LukewarmWater

Bit of a copy and paste job from my comment in another thread but: The bass and treble are regular boost/cut, but the mid control has 3 positions: position 1 is off, position 2 is a mid-cut and position 3 is either a mid-boost (how I use it) or a different mid-cut. I *think* that this model bass pre-dates the NE1 EQ box so that's why the controls are a little different. When you take the control plate off what you'll find are 4 little plastic wheels attached to the circuit board. They are in 2 pairs and control the mid-cut amount and mid-frequency for position 2, the other pair are for the mid-boost/cut and mid-frequency for position 3. Someone in a guitar shop once told me that the idea behind it was that you can set 2 favourite tones (e.g. a scoop for slap and a boost for rockier stuff) and then flick easily between them. I must admit that I mainly play rock/metal stuff on mine so I tend to leave it on position 3 with the max mid-boost in an attempt to cut through against cranked Marshalls and Boogies.

The presets are for the mid control which has 3 positions: position 1 is off, position 2 is a mid-cut and position 3 is either a mid-boost (how I use it) or a different mid-cut. I *think* the controls are based on the active circuits found on the very early TRB models, but I might be wrong about that. When you do take the control plate off what you'll find are 4 little plastic wheels attached to the circuit board. They are in 2 pairs and control the mid-cut amount and mid-frequency for position 2, the other pair are for the mid-boost/cut and mid-frequency for position 3. Someone in a guitar shop once told me that the idea behind it was that you can set 2 favourite tones (e.g. a scoop for slap and a boost for rockier stuff) and then flick easily between them. I must admit that I mainly play rock/metal stuff on mine so I tend to leave it on position 3 with the max mid-boost in an attempt to cut through against cranked Marshalls and Boogies.

I'm also no Warwick expert but I can say that my Fortress One is a mid-90s German 4-string and has a PJ configuration for the pups. Passive with vol, blend and 2 tone knobs, a wenge neck and (I think) maple body. I'm not the original owner but the electronics don't obviously look like they've been replaced or have had a battery taken out to convert to passive.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1379002866' post='2207640'] I thought the distortion on the rick was the bad pickups and the string rattling on the neck? [/quote] You know, after listening on headphones rather than crappy computer speakers I think you're very likely right about that.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1378939701' post='2206944'] Ooh that is pretty handy, although it doesn't make it sound easier to do But clearly the tone is different to spirit of radio, which I was playing earlier (as I am supposed to be playing it next week) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx8jLE3qVqA [/quote] There's a no-guitar version of The Analog Kid that the same bloke has put up which is quite good for comparing the Rick tone with the jazz tone on Digital Man. To my (cloth) ears some of the difference is down to the extra gain/distortion he seems to be using with the Rick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tigBmZN4LnU

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1378934577' post='2206843'] Ahh sh*t, it's not playing for me [/quote] I just tried it on my phone and it wasn't working there, but it worked earlier on my PC. Strange ... Youtube has been a bit flaky for me today forcing me to do things like work instead of watching videos about bass looping and other such vital things.

There's an isolated bass and drums (with a little bonus vocal and bass synth bleed) here for those that want a really good listen to Geddy's tone on Digital Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28gcZQiQvds

The Andertons website currently says they'll set you back £1067 for the solid colours and £1121 for 3TS (a bit more for the fretless and another bit for the lefties). So not cheap but not a huge price hike over the 2011 versions. Whether they're worth the money is probably an exercise best left to the reader

[quote name='andydye' post='1359523' date='Sep 2 2011, 09:25 AM']Thanks for the additional jack socket warning and good comment about the replacement preamp! Did you go for internal switch or push pull pot for the mid frequency?[/quote] I went for a push-pull pot on the mid-knob to switch between the mid frequencies. It seemed better to be able to do so without taking the cover for the electronics cavity off, but I find I very rarely change the mid centre point frequency when playing so I don't think an internal switch would actually be too bad in practice. I also added a push-pull to the volume knob for the active/passive switch. The new EQ did make a difference but not a huge one, it's possibly something to think about but definitely not a "must".

I bought mine new in 1999 for £750 (I think, it was certainly about that). I have to agree with the comment about the thunderous B string and that it's worth getting the jack socket replaced as I had mine die just before a gig. The neck also seems to me to be pretty comfy for a 6 string, it's not as narrow as an Ibanez SR neck but it is thin front-to-back and just seems to fit nicely in the hand. I replaced the pickups with Bartolini quad coil soapbars and the EQ with an Aguilar OBP-3, and while I've kept the Aguilar I've gone back to the stock pickups. The barts were nice and definitely more refined, but I actually prefer the more agressive rock tone of the stock pups. The only real downside is the weight, these things are built like a tank and weigh almost as much