LeftyBassist.com

So guys, what kind of preamps are you into? Pretend you are contemplating a fretless Jazz Bass build. What would be your power plant and why?

I really like the Nordy pre in my Regenerate Axiom bass. I also like the Aguilar and Sadowsky preamps, and think the F Bass preamp sounds great too. You want a built in preamp?

Yes onboard

I have little experience with onboard Jazz preamps, but I had an Audere with the 3 Z-modes for a while. Lots of tonal options, very good eq, the Z-mode switch is actually a useful feature (maybe not so much on a fretless) and mine also had a passive tone control that I liked. No lefty option (the pots rotate in the wrong direction) and probably difficult to mod to lefty because all pots are directly mounted on to a small pcb board. Quite nice though, just not my cup of tea. My Jazz is back to passive and I love it that way.

Joe Sheldon (thumbslam) would be a great person to ask about this since he's probably used almost every preamp out there and he is a big fan of utilizing onboard EQ to its full potential...

I keep my onboard EQ "flat" or "not boosted" 98% of the time and only usually touch it when I'm going through a house rig or borrowed backline rig. Sometiems I'll add a little flavor for a particular song or if I'm playing a solo... but it's rare. I tend to get my EQ from my amp, and I'm primarily a "set it and forget it" kind of guy.

With that said, here are a few that I've used...

East J-Retro "Drop In" Preamp for Jazz Basses: Noisy and hissy top end. Low end was boomy and the bass control was "boost only" with a center detent. So, even when set "flat" there was a ton of color added. Had a sweepable midrange control and stuff... but it was just too much. Didn't like it.

Bartolini NTBT-918: One of the better "all around" preamps I've ever used. Adds a little treble and and a little bass even when set flat, so just having it installed gives you a little extra oomph. The onboard gain control is a great feature as well.

Nordy 2b: I had this in my Lull M5V, and I loved it. Very "transparent" and the EQ was very usable... even if you cranked it, it never got out of hand. It has an onboard gain control and probably sounded the most like passive mode when the EQ was set flat. Very little color at all.

Aguilar OBP-1: 2-band boost only preamp... most people agree that it's virtually identical to the Sadowsky preamp. It's my favorite Aguilar preamp. Great choice if you're going for that Marcus Miller vibe.

Aguilar OBP-3: One of my least favorite preamps... the Bass control has 18db of boost in only half the rotation of the knob(!!!), so if you bump it past the center detent at all, it's already too much. The low end on these preamps can get CRAZY. There is also no gain control and it adds a lot of color to your tone even when set flat. A lot of people love these preamps... and I mean A LOT. Everyone from jazzers to metal dudes. Personally, I just don't get it.

I'm typically a set it and forget it guy too, I'm just knocking around ideas for a gourmet fretless. Not sure if I will go with active electronics yet, just trying to do something totally different. I may just end up getting a fretless SR4 anyway.

Thanks for the rundown on those preamps homie. Do you have any experience with EMG Jazz pickups? If so, how would you compare those to having one of the preamps above?

Actually, yes... I had the original EMG "J Set" installed in that fretless I sold you at one point and they were killer. Very clear, clean, even and articulate.

Funny story... I was talking to Les Claypool, of all people, about his J Bass tone at Guitar Center when it used to be in Berkeley, CA... it was right around the time when he was getting back into playing regular Jazz Basses a lot more instead of all of his crazy Carl Thompson basses.

Anyway, he invited me out to a couple of shows and his tone was absolutely KILLER live, and he was using the standard EMG "J Set"... so I got some and put them in that fretless.

Here's a video... it's completely crazy and probably not representative of what you might want in a fretless, but it's kind of what I saw when I freaked out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_8NtbKsYuA

that is a very key thing to know - that the preamp is being considered for a fretless

for fretless I strongly recommend a 3-band preamp with mid-frequency control, since that's where the 'voice' of a fretless is at. I also recommend that the mid control also have a frequency selection capability, and a means to modify the frequency points to suit the bass and your playing style

my preferred preamp is a Nordy 2-band, and in the case of a fretless I recommend the Nordy 3-band with either a push/pull selector to swap between 2 frequencies or an on/on/on toggle to select between 3. the frequency points on the Nordy can be modified relatively easily, even after initial purchase/install

all the best,

R

this is what I have in my Bartolini NTMB pre. I'm more of a flat, set it and forget it type also, but it's nice to be able to pull out that mid knob and boost some low mids when needed.

