jezzaboy Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I got a Sterling Sub a few weeks ago and it`s a nice bass but the well know problem with the "hot" pre amp is doing my head in. I run it through a Ashdown Evo 500 and even with the active setting on the amp engaged, it still bounces well into the red. And the volume control is more like an on off switch. So as I prefer passive basses anyway, rather than getting a new pre amp or doing the various pre mods floating around, I am thinking of getting a passive vol and tone fitted. I have a Wilkinson MM pickup kicking around and may get this fitted at the same time. It has the option of a series/parallel switch wiring as well. Is it worth it? Anyone done something similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 No, but I'm having the same trouble. I tried to lower the pickup and subsequently mashed the screw heads instead. The screws are really soft on mine, and one attempted turn of the screws just mangles the heads. Went through hell trying to remedy this, to no avail. Only thing I haven't tried is a dremel. I don't have a dremel and I'm not shelling out that kind of money. Tbh I doubt lowering the pup will help, so what I'll probably do is get the preamp swapped at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Can I just add - this bass is perfect for me. The neck dimensions - I don't think I could have designed it better myself. It's perfect for my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 Hey Funky. I tried lowering the pickup a bit but it hasn`t made much difference. And I like to anchor my thumb on the pickup so I can`t lower it to far. Reading up on this issue, it seems that EB are aware of it but have said it would cost to much to engineer it out! I don`t get this myself as it`s a well made instrument in all other respects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Well it is simply inexcusable to continue putting instruments out in the market with a known flaw. They should reduce the cost of repairing the issue from the RRP. But of course they won't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I've passified my SubRay4..... and it's great. I put in a switch for 'series/single coil/resistor reduced series' as series/parallel caused too large a change in output. With this switch, and going in to a DIY Barbershap, I can go from clean through slight break-up to more noticable grit. I'm very happy with it. p.s. I used a GFS MM-pro p/up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) How about a pre amp between the bass and your Ashdown. Something like a Behringer BD21, which has a level control which would decease the signal going to your amp. That would do the trick. BD21s are very cheap and are great little pre amps but any pedal with a level control should sort your problem out. Edited June 20, 2016 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 20, 2016 Author Share Posted June 20, 2016 Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I`m gonna go down the converting to passive route and stick in the Wilkinson pickup at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1466426387' post='3075682'] How about a pre amp between the bass and your Ashdown. Something like a Behringer BD21, which has a level control which would decease the signal going to your amp. That would do the trick. BD21s are very cheap and are great little pre amps but any pedal with a level control should sort your problem out. [/quote] I have one of these. How would I set it up to nullify the hot preamp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1466535529' post='3076633'] I have one of these. How would I set it up to nullify the hot preamp? [/quote] Set the signal level at the lowest on the pedal (and the drive down low if you have a bd21) and your volume on the bass at full. Then slowly increase the level until the amp starts to clip, then reduce the level on the pedal just a bit so that even when you're digging in the amp no longer clips. Then use the master on your amp to increase and decrease the volume. Experiment with different settings and as soon as your amp starts to clip, turn the level on the pedal down a bit. Of course I don't know what type of amp you have but you should be able to get a loud, clean, sound this way with most amplifiers. Edited June 21, 2016 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Alternatively if you're good with a soldering iron https://www.talkbass.com/threads/sterling-by-music-man-sub-ray4-and-ray5.871370/page-17#post-13351594 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 (edited) I had a look at the Talkbass thread gjones and read through most of it before deciding what to do. The mod Sterling suggested looked a tad too confusing for me. Not that I would have been doing it anyway! It`s a good idea using the pre amp pedal. But I have removed the active circuit and it is now in the hands of the lovely Paula from Strung out guitar who is gonna sort it out. Edited June 22, 2016 by jezzaboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Paula is a wee genius. I interviewed her for my college course a few years ago. Great at what she does and salt of the Earth, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 [quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1466629161' post='3077461'] Paula is a wee genius. I interviewed her for my college course a few years ago. Great at what she does and salt of the Earth, too. [/quote] Is she a urologist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I also have one of these basses, and I swapped the original onboard preamp with a retrovibe stinger, and swapped the pickup for another, more vintage sounding one. Enormous improvement in output level and tone control. And minimal amount of soldering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I had a Bongo 5HH a few years ago...it was a lovely bass, but the actives really did my head in; it was more a case of my discipline in leaving the tone controls alone while [we] were playing, but more often or not what started as a great tone ended up a horrible mushed up mess with every control on the bass turned to the maximum. I did raise a question here about pulling out (or disconnecting) the active circuitry and running it passive somehow, but I couldn't really get a definitive answer as to whether this was possible. The bass is long gone (and I do miss it now and again) and I'd still like to know! Would it have been possible to simply desolder the pickup cabling and route these through regular pots? Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1466629161' post='3077461'] Paula is a wee genius. I interviewed her for my college course a few years ago. Great at what she does and salt of the Earth, too. [/quote] Aye she is that. And she is also a keen bass player so she knows what she is talking about. She suggested a switch so I could run the pickup as a humbucker or single coil but by using 500k pots, this would do away with any hum on the single coil. Well I think thats what she said It sounded like a good idea. Hey NJ. Paula tested the Wilkinson pickup that I am having fitted to the bass and confirmed it was passive, so if the pickups on your old Bongo were passive, it should have worked no problem. I am basically doing the same thing you have suggested. Edited June 23, 2016 by jezzaboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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