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Bass Guitar Tone Control

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theman

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Hello all,

the idea is this: to have increased bass from the tone control of a passive bass guitar.

I would like to enhance the bass without having an additional potentiometer, as there is physically, no space to do so. It is also the case that the fitted potentiometers are miniature so as to comfortably fit into the available cavity, thereby, negating the use of standard sized pots. The use of a stacked dual concentric pot is also beyond the bounds of feasibility, as I would have to modify the existing circuit in a way that I have not a clue how to do!

The problems I have are limited electronic knowledge and being unable to find among the array of websites, a simple enough circuit that I could utilise and install. I would also like to know if such a circuit is possible to achieve without using transistors, op-amps and inductors.

Do not be fooled by the apparent competence I display, I really am quite ignorant, but it is owed to weeks of research that I can communicate to this level.

Could somone pease help me by providing a detailed schematic and any information that may seem relevant.

Thank you.
 
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Why on earth would you want more bass from a bass guitar? - if you have a problem elsewhere then fix it, there should be more bass from it than you could ever want.
 
Hello all,
Do not be fooled by the apparent competence I display, I really am quite ignorant, but it is owed to weeks of research that I can communicate to this level.
LMAO... I've never heard it put that way, but IMHO, you get an A+ for that 50¢ sentence!;)
 
The purpose of the tone modification is to achieve close to the sound of an active preamp without having to make further cavities and having to add a battery. I want it to remain passive, as I already have an active bass.

theman
 
The purpose of the tone modification is to achieve close to the sound of an active preamp without having to make further cavities and having to add a battery. I want it to remain passive, as I already have an active bass.

An active tone control provides both boost and cut, a passive one can only provide cut - it's not going to sound the same. But your amp should have active controls on it, adjust that for the sound you want.
 
Nigel,
thank you for the information, but perhaps I'm not articulating myself well enough.
A lot of basses are fitted with active preamps; one might ask why, but it is a technological progression that bass players and musicians appreciate. However, passive basses are still popular, particularly those made by Fender. On these instruments, the tone is remarkable, only needing a small amount of EQ from a bass amplifier. Where other makes of bass guitar are based on the Fender design (but not only), obviously, they are not the same. For this reason, many bass players make modifications to their instruments in the hope of sigificantly enhancing its tonal quality. Hence, my inquiry. I want to modify my instrument, avoiding a the need to rout and drill into it. If, however, it is being suggested that I am wasting my time in this attempt, or that it is not possible to achieve such a modifcation, then I am deeply disappointed.

Nonetheless, thank you, again, for your comments.
 
Nigel,
thank you for the information, but perhaps I'm not articulating myself well enough.
A lot of basses are fitted with active preamps; one might ask why, but it is a technological progression that bass players and musicians appreciate. However, passive basses are still popular, particularly those made by Fender. On these instruments, the tone is remarkable, only needing a small amount of EQ from a bass amplifier. Where other makes of bass guitar are based on the Fender design (but not only), obviously, they are not the same. For this reason, many bass players make modifications to their instruments in the hope of sigificantly enhancing its tonal quality. Hence, my inquiry. I want to modify my instrument, avoiding a the need to rout and drill into it. If, however, it is being suggested that I am wasting my time in this attempt, or that it is not possible to achieve such a modifcation, then I am deeply disappointed.

If you want active tone controls, then you need more space in the body - you can't make passive controls sound like active. But like I said before, you should be able to set your bass amp controls to give the same effect anyway - but obviously don't have the adjustment at your finger tips.

You 'could' make passive Baxendall type tone controls (which active ones are), but you then need to provide amplification to overcome the losses - so it's still an active control.

I'm fully aware of bass guitar types, my daughter is a great bass player, and has some basses with active and some with passive - she never cares about either type, playing technique and skill makes her happy with the sound from either. She's got a 4 string (P-Bass copy) passive, a five sting active, a four sting fretless active, and a four string acoustic (with inbuilt mike and three band graphic).

Mind you, she even likes her acoustic bass, which I think sounds sh*t - and I refuse to do the PA if she uses it - although to be fair, we've never sat down and try setting the controls to make ME happy.
 
Nigel,

it seems I must accept defeat and I do so magnanimously.

Your daughter must be extremely talented and obviously in demand to own such a good selection of basses. I wish her all the best in her musical endeavours and again, thank you for your time and expertise.
 
Nigel,

it seems I must accept defeat and I do so magnanimously.

Your daughter must be extremely talented and obviously in demand to own such a good selection of basses. I wish her all the best in her musical endeavours and again, thank you for your time and expertise.

Thank you, likewise I wish you well - as long as you play bass you should never be short of a gig to play :D
 
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