The Last Bass Outpost

I think I sourced an answer to my question locally.  In addition I just scored a complete RD harness off of Ebay so I will be able to try out the solutions without risking my original equipment. (provided off course is it in working order when I receive it). 

I have a 1977 RD Artist bass that lately has become my favorite.  While the bass is really heavy, I never realized the wide pallet it could provide.

The version I have has a single three-way mode switch.  Position toward neck activates the bright boost, Center off, position toward back activates the expand mode (bridge pickup only) and the compression mode (neck pickup only).  The pick up selector is used to operate either one or both modes by limiting the appropriate pickup.  In 1979 this became two toggle switches; one turned the bright mode on and off – the other turned the compression/expansion mode on or off.  The electronics and wiring remained the same for both as did the way you used the pick up selector to run both or limit one of the modes

I would like to expand my options to include a toggle switch (on/off) for the bright mode and some sort of toggle where in I could run either, both, or none of the compression/expansion modes allowing me to always run both pick ups.  Has anyone had any experience with this?  I can decipher simple passive wiring schematics but this is intimidating and way beyond my knowledge and abilities. I have attached a Jpeg of the schematic available at fly guitar in case someone is inclined to take a peek.    Any help that anyone here could give me would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks uwe, that is something i wasn't aware of.   I guess I will pass on the Casady and keep waiting.  I have a fair collection of Gibson Basses now but the original EB1, Curly top 1981 RD Artist and the Signature are a little pricey for this old boy.  I have to say though that I play everything I own (or so the story goes when my wife asks).

I am not sure of the construction of the Epi.  I saw one LP Sig bass on Ebay with all the electronics replaced going for over $2000.  It was  beat up and just not worth it.  I started to consider the Jack Casady bass as it would also be possible to put it back to original condition and sell should a LP Signature body appear down the road.   It would give me a way to use and enjoy the electronics I currently have instead of leaving them on the shelf for future use.  BTW, You don't feel the using the original transformer would really much to the sound?  If not I was thinking of experimenting and trying it out on the recording guitar to see if it might add a little punch and power.

I have an original Les Paul Signature low impedance pick up and several of the original 50/250/500 transformers used in the Signature Bass.  If I were to replace the pick up and transformer in a Jack Casady Bass with these, in your opinion how close to the sound of the LP signature would I get?

Quote from: amptech on January 29, 2014, 05:57:13 AM
Well, it´s drying now and will do so for a couple of weeks - I can´t rush it. I´m trying to avoid the ´jeans texture´
I got on a bass I painted when I was 14 years old. Sprayed it black after breakfast, two coats (maybe 5 minutes between the coats). Waited impatiently for an hour or so before I put the parts back onto the body, then i plugged in and played it.. So I got black marks on my pants (looked pretty cool for a punk kid) and jeans texture on the bass

For the electronics, I´ll wait and see. I´ll post the schematics when I know it works. My testy rig (top mounted on my ´67 EB-3 with similar body) was the 15 ohm pup through a 1K cts volume pot, via an unmarked Tamura mic-to line shielded tranny - into a jack. Only roughly put together, but sounded very nice and was not noisy.

Output-wise, plugged into my Musicman rig (HD130/212RH/115RH) it was slightly stronger than most of my basses,
(it had a tad more ´attitude´ than expected) and slightly weaker (and less bassy) then the stock ´67 mudbucker.
I did not tune the circuit, just fooled around to get the best, in my opinion, pickup placement.

I guess tuning the cct will come last, I expect it to sound different with a hipshot bridge an ultralite tuners than with
a tilted bar bridge and worn schallers.

But I´ll keep you updated the second something happens.

Been a couple of weeks amptech.  Any chance for some updated photo's of the project?

Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on February 19, 2014, 06:07:34 AM
... as a Gibson bass lover to check out one of these shows: https://www.facebook.com/135339756866/photos/a.135475391866.123164.135339756866/10151904792501867/?type=1&theater

http://supersuckers.com/tour/

Eddie Spaghetti's bass is an early 90's black Les Paul Standard with a three point bridge. I have never seen him use anything else live. Covering the ground of both Gibson basses and three-point bridges, you are required to attend. Their music may come off across as a bit simplistic for your tastes, but I promise that you will never see a work harder. I think you would enjoy it.

They're coming to the Gothic Theater in Englewood eh.  Well its a little on the ecletric side for a 60 year old, but a pair of Stella cats eye contacts and with the medicinal vaps in full bloom I should be able to slip in un-noticed.  Looks like a interesting band.

Quote from: Grog on February 12, 2014, 02:51:41 PM
The pickup came today, it measured at 10.7 ohms. I tested it with my transformer chord, stuck it close to a Les Paul, gave it a strum............It works fine! It has some old adhesive on it that Goo Gone is having trouble getting off......... I'll just keep soaking. A bargain for $60.00 these days!

Congratulations Grog.  That was one helluva bargain!  I am not sure where I am going to ultimately get there pick ups x rayed but there have been several people who felt it would be useful so one way or another........

There are so many people interested in the low impedance pickups it would be good to post some additional information about them.  How would I go about getting xrays of the ones I have?  I have been asked to do it but I don't have a clue about how or where to make that happen.  Quite sure my health insurance wouldn't cover the xrays to be certain none of these pickups had a broken leg.  Can anyone offer a good suggestion?

A spirited debate to be sure  But I am looking forward to seeing some picks this weekend amptech.  Any chance for an update?.  I would like to know what value pots you have in mind for the tone stack you envision.  I know you're not taking this route but the Shure A95F impedance matching mike transformer has a multi-tap transformer in it, one for 75 ohms and one for 250 ohms.  Since your pickup is only 15 ohms you could you could switch between both taps.  I wonder how different the sounds would be for each?

