@AgingEngineer; have you found out the differences between Spector, Fodera and Smith HAZ preamps? I remember you were planning to do a some kind of a comparison.
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I read somewhere that an add-on mid control is in the works... is there a timeline and perhaps more info available? Or too early to share? 
It's out! I just ordered itI read somewhere that an add-on mid control is in the works... is there a timeline and perhaps more info available? Or too early to share?
Here's a cool beta review right here on TB : SPECTOR® Owners Club by fellow TBer @VeryTallBassist
Can't wait to get it
- Apr 14, 2022
- 371
- 2,082
- Disclosures
- Owner of LRWMedia, manufacturer of LHZ vintage bass preamps.
Good morning, everyone!I read somewhere that an add-on mid control is in the works... is there a timeline and perhaps more info available? Or too early to share?
As always TalkBass forums will get the scoop on all things related to LHZ preamps. Yes, the MID-03 module is out of production. We've sent a few beta-test versions out to a few folks to really beat them up and give us some real-world feedback. So far, the early feedback has been very positive.
Here's a link to the user manual for it: MID-03 Midrange Control Owner Manual – LHZ Vintage Bass Preamps
It's not listed on the store yet as I'd been busy getting the manual finished and figuring out the packaging. I expect them to be listed this weekend.
I think the challenge for existing LHZ users is how to incorporate it. For example, most users with 4 pots will have either a Vol+Vol+Bass+Treble or Blend+Vol+Bass+Treble combination. Where do you put the mid control? There are a couple options:
- Modify your existing LHZ to use a concentric bass+treble pot. This requires decent soldering skills, or access to a trusty tech.
- Remove the blend pot and wire the bass so it's always running a blend of Neck and Bridge pickups. (This is my preferred approach as I always leave my blend in the middle and really dislike having concentric pots on my instruments).
Nice, thank you! I still have a spare 03 preamp and just acquired a Charvel San Dimas PJ 4 string. New from a store, in the bright green metallic. Lots of fender, without the clunkyness. Anyway, it has nice DiMarzio pickups and atrocious electronics, with a total of 5 knobs. The LHZ pre, with the mid circuit, plus I'll buy your active blend and volume knob as well, will fill all 5 holes, plus I'll get great sound! I'll go to town with copper tape as well, another known issue with those basses.
That should work really well. I installed an LHZ (without the mids) about a year ago into a Sandberg VM5 (P MM) and it absolutely kills in that bass.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to using the LHZ. I was already contemplating either a passive tone or an emg mid circuit, together with the LHZ, besides some other 5 knob options, but this will be great. The Charvel has a reversed P, Spector style, so the LHZ is a natural candidate.
- Apr 14, 2022
- 371
- 2,082
- Disclosures
- Owner of LRWMedia, manufacturer of LHZ vintage bass preamps.
The MID-03 Midrange Control listing is live! Here's the link: MID-03 Midrange Control
The price is $45USD.
Before ordering, please take a look at the owners manual (MID-03 Midrange Control Owner Manual – LHZ Vintage Bass Preamps) and think about your control layout. If you've got a 4-knob bass and are wanting to add this control to it, you've got decisions to make!
Lastly, as a thank you to members of the TalkBass community who've been a constant source of inspiration and support, here's a 10% discount code that's good for any purchase $40 or more from the LHZ shop: TBJUNE2025
This code is only good through July 4th.
The price is $45USD.
Before ordering, please take a look at the owners manual (MID-03 Midrange Control Owner Manual – LHZ Vintage Bass Preamps) and think about your control layout. If you've got a 4-knob bass and are wanting to add this control to it, you've got decisions to make!
Lastly, as a thank you to members of the TalkBass community who've been a constant source of inspiration and support, here's a 10% discount code that's good for any purchase $40 or more from the LHZ shop: TBJUNE2025
This code is only good through July 4th.
Just ordered my second LHZ preamp, this time for my Pulse 5 to replace the tonepump jr.
Has anyone tried the LHZ in a pulse 5 with EMG DC40s before? I'm curious if it will help "tame" the pickups because these have some serious output right now even with the tonepump jr set flattish or even cutting. I've also ordered an EMG P/J pair but would like to keep at least the bridge DC as I like the more modern tone overall.
