SPECTOR® Club - Part 75

[evermelon]

I've wondered about an onboard preamp for a bass with a chip that uses bass modeling (like how so many companies are making bass amps and pedals with amp modeling). Have a rotary switch that will cycle through different bass sounds. That way you have the Spector 9v, 18v, Tone Pump, Aggie OBP, EMG BQC, all right there in one bass. Even add modeling for Ricks, Walls, Sadowsky, etc..

If done well that would be really cool I think.

Line 6 had the Variax Bass that modeled a couple different basses (ric, t-bird, p-bass, stingray....) it could prob be done with the above mentioned...although the Variax is not a very nice looking bass tho, IMO

 

[Tracebassplayer]

There's about 30 bucks worth of parts on that board, a single layer blank is probably about 10 to 15 dollars a pop, and all of these items get price breaks as the qty ordered goes up, a skilled tech once up and running with a process could build at least 10 to 15 (maybe more) a day without a problem by himself in his garage if he wanted.

^^^^^^ this. I'm pretty skilled in soldering, PCB etching, etc. I could build it.

 

[Tracebassplayer]

This is the same supplier (HazLabs) they've used from the 70's. I think what's going on here isn't quite that simple or they would've done it. IMHO

Maybe the dude is just getting old and slow. I've read several times it's one guy that builds them by hand. He's probably n his 60's / 70's by now.

 

[Aragorn35016]

^^^^^^ this. I'm pretty skilled in soldering, PCB etching, etc. I could build it.

You could save labor by buying the boards, that board should only cost about 10-15 bucks through Alberta circuits. http://www.apcircuits.com that cost goes down as you buy more! I could build it too, (it's part of what I already do for a living) I even have a pretty high dollar metcal iron in my garage!

Edit: maybe im wrong based on what I think I know about that board and plugging that into their estimator, 2 of them looks like it would cost about 57 bucks, but again if you were to order say 10 that price drops 10$ per board, another 3$ for 20, another 3$ for 50 etc. etc.

 

[GBassNorth]

I'm hardly famous.

The thing I keep wrestling with in my mind is what do you do when someone you care about treats you in a hurtful way?

Do you let it destroy you?
Do you get angry and attempt to return the hurt?
Or do you say, "There but by the grace of God go I" and walk away with forgiveness and dignity?

When I am faced with really hurtful situations I go back to the time when I had been told I had a near golf-ball sized tumor in my sinuses, roots 3mm from my brain. I was told that with radical surgery and chemotherapy I had a 27% chance of surviving 2 years.

I like to remember that moment, being told that you have cancer that is most likely terminal; the feeling of the floor giving way beneath you and time standing still… the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears… because it helps me put these otherwise difficult events into clear perspective.

I have survived far worse than this.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Guess it's time for option 3 from above.

It's time I say goodbye. I won't be back here.

Let me end things with this; I stand by everything I've ever said here. Stuart makes the best bass guitars in the world in my opinion. I meant it when I have written here that your musical journey belongs to you. You should play whatever makes you love playing and I am happy for those of you who have found your conduit of choice; the guitar that makes you happy to be alive and to be a bassist.

Love your Spectors and enjoy the excellent fellowship here.

Those of you who are my friends on FB... you know where to find me.

I wish you all the best and rock on.

Patrick - you will always be a bass brother. Your current situation sounds sad and I feel for you even though I don't have a clue what's going on (and I don't need to know either). Your posts here have always been on the high road, helpful, sincere and heart felt. I and many others in this club will miss your insight and wisdom.
I try to keep a relatively low internet profile so I'm not on Facebook or Twitter and such, but I'm only 30 miles down the road. If you ever need anything please dont hesitate to PM me.
Wishing you the best in all you do!

 

[awilkie84]

You could save labor by buying the boards, that board should only cost about 10-15 bucks through Alberta circuits. http://www.apcircuits.com that cost goes down as you buy more! I could build it too, (it's part of what I already do for a living) I even have a pretty high dollar metcal iron in my garage!

Edit: maybe im wrong based on what I think I know about that board and plugging that into their estimator, 2 of them looks like it would cost about 57 bucks, but again if you were to order say 10 that price drops 10$ per board, another 3$ for 20, another 3$ for 50 etc. etc.

