BL2112 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 A school teacher of mine suggested converting my 9 volt active bass to 18. What is involved doing this? And what are the advantages of 18 over 9? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Someone please answer because im curious now too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BL2112 Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 All I know is in involves more drilling and will give more headroom. But i'd like to know how to do it and what will be the advantages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbass Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) What's envolved? Changing out the preamp with one that runs on 18 volts... gut that thing! I did that with my Yamaha TRB-6P... changed out the stock electronics for a Bartolini Setup, that will work on either 9 or 18 volts... of course, the circuit is optimized for 18 volts. What you have to decide is whether you truly want to modify your bass from stock or not (is it collectible? etc.), and if you have room in the compartment for the new electronics and an extra battery... if not, are you willing to rout out / cut away some of the wood to accommodate the changes, etc. Are you happy with your bass's sound / tone now? If so, you probably should leave things as is... I would ask your teacher why you should upgrade / what the benifits are, etc. since he suggested it, and see what reasons he gives... You don't have to have an 18 volt system, just because someone told you so... remember function over fad / fashion! Supposedly, the 18 volt systems give you a cleaner sound, with more headroom (better Signal-to-noise ratio). It's a big decision to make... hopefully with your bass, the mods to accomodate the changes will not be too difficult, if you do decide to go down that path. I did my electronics swap out of necessity... this is my main axe (not a collector's item) and the electronics in it died. So, I figured I could go with an upgrade for about the same price as going with purchasing OEM equipment to repair the bass. I installed everything myself, and the job was rather simple for me, as I come from a technical background. I did not have to cut into the bass, as the Bartolini electronics, are modular packs, which makes them fit a variety of knob layouts, and body cavities... check out what they have to offer at: http://www.bartolini.net/ Here is the pre-wired setup I bought... http://www.bartolini.net/information/harnesses/hr_5_4.htm Again, you will have to weigh the cost(s) of the upgrade, and decide. Good luck in you decision. Edited July 11, 2008 by rushbass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BL2112 Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 Thanks. I like the sound now of it. And it's just a week old. He just mentioned it when I told him I got the bass. I really have no Desire to gut my bass. I spent all my cash the bass. And all he tells me and I quote Phenominal cosmic power ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbass Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 QUOTE (BL2112 @ Jul 11 2008, 06:04 PM) Thanks. I like the sound now of it. And it's just a week old. He just mentioned it when I told him I got the bass. I really have no Desire to gut my bass. I spent all my cash the bass. And all he tells me and I quote Phenominal cosmic power ! If you are satisfied with the sound now, definitely leave it as-is... Congrats on the new bass! BTW, what did you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BL2112 Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Ibanez SR305 in Iron Pewter. It looks a whole lot better in person then online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbass Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 QUOTE (BL2112 @ Jul 12 2008, 10:20 AM) Ibanez SR305 in Iron Pewter. It looks a whole lot better in person then online. Cool! Those basses do sound good with the stock electronics... I've owned several Ibanez over the years, and always liked them... my best playing bass ever, was a late 1980's Roadstar II... that thing had an incredible fast-playing neck! Played like butter! Had to thin the "herd" years ago, unfortunately the Ibanezes didn't make the cut... they did have stiff competition - which was a 1962 Fender Jazz, and a 1977 Rickenbacker 4001S But really, I wish I still had that Ibanez... I could have stuffed some great electronics in it, and made a great playing bass sound fantastic... oh well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BL2112 Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 lucky, vintage basses....... I wish I had 4,300 bucks about 4 months ago. A 73 black and white jazz (geddy's) on ebay.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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