Owen

I live in Bangor. It's nice, but you will certainly not find ANY Warwicks here

[quote name='BassBod' post='330236' date='Nov 16 2008, 07:34 PM']Well, I've used loads...including the Baggs (but not the current Fishman). Good things about the Baggs = strong output, good control over input gain, runs on phantom, has a permanent "low cut" which doesn't seem to mess with your sound but helps with "rumble". Bad points = hard to use a tuner send cable (it needs a return as well, one of those Y patch cables) can be too high output for the PA, the eq isn't really designed for bass, more acoustic guitar. A lot of the variable eq is well above a useful range. I used to use the old Fishman preamp, but that had no DI. It always sounded good, but that was ten years ago..... To be honest, any good quality active preamp/DI will help with most pickups, its a question of which features are useful to you. Most of the time I use a "flat" active DI made by Orchid - the most useful feature is the mute footswitch so I can turn off![/quote] I have not used the Baggs but use the Fishman happily. It does all the Baggs is said to do above, but the EQ is for bass and the tuner out is just a tuner out and the low cut is variable. it also has a phase reverse to ease some feedback issues. I'm sure the Baggs is a fine piece of kit, but it looks like the Fishman is in the lead at the moment.

I have a 5 string Mazeti. I paid £120 for it new. It needed new pick ups. The rest is just great. I have spent an awful lot more than I care to admit to on basses (US MTD, US Lak, Sei yawn yawn yawn). The Mazeti 5 is just fantastic with new pick ups and proves that we are indeed living in the golden age of lutherie and the law of diminishing returns is alive and well.

Not desperately slappy and quite fun. [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q2FiggHQLQ"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q2FiggHQLQ[/url]

I paid. It came. It was just fabulous.

Understated quality. Now there's something you don't see everyday, more's the pity.

[quote name='Hamster' post='324733' date='Nov 8 2008, 11:32 AM']There are very tiny trim pots on the pre-amp PCB that adjusts the sweep on each of the tone pots. Not sure if you can adjust the impedence with a trim pot though? - Shoot a mail off to Dave Meadows at Audere - he's very helpful [/quote] Thanks. Hmmm........ I might re voice it then I doubt Dave is going to tell me the secret of his variable Z switch as all I want to do (when I say I, I mean a friend who can actually use a soldering iron without smelling burning flesh) is bodge up a switch which will do the same thing.

I have an Audere pre which is not voiced correctly for what I want it to do with a specific pick up (no fault of the pre-amp, it is a nice bit of kit) but I LOVE what the Low Z switch does. Is there any other way of getting this particular attribute going? Thanks Owen

Piezos are brilliant IF you have the right pre-amp for them. Otherwise they are a TOTAL waste of time. Piezos in a MM Bongo = pants Piezos in a Bolin NS5 = totally lush