I'd take a blank.

 

[worshiprocker]

It's all economics... Supply and Demand...

9v's are in very short supply and very high demand (determined by the number of people who want one of the preamps not already spoken for in a build). The only way to cut down on the demand is to raise the price. I know that they are sometimes putting finished basses ready for assembly off to the side while they wait for a batch of 9v's to arrive.

I've wondered about an onboard preamp for a bass with a chip that uses bass modeling (like how so many companies are making bass amps and pedals with amp modeling). Have a rotary switch that will cycle through different bass sounds. That way you have the Spector 9v, 18v, Tone Pump, Aggie OBP, EMG BQC, all right there in one bass. Even add modeling for Ricks, Walls, Sadowsky, etc..

If done well that would be really cool I think.

I think a tonepump or 9v circuit in a pedal form would be killer

 

[awilkie84]

I think a tonepump or 9v circuit in a pedal form would be killer

I'm planning on building a Tonepump pedal when I get one in a couple weeks.
I'm just trying to work out where I'd attach the kill switch and the 9V AC adapter leads. I'm terrible with schematics. lol

Can anyone help with that?

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f38/mounting-preamp-pedal-case-1050229/

 

[Torn Bassist]

I say that if a preamp is all that distinguishes your imports from your top of the line and its all that keeps your american shop from closing then you have other problems. That being said, if your CB supplier is holding you up from producing in your american shop, then I also say its time to find a new supplier. There's about 30 bucks worth of parts on that board, a single layer blank is probably about 10 to 15 dollars a pop, and all of these items get price breaks as the qty ordered goes up, a skilled tech once up and running with a process could build at least 10 to 15 (maybe more) a day without a problem by himself in his garage if he wanted.

I'm not saying that the 9V is the only thing that distinguishes as they have other features and circuits they use in the Americans as well, all I'm saying is that everyone WANTS a 9V to load into a bass that didn't have the circuit to begin with....and....I have seen some sweet Euro basses and I also have a NS2A I would love to put the 9V with active EMG pickups in that would play as well as my NS2 basses, it could have prevented me from purchasing the American NS2's that I have if a circuit was available!

 

[evermelon]

I think a tonepump or 9v circuit in a pedal form would be killer

I'm planning on building a Tonepump pedal when I get one in a couple weeks.
I'm just trying to work out where I'd attach the kill switch and the 9V AC adapter leads. I'm terrible with schematics. lol

Can anyone help with that?

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f38/mounting-preamp-pedal-case-1050229/

I did this a while ago with a non-trim TP, but it didn't behave exactly the same. It was more tame and I remember having to boost significantly to hear a difference... maybe an impedence thing...IDK

 

[awilkie84]

I did this a while ago with a non-trim TP, but it didn't behave exactly the same. It was more tame and I remember having to boost significantly to here a difference... maybe an impedence thing...IDK

Well, I don't plan on adding any extra resistance. I want to run it as unbuffered as possible. I just want the option of colouring the tone of my passive basses without having to mod them.

 

[evermelon]

Well, I don't plan on adding any extra resistance. I want to run it as unbuffered as possible. I just want the option of colouring the tone of my passive basses without having to mod them.

Same here. I even went as far as wiring the pickups directly to output jack on bass. Plus I omitted the volume on the pedal. Signal was bass-->cable-->pedal-->cable to amp.

 

[awilkie84]

Same here. I even went as far as wiring the pickups directly to output jack on bass. Plus I omitted the volume on the pedal. Signal was bass-->cable-->pedal-->cable to amp.

Odd. You wouldn't think that the resistance would be much different. Maybe I'll have to play with making it an 18V pedal?

 

[Tracebassplayer]

Well, I don't plan on adding any extra resistance. I want to run it as unbuffered as possible. I just want the option of colouring the tone of my passive basses without having to mod them.

Not resistance ... Impedance. The guitar cord probably 15-20' added a little more impedance to the circuit requiring a signal boost to return input level from the pups to what they would be on a 6" lead.

