Pickups, Preamps and outboard electronics
(UPDATE: Yes, we can also give you fantastic upgrade options for the 5-string model S.U.B., just email or call us and ask, we can help.) At the time of this writing, the Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Ray4 model has a street price of about $300 USD. We do routinely get requests asking what upgrades … Read more
What is a Fender Greasebucket circuit and what does it do? The Fender Greasebucket Tone Circuit was introduced in 2005. It’s called Greasebucket because it is based on the shape of the oil-filled capacitor. Where Fender bass guitars are concerned, this tone circuit appears specifically in American Special Fender bass models which, according to Fender, … Read more
(*Note: More recent versions of the Quarter Pound no longer show the “Basslines” logo, but it is still the same great pickup it always was.) Is Quarter Pound just a name? Quarter Pound is not just name-only. The pole pieces used in a Quarter Pound are 1/4-inch in diameter, expanding the magnetic field of the … Read more
Cleaning P-Bass bass guitar electronics is an easy process when you know how to do it. The video below shows exactly how it’s done, and once you see how easy it is, you’ll be able to do it yourself. What helps more than anything else in lubricating and cleaning your P-Bass potentiometers is a contact … Read more
The newer version of a V-4B is a very good modern interpretation of this model. It’s 100 watts of all-tube goodness, but has nice newer features like integrated DI, among other things. Looks-wise, the modern V-4B totally nails it. But how does it sound? See (and hear) the video below and decide for yourself.
One of the more rare electric bass guitars from the 1960s is the Moni Bassus, made in Hungary. Reported only to have been constructed in the 1960s and having a low production number, coming across one isn’t exactly easy. Made as good as a Fender or Gibson of that era? No. Designed well? That’s debatable. … Read more
The Sabre Bass has had a long absence and hasn’t been made since the early 1990s, but now it’s back. Looks great, sounds great. For those of you out there looking for something “not Fender” but still has a great feel and sound to it, this might be just what you were looking for. AND … Read more
Before beginning this one, know that there is no official rule that states you have to use a 250K audio taper potentiometer in your bass. It’s your bass, and you can use whatever you choose. However, there are reasons why this particular pot is used. Also, bear in mind this is written from a passive … Read more
Jack Marshall sent us in this article of his bass modifications. Thanks, Jack! If you’d like to contribute your own tips-and-tricks or informational or modification article, send it on over to editor@bestbassgear.com. You can send over your article as a Word DOC/DOCX, LibreOffice ODT (free!) document, OpenOffice ODT (free!) document or exported document saved from … Read more
At NAMM, we were able to talk with Carey Nordstrand who showed us the new stuff from Nordstrand Audio products, and it was demonstrated with a cool Fodera headless prototype. Will the Nordstrand Audio products become real? According to Carey’s personal blog, yes. According to Carey, NA products should be available later this year. Cool!
