six string bass IB-6s

[Alansun]

First got to say the timber finish with a light yellow stain is awesome and the bridge is solid as a tank. I am after a few ideas on wiring, it has 5 pots, with 3 capacitors, so 2 volume and 3 tone.

I can see lots on 2 volume and 2 tone but not 3.

Any suggestions welcome

Alan

[WeirdBits]

Are the pickups split coil, with 4 or 5 wires? If so, I'd consider switching out the pots with some upgrades so you can do a bit extra with the wiring... say a master volume control and then, for each pickup, a concentric volume and tone pot and a coil blend pot. That would give you a huge amount of flexibility while still staying passive.

However, if you want to stick with the stock electronics, I'd wire it as a volume and tone for each pickup and then a master volume at the front (rather than 2 vol and 3 tone). Basically, something like this but with a master volume added between the bridge volume and the output jack.

[lawry]

Hi Alan. I'm currently building an IB-6S too but didn't look closely at the electronics because I always intended to give it an internal preamp. If you want to keep your pups passive then I agree with Scott. There's no way that I can see that it is possible to have three tone pots, so using one as a master volume is a good suggestion. If you want to put active electronics in it without breaking the bank I recommend the Tone Monsters (SBK series). I've used them before and reckon they're as good as many of the 'better' brands (quiet, good range and low current). From the measurements I have done on my kit I think it will fit comfortably in the cavity too, including the battery. So no extra shaping is required, or at least very minimal. This is the version I have bought but there are other options. I got mine from an eBay seller for about AUD$50 delivered. Hope this helps.

http://guitarfuel.com/Guitar_Bass_Preamps.php

Cheers

[wokkaboy]

so Lawry, what is the main purpose of the pre-amp, can you have more adjustment like an equaliser adjustments ? I'm not very knowledgeable with electronic upgrades.
I am more than likely do Scott's idea and have separate tone/volume for each pickup and an overall volume

[lawry]

Hey Wokka,
There are few advantages to a preamp. You get much more control over your tone by being able to boost or cut treble/mid/bass etc. (like your home stereo) whereas a passive circuit can only attenuate the treble. Many preamps will also give you a higher output than a passive circuit. The output of a preamp is usually very low impedance (a few hundred ohms) whereas a passive circuit is generally many thousands of ohms. This means that you will drop most of your output voltage across the input to your amplifier (which is what you want) and also likely pick up less noise from your lead.
I found this graph on the web as an example of an active preamp. It shows how much you can boost or cut each frequency range (bass/mid/treble). Hope this helps mate.

[wokkaboy]

cheers Lawry, that makes sense, so you will need to use a battery and mount it all in the control cavity. Will it all fit ok, have you done a mock test ? If it was only about $50 posted I might look into this option. Did the pre-amp come from the east, about 3-5 working days posting time ?

[lawry]

Haven't received the preamp yet but it is coming from the good ol' US of A not China (it is made in Korea) and it will need a battery. I've done some measuring and reckon it should fit in the cavity without any modification. There's a lot of room in the IB-6.

[wokkaboy]

ok thanks for the update Lawry, maybe when it arrives if you can please confirm there's enough room in the cavity to fit pre-amp and battery plus 5 pots. Presume the pre-amps come in different physical sizes ?

[lawry]

I'm fairly certain the preamp boards are the same size and are is held in place by one pot mounted on it. The web page says the PCB is 25 x 32 mm, so not that big. I'll take some pics and measure it up when it arrives.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Lawry, no sign from the postman ? What model did you order, a SBK-3 or SBK-3A ? I think I'll order one, as you say should be plenty of room in the cavity.