 

[grendle]

I'm hardly famous.

The thing I keep wrestling with in my mind is what do you do when someone you care about treats you in a hurtful way?

Do you let it destroy you?
Do you get angry and attempt to return the hurt?
Or do you say, "There but by the grace of God go I" and walk away with forgiveness and dignity?

When I am faced with really hurtful situations I go back to the time when I had been told I had a near golf-ball sized tumor in my sinuses, roots 3mm from my brain. I was told that with radical surgery and chemotherapy I had a 27% chance of surviving 2 years.

I like to remember that moment, being told that you have cancer that is most likely terminal; the feeling of the floor giving way beneath you and time standing still… the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears… because it helps me put these otherwise difficult events into clear perspective.

I have survived far worse than this.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Guess it's time for option 3 from above.

It's time I say goodbye. I won't be back here.

Let me end things with this; I stand by everything I've ever said here. Stuart makes the best bass guitars in the world in my opinion. I meant it when I have written here that your musical journey belongs to you. You should play whatever makes you love playing and I am happy for those of you who have found your conduit of choice; the guitar that makes you happy to be alive and to be a bassist.

Love your Spectors and enjoy the excellent fellowship here.

Those of you who are my friends on FB... you know where to find me.

I wish you all the best and rock on.

*** did I miss??

 

[leemelone]

Overpriced? Yes, but so are many other luxury items that I can't afford right now.

Overrated? Not to me. That preamp is really adds something special to the tone of a Spector bass, IMO of course.

-Duff2

I used to agree that the Haz-Lab preamp was overrated. So much so that I removed it from my Kramer era NS2 shortly after I bought it back in the day. It was sitting in a box in a closet for over 20 years. About a month ago the EMG preamp in my NS5 CR died on me and I decided to install the Haz in it's place. The tone is much warmer and fuller than it's ever been. I've owned this bass for over 15 years and it's been my main live bass since I got it but I was never completely happy with the tone. When I bought it back in the 90's, 5 string Spectors were almost impossible to find and I settled for the only one I could get. Changing the preamp to the Haz has transformed it from a bass I had been thinking about getting rid of to a bass that sounds, looks and plays like a US NS5 for thousands less. It was the best decision I could have made!

 

[awilkie84]

Not resistance ... Impedance. The guitar cord probably 15-20' added a little more impedance to the circuit requiring a signal boost to return input level from the pups to what they would be on a 6" lead.

Ah. So, I'll need to boost the power. An 18V system should solve this.

 

[jnumme]

Look into the EMG BTS System, I've been pleasantly surprised with the 2 in my Spectors (rex and green Euro) they're really quite aggressive but not over the top so the tone is still very clear. I didn't have a trim pot TP but I'd say its more tame then the non trim TP, while still putting out lots of growl. Actually considering taking the OBP-3 out of my Blue Euro and throwing a BTS in it, for such an inexpensive preamp I'm really happy with it, and my band members surprisingly like the tone of my 18V Rex 5 to my OBP-3 Euro 5. I find that the BTS sounds better with the EMG DC's in my Euro then the HZ's in my Rex, but I'll swap those out eventually for DC's too.

In with a pic of my current 3:

I want to keep the EMG pj's though. did you have that combo with the bts? well @bbg they have them for 89.00 bucks I may just try that out ....thanks

 

[Tracebassplayer]

Ah. So, I'll need to boost the power. An 18V system should solve this.

Only if it increases the output signal.
If it does then I would caution those using the real tone cable and rocksmith. My cable stopped working after putting two fresh batteries in my euro4lx. There may be too much voltage for the digital/analog converter in the cable to handle.

Using a cord with lower loss or a shorter cord or better yet a wireless system and a 6" patch cord to the box might be

 

[awilkie84]

Only if it increases the output signal.
If it does then I would caution those using the real tone cable and rocksmith. My cable stopped working after putting two fresh batteries in my euro4lx. There may be too much voltage for the digital/analog converter in the cable to handle.

Using a cord with lower loss or a shorter cord or better yet a wireless system and a 6" patch cord to the box might be

Well, I meant 18V the pedal's input stage, not the output of the bass. lol