Love the mod series, that P10 sounds awesome. How about doing a "how to" setup demo or two? I have my own setup technique but always enjoy learning other people's way of doing things.
Yeah the P10 is a pretty premium piece at a mid-budget price to begin with, I never thought of it as a "mod platform", but yeah, he makes it into boutique "superbass" category with this upgrade! Wow!
Hey lobster. So on my P5, I agreed with you that stock pickup sounded good but lacked low end. I put a quarter pounder, didn’t like it. Then I saw this video. I put this Nordstrand P in the P5 and it’s night and day. A perfect blend of top end and low end. Thanks for helping me in my search.
Wow Lobster. The tones are so clean. And it's so versatile. You could almost just use the J pup only. It's nicely rounded and not harsh or thin. The tone selection is absolutely ridiculous. Good job. My head is spinning with the tone availability. 🦞🎸Until we groove again🎸🦞
I have a John east pre in my 07 five string jazz. The J-retro 01 deluxe (standard pre shape) I absolutely love it. Paired with Lindy Fralin pick ups. One of my favorite sounding basses I have
Oh man, I dig this! I don't have a bass that would qualify for an upgrade like this, but for a custom order, I'd go for this preamp, and probably also Nordstrand pickups (I'm dreaming of a custom Maruszczyk Elwood L...). My other favorite preamp is the new Lusithand 800TS which you recently reviewed, and which would drop right into my Clover Apeiron. Okay, this one in a 4-hole stacked-pot config would also work, but it would be more work and quite a bit more expensive.
LOL Bill is right. Soldering just takes practice TBH. I don't consider myself worthy enough for folks to repeat my exact method, I just think I'm good enough to get these projects done to the point where they won't fall apart and hopefully inspire folks to tinker with their stuff as well.
Great Review lobster nice change,sounds like a sting ray crossed with a rickenbacker kind of tone😆 spelling might be incorrect there🤔 but you know what i mean
Hello. I like your video. But I want to ask, you state that you have an NJ5FS sensor, it is hum canceling and should have three cables and a split coil, why did you solder the cable to the copper foil on the bottom of the sensor? (do you have single coil?)
Great question! From a quantitative perspective, absolutely. You definitely lose out on some flexibility, and the East Uni is the KING of flexibility. There's a setting for everything internally. I found the high end to be a bit more tame at center with the Flexcore, but that likely has to do with how the Uni was set (you can spend days tinkering). I also liked how the changes in the low mid freq impacted the character of the tone. The Flexcore is a bit more focused of a product in my opinion and I really dig the result here.
@@LowEndLobster amazing thank you so much for your thoughtful answer! I love this nerdy community. Second question! With the Flexcore/trick fish, are you able to run three pickups with 3 volumes one for each pickup?
First of all : Thanks for your great videos . When do you test the new Sire V10 5str dxl Soon I hope . Because I have the Sire V10 5str. and it’s the best bass I ever had for the money ( and I have had them all except Fodera) And I think it’s important how you work with the prea amp and the strings and the action . But of course you know all that but I think it is very important when you put Sire against more expensive basses and upgrades . Looking forward to hear upcoming tests ! You are the best bass test man !!’ Even though I have sometimes other opions , but thats the way it should be ! merry christmas and God Bless Bertil from sweden
I have never personally played a Sire that lived up to the hype. That pickup/preamp combo does sound killer though. Do they offer an optional three way mid switch? I would love to see a third position around 1khz. Great vid!
Great question! Sort of. They actually offer a model with a high and low mid control, and I believe you can have a 2 way toggle for each of those as well. There's a LOT of options with this modular preamp! I specced out this model with only the low mid control and the freq toggle to emulate that of the foderas. Really digging the tone
From the original bass purchase purchase price , what is the cost ( Without the artist discounts ) of all the upgrades giving the the viewers the total end cost of the base post upgrades. Thx for the review.
Flexcore vs John East? Is there a preference. I have a Sire V7 5 string jazz (2nd Gen) I want to modify in the new year and I'm looking at potential mod options.
Based on what lobster said, I think the preference was flexcore, but there is also a demo video where the East preamp was tested. I guess you should give that a listen and compare which sounds better to you. I personally prefer the flexcore.