Great info guys. Thanks!

i would suggest a 3-bands for a fretless to make sure you'll bring out the mids and some low end
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Oups, regenerate just said the same thing, sorry about that but it makes sense.

I am an all Sadowsky Preamp guy (I have two of the Preamp/DI Boxes - one on my Efx Board, one to-go for my gigbag) and can't think of using anything else - I use it live for my passive fretted Basses and for recordings the last time....

I do play my fretless (it's my Fodera 4 that was turned into a fretless in may this year because I was hardly playing it because neckthrough is not my sound anymore - now this Bass has found it's true destiny ) passive most of the time because this Bass sings like a bird and I do have enough options with just the switch between Duacoils / Singlecoil , the PU Blend and the tone pot - don't need anything more.... But the fretless also sounds great through the Sadowsky...

I've used the EMG-X Jazz pickups and really liked them. Very clean, noiseless with a lot of bite and growl, wonderful top end on the bridge pickup and easy to set up.
I find myself playing more and more classic rock and country so earlier this year I swapped out the neck pickup for an EMG-PX and left the pots in a regular V,V,T configuration rather than using a 3 way switch like some PJ guys do. I think I'm in bass heaven now but that's just me, might not fit your playing style. It gives me most of the tonal flavors of the JJ set up but I now can blend in that chunky P-Bass low end.
Might add the EMG BTC tone control cuz so many guys swear by it but I'm also tempted to leave well enough alone

Glenn

I like the Sadowsky 2 band, the Musican 2-band, the Bartolini NTBT-918, and the EMG-BT 2-band I have in my two Warmoth Jazzes.

I've tried several 2-band preamps, but I've yet to find one I like.

Never tried an aftermarket preamp, but since owning a Wal I wish every bass I owned had a variable low pass filter. Literally any tone imaginable can be obtained, though it can sometimes be difficult finding your sounds again! Wouldn't it be cool if someone designed a preamp with a variable low pass filter and some ability to "lock" in or store your sounds somehow as an onboard preset? (Maybe they do?)

Peter I think line 6 makes some kind of bass like that if I'm remembering right(?).. But I guess I should say that I'd also like to avoid too many tonal options as sometimes a bunch of switches and whatnot can be superfluous.

EMG BQC Preamps are very good and can be wired 9v or 18v. I use them in almost all my Spector basses. They will also work very good in a fretless. My next Spector EURO5 Fretless will be equipped with this preamp. Thumbslam can back it up also and loves them. I have an OBP3 in my current fretless and it actually works pretty well but in a fretted, can be a little on the brittle side in the highs. the MIDs work pretty well tho.

If you're considering a Ray, the MM Sterling comes standard with a 3-band EQ. Just a thought.

One thing I have learned from wiring preamps and pickups at least 100 times and have done 5 and 6 different configurations on the same bass is you don’t know how a preamp is going to work in a bass or with pickups until it’s installed. I record basses now before I do anything then listen to it afterwards.
Regardless of who you are or how good you think your ear is what we feel and see affects our ability to interpret a sound. Recoding’s do not lie….
One observation I have made is usually the same brand of pickups most times sound best with the same brand of preamp. They are matched to handle the same output from the pickups.
I have brands that are my favorite for live and for studio.
Matt you dig passive jazz tone from what I gather so East preamps I would stay away from and good preamps that work well wired lefty and taper well are Bartolini. I hate their pickups though. Bart even has a “fretless” model as well as Seymour Duncan.
Buy great pickups and stay away from super colored preamps let the bass and you’re playing do the talking is sort of my thought process now.

You’re not a tweaker so in most cases a 2 band is enough but a mid knob with fretless is a must. If you scoop it and play near the neck it will sound like a stand up jazz and that is awesome!

I would suggest a Bartolini 918 NTNB with either the mid shift switch or the push pull mid knob…18 volts. Clean, transparent, organic, quiet, subtle you would love it.

You need someone to wire it up for you lefty or anything let me know…My Bart in my Lull is freaking amazing it has the Seymour Duncan singles and just sounds like the best jazz you ever heard…Next in line for you maybe a Nordy...I wouldn't stray too far from those two you will be thrilled with either.

Hm. Yeah, the Bart/seymour combo sounds intriguing. Thanks for the info. Now I need to get my SR5 sold so I can start on this beast. Thanks for the info, that is really helpful!