A Best Bass Gear customer was wondering whether he should upgrade his preamp or his pickups:
I have a ESP LTD B206 bass that I am very happy with in every way except for the electronics. Would installing a Bassline or Agulliar preamp with the stock pickups improve my sound? If I can only afford to do one thing right now which would do more the pickups or the preamp?
If you are looking to upgrade your tone I would start with the pickups. The pickups are the most important part of the electronics, and the preamp is simply there to tweak the sound of your pickups.
To figure out which pickups will fit your bass you should first measure the length and width of your neck and bridge pickup.
Once you have the dimensions you should think about what kind of tone you are looking for.
Whether you want a more vintage sounding instrument, or something really bright and articulate, or something focused on strong lows and low mids.
There are many different tonal directions you can go when looking at upgrading your pickups.
– Evan, Best Bass Gear Tech
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Was actually looking to do exactly as you suggested. Have a 2010 Lakland Skyline 55-60 Custom, and as usual, wanted to upgrade. However, it didn’t sound like the sound of all my Fenders, which was what I was used to hearing. I ended up purchasing an Eden WTDI pedal . . . this is absolutely the best piece of equipment i have ever purchased. I now can have the old vintage sound, and, I can have a more modern agressive sound! (Not affiliated with Eden)
couldn’t agree more about the Eden pedal. best thing I have purchased since ’89. And I have purchased a ton…
Looking to upgrade my preamp. I have a Fender Jazz 5 string bass looking to change the preamp. I have a stacked treble/bass knobs plus a separate cut boost for my tone control. I’m not sure if there are any aftermarket preamps with that same setup. And also I’m looking to upgrade my bridge looking for something that will give me great action and easy how to adjust. Last thing that I’m looking for are replacement Turner I heard a lot about Hipshot but never really use them. I need your input, seeking help to better my sound and playing ability.
Looking to upgrade my preamp. I have a Fender Jazz 5 string bass looking to change the preamp. I have a stacked treble/bass knobs plus a separate cut boost for my tone control. I’m not sure if there are any aftermarket preamps with that same setup. And also I’m looking to upgrade my bridge looking for something that will give me great action and easy how to adjust. Last thing that I’m looking for are replacement Turner I heard a lot about Hipshot but never really use them. I need your input, seeking help to better my sound and playing ability.
actually i have a question if i have a passive bass which has a tone that i like but there is no clarity when i play live shows especially in the high and mid end…..do i need to change my pickups or get a preamp?
If you like the tone already, try a brighter set of strings like stainless steel rounds.
FWIW, I’ve got a Hamer 12-string bass which have some bizarre after-market pickups (e.g. a Seymour Duncan guitar pickup in the bridge position, standard P-bass Seymour Duncan bass pickup in the neck position). Bass sounded less than great when I bought it. Rather than upgrade the pickups, I put in a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp, and holy cats, the bass sounds great now! The tech who did the install said more or less the opposite of the guy in the article: the pickups are just magnetic slaves to the preamp, and so upgrading the preamp will give you the best bang for the buck. I don’t know if that’s really true, but I do know that the preamp upgrade made a world of difference for me. (I may still do the pickups in the future…)
I install a lot of EMG’s to replace the noisy preamp, i’ve never replaced an EMG to another , and with the choices of 2-3,stacked, there is a module for everybody.
Give me passive pickups any day…sound better and don’t have to worry about batteries or the cost of batteries, or losing juice halfway through a song.!.!
You would think so. But in reality it just isn’t an issue. Cost? Batteries typically last a year or so, barring a faulty preamp. That’s pretty cheap. And dying in the middle of a song? That doesn’t happen. They lose voltage so gradually that it’s more appropriate to think of them dying in the middle of a season.
That said, I do like having a passive bypass switch just in case the aliens arrive with their EMP death rays… 🙂
I’ve got a ’00 American P5 Deluxe upgraded with both pickups AND a preamp. A Nordstrand Fender spec split pickup at the neck with an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp has given my bass an amazing range without losing any of the vintage Fender tone that I love. Clean, articulate, well balanced tone with the new hardware has turned this bass into my all around workhorse for both recording and gigging.
I bought a 2014 Vintage Mod Squire Jazz 5, installed Delano JMVC 5 FE/AS PU set, and a John East Preamp (as an experiment). The bass sounds and plays so good, I bought another one in White and I’m going to do the same with it. I can get any tone I can think of from modern boutique to classic warm, all noiseless in neck, split, or bridge settings. This proves that (within reason) you don’t need to spend a forune to have a great sounding bass. I’m into this bass now for about $1000, the preamp be was the most expensive $300, but was a direct retrofit plate. If a working bass player can stomach the Squire name, they are an excellent build quality these days. This isn’t my prettiest bass, and I have a few that are easily 4 times the price, but this one I’m not afraid to take on the road, throw around in a gig bag, take to a jam and still produce any high end sound I can dream up. FYI I bought PU’s and Pre right here at BBG. Cheers
I too have the ESP LTD B206SM. The build is fantastic but the pickups are weaksauce. Short of playing around with the pots inside the elec compartment, should I…
1. Look into getting a beefier pre-amp?
2. Replace the pups and hope it’s not a weak pre?
3. Throw another 9V is series and hope for the best?
I have a Cort Action Bass 4 string. The tone is very weak. I would like to keep improve the picks up of the bass guitar as I believe it would give me a bigger, fuller sound. I’m a gospel bass guitarist and would like the tone of my bass to be very articulate and clear yet wanting a strong lower range as well as a strong top range. Which pick ups are best fitting to get me this tone?
Hi, I have an old cort A5 I just picked up. I used to have one as a travel bass many years ago. I’ve had smiths, fenders,…..etc,.
I love the Jaco finger sound I’ve experienced with the bart soap bars – then add some neck pickup for some warmth.
Can you please recommend which Bart’s and which electronics to buy for the Best sound??
Thank you
Hi Have a Bass guitar that was built for me 1976 Fender precision neck and a solid body
with the hayman 4040 plate and pick ups, can these pick ups still be purchased, or could I change these pick ups for something different