Great question! I picked this as a platform for the flexcore specifically because I thought it would be a good combo (especially with the new P pickup). I wasn't unhappy with the east, I just wanted a good higher-end platform that's already been shielded (by me) and such to test this pre. I reached out to Flexcore/Trickfish to demo the IPA (from the Stingray Strange Pickup Series) and the Flexcore (for this) and I'm happy they obliged. Worst case, if I wasn't as happy with this as I was with the east then I could always go back... but TBH I am really liking this combo a lot. I will definitely do something with that Uni pre in the future though. Always more projects to be had!
@@LowEndLobster Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. It's good to know. I've actually done your passive tone capacitor mod on my V7 5 string and it made that passive tone actually usable, so thanks for that. Plenty to think about when it comes to where to do next. So thanks again :)
Am i the only one who doesn't hear any change between those 2 low-mids frequency? I think that 330Hz (12:09) and 473Hz (12:38) are too close in order to hear a substancial difference 😅
The pickups and preamp are listed in the description. The bridge can be found here- www.ampshopbassexchange.com/product/albridge-parts-sire-5-string-bridge-for-sire-marcus-miller-basses/
Okay, it's gonna be unpopular but to me this bass still sounds "cheap" :) There's no reason of doing mods to Sire, just because for the same price you may own a Lakland 55-02 which is basically "a better" instrument :) and YES, I am a huge fan of mods having all of mine basses customized. Nice try, my math's saying that its a huge waste of money ;) All the best!
Hey, that's why I make these vids! Give folks the info and let people make their own value judgement. I will be revisiting my 55-02 soon as well, and I got that pesky 3 way selector fixed now haha. Thank you!
@@LowEndLobster last time at my place we had a discussion about If the SIRE is worth of mods. So to me: 1. NO, just because a new one costs more than a half price of an used 55-02, 2. Lak is simply better (even 55-01 if moded). 3. Sire to me smells/sounds cheap so there's no way to make it better in this way. 4. Better guts can make this bass more useful, but it doesn't justify it. 5. Sires are simply unequal per bass, you may need to look & choose from more than two or three to find a "better one", so I would go for an old trusty yamaha BB series the first iteration of TRB bass or even older IBANEZ SR (japan made). 6. No quality components here until you mod it. What means - buying a SIRE almost for sure implies that you should visit the luthier for small fretworks (It may not occur because of "quality" but also the reason may be lack of proper storage/keeping) 7. Sire is a good bass for keep your fireplace running or when you threat it as a h**ker playing usual events (that's my point of view, you guys may disagree!). I may find many better alternatives though :) Thanx for the vids, hopefully someone will find it useful! :)
Active Basses just suck all around. Passive with a orange AD200 is the only set up you’ll ever need. All this other frivolous stuff is merely G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). It’s a way to market and keep money in these builders pocket. Which is great. However you need nothing but a passive pbass or jbass.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Love the mod series, that P10 sounds awesome. How about doing a "how to" setup demo or two? I have my own setup technique but always enjoy learning other people's way of doing things.
Wow, that bass sounds incredible. Very premium sounding.
Thanks man!
Yeah the P10 is a pretty premium piece at a mid-budget price to begin with, I never thought of it as a "mod platform", but yeah, he makes it into boutique "superbass" category with this upgrade! Wow!
I've like that bass in all its incarnations.
Hey lobster. So on my P5, I agreed with you that stock pickup sounded good but lacked low end. I put a quarter pounder, didn’t like it. Then I saw this video. I put this Nordstrand P in the P5 and it’s night and day. A perfect blend of top end and low end. Thanks for helping me in my search.
Oh my! That really sounds good!
Jesus, this is one of the nicest sounding basses I've ever heard, what a great set of mods 👍
I have a Flexcore preamp in one of my basses, and I love it!
Nice! I'm really digging it as well. Easy to install!
@LowEndLobster, what bass and treble frequencies do you have yours set at? My bass is at 46Hz, and treble is at 6K
@@LowEndLobster on nordstrand dc5 4 wire pickups which wire goes where on the preamp thanks
Wow Lobster. The tones are so clean. And it's so versatile. You could almost just use the J pup only. It's nicely rounded and not harsh or thin. The tone selection is absolutely ridiculous. Good job. My head is spinning with the tone availability. 🦞🎸Until we groove again🎸🦞
Sounds abso-friggin-lutely killer to me! One of my favorite preamps with my favorite pickup configuration - chef's kiss!
My 1st decent bass was used MIM Jazz with NJ4s in it & I've been a huge fan of Nord ever since. Great stuff!
