Retro fit onboard preamp

[Paul S]

Saw this mentioned on another thread yesterday and hadn't even considered it before but it seems like it might be an attractive option.

My Washburn Scavenger bass - eyes left - is an extremely fine instrument in many respects but I do find that I am increasingly preferring the active bass sound and tend to use my active basses more often. Instead of constantly searching for the perfect bass, I wonder if I might possibly already have it if I stuck a pre-amp into the Scavenger.

Talking specifically about the Scavenger - it has a single split coil a la P-bass with one volume and one tone control, there is no scratchplate and only limited existing routing at the back. It is in genuinely superb condition - a true time warp 'loft find' - so I would be loathed to cut it about very much. All of which makes me think that the East P-Retro might be one to consider - the re-chargeable battery seems like an elegant solution. But there might be other alternatives that people can recommend, too, that wouldn't be too intrusive or damaging - does anyone have any experiences, advice or recommendations - pros/cons of the various types on offer?

And, having fitted one, would might I reasonably expect by way of an improvement that couldn't be achieved using, say, my Zoon B2.1u pedal.

Thanks in advance.

[supabock]

[quote name='Paul S' post='990882' date='Oct 17 2010, 09:35 AM']Saw this mentioned on another thread yesterday and hadn't even considered it before but it seems like it might be an attractive option.

My Washburn Scavenger bass - eyes left - is an extremely fine instrument in many respects but I do find that I am increasingly preferring the active bass sound and tend to use my active basses more often. Instead of constantly searching for the perfect bass, I wonder if I might possibly already have it if I stuck a pre-amp into the Scavenger.

Talking specifically about the Scavenger - it has a single split coil a la P-bass with one volume and one tone control, there is no scratchplate and only limited existing routing at the back. It is in genuinely superb condition - a true time warp 'loft find' - so I would be loathed to cut it about very much. All of which makes me think that the East P-Retro might be one to consider - the re-chargeable battery seems like an elegant solution. But there might be other alternatives that people can recommend, too, that wouldn't be too intrusive or damaging - does anyone have any experiences, advice or recommendations - pros/cons of the various types on offer?

And, having fitted one, would might I reasonably expect by way of an improvement that couldn't be achieved using, say, my Zoon B2.1u pedal.

Thanks in advance.[/quote]


Hi,
I use J Retro, U Retro and P Retro in my basses and would strongly recommend all units as a retro fit especially if you dont want to do any additional and potentially damaging work on the bass..... These units are designed with space constraints in mind, but it really does depend on how much space there is in your bass where the control cavity is as to whether they will fit in the first instance. Dont forget also that the P Retro is the nly unit that comes with its rechargeable battery, the J and U Retro rely on being connected to existibatteries in a compartment. This however will be possible if you have room for an additional battery space in the cavity as mentioned.
I would recommend dropping John East an email with your concerns, he's a great chap and is always willing to adapt to the customers needs or at the very least offer an alternative solution. I can take some cs of the cavities in my bass so you can see what space is needed, but the P Retro will drop straight into a P Bass cavity....well at least mine did into my 70's P bass

Steve

[Paul S]

Here are a couple of pics. The cavity measures 140mm x 38mm x 38mm - plenty of room for the p-retro but not really for an additional battery:

[attachment=61589:cavity1.jpg]

And I reckon drilling a small hole for the LED wouldn't look too intrusive on the front

[attachment=61590:front.jpg]

[geoffbyrne]

Get an MXR-80+ - outboard pre & DI, then you don't need to carve bits out your bass.



G.

[Paul S]

I think the only cosmetic issue with fitting the P-Retro unit would be drilling a small hole for the LED which, although they say you don't have to, seems an extremely handy thing to have showing. Plus, although the Scavenger is in nice original condition it isn't a high value instrument and a small hole isn't likely to devalue it a great deal- not like I am doing it to a '59 P-Bass or anything. If it is worth adding the preamp I can live with the hole for the LED.

But I wonder - would that MXR thing do anything different to my existing pedal? And is it the same as having stuff at your fingertips? This is where my lack of knowledge re setting amp eq comes in. Is it possible to use my effect pedal and amp eq to get a similar sound to that on my active basses? If so I don't know how. But if that is the case, and you can get that sound by using one of these outboard devices, why would anyone use these onboard eqs anyway? Or use active guitars in the first place? That is kind of why I posted.

[bassbloke]

There are obvious convenience benefits to having an active preamp in your bass, plus active circuit and active pickups will lead to an improved signal to noise ratio when using very long cables.

However if you are simply looking for the active sound, then an outboard preamp will work well and is a good way of obtaining some classic active circuit sounds without hacking up a bass - especially if the control cavity is tight.

John East, Sadowsky, MXR all produce outboard preamps. In fact, any electronics builder will be able to fit the preamp of your choice into an external casing.

[Beedster]

P-Retro, simple. There is no better onboard preamp

C

[Paul S]

Using the 'search' facility I have found all sorts of chat on here - including the original development of the concept! Fantastic. I should have done that in the first place. I will get a P-Retro unit for sure.