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Tone Monster SBK preamps? Anybody here use them?

#81
Ended up getting the SBK-3AD. I'm a little confused with the connections though. The site says "Simply connect your (2) pickups to the NO SOLDER terminal block (neck~shared ground~bridge) on the balance potentiometer or simply remove the potentiometer and wire direct for single pickup applications". I have three different grounds, one off of each pickup and and coming from the bridge. At least I'm assuming it's the bridge but I haven't taken it off to verify. Are all three supposed to go in the middle terminal?
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If that is the case I tried but couldn't get them all to fit.
 
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#82
BJMtz said:
Ended up getting the SBK-3AD. I'm a little confused with the connections though. The site says "Simply connect your (2) pickups to the NO SOLDER terminal block (neck~shared ground~bridge) on the balance potentiometer or simply remove the potentiometer and wire direct for single pickup applications". I have three different grounds, one off of each pickup and and coming from the bridge. At least I'm assuming it's the bridge but I haven't taken it off to verify. Are all three supposed to go in the middle terminal?
If that is the case I tried but couldn't get them all to fit.
Click to expand...

you may have to solder them together, and add a tail to go in the terminal. A 3 into 1 thing, with a piece of heat shrink over the solder.
 
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#83
My experience with SBK-2A was not very good. It worked, but made the tone of the bass (Squier VM fretless) noticeably darker. The treble pot voicing was strange—it sounded more like hi mid control. Oh, and it ate the battery really quick, I think in a couple of months.

I'm not saying that the preamp produced bad tone. It was useful in some contexts, but the pre wasn't really transparent, and some parameter choices were questionable.
 
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#86
Got everything connected but I'm having some issues. Volume and balance work fine, bass boosts and cuts, treble only sounds fine in the boost position but in the cut I'm getting a high pitched squealing. Mids is the same issue, fine in full boost but squealing anywhere near 0 and past cut. Anyone have any ideas?
 
#87
BJMtz said:
Got everything connected but I'm having some issues. Volume and balance work fine, bass boosts and cuts, treble only sounds fine in the boost position but in the cut I'm getting a high pitched squealing. Mids is the same issue, fine in full boost but squealing anywhere near 0 and past cut. Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Check the polarity. The folks from Tone Monster told me once that with the wrong polarity, the pre will largely work, but with some weird effects.
 
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#92
Bumping this as I'm contemplating their 3 band kit for the Samick I just rescued. The tone it produces is weird; the DR MM Fatbeams are SS so it has highs but not overly so; it just has this complex midrange 'thing' going on that doesn't jive well with me. Not sure if it is the pickups, preamp, strings, or a combination of all three. I like having the flexibility of three bands to adjust, and when the DR's run dry I'll replace them with a Kalium balanced set, which is what I'm used to (had the DR's so I strung it with them for sake of time).

I think the wood in the bass is fine; neck is straight so it plays well and it feels solid overall - I don't want to throw in the towel quite yet.

Raz
 
#96
Mr_O'B said:
We all have our preferences and that's cool!

Click to expand...

He has another vid where he reviews the pre right after he installed it. That was the other one I watched.

I'm thinking about adding one to my six string also. It sounds fine with just bass & treble but having an adjustable midrange would be useful. I'm curious as to the baked-in tone of both basses; probably not much but we'll see. The Samick definitely can use better tone management, but as I've heard said, "it's easier to cut frequencies that are there than try to add ones that are not."

The 3-band w/mid sweep (four pots, two double-stacked) is the perfect configuration - and the price is awesome. Will be a while but I'll post a review when they are eventually completed.

Raz
 
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#100
Razman said:
And I don't pass final judgment until running a bass through the 'big rig' at my church in our theater, which I use for our concerts. That's the only way I can tell if a bass is a tool or a toy.
Click to expand...
I had one and used one in a Squier Jazz bass. It is dead quiet, and I'm not a "on board pre-amp expert" or anything, but there was nothing strange about it, and was able to get great sounds from it, so it is most definitely a "recommend" for me, especially at that price. Plus, now they come with a solderless hookup.

Edit: I had the 2 band.
 
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