Quote from: amptech on December 13, 2013, 05:56:51 PM
Well, there is still a regular ac signal we´re dealing with , and I´m going to have a very simple cct applied here.
There will be volume and tone, and a Lo to Hi Z transformer. It will be like the triumph bass, without all the controls. (The Triumph has both   hi and lo Z balanced / switched, hasn't it?)

FWIW the output jacks on all of my Triumph basses are unbalanced.  I would have to check to be certain but I think this is also true of the recording guitar I have.  They are 1/4 mono Jacks.  I have several complete Triumph harnesses around here.  If you would like any measurements or detail you have only to ask.  What Pot values do you intend using for the volume and tone respectively?  Will the transformer be post or pre tone stack?
'

Quote from: dadagoboi on January 25, 2014, 02:21:54 PM
Thanks for the compliments! I'm Cataldo, that's my personal EBO I've owned since '65 or so.  That's the stock neck mudbucker, bridge pickup is from a '68 Tele bass installed in '74.

Beautiful instruments dadagoboi.  If you're willing to be flexible about pickups I would like to talk to you about a 5 string come springtime.

(Granny, sometime would your PM me your exact set up for that Jamerson tone.  Unfortunately you would have to splain it to me  like I was a six year old. You guys are light years ahead of me in knowledge and experience.  I understand D.I. in theory but I have no experience with it)

Hahahahahaha  I like the maple finger Board    Actually it almost lost out to an ebony finger Board.  I'm terrible with design and colors so at every step of the finish I got a consensus decision from a set of people who are talented with such things.  To be sure I would offer the options but I would go with the consensus.  The finger rest opposite the pickups was a last minute option which won most to the maple.  Without the finger rest the maple didn't work and the ebony was the clear winner

The transformer is an old multi tap audio transformer made in the 1960"s by UTC,  The one pictured  is Identical in shape but with different out puts and it matches the specs from the LP Sig Bass.  Because of the Ohm output of the pickups I had to use a different Tranny with a multi tap primary of 250, 500 and 750 ohms.

The Audere preamp is designed to accept only a high impedance input (hence the transformer).   It is one of the few preamps that uses active mixing were the pickups are buffered before the balance pot.  This prevents the resistance of the Balance pot from changing the start point of the attenuation frequency. It also allows for a customizable Z switch which changes the impedance load on the pickups effectively raising or lowering the resonant frequency of the pickups. (I hope I got this right !?!).  Any way the effect is that the balance pot really is sensitive and the sound of the pickups remain true regardless of the blend.  On the Z mode switch, the mid position of the Z switch is almost indistinguishable from my passive Triumph bass, the low position provide deep rich bass which is not boomy, the high  position is my slap bass setting.

http://www.audereaudio.com/index.htm



It is obvious that all of this wouldn't fit into the EBO slot head which is why I made this one.  I am finished making basses now.  I am not that good at it and It takes me forever (1 full year on the green one),

That looks great.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I am not sure based upon the light, but are you finishing it in White or a more vintage white to mimic the fading that happens though the years?

Those Cataldo basses are sweet.   I love the G8R in Seafoam Green but this EBO takes the first prize,  That is probably the Thunderbucker they mention on the website in the neck position but I wonder what they are using for the bridge pick up?

I am going to change out the control panel.  I openly admit that design is not my strong point so I may post a few ideas for comment before I get the router out.

Amptech.  I am looking forward to the next round of Pics. Is it going to be a set neck?

Sorry for the Delay in responding - I was out of town at a convention.  Thank you all for the kind comments.  Man- you guys make me feel good about the work I did on it!  Friends here don't play instruments and basically give me that "It's really nice but why didn't you just buy one and save yourself the aggravation?"    The white pickups are regular Triumph bass pickups that I dyed with SEM plastic infuser.  That spot isn't a chip ( the SEM system which is used for Auto interiors is fairly indestructible) but a scrape from my file when I was doing the final fret level. I am a hack not a luthier and closer inspection of my work would confirm that.  Still I was so anxious to try it out that just left it for the time being.

The Body is the exact dimensions of the triumph.  I purchased a busted up one for pennies and used it as my model right down to the pocket depth  and such,  Then after I got it carved, sanded and routed perfectly I sliced the very top part off and chambered the bottom half taking nearly 1 ¼ pounds of weight out.  The color I used was the true 1957 Chevy Surf green,  not the later 62 Surf green which is what subsequent Chevy's and Surf green guitars are formulated from.  The 57 color had a lot more blue in it and can be of indeterminate color sometimes appearing green or blue in depending on light.  I did a nod to the  "57 Chevy thing" which is why the three chrome stripes are on the Fin, er I a mean control panel.  The fingerboard is plain maple (left in its original unstained condition) which I bound and inlayed before glossing it.   I never seen such on a LP so I thought it would give it that "It looks like a Gibson but something's wrong" feeling.  Same thing with the maple head plate which I Inlayed , painted and bound with a design  taken right from the Triumph bass layout.  Again Gibson never matched the headstock color to the body colors so I thought it was cool.  I agonized over whether to put the Gibson Logo on it.  It is not a Gibson and It might appear I was trying to rip them off.  But almost everything was inspired and Used from Gibson so to not acknowledge that seemed just as wrong. I researched the Laws and as long as I don't claim it's a Gibson and never try to sell it as such I can do what I wish with my property.   I tell people the truth about it – the name is on there as a true show of respect to the original and so they know that while I made it I did not create it.