Sire P10 Tone Capacitor Swap - Fixing the Sire's weak tone control - LowEndLobster Fresh Look

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This is my 200th vid!
Hey everyone! Today we're addressing one of my BIGGEST gripes with the Sire preamp that's used across their model lineup..... THE TONE CAP. The Sire preamp's tone control has to be one of the weakest tone controls out there, and we're setting out to fix that! Let's do it!
NOTE: THIS WILL VOID YOUR PREAMP WARRANTY
This bass was provided to me at an artist discount through Sire directly.
This bass (is not) and all my other basses with rounds are strung with MJC Ironworks Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at www.mjcironworks.com
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
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Twitter: @LowEndLobster
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[@GinoS1994]

I can’t believe I’ve never seen a direct sound comparison between one capacitor to another like this... it’s absolutely fascinating and I really appreciate this kind of content!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Gino!

[@jdmarino]

The side-by-side comparison at the end tells the whole story. Nicely done.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks John!

[@erikb.762]

​@@LowEndLobster love your channel and your reviews!! Quick question on this mod. Did you clip/remove the old capacitor from the front? I'm thinking of doing this mod as well to mine, but I've never soldered on a circuit board before. Thanks for any advice!

[@LowEndLobster]

Yes, you can do it like that

[@albundy2239]

Wow, I didn't expect that the difference would be that noticeable. Besides I have never seen a tonecapacitor comparison. Very cool content, Will. 😉

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Al!

[@drecdlz]

Just did this mod on a recently acquired P7, .47uf Sprague ( orange drop) and I am loving it ❤️

[@LowEndLobster]

Sweet!

[@drecdlz]

And it fits perfectly on the space where the stock cap used to sit , awesome mod lobster ✌️

[@SNAPAVELI]

Can you post a link? I’m trying to find the correct cap that fits

[@130mMer5boc]

How much that cheap part increased the value of this bass. The factory should have done this.

[@LowEndLobster]

Indeed, hoping they listen to the feedback!

[@Barry101er]

Happy 200th Lobster! That’s a lot of video! I love the look of the slab body and with that top.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Barry!

[@Barry101er]

@@LowEndLobster Just picked up a ’86 MIJ Squier Jazz-my first Jazz bass. Very nice. :). Came with EMGs and Badass 2 bridge.

[@gryzew]

I'm personally fine with the 0.022, maybe it sounded different in the room but with headphones I didn't feel it was "doing nothing". The lower the capacitance value, the higher the cutoff frequency, which just makes the usage of the tone control a bit different. You won't get the super muddy/subby tones like with the 0.1, but .022 worked very well to tame the super bright overly clanky frequencies while still retaining some roundwound string growl, just more midrange-y. I feel like it might be useful to make it sit just a bit better in a mix, still bright and cutting but less all over the place frequency-wise.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Gryzew! Indeed, I personally appreciate the added flexibility but I'd probably never use this tone all the way down. I'm kind of tempted to take it a step further and wire up a little switch to switch between a few caps or something haha

[@edgarmatias]

@@LowEndLobster Since capacitors add up in parallel, you could use a pickup selector switch as a tone capacitor selector. Just wire up a .022 and .047 to it. The middle position would be .069 which gets you pretty close to the .100 tone.

[@LowEndLobster]

@@edgarmatias I like where your head's at Edgar! Great thinking!

[@edgarmatias]

@@LowEndLobster Thanks! I must’ve watched every clip on tone capacitors recently... The sweet spot for bass seems to be in the .022 to .068 range, with the bridge pickup favouring lower values and the neck pickup favouring higher values. A .100 is a little too much in most cases. Anyway, thanks for your channel. Really enjoy your videos.

[@KozmykJ]

@@LowEndLobster There's a chap here on YT that showed him putting a Varitone style switch on his bass and showing the way he determined the capacitor and resistor values to get to the tones he was after. He had to 'measure' the inductance and the resonant frequency of his pickup coils too. Quite clever how he went about it. I'll see if I can dig up a link to it ...

[@ChipsA17]

Thats what I like to hear! Nicely done lobster🤟👌

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ross!