A bit of a newbish question related to this. Would a vol/blend setup help instead of a vol/vol? I know that with a passive blend, there's always an output loss when it's set to center, but is it the same with the two volumes maxed out?
Has anyone tried the LHZ in a pulse 5 with EMG DC40s before? I'm curious if it will help "tame" the pickups because these have some serious output right now even with the tonepump jr set flattish or even cutting. I've also ordered an EMG P/J pair but would like to keep at least the bridge DC as I like the more modern tone overall.
A bit of a newbish question related to this. Would a vol/blend setup help instead of a vol/vol? I know that with a passive blend, there's always an output loss when it's set to center, but is it the same with the two volumes maxed out?
- Apr 14, 2022
- 371
- 2,082
- Disclosures
- Owner of LRWMedia, manufacturer of LHZ vintage bass preamps.
We've got a several clients using the DC's in Pulse models! The high output is just the TonePump... That preamp tends to run very loud, but if you've got a newer unit it'll have a little trimpot on it that can cut the volume down to a normal level. When you drop in the LHZ, the output will lower than the default TonePump. When the LHZ is set to center-detent flat EQ, it puts out EXACTLY what the pickups are putting out.
Just to be clear: you are not going to see a huge volume difference between the P/J's or the DC's. They have ~approximately~ the same output levels. Changing pickups is mostly about the type of tone you are getting instead of a difference in volume.
I think I've posted this before, but since I've just had someone else ask, here's an awesome video comparison of the difference between the EMG P/J and DC pickup sets:
This isn't in a Spector, but the differences between the pickups are the same that you'd get in a Spector.
Hey, thanks for the response! In my case I have a Tonepump Jr and these have no trimpot, they were supposed to be lower overall gain than the vanilla Tonepump or the one with the trimpot. Anyway, my pulse 5 with the Tonepump Jr all the way down (-4dB for bass and -12dB for trebble) is still louder than my LTD Surveyor with the P/J set and LHZ maxed out... and the LTD is quite louder than my Cort with a Musicman EMG with no preamp, for reference. This is why I had the impression that the DCs are considerably louder than the P/J set. Anyway, I'll find soon enough, as both the pickups and the preamp should arrive later this week. I'll try to upload some before and after samples. I'm also considering trying out with 18v, just for a different flavour. And maybe put the tonepump in the Cort... now that would be wild!
Lonnie sells the LBCA-02 active blend control. I have it in both of my Spectors with LHZ's and there is no volume drop when using the blend. My recommendation is the LHZ, LBCA-02, with your current pickups all running at 9v. That is a good baseline. If then you feel the pickups are still hot, consider replacing them.
I prefer the active blend instead of the two volumes. I have PJ's and quickly get two different tones I use often. Blended 85% P pickup (fuller with growl) or blended 50-60% favoring the P (little thinner and mildly scooped to my ears).
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But this would be the opposite of what i'd want. I'm not trying to avoid the volume drop of the passive blend, I'd welcome it. Also the part is not available in the UK dealer, getting it directly from Loonie to Spain would mean paying 3 times it's 40$ price tag. I happily did this for my first LHZ pre but I would instead get an active blend pot from EMG right from thomman.
Just all the same, having the LHZ with center detents will already make me happy. I'll try all 6 combinations and drop some samples here.
As mentioned, you won't need the volume drop, as the EMGs are not particularly louder than other pickups. It's just that the tonepump circuits introduce a massive boost to even though they're trimmed down.
Personally, I consider them an inferior preamp for the application (bass guitars), because of this volume mismatch. And I wonder what made Spector choose them. Availability in CZ?
- Apr 14, 2022
- 371
- 2,082
- Disclosures
- Owner of LRWMedia, manufacturer of LHZ vintage bass preamps.
This was my challenge with the stock tonepump I had in my basses: their native output was really hot and and I had no trimpot to bring it down. I actually wired in my own trimmer pot between the TonePump and the output jack because it was difficult switching basses with that volume difference.
For a few years I was switching back and forth between an EMG P/J set and DC set on my bass, and the big difference was just tone. The DC's might be a slight bit louder, but for me that was subjective: I couldn't tell if they were really louder, or it it was just that they had more of that fuller midrange tone that made it seem louder.
Looking forward to hearing some samples!
