tobiewharton Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Hi all, I'm considering upgrading the Bartolini MK1 pups and preamp on my Cort B5. I want more bottom end and greater articulation over all, but love the feel of the bass and its weight. The MK1s are 108mm x 34mm and the string spacing at the bridge is 16.5mm, so that discounts some pup replacement options. I use super light gauge Newtone nickel roundwounds, which are wonderful. My budget's £250. Any ideas? Cheers, Tobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Is the pre amp Bart too..?? my feeling is that if the bass has a certain pricepoint, then the pre amp will be where they 'compromise' I changed the pre amp on a Fender as the stock one is pretty s*** and a decent pre amp rescued the pickups. I'm tempted to do the pickups at some stage, maybe but I need to swap out all the Fender hardware first.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobiewharton Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 I believe it is JTUK, but the pups are 'thin' in passive mode too so I'm inclined to cover all bases with a full overhaul. Any ideas for direct pup replacements that will fit the routes and the string-spacing, but won't break the bank? Cheers, Tobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 (edited) I had a Bart mk1 pups and pre loaded Cort A6 which like you I loved to play but I wanted a bit more depth and weight in the lows. I was planning to change to an Aguilar OB3 pre-amp but ended up selling the bass to go back to playing 5 strings. I believe Aguilar also do a soapbar pup which is a straight drop in for the Bart units. Edited August 22, 2016 by Painy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Yeah, the MK1's left me wanting in a couple of basses. For that particular size, then I think Aguilar DCB, Nordstrand and Delano SBC (5 driver I think) should be up on your list. Very nice pups! I do agree that the preamp should probably go too and thus any of these brands preamplifiers are really nice. I;m currently using the Glockenklang 3 band preamps, which are very clean sounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobiewharton Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Cheers gents. I do like the Glock and Delano preamps that I've heard. Haven't seen Delano soapbars though - could be a gooden. Fine with the narrow spacing? Reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 (edited) [quote name='tobiewharton' timestamp='1471901866' post='3116911'] Cheers gents. I do like the Glock and Delano preamps that I've heard. Haven't seen Delano soapbars though - could be a gooden. Fine with the narrow spacing? Reasonable? [/quote] Yes, like the DCB, the SBC pickups use rails rather than pole pieces so string spacing isn't a problem. The 5 string Driver model is the same size as the MK1. The Delano pups are very nice. I'm usually an EMGer but you won't find a Bart shaped stock EMG, but the Aguilar is, really is a super contender. Edited August 22, 2016 by dood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Swap the preamp, nothing wrong with the pickups IMO, a lot of folk wire them passively. The stock pre is ok but the frequencies aren't to my liking, even a £30 Artec (they do one with a sweepable mid) will be a good drop in replacement. Still amazes me how companies can get the bass and treble frequencies wrong on preamps. EDIT: I have the same bass btw. Edited August 24, 2016 by lemmywinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobiewharton Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Cheers for this lemmywinks. I mainly use the bass in passive mode anyway, but still not keen on the pups to be honest. I find them thin and unresponsive at the bottom end, with a perceptible 'popping' on the attack. Shame, because I think the highs are pretty good. Still love the bass overall anyway - amazing value. Dood and others, which in your experience are the most hi-fi out of the Delanos, Aguilars and Bart P2s? Thanks again, Tobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Passive mode on the Cort B5 isn't actually passive IIRC, it's an eq bypass which still uses the preamp, I think it's just a lower output rubbish preset tbh which tries to mimic a passive sound so doesn't give a true impression of what the pickups sound like. I would wire them straight to a jack first to see if you like the sound of the pickups, might save you a bit of money. Alternatively you could sell the bass and get the new model with the Markbass eq. I usually set the bass at centre, roll off [i]a lot[/i] of mids and lose a touch of treble as a starting point then eq it back on my amp. Got some very good sounds out of it that way but before I got a Sire V7 I was planning on sticking a different preamp in and keeping the pickups. Edited August 24, 2016 by lemmywinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobiewharton Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share Posted August 25, 2016 Thanks for this lemmywinks. I didn't realise that, so will try the preamp change first. Cheers, Tobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.