Aussiephoenix Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I started out as a Passive jazz player. eventually got into the active basses, but always 9v preamps... I'm looking at buying another active bass, and I was amazed when the guy I'm going to buy it from told me that I can use UP to 4 9v Batteries, so a total of 36v!!! Has anyone had any experience with preamps of the kind? what is the real difference? just volume? are there any sort of guidelines for using these preamps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazy_olie Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I've never heard of 36V preamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 At one time, Status fitted a 36v preamp to their Jonas Hellborg models. -- the preamp was pretty much the EQ section from a channel strip. Apparently the output from these basses was simply colossal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 EMG Active Pickups come with a single battery clip for 9v but there were designed to be powered by up to 48v. I will try 18v if I ever reinstall my old EMG Precison pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Aus, The PRS runs on two PP3s at 18v....... So there are a few that run above 9v....... I'm fairly sure there are some others too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I've put EMG pickups and EQ on one of my basses running on 18v. It certainly seems to have boosted the output - it's now on a par with my 9v MM Sterling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiephoenix Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 [quote name='TheRev' post='16271' date='Jun 12 2007, 03:00 PM']I've put EMG pickups and EQ on one of my basses running on 18v. It certainly seems to have boosted the output - it's now on a par with my 9v MM Sterling![/quote] Just the output? no change in bass "voice"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Lots of 9V preamps will also run at 18V (e.g. Aguilar OB series preamps). According to the blurb, the higher voltage will not increase the output but will allow "more headroom". I take this to mean you can use the full range of the EQ adjustment without any distortion or loss of clarity. The biggest problem with going beyond 18V as far as I can see, would be making space for the batteries ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Just think... 48V phantom-powered on-board bass preamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 (edited) You might notice distortion with a 9V if you turn the eq full up, have your pickups set very high and play really hard but most of the time its not a problem. The main thing is to check out the flat and eq'd sound of pre-amps to see which ones you prefer, as they are all a bit different. I personally like the sound of musicman preamps, they run off 9V and produce a tiny bit more noise than some others but the eq bands are really well chosen and suit the sound I like. Bartolinis preamps are very quiet and have quite a hard top end which suits some, and run off 9V or 18V Aguilar pre's are also very quiet and have a warmer tone and are very flat response with no eq but there's plenty of boost available. They can run off 9V and 18V too. Sadowsky pre's have also got a good rep but I've not used one myself. There are a lot of designs out there and these are the only ones I've tried, but see if you can try some out before buying. Edited June 12, 2007 by dub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 The old Ovation Magnum 2’s (late ‘70’s) used to use 2 x 9V's. I’m certainly impressed by the way the newer systems seem to drain batteries far less – I use re-chargables and my pre-EB MM Sabre sucks one dry in no time whereas my ‘Ray with a modern Seymour Duncan replacement pre-amp/EQ goes on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 My Zoot uses an SD MMHB into a Jon East E-Pro @ 18v. That gives Monstrous output. It will drive a power amp. Without a(nother) pre in the way. Sounded great through an SWR 2x10 driven by my (deceased) QSC PLX 1202. It IS designed to give greater headroom, but the pick-up shoves out a fair bit, and when you switch it to "series", run away. [i]Very[/i] quickly, and whatever you do, don't slap it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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