-tuners again and they are passive pickups. So does that mean I will need a preamp to lower the impedance, as mentioned?

The other option is to have an eq on/off switch, so I can switch from colored to uncolored (like MJ? ). I've seen basses that have switches like that, esp. notch/contour switches, but they have preset frequencies, so its up to the factory presets whether or not I get something useful Can anyone recommend a preamp that has a an on/off switch for the eq? Or is that a simple addition that I can have my set-up guy put in?

Thx again. Back to Google for now.

 

[line6man]

does that mean I will need a preamp to lower the impedance, as mentioned?

Well, it's not required, but I find it preferable.
Do you like the loading effect you get from your guitar cable on passive basses?

The other option is to have an eq on/off switch, so I can switch from colored to uncolored (like MJ? ). I've seen basses that have switches like that, esp. notch/contour switches, but they have preset frequencies, so its up to the factory presets whether or not I get something useful Can anyone recommend a preamp that has a an on/off switch for the eq? Or is that a simple addition that I can have my set-up guy put in?

I don't believe I've ever seen such a thing.

Are you sure you're not confusing an active/passive switch that takes the entire preamp out of the circuit?

This is not the kind of thing you could easily add to an existing preamp. You would have to modify the preamp circuit.

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

Do you like the loading effect you get from your guitar cable on passive basses?

Huh? Do you mean the drop in signal quality? If that's what you mean, then "no", that is a bad thing.

I don't play any passive basses, and I haven't had to shop for a new bass for a decade. I'm only now doing all this research to build a new bass since my current 6-string has a neck that is warping and I need a backup anyway since I'll be playing live again soon.

But from the sound of it I will probably want a preamp.

And after all, whether I like them or not, whatever stock bass I buy will have knobs, so they might as well do something.

 

[RIM Basses]

Hi Bud,

Ive used the q tuners on afew of my custom builds now and they are the loudest passive pickups ive used and in most cases dont need a preamp, Erno at Q tuners recommends not to use an on board preamp as he feeling it will narrow the wide open sound of the pickups. I would also go with the glockenklang preamp as a match to the q tuner, the great thing about the glock is its natural tone and its not hugely boosted signal wise in active.

Good luck

Robbie.

 

[line6man]

Huh? Do you mean the drop in signal quality? If that's what you mean, then "no", that is a bad thing.

I don't play any passive basses, and I haven't had to shop for a new bass for a decade. I'm only now doing all this research to build a new bass since my current 6-string has a neck that is warping and I need a backup anyway since I'll be playing live again soon.

But from the sound of it I will probably want a preamp.

And after all, whether I like them or not, whatever stock bass I buy will have knobs, so they might as well do something.

Ok, then perhaps what you want is a simple buffer circuit as opposed to a preamp with EQ.

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Yeah, I'm getting solid reviews on both the Q-tuners and the Glocks and it sounds like that's what I want: PUs and electronics that are wide open so I can do all the shaping with my amp eq. SIMPLICITY!

Finally, can anyone point me toward a thread about scratch-building a bass? Everything looks good on paper, but I'm kinda wingin' it here.

 

[pasco jacorius]

I saw a thread on this topic, but it didn't quite seem "directed" enough. Keep in mind this is a VERY SPECIFIC question. But first, the windup....

I intend to build a chop-shop bass out of essentially a neck-through 6-string, probably a Peavey Grind bass since they get good reviews, look good enough, and are cheap. I'm thinking of getting q-tuners since they are "wide open" I've heard, and I'd like to get EVERY nuance/harmonic out of my sound, and just cut what I don't like with my eq (Peavey Tour 700, with 9-band).

I want a very POWERFUL sound, that is, I generally cut the 200s and 400s substantially, and give moderate boosts to the lowest of the lows and the 800-4k range, with my biggest variable being the 800s depending on if I want to sound more or less like Les Claypool

That being said, since I don't change my eq settings much, what kind of preamp do I need? Ideally my bass would have a volume knob and a pickup blend knob. The eq just gets in the way for me. Can I get a preamp that doesn't "color" the sound? Does that defeat the purpose of an onboard preamp, or do active pickups need to go through an onboard device of some kind? Keep in mind I already have a V-Amp going into a power amp that has 9-band eq.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for bearing through it and offering any advice you have. Keep in mind I am a seasoned bassist, so "you should just get a Warwick" doesn't cut it for me. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Only I have played an amazing bass for over a decade, and only now need to construct a new one as a backup. I can guess all day as to why my bass sounds so amazing, and hopefully it has nothing to do with the fact that it weighs 15 pounds

Thx again.

The day I wanted to got the most transparent electronic , I bought a good passive bass , with quality woods.

 

[ericw]

Finally, can anyone point me toward a thread about scratch-building a bass? Everything looks good on paper, but I'm kinda wingin' it here.

What exactly are you doing? It sounded like you were buying a bass and changing the electronics. If you have the soldering skills this is fairly straight-forward; there will be diagrams/instructions provided with the electronic components.

If there's more involved than electronics swap give us the details