[@DrSpeener]

Your mods are great. It would be sweet if you could do more videos showing exactly how to do these types of mods.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Speener! I'll definitely try and do more 'process' videos for mods like this :)

[@brianstrom6649]

The new cap is very cool, gives it a nice vintage tone when turned down, nice job. I must admit though, I've been using tone pot differently. In live use, I love running active because it gives me options as the gig goes on if I need any sound changes. I use use the tone pot live for one reason, it does a great job of eliminating string "clack" while hardly affecting overall sound. But I do dig that cap!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Brian! Great comment :)

[@dupajas4671]

Interesting that Sire chose the .022 cap - or shall we say that Marcus Miller chose the .022 cap - he did apparently have a lot of input on how the preamp should sound. Now, believe it or not, Fender switched from .05 to .022 caps in the Jazz bass in ‘64 all the way up to ‘83. So all those great-sounding mid-late 60’s and 70’s JB’s have .022 caps in them!!! In the P bass, in ‘64 Fender switched from .1 to .05 caps. In my opinion, certain pickups need certain caps. Standard-wind Jazz pickups sound best with a .047 cap, Split-coil P pickups sound best with a .1 cap. I have a set of split-coil Jazz pickups that sound really good with a .022 cap. With each capacitor value, there is a midrange bump in a different frequency. The .022 cap’s midrange bump is at a higher frequency than that of the .047, whose mid bump is at a higher frequency than the .1 cap....and so on. I believe the Split-coil P’s natural midrange coupled with the .022 cap’s mid bump is just way to harsh and nasal. The .1 cap smoothens that midrange right out as shown in the video. Pickups with less midrange like Split-coil Jazz pickups or over-wound high output pickups like the Quarter Pounder’s will actually benefit from a .022 cap. A higher value cap’s midrange bump falls below of the pickup’s resonant frequency, and all you hear is low end. Some say a .022 cap’s mid bump sounds like the amp is enclosed in a cardboard box. Check this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6KvdpSEZptmo5o I believe his Jazz bass is a ‘66 judging by the lollipop tuners...unless he said the year of the bass, I don’t remember if he did.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Dwarde! Indeed, I agree with your assessment of the .022 and it's impact on the tone. It's kind of silly that they'd just go with the wide brush for their preamps, especially for an instrument nearly $1000 more than the next model down in the range (p7).

[@RoadKing-ky2bs]

Lobster: that was an interesting shift in tonality from one cap to the other. I felt that the new cap gave the bass a warmer sound and less brassy. I know how to solder but never messed with instrument electronics 😱. Anyhow, good stuff 👏 Thanks. Patrick

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Patrick!

[@indelebi]

Yes! More Sire players should be aware of this. Great fix!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ninja!

[@Lowendgenerator]

Great video, have you ever messed with Varitone circuits? I just saw this one from Stellartone and immediately thought of you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJzKoqCum71-icU

[@LowEndLobster]

I have not yet but will try and mess with one in the future :)

[@Lowendgenerator]

@@LowEndLobster Sweet! I think I’m gonna buy one and put it in a passive Stingray with flats, make a killer fingerfunk machine!

[@raycadd366]

Great vid, just picked up the M7.... So if I understand, the tone control is more 'relevant' in passive mode? And upping the uF value of the cap creates a more significant sweep form 'wide open' (dimed) downwards, progressively removing the highs, right?

[@jonathanwilson5466]

I like the stock version, but nice info. I have a another style bass that does need this.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jonathan!

[@4unkb0y]

Thanks for the shot of the U5 control cavity! It's a lot nicer in there than I thought! I love how the P10's bridge pickup solo is way more usable than a lot of jazz basses that are way too bright & squawky.

[@klaymeister]

Much better. this is why I like Tonestylers too

[@jamesmarkham7489]

Just picked one up off ebay and put in my jazz bass. I love it, instead of just muffling the tone it adds so much versatility.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Klay!

[@r.l.rachel740]

Looks like Sire saved a nickel ( Product Cost ) yet will lose a dollar ( Units Sold ). Lobster, Thx for the review.

[@DimyBass]

Now I am really gonna be swapping stuffs around... I thought I could not or was not allowed to touch the pcb... Lol

[@MrSparks54]

I've been getting similar results with my Jazz clone, tried CTS 250 and 500K pots and several orange drop and vintage style caps. Experimenting is great fun especially on a not-very-expensive bass. Thanks Lobster 🦞

[@dm4728]

If you want to get really scientific with this you can build the circuit in LTspice and then plot the frequency responses changing the capacitor value each time... I did this when looking at a treble bleed network for my Tele . ☺️

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Sparks!

