Peavey TL5 preamp replacement

[trvln]

I am a sound guy and my daughter is a bassist in the church praise band with 3 nice basses to play. She learned on a Peavey TL5 that eventually got too noisy to use in the FOHPA. I talked to the guys at Bass Central and they advised that the preamp was most likely the issue and the Bart HR-5.3 would be a good fix.....just looking for some experience and good advice .....she loves her TL5

 

[mech]

I am a sound guy and my daughter is a bassist in the church praise band with 3 nice basses to play. She learned on a Peavey TL5 that eventually got too noisy to use in the FOHPA. I talked to the guys at Bass Central and they advised that the preamp was most likely the issue and the Bart HR-5.3 would be a good fix.....just looking for some experience and good advice .....she loves her TL5

TL-5 preamps are actually pretty simple transistor designs. 4 common #8097 NPN transistors. The most likely problem is a noisy pot or two or noisy output jack that needs to be cleaned. Spray them with a good cleaner and work the pot from stop to stop a dozen or so times. A loose 9V battery connector or cold solder joint can also cause noise. Cold solder joint would most likely be on one of the pot legs where it solders to the PCB. Next in line, and less likely, would be a noisy transistor or a leaky coupling capacitor. Any of the above should be an easy fix for a decent tech.

If you decide to replace the pre, shoot me a PM and I'll buy the stock one (cheap of course).

mech

 

[MNAirHead]

Can be fixed... never neard one going bad.

 

[Mystic Michael]

If you still want/need to replace that stock preamp, there are numerous choices available. Make sure to get something high end - and hi-fi - because the TL5 is a hi-fi bass guitar.

Bartolini no doubt can fill the bill. I have personal experience with both the Audere Classic 4-band, and the Delano Sonar.

The Sonar is perhaps a bit more traditional in layout and function, with the typical volume/blend/bass/mids/treble pots, and a very smooth, subtle, proportional taper to each. Beautiful refined tone.

The Audere Classic 4-band offers more custom configurability options, and has that excellent three-position "Z-mode" switch, for some fantastic additional tonal colors. That Low-Z mode, with the lows bumped up a bit, is really something to behold. Ultra-clean, ultra-powerful.

Either way, you simply cannot go wrong...

MM