Conference napalm::guitar

I personally don't care for th EMG's and have yet to hear any others...

The EMG's are too thin sounding for me...the humbucker is a total wimp.

FWIW

dbii

    
    I have used three active basses over the years, two of which I still
    own:
    
    Fender Precision Elite
    
    This is active-only (no battery, no sound).  Rumor has it that EMG
    designed the pickup but I doubt it as it is not as quiet as other EMG
    setups I've heard.  *I* think it sounds a lot like a regular P-bass
    up to the center detent on the tone knob, past that it's got that
    twangy Rick-like tone that's so hip today (gag me...I hate it).  I
    realy like this bass but it has no "passive" sound to compare it to.
    My only complaint is the lack of a bypass.
    
    B.C. Rich Eagle
    
    This baby has two DiMarzio Model P pickups, the original DiMarzio
    replacement for Fender P-bass pickups.  The Rich electronics are
    mind-boggling.  Coil taps, phase switch, varitone...all passive, lots
    of sounds.  Plus a gain-only preamp.  This one *can* be run passive,
    but I use it active more often.  Why?  First, the preamp is quieter. 
    This is most noticable in rooms where fluorescents and lamp dimmers are
    putting buzzes into everything.  Second, it gives a deeper bass and
    crisper high end *if* the amp is up to it.  The bass can get muddy with
    some amps, obscuring the treble and making it sound *worse* than the
    passive mode.  At high settings, you can overdrive your amp's preamp
    stage for fuzz stuff.  I like this because it's simple, it doesn't add
    EQ, is quiet and can be bypassed.
    
    Peavey T-40 with Audioarts?? Preamp
    
    I forget the exact name of the preamp, but it was a module permanently
    attached to a toggle switch (whole assembly covered by epoxy) that you
    simply dropped into the wiring ahead of your output jack.  Total cost
    installed was about $75.  The toggle had three positions, bypass, 6 dB
    boost and 12 dB boost.  I only used the 6 dB setting.  It retained the
    basic tone of the bass, although the highs were much improved when using
    stomp boxes (less loading), I had a much hotter signal going to the amp
    and it was quiet.  I felt it improved the sound enough to warrant it.
    I have since sold this bass, however.
    
    ************************
    My overall experience?  I like the idea of preamps in general,
    although I prefer them with passive pickups so that you have an out if
    your batery dies.  I will agree that some active setups (notably EMG)
    are a little too bright for my ears, but as Rick Calcagni had noted in
    his high-end bass note, they can sound fine when matched to the right
    guitar, i.e. the right body can add some warmth.  I would also think
    that gain-only preamps are preferable for *guitars* where you may already
    have pickups you like, but want the other advantages of preamping (no
    high end loss, quieter, etc.).

    
    
    I also favor passive pickups with a preamp.  You get the sound of the
    pickup you like, plus the bonus of the preamp for additional gain. 
    
    Fxs sit up and take notice when the preamp in on.  Ditto for the preamp
    stage of the amplifier.  I'm less concerned with signal loss that I am
    in getting a great overdrive sound, but that's just how I happen to use
    the preamp.
    
    If the battery happens to die, just bypass the preamp.  The 9volt in my
    guitar lasts a real long time, and I use the preamp a lot.
    
    
    Kevin
    
    

    here's a rareity...
    
    Ibanez MC400/MC500, and the Ibanex Artist (from the 1978 line)
    had as an option, active electronics.
    
    I own the MC400 with active electronics.
    
    now, the set up here is a little rare as far as active circuitry
    is concerned (or so I assume as I've never seen one like this
    before or since owning it).
    
    
    mine has a three band EQ, with Bass Midd treble, and an overdrive control.
    
    So you can tailor the preamp to have any sound capable with the
    elctronics available by manipulating anyone of the four control
    pots.
    
    I made one slight mod from stock.  I took the 1458dip chip out,
    soldered in an 8 prong socket and I replace the op-amp about twice a
    year.  Batteries are effective for about 2 months, then there is a
    noticeable change in performance.
    
    I use the preamp for solos, shut it off for rythm, most of the time.
    
    I keep the preamp 'tuned' for just a bit extra thickness and
    depth for solos or heavier rythm sounds
    
    I would not say I couldn't live with out, the mc400 is a very hot
    axe even with out the pre amp, but it sure does have some nice
    harmonic effects if used in careful moderation.
    
    Over kill with it, is just that,,, overkill...  

    What's the purpose of replacing the op-amp every 6 mos?
    