Excellent upgrade
I have a John east pre in my 07 five string jazz. The J-retro 01 deluxe (standard pre shape) I absolutely love it. Paired with Lindy Fralin pick ups. One of my favorite sounding basses I have
Nice! We'll have the J Retro standard features in tomorrow's vid ;)
@@LowEndLobster hell yea!!
Sounds absolutely wild. 💯
Oh man, I dig this! I don't have a bass that would qualify for an upgrade like this, but for a custom order, I'd go for this preamp, and probably also Nordstrand pickups (I'm dreaming of a custom Maruszczyk Elwood L...). My other favorite preamp is the new Lusithand 800TS which you recently reviewed, and which would drop right into my Clover Apeiron. Okay, this one in a 4-hole stacked-pot config would also work, but it would be more work and quite a bit more expensive.
It is on the bright side to my taste. Nice video as always.
Could you do a video on how to solder? I tried looking it up but there are so many different ways to solder, I want to know how you’re doing it.
Soldering Lesson #1 - "Pick it up by the cold end". Very important, especially at 3am when trying to finish a project before sleep. lolz
LOL Bill is right. Soldering just takes practice TBH. I don't consider myself worthy enough for folks to repeat my exact method, I just think I'm good enough to get these projects done to the point where they won't fall apart and hopefully inspire folks to tinker with their stuff as well.
BTW, yeah, smells like chicken BBQ burning...
Great Review lobster nice change,sounds like a sting ray crossed with a rickenbacker kind of tone😆 spelling might be incorrect there🤔 but you know what i mean
hi the bass sounds great how do the nordstrand dc5 pickups connect i have 4 wires I will be grateful
Hello. I like your video. But I want to ask, you state that you have an NJ5FS sensor, it is hum canceling and should have three cables and a split coil, why did you solder the cable to the copper foil on the bottom of the sensor? (do you have single coil?)
You don't have the access to split the coil on the nordy. We have hot, ground, and shield.
Mike Pope rules the world. It's the only preamp I would buy. I have it in my NYC and in a Chinese Imperial copy. Killer pre.
I loooove it! I have another for my dingwall
Lobster, do you feel like you lose anything when going from variable mid sweep to a mid frequency switch with set points?
Great question! From a quantitative perspective, absolutely. You definitely lose out on some flexibility, and the East Uni is the KING of flexibility. There's a setting for everything internally. I found the high end to be a bit more tame at center with the Flexcore, but that likely has to do with how the Uni was set (you can spend days tinkering). I also liked how the changes in the low mid freq impacted the character of the tone. The Flexcore is a bit more focused of a product in my opinion and I really dig the result here.
@@LowEndLobster amazing thank you so much for your thoughtful answer! I love this nerdy community.
Second question! With the Flexcore/trick fish, are you able to run three pickups with 3 volumes one for each pickup?
Wow, just WOW.
Imagine if they shipped a model based on this. Pretty tasty.
Right?! Also wishing they'd put a M5/M7 humbucker thing in the bridge of the P10
Norstrands + Mike Pope I've got an idea on what shop sells those 😂😂😂
First of all : Thanks for your great videos . When do you test the new Sire V10 5str dxl
Soon I hope . Because I have the Sire V10 5str. and it’s the best bass I ever had for the money ( and I have had them all except Fodera)
And I think it’s important how you work with the prea amp and the strings and the action . But of course you know all that but I think it is very important when you put Sire against more expensive basses and upgrades .
Looking forward to hear upcoming tests ! You are the best bass test man !!’ Even though I have sometimes other opions , but thats the way it should be !
merry christmas and God Bless
Bertil from sweden
Great video, am trying to order for the flexcore preamp, is this a 3 band or a 4 band eq?
It can be whatever you want. They do a 3 or 4 band, and you can pick whether you have a hi or low mid control with the 3
Precision pickup used A3 or A5 magnets? Sorry I may have missed it.
You did the copper shielding?
yes
Would love to see a video of that! Maybe on the p8
those fret inlays tho
Was the P pickup a drop in replacement?? I want to replace the P5 (5 string) pickup.
I have never personally played a Sire that lived up to the hype. That pickup/preamp combo does sound killer though. Do they offer an optional three way mid switch? I would love to see a third position around 1khz. Great vid!
