Yamaha trb 5ii eq settings

[Delamitri79]

Hey folks. I have a lovely yamaha trb 5ii bass. I'm very happy with the build quality and playability. Unfortunately I'm a little disappointed with the preamp and possibly the pickups. It seems to sound muddy almost all the time. I'm trying to eq it onboard as best I can but I can't get that nice clear tone I'm after. I have put new strings on it about 2 weeks ago. 

Would anyone have any suggestions 

Thanks 

Edited June 5, 2020 by Delamitri79

[ambient]

I had a TRB6 a few years ago, that had an amazing clear tone, very bell like. Have you tried changing the battery? Silly question I know, but I’ve convinced myself a couple of times that there’s something wrong with my instrument, only to suddenly realise it’s the battery.

[Delamitri79]

Yeah I've tried a couple of batteries and no improvement. It's a funny one. I've everything flat and the bass sounds huge and powerful but slightly muddy. I don't know if the preamp needs a service or complete replacement but it's really annoying. I've Ernie Ball Slinkys on it now but I'm not sure if different strings will make enough of a difference 

[LeftyJ]

Have you tried tweaking the two trimpots inside the control cavity? They adjust the mix of the second coil of each pickup. The tonal difference is subtle, but effective. 

[Delamitri79]

Yeah I've changed them around a good bit and mixed them and I can hear the difference but it stills leaves everything muddy 

[Graham]

I've got a TRB1005J, so similar, but I don't know how close the electrics are.

I too am underwhelmed with the pre-amp, pickups are pretty good I think, but the pre isn't great.

For my money the centre frequency of the mid-range control is set too low, so there's too much bottom end.

I tend to cut the bass by about 50%, boost the mids to max, boost the treble by about 30% and then favour the bridge pickup by about 50%

That gives me a much clearer and articulate sound, though my strings are a bit old, so would back those ratios off a bit with new strings.