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Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

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  • #1

    Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

    This post is going to be rough, it's late and I'm going crosseyed. Coming from the guitar world, I'm not very up to speed on bass lingo and tech. I'm hoping someone here can answer a simple question. I have an old Ibanez bass that I want to revive. It has a good frame, but the electronics are old and passive. I'd like to add a preamp similar to what I've got in my other basses.

    I have a spare set of Ibanez EXF-4 pickups I plan to use. I also found a preamp that I hope will pair with these pickups. I really can't find enough useful info about the pickups to know what preamp to pair the with.

    First question, will my I anez EXF-4 pickups be compatible with this preamp?



    Second, does anyone happen to know if this preamp is any good? I'm hoping to at least get on the same ballpark as my other basses (Ibanez SR405 and EDB 600, pics of both circuits here).




    Hopefully that's enough info to build an answer. Educate me!
    Last edited by posite63; 09-14-2018, 02:30 AM.
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  • #2
    Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

    Is that a preamp you already have, or is it something you are considering? I am not familiar with Conklin preamps, but their high-end basses are amazing. If you are using that preamp, what made you choose that over other ones? Just curious..and hopefully some of the bass players will help out with info about what you have.
    Administrator of the SDUGF

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    • #3
      Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

      It was up on eBay, which is what triggered the whole idea for rehabbing the bass. I don't see a lot of them posted. I really don't know anything about preamps at this point, so that one has no significance other than being affordable and supposedly decent quality. But it has since sold.

      But the project will continue. I've found a numbers of preamp mod kits for sale, and the biggest question for me is how to know what pickups and preamps can be paired. Logic would suggest that my Ibby pickups are compatible with a preamp such as the one above, since how they appear to be set up in a similar manner in my other Ibanez bass. But again, I'm completely new to this and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are other important factors in the equation.

      Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

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      • #4
        Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

        That 1st pic looks almost identical to my Tobias bass preamp. It has the advantage of easily identifiable terminals. You can see where the front and rear pups connect, the output jack and the battery and ground. Also, it makes it dirt simple to do some IC rolling.

        Other than that, this is one of those projects where you kinda learn by doing. Try it. See if it works. I don't see any reason for it not too. That 2nd preamp looks rough. Definitely needs at least one pot replaced.

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        • #5
          Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

          With a preamp like that the most important aspect is the value of the pan pot. Active pickups typically use a 25K or 50K pan pot, while passive will typically use 250K or 500K. Without knowing the value of the pan pot, it's difficult to know if a given set of pickups are compatible with a preamp.
          Originally posted by crusty philtrum
          And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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          • #6
            Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

            Since pickins are slim on used preamps, I've been eying one of these. They have decent reviews and a lot of the guys on the TalkBass forum have praised their value. I figure it LOOKS similar enough to my other setup (picture 3)...what could go wrong?


            Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
            Other than that, this is one of those projects where you kinda learn by doing. Try it. See if it works. I don't see any reason for it not too. That 2nd preamp looks rough. Definitely needs at least one pot replaced.
            I'm definitely taking this on as a learning project. I've finally convinced my brother to take up an instrument, so he decided on the bass and I'm trying to give some support on the tech stuff...and realizing that I don't know enough.
            The 2nd pic is actually a bass I just got off eBay. It's an Ibanez EDB 600 that was in pretty rough condition, but dirt cheap. New parts are in the mail and the neck was straight. So it should be playing by next week.

            Originally posted by dystrust View Post
            With a preamp like that the most important aspect is the value of the pan pot. Active pickups typically use a 25K or 50K pan pot, while passive will typically use 250K or 500K. Without knowing the value of the pan pot, it's difficult to know if a given set of pickups are compatible with a preamp.
            Ah I'm glad you mentioned this, I hadn't thought of that angle before. I can probably reverse engineer the problem. The pickups are common enough that I could probably find a schematic or info on an instrument they would have come from.
            Last edited by posite63; 09-17-2018, 02:14 AM.

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            • #7
              Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

              Originally posted by posite63 View Post
              Ah I'm glad you mentioned this, I hadn't thought of that angle before. I can probably reverse engineer the problem. The pickups are common enough that I could probably find a schematic or info on an instrument they would have come from.
              It's simple enough that you shouldn't need to look up which bass the pickups came from; if the pickups themselves don't have a battery connection, they're passive.
              Originally posted by crusty philtrum
              And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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              • #8
                Re: Simple preamp/pickup combo questions

                Btw, I was just looking inside my Tobias, and that 1st pic is exactly the same board. The only difference is that my Tobias has the four components that are missing on that board: R103, C103, R113, and C111.

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