Great question! Sort of. They actually offer a model with a high and low mid control, and I believe you can have a 2 way toggle for each of those as well. There's a LOT of options with this modular preamp! I specced out this model with only the low mid control and the freq toggle to emulate that of the foderas. Really digging the tone
Is this the same one Bully was all giddy about?
Yes, but that had the old P pickup (still Nordstrand) and the John East preamp. I swapped those out for this video.
From the original bass purchase purchase price , what is the cost ( Without the artist discounts ) of all the upgrades giving the the viewers the total end cost of the base post upgrades. Thx for the review.
Flexcore are 300 USD, Norstrands as well I'd say...
Flexcore vs John East? Is there a preference. I have a Sire V7 5 string jazz (2nd Gen) I want to modify in the new year and I'm looking at potential mod options.
Based on what lobster said, I think the preference was flexcore, but there is also a demo video where the East preamp was tested. I guess you should give that a listen and compare which sounds better to you.
I personally prefer the flexcore.
Great question! I picked this as a platform for the flexcore specifically because I thought it would be a good combo (especially with the new P pickup). I wasn't unhappy with the east, I just wanted a good higher-end platform that's already been shielded (by me) and such to test this pre. I reached out to Flexcore/Trickfish to demo the IPA (from the Stingray Strange Pickup Series) and the Flexcore (for this) and I'm happy they obliged. Worst case, if I wasn't as happy with this as I was with the east then I could always go back... but TBH I am really liking this combo a lot. I will definitely do something with that Uni pre in the future though. Always more projects to be had!
@@LowEndLobster Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. It's good to know. I've actually done your passive tone capacitor mod on my V7 5 string and it made that passive tone actually usable, so thanks for that. Plenty to think about when it comes to where to do next. So thanks again :)
Am i the only one who doesn't hear any change between those 2 low-mids frequency? I think that 330Hz (12:09) and 473Hz (12:38) are too close in order to hear a substancial difference 😅
I personally never had a need for all these knobs and controls...
Yeah
Sire V10dx 5str. Please ……🙏
Do you know where I can find the parts for all the mods you did? I think I would like to do something like this to a p7
The pickups and preamp are listed in the description. The bridge can be found here- www.ampshopbassexchange.com/product/albridge-parts-sire-5-string-bridge-for-sire-marcus-miller-basses/
@@LowEndLobster thanks!
Do you have the link for the tone cap as well (I believe you did the swap a while back but I didn’t see the link).
@@Ben-ic1ve I do not, and that tone cap would have been removed with the removal of the stock preamp.
@@LowEndLobster I see. Thanks!
much even harmonics and compressed。
That was a Down grade on the preamp imho the John east pre is my favorite by far
Okay, it's gonna be unpopular but to me this bass still sounds "cheap" :)
There's no reason of doing mods to Sire, just because for the same price you may own a Lakland 55-02 which is basically "a better" instrument :)
and YES, I am a huge fan of mods having all of mine basses customized.
Nice try, my math's saying that its a huge waste of money ;)
All the best!
Hey, that's why I make these vids! Give folks the info and let people make their own value judgement. I will be revisiting my 55-02 soon as well, and I got that pesky 3 way selector fixed now haha. Thank you!
@@LowEndLobster last time at my place we had a discussion about If the SIRE is worth of mods.
So to me:
1. NO, just because a new one costs more than a half price of an used 55-02,
2. Lak is simply better (even 55-01 if moded).
3. Sire to me smells/sounds cheap so there's no way to make it better in this way.
4. Better guts can make this bass more useful, but it doesn't justify it.
5. Sires are simply unequal per bass, you may need to look & choose from more than two or three to find a "better one", so I would go for an old trusty yamaha BB series the first iteration of TRB bass or even older IBANEZ SR (japan made).
6. No quality components here until you mod it. What means - buying a SIRE almost for sure implies that you should visit the luthier for small fretworks (It may not occur because of "quality" but also the reason may be lack of proper storage/keeping)
7. Sire is a good bass for keep your fireplace running or when you threat it as a h**ker playing usual events (that's my point of view, you guys may disagree!). I may find many better alternatives though :)
Thanx for the vids, hopefully someone will find it useful! :)
Doctor Lobster your wanted in surgery....
Active Basses just suck all around. Passive with a orange AD200 is the only set up you’ll ever need. All this other frivolous stuff is merely G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). It’s a way to market and keep money in these builders pocket. Which is great. However you need nothing but a passive pbass or jbass.
Sounds good, but I like the John East better.