Pickups, Preamps and outboard electronics
You probably have two immediate questions just from the title of this article alone, that being: Why are we talking about the SX Ursa 2 6-string from Rondo (also in sunburst), a sub-$200 bass guitar? Why would anyone bother to buy a sub-$200 bass, only to put more than $200 worth of pickup upgrades into … Read more
Short answer: Yes (see video below.) Long answer: It is possible for a bass player to play most guitar parts on his own without any guitarist present, however there are a few drawbacks to this. 1. You need the right pedals to do it This can get expensive real quick, and in addition you need … Read more
A popular option for many bass guitar owners is to install a preamp, such as one made by John East, Glockenklang, Delano, Bartolini, Nordstrand or another manufacturer. In order for the preamp to work, you have to power it. And while there are many ways to power a bass guitar’s preamp system, here are 4 … Read more
See Don Campbell’s business listing here BBG: There is debate over whether one type of capacitor is better than another. Is there any difference in bass tone concerning the capacitor for anything having to do with the capacitor other than its capacitive value? DC: In a very general sense, the answer is no when you … Read more
What is the Stellartone Tonestyler? The Stellartone Tonestyler is a replacement tone control for single or dual pickup bass guitars or guitars. It is very similar to the traditional Vari-Tone without incorporating inductors into the design. The Tonestyler is a high-quality rotary switch with an array of capacitors to select through either 6, 10, or … Read more
See Don Campbell’s business listing here BBG: The ToneStyler switch is not like others you would typically find. It’s much more compact and made to military specifications. Is the reason for using such high-quality parts to make the product last longer? DC: I chose the Gray Hill switches because they are the only ones compact … Read more
What is a passive tone control? A Passive Tone control is a low pass filter comprised of a three-way variable resistor (potentiometer), and a capacitor. How does a passive tone control work? The passive tone control on your electric bass guitar is a subtractive device. The capacitor allows high frequencies to pass or be bled … Read more
What is coil tapping? Most of the time when someone says “coil tap,” they are actually referring a coil split. Actual coil tapping is remarkably rare these days. The idea with a coil tap is when winding a single coil pickup, you stop the winder part way through the winding process, attach a new lead … Read more
Below may be the best 3 minutes and 17 seconds of video you ever watch. Clyde Clark, President of Bartolini, explains in plain English (which is the best way to explain anything), how pickups work. The most important thing to take from the video is that a pickup is part of an electrical circuit. Not … Read more
Little known fact: BBG does sell a looper. One of the best available, in fact. What would a bass player need a looper for? There are actually several good reasons for a bass player having a looper. But before we talk about that, here’s a video of one in action used by a bass player: … Read more
