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Albert's TRB-6P: Electronics
Electronics-wise, hardly anything on this bass is factory issued. For starters, the bridge-mounted piezo pickup is no more. When the BPZ-6 was replaced with a Monorail bridge, along with it went the piezo pickup. As for the YLB-S6JZB ceramic single-coil pickups, they've been upgraded to Bartolini G66CBJDs. The stock onboard two-band 9V preamp is also history, and in its place is a custom-built Bass Lab unit.
Bartolini Pickups
The current pickups in this TRB-6P are Bartolini 6-String Classic Bass G6 Candybars [G66CBJD]. According to the literature, Classic Bass Candybars are passive "inline dual coil" humbuckers comprising "two types of carbon steel, brass, and copper powered by ceramic ferrite magnets." Kindly click
HERE for more information on these pickups.
Bass Lab Onboard Preamp
Albert's TRB-6P currently features a custom-built Bass Lab 9V two-band preamp installed in April 2012. This preamp basically consists of a 9V battery power source, stereo output jack, two circuit boards, five rotary controls and a mini SPDT toggle switch.
Pickup Volume and Tone Controls
Moving on, we examine the layout and functions of the Bass Lab preamp controls. In the pics section below, I've drawn up a diagram of this layout for your reference. Starting off in the upper row from right to left, we have three regular-sized black plastic knobs. These are the Neck Pickup Volume, Bridge Pickup Volume and Master Tone controls, respectively. This configuration is similar to that of a typical Fender Jazz Bass.
Duo-Tone Switch
On the extreme left is a mini SPDT toggle switch which I've dubbed the "Duo-Tone Switch." This switch is wired to the master tone pot and switches between two polypropylene capacitors. To my ears, switching down [Hi] attenuates lower frequencies and results in a brighter tone. This effect is especially noticeable when the Master Tone knob is rolled off completely. Conversely, switching up [Lo] attenuates higher frequencies and darkens the tone considerably.
Active Treble and Bass Controls
Two stacked concentric chrome metal knobs occupy the lower row. On the left is the Treble Control. Rotating the outer ring allows you to sweep through and zone in on a particular treble frequency, while the center knob controls the amount of boost or cut. Turning this knob clockwise from the 12 o'clock detent boosts the selected frequency, and vice versa. Next to the Treble Control is the Bass Control. The Bass Control operates in a similar fashion, albeit on bass frequencies only.
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| Bartolini Classic Bass Candybar Neck Pickup |
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| Bartolini Classic Bass Candybar Bridge Pickup |
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| Bridge Ground |
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| Bass Lab Preamp Controls |
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| Labeled Diagram of Preamp Controls |
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| Back Covers |
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| 9V Battery Compartment |
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| Control Cavity Cover |
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| Control Cavity |
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| Main Circuit Boards |
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| Neck Pickup Volume Pot |
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| Bridge Pickup Volume Pot |
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| Master Tone Pot |
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| Duo-Tone Switch |
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| Bass Boost/Cut Pot |
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| Treble Boost/Cut Pot |
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| Control Cavity Ground Lugs |
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| Stereo Output Jack |
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