Warwick Corvette Zebrano II upgraded with Nordstrand Preamp

[TheDaivisch]

Anyone thinking of upgrading their Wick with one of these preamps should do it, coz my God...

I've got the Nordstrand 2B- 4b with the internal treble selector switch (very cool idea) set to bright (too upper middish otherwise) and it sounds AWESOME. So much sweeter than the MEC preamp. I would never crank the MEC treble pot past o.5 as it sounds harsh to my ears. Setting a treble pot at 2K (which is upper mid not treble) is a bloody stupid idea - and frankly I always hated the MEC preamp. That said I've heard plenty of people who like the power of this preamp and prefer the growly upper mid-ness of the treble pot.

I can now crank the treble pot ALL the way up and get an awesome stingray-but-with-a-Warwick-growl tone which is fantastic, and definitely well worth the 200quid. The lows are also smoother and more musical. A massive improvement.

[attachment=65818:DSCF6055.JPG][attachment=65818:DSCF6055.JPG]

Having just voiced my opinion on the MEC preamp - if anyone's interested in buying the MEC 2 band preamp off me I'd gladly part with it for £50.

Dave

Edited December 8, 2010 by TheDaivisch

[dmz]

Good to know - I have a 5-string Pro-M and a 6-string Thumb that could do with such pre's.

I really do hate the hissy noisy pre-amps they currently have.......

[TheDaivisch]

[quote name='dmz' post='1049785' date='Dec 6 2010, 08:07 PM']Good to know - I have a 5-string Pro-M and a 6-string Thumb that could do with such pre's.

I really do hate the hissy noisy pre-amps they currently have.......[/quote]

All I can say is go for it mate. I got mine from Bassdirect.

[Kev]

Food for thought indeed, although i like my MEC preamp so that either means i'll REALLY love this, or the opposite...

[Lfalex v1.1]

My (Zebrano, too - ain't it lovely) Infinity SN4 sounds great as it is, and with the treble advanced, it just gives "that" sparkle.
The pick-up configuration (J/JJ) works well, too. It's just a good all-round package which works well with Elixir strings.
Mine [i]ought[/i] to have a Duncan pre in it, but it has an MEC 2band instead..
I always thought 3band with a mid-frequency sweep worked quite well when I've tried them.

[Chris2112]

That looks fantastic, and I'm glad to see you've gotten a result as far as the preamp goes! I never much minded the MEC preamp in my thumb but it didn't exactly set the world on fire like a Kubicki or ACG preamp!

[xilddx]

I think I might go for an East U-Retro Deluxe four knob in my Vette $$. The MEC is fine TBH but it's not exactly subtle.

Are the Nordys really that good?

[TheDaivisch]

[quote name='silddx' post='1050671' date='Dec 7 2010, 04:09 PM']I think I might go for an East U-Retro Deluxe four knob in my Vette $$. The MEC is fine TBH but it's not exactly subtle.

Are the Nordys really that good?[/quote]

East's are supposed to be very good, but possibly more coloured if my research is anything to go by. In my opinion (and obviously I've only got the real world comparison between nordy and MEC to go by) the Nordstrand is very neutral sounding - flat it sounds exactly the same as passive to my ears. The treble selector (between 4k and something like 12.5kish - I think) and internal gain control are excellent additional features that put it above alot of the competition.

[TheRockinRoadie]

Glad you're happy with the pre-amp, I'm currently toying with the idea of upgrading the preamp in my Marcus Miller Jazz.

By the way, that bass looks fantastic! Im sure it sounds amazing too!

[xilddx]

[quote name='TheDaivisch' post='1050721' date='Dec 7 2010, 04:53 PM']East's are supposed to be very good, but possibly more coloured if my research is anything to go by. In my opinion (and obviously I've only got the real world comparison between nordy and MEC to go by) the Nordstrand is very neutral sounding - flat it sounds exactly the same as passive to my ears. The treble selector (between 4k and something like 12.5kish - I think) and internal gain control are excellent additional features that put it above alot of the competition.[/quote]
I would suggest you are right in saying they are coloured, I already have the same U-Retro Deluxe in my Chris Squire Electra self build. It sounds coloured compared to the passive setting, but hell, do I like those colours!

[TheDaivisch]

Changing the subject slightly - I have an MXR M188 Auto - Q effects pedal for sale too if anyone's interested.

See effects for sale section.

Cheers,

Dave

[MythSte]

From my experiences with warwicks Ive found the MEC pre to be fine with cabs that dont have tweeters and or cabs you can turn them off on. The treble seems to give a great growl. I agree with a tweeter it does get quite "clangy" for want of a better word.

[Chris2112]

Ah, I was playing my Thumb through a Trace Elliot 4x10" with no tweeter, I suspect things may be a bit "harsher" though my Ashdown MK500!

[TheDaivisch]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1052353' date='Dec 9 2010, 06:35 AM']Ah, I was playing my Thumb through a Trace Elliot 4x10" with no tweeter, I suspect things may be a bit "harsher" though my Ashdown MK500![/quote]

Yeh lack of a tweeter would mask the dreaded clank for sure.