Major issue with the 4004cii

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:00 pm

Sounds like they are worth a try. If anyone is open tomorrow, I'll give em a shot.

ram · Post by **ram** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:01 pm

Have you tried anything like a SansAmp Bass Driver up front? Might be worth a shot.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:30 pm

I think half rounds sound like flats very quickly also, I use to use them quite a bit years ago.
Any humbucker isn't going to have the brilliant clear highs that a single coil has. I have a T-Bird with humbuckers, it came with RW's and it was kind of bright but nothing like a ric or Fender. I have chromes on it now and it sounds good to me, in fact I've gotten compliments on it's sound, but I still like single coil pickups better. If you really like the bass, get some 4003 pickups or toasters and throw those in it, also make it VVT and it'll have more cut to it. That's one thing I like about the T-bird, it comes with VVT. I would not even consider a 4004 unless they changed the control arrangement.

koobler · Post by **koobler** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:32 pm

dude, the HLF sucks mids. that cabinet is great for anyone who wants pure bass low end, but not much midrange punch.
I'd advise switching to a standard 8x10 or unported cabinets for more mids.

also, which SVT is this? if it's the classic, be real careful with the bass knob. the EQs on those are famous for sucking the life out of the midrange if the bass knob is cranked a little too high. it's real hard to find a perfect balance.

then again, I like me some single coils and P style pickups because of what I play, often pick these days, so I guess midrange punch is almost the main focus. the advice I just gave might be completely null and void with a 4004.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:51 pm

I want mid range punch with no overtones! I had it with the 4003 and Chromes, but hated the hum and a little too nasal for me. I may just have to use rounds with humbuckers to get what I am after. I have the parts to do a VTVT mod, but they are 500k so I assume they wouldn't change the tone much?

It is a 95 SVT Classic. The bass control is set flat.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:24 pm

Jeff Scott had toasters in his, but I don't know if one would make that much difference.

I just got back from a long day of jamming and recording.

Replace both pickups wth toasters. The output levels are quite different between the HB-1 and a toaster.

To me, the 4004Cii I had with the toasters and TI JRs gave me the good ol' Rick tone with nice growl and plenty of highs. So try that Charly, I think you will be happy with it. The toaster swap is easy and can be reversed with no ill effects. You want the #0030 toasters that come with wood mounting screws and six grommets each; I placed three grommets under each mounting screw instead of the foam ring which gained me a bit more height adjustability. You want to get the toasters close to the strings as you will find a considerable drop in output compared to the HB-1 pickups. If you never use the tone control you may want to consider a volume control for each pickup and you can still use the selector switch, just change where it is in the circuit, after the volume controls and before the output jack.

cwk · Post by **cwk** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:28 pm

Charly
Give a set of LaBellas a shot.
Let your fingers do the talking.I think that you will find the range comfy.Nice strings.
Then again, I do like tape wound strings(yeah im weird).
I doubt that your playing is an issue here,it's just a sound that you want.
Bill

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:31 pm

If you are going to play flats on a 4004 then you may want to do the upside down smile eq pattern ... boost mids and cut treble and bass ... check out the cream reunion 2005 video and notice the eq when Jack Bruce is playing the fretless warwick ...

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:35 pm

Won't those silver toasters look silly on my Monty with gold hardware? And shouldn't the pots change also? Seems too drastic. I want to try the jazz rounds first, I think. THe cab thing seems a bit much too. I would take a bath trading in that fairly new HLF.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:47 pm

I forgot about the gold. If you decide you like the tone with the toasters you could get the covers gold plated. Or replace all the gold with chrome parts like I did. It is not imperative to change the pots. The 500K pots will only enhance the brightness of the toasters, something you are looking for.

markbass99 · Post by **markbass99** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:20 am

If you wanted to try toasters you could use the gold covers and attach them to the toaster baseplates, all the covers are interchangeable to some degree. I'm thinking about using toaster covers with hb'1 on a Laredo project I'm doing.

I don't think switching pickups is your answer though and I don't think you do either. My current philosophy is if you want a single coil sound get a 4001/4003, the hb1's were designed to be in the 4004 for a reason. I just think the ability to get the sound one wants out of them is sort of rig dependant. I went from Ampeg to Eden and finally to Markbass before I found something that worked(for me). The Markbass has enhanced clarity and punch that really allows the hb1's to shine, and it's very powerful don't let the size of that six pound box fool you.

As far as strings go you might find your answer with a steel wrapped round(for enhanced brightness). I know you're concerned with over tones but those will be reduced over time leaving you with a string still brighter than a flat. DR Hi beams are what I like, they are slightly compression wound to be easier on fret wear. I tried the half rounds that somebody suggested, they feel sticky and won't give you the highs you're looking for.

edski · Post by **edski** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:51 am

I was going to suggest what Jeff Rath said - almost. You say the bass on the amp is "flat"...cut it a bit and see if that helps the mids.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:17 am

you can put your gold hb1 covers on your toaster pickups ... they look fine an a 4004 ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:17 am

Especially with an SVT this is not an amp issue although I do find sealed cabs are more tight and punchy than ported cabs and 70's SVT heads more punchy than newer ones. Saying that, I would bet the single biggest thing contributing to your lack of punch is the inability to back off the bass pickup volume control a bit like on 4003's besides the fact that they are humbuckers which are not inherently punchy pickups IMHO.

qwezirider · Post by **qwezirider** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:45 am

"I want mid range punch with no overtones! I had it with the 4003 and Chromes, but hated the hum and a little too nasal for me."

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Darn! And here I was going to say "have I got a deal for you!"