    Greg

    A bit of a side issue:
    
    I've noticed that whenever I look at a guitar/bass with active
    electronics, one of the the first questions I ask myself is
    "does it have a bypass mode?".  I seem to have a paranoia about
    the battery going out at an inopportune moment, even though I have
    no real experience to back this up.  Recently, custom builder Roger
    Sadowsky reviewed the Zon Legacy bass in GP.  One of his few complaints
    was that the active electronics had no bypass; Roger includes a
    bypass mode in his active instruments.  Zon's reply was that the bass
    was designed around active circuitry and wouldn't sound right in a
    passive mode and that they didn't think replacing a battery at regular
    intervals was too much to ask.

    So here's my idea.  I think this battery paranoia might be an age
    thing.  Roger's in his late thirties, I'm getting there.  Most players
    around my age seem to like the piece of mind that comes with a bypass
    (no, not the heart kind!).  Perhaps its because when we were growing
    up, batteries running down in toys and such was a common and annoying
    experience.  I think the state of the art for batteries and battery
    operated gizmos has improved considerably and nowadays young players
    don't seem to have as much of a problem putting their trust in "all
    active" circuitry.

    /rick    

    Re: .6
    
    Passive bypassing only works when the pickup itself is not active, this
    is not the case with EMGs or the pickups in my P-Bass Elite.  I've
    worried about this, but honestly, not only has the circuit never failed
    (from battery death or any other reason), but I change my batteries
    only about once a year and have never heard any signal degradation.
    
    I don't even check the voltage on the battery before I chuck it. 
    For $3 a year the peace of mind is worth it.
    
    						Brian

re:5, Purposes for chaning the op-amp..

either it's purely imagination or not, I can't say, but a new op-amp every
now and then keeps the pre-amp clean and responsive..

    I'm undecided about which is "better"; active, passive,
    preamped, biamped, signal processed, or whatever. I've owned both
    active and passive basses. I had an Ovation Magnum that was probably
    the best sounding bass I've ever heard. While it had active circuitry,
    the neck pickup was about three inches wide giving the bass the fullest
    low end. It seemed to just fill the clubs like a liquid, without being
    loud or overbearing. It hasn't happened to me since I sold it, but I
    actually had a few people to complement the sound. It wasn't my playing
    they complemented, I'm just a basic chops player. It's only sin was
    that it was an UGLY guitar. Extremely well made, nice finish and all,
    just UGLY. 
    
    Nowadays, I play a Gibson Epiphone Rock Bass (new issue) that looks
    like a Fender Jazz with a modern headstock (points down like Hamer,
    Jackson, Kramer etc.). It's passive, and I've since outfitted it with
    Dimarzio pickups. It's a great axe, no doubt about it. But, it doesn't
    even come close to the depth of bass that the Ovation had. While it
    doesn't have the same characteristic, it by no means is lacking in
    terms of tone. Depth of bass is replaced by punch.
    
    This brings me to the point I thought I'd make here. Each guitar has
    its characteristic and I think it's a characteristic that you learn
    about by owning it awhile. You can't get to know that characteristic by
    foolin around at the music store, and you can't get to know it by
    reading about it either. You just gotta get something that , for
    whatever reason - color, shape, or endorsement, you have some
    confidence in, and learn it. I think that's why so many of us keep
    trading our guitars. We learn them and yearn for a new experience.
    
    So don't be biased about your next guitar, active, passive, or
    whatever. Pick one out that you'd like to experiment with for awile.
    Chances are no matter how much you like it when you buy it, you'll in
    essence get sick of it and opt for another experience somewhere down
    the line. There is no best guitar just like there is no end to the
    rainbow. This much I've learned since I acquired the curse of being a
    guitar player.

    Anyone know of any stores local to Boston/Worcester that stock/install
    Bartolini bass pickups?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Peter O

    For awhile I was really into guitars with active and/or complex
    circuits. I've owned a few BC Riches, an Ovation Deacon, an Ibanez
    Artist AR5000, and Gibson ES and LP Artists. This spanned a range from
    complex passive w/preamp to fully electronic controls.
    
    Most of these guitars were fun at first. Playing with all the
    possibilities kept me busy. I especially liked the combination of
    compression/expansion on the Gibsons--when I couldn't think of anything
    brilliant to play, just flip those babies on and let it sing.
    
    The thing I started noticing about all of them is that my favorite
    sound was always the one closest to that of a humbucker loaded with a
    30' cable. The fully active  Ovation, Ibanez, and Gibsons couldn't
    quite do it, the Riches only with the preamp bypassed and all the
    switches off. In other words, I mostly wanted the sound you get out of
    a standard Les Paul or ES. So I sold all the active guitars.
    
    Just a word about coil cuts--I've never found one that sounded even
    slightly like a single-coil pickup. All the ones I've had just make the
    humbucker seem gutless, without the nice, bright sound you  can get out
    of a Strat. I still have them on some of my guitars, but I never use
    them.
    
    Danny W.
    

re: .11
Yeah what he said!

dbii