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The Passinwind Open Source Preamp

#521
I ordered three of both IC's from China. I'd like to use domestic or at least european supplies but no luck this time.
Other parts are from Banzai Music in Germany. For pots I have a plan for customizing short thread Alpha ones for longer thread to fit the bass without thinning the top. We'll see how that works.
 
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#522
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Just finished the first one. I played thru this for a little time and I really like it. Now for the pots. I have to order a dual concentric 50k for bass/middle and modify the resonance and frequency pots for longer shafts and threads.
 
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#526
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Like this. Threaded bushing and shaft from a broken Bourns pot, some careful sawing, filing, drilling and hammering plus some ca glue. Works fine.
I filed the thread off from the dual pot so that the threaded bushing fits over it. Shaft extension is riveted and ca glued. Threaded bushing is ca glued.
Pics are from different pot, hence alu/brass shaft extension.
 
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#527
The more I play the more I like it. Very easy to get great sounds. Bass control is nice as it doesn’t bring any mud, just stronger bass. Mid gives the sound nice punch and treble/resonance is much nicer than usual treble. I played first with a pick, then switched to fingerstyle. Apart the pick attack I was able to get quite close the same kind of sound by cutting bass, adding mids and tweaking the resonance a bit. I made the second board today. I’m definately going to use this preamp on my coming five stringer.
 
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#531
matbard said:
BTW which kind of amp do you use with these preamps? I think they deserve a transparent amp/preamp to shine out..
Click to expand...

Predictably, I build my own. These days I mostly use the last one from this thread: A DIY 1/2 Rack Bass Preamp

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At home I play that through a DIY 15/6/1 cab:

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On my rare gigs or at jams and open mics I take my AudioKinesis Thunderchild 112AF, which sounds very similar actually.

I also have a few different DIY rack preamps, all of which I've posted build threads on in the past. A few used Rod Elliot's excellent designs and circuit boards, before I started doing my own thing again after a long stint with commercial stuff. I rarely use headphones but I still would like to do a DIY headphone amp sooner than later as well.
 
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#535
Passinwind said:
You're welcome. Have you built or tried one?
Click to expand...

I am girding my grids to give it a shot - I'm reading through this magnum opus as part of the girding process.

My first inclination is to make it outboard, but apart from that I'd make it very cookie-cutter-esque. I had a very, very bad experience with my first circuits class and tho' proceeding from first principals I understand things, circuit design still strikes me as magic of the blackest sort.
 
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#536
matbard said:
Just a question Charlie,

Do you use XLR inputs on your amps?
Click to expand...

I have plans to wire up the unused one in my main amp that was originally going to be a DI someday, which would allow remote powering of that new bass right off the amp module's +/- 15V aux power supply. Running a balanced output off that bass is on the list of "maybes", but it doesn't seem like a high priority at the moment. In any case, good question!
 
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#537
Haroldo said:
I am girding my grids to give it a shot - I'm reading through this magnum opus as part of the girding process.

My first inclination is to make it outboard, but apart from that I'd make it very cookie-cutter-esque. I had a very, very bad experience with my first circuits class and tho' proceeding from first principals I understand things, circuit design still strikes me as magic of the blackest sort.
Click to expand...

Just spitballing here: how many of you would be interested if I worked up a full pedal kit that included a variable HPF and a gain stage with a buffered volume control? Or would some other feature set work better for you?
 
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#538
Passinwind said:
Just spitballing here: how many of you would be interested if I worked up a full pedal kit that included a variable HPF and a gain stage with a buffered volume control? Or would some other feature set work better for you?
Click to expand...

Raisin' my tyro hand here. (Reading through this thread, just about maybe a fifth through, and the features you've mentioned have anticipated some of my questions.......)
 
#539
I haven't read all 27 pages yet, but has anyone tried making a version with "ultra-low-noise" OP-Amps?? I avoid onboard preamps like the plague, simply because I am hyper-allergic to the sea of white noise you get from most pre-amp treble controls...
 

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