[@Ben-ic1ve]

Sorry where can I buy the new capacitor? I’m planning on buying either a v10, or one of the newer p8s and the tone range was my big gripe.

[@chriswenkle2635]

Finally! Someone (namely you) goes out on a limb and talks about the usefulness of different value tone caps! I think that a .022uf cap is undervalued for any passive tone on bass pickups. I would think that this preamp should have at least the minimum of .047uf which is kind of the industry standard for passive basses using 250k audio taper pots. Granted - not everyone will agree, but putting in that .1uf cap was brilliant IMO. Nicely done!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chris!

[@tibi1687]

Hey Lobster! Quick question! I bought a TAD Mustard 0,1uF capacitor for my upcoming P Mod project. This is a Chungus of a capacitor. Nothing the size of what i have seen before in instruments. Have i bought something that is not compatible with the tone knob application?

[@LowEndLobster]

Join the discord server and post a pic!

[@tibi1687]

@@LowEndLobster stupid question... How i do that? :))

[@tibi1687]

@@LowEndLobster NVM i did it! On what chat should i post it?

[@LowEndLobster]

@@tibi1687 Gear chat!

[@PhillipAlcock]

So what capacitor does the U5 have?

[@LowEndLobster]

Not sure, I think it's a .43 vs the .22 that comes stock on the active basses

[@Losbass]

Such a valuable video , thanks for creating this and giving us the insights ! I hope Sire steps up their QC and hopefully will release an updated v7 preamp with better caps and pots! I just bought a V5 recently but had some QC issues , the volume pots didn’t even last 3 weeks before they crapped out. Oh and the nut slot was cut too low on the D string. Aside from that everything else was good , the fretwork was beautiful and I love the feel of the neck with it’s rolled edges and roasted satin neck.

[@Chad_Sandridge75]

Way less honky and harsh with the new capacitor. Smoother but a lot more color. Now I have to tear all my basses apart! 😅

[@johndevos9746]

Wow! That makes a difference. I was wondering why the tone control on my SIRE V7 does so little. Thank you for sharing this

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks John!

[@matthewhallburn692]

Can you post the link to the replacement .1uf capacitor or to one similar?

[@shamusmcfly2010]

You didn't really show your work, disappointed.

[@LowEndLobster]

Yeah this was before I started doing more in depth mod vids. Sorry!

[@shamusmcfly2010]

What was there level of difficulty? I'm not real skilled with a soldering iron.

[@frans688]

Super useful, I just got my first V (Sire P7) thanks!!!

[@nunyabidness93]

Ok, you've convinced me. I'm going to do this with my P7. I was checking this out the other night as I've been playing my TMB505 a lot and hadn't played my Sire in awhile. I've got Sadowsky Stainless strings on the P7 and it sounds yummy, but the passive tone was rather harsh/abrasive rolled all the way off. You don't have a video for comparison, but, have you noticed a difference in the tone control with the preamp engaged? I mostly love the preamp on the P7 frankly, and it's usually on when I'm playing I've learned you have to make sure and utilize the volume control on the bass to counter the decibel increase when boosting lows and low mids, but this bass can really cover a lot of ground imo.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Nunya! Great question. I've been playing my P10 a ton and have been doing some recording with it too. I am definitely utilizing the tone control with the preamp (though I don't in this vid, I will in the full review!). I find myself leaning on the preamp less to smooth the sound out, and instead leverage the bass control and mid more to get a nice bassy scooped sound when I want that.

[@nunyabidness93]

@@LowEndLobster I'll keep an eye out for the full review. I noticed a glaring error in my message to you and lost your love when I edited it, but thanks for taking the time to reply.

[@narq5099]

Dammit Jim, I'm a bass player, not an engineer!

[@vince8081]

Great move.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Vince!

[@2cv666]

totally nailed it ! many basses have tone knobs that dont make any difference in sound ..this is a huge improvement . just have a question..how can you install the new capacitor with a claw? all the best from Chile

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL thank you Patricio!

[@roadtonever]

Some historical tone cap values for your reference. 50's "Tele" P-bass: .10 uF. 60's Jazz Bass: .033uF. 70's Jazz Bass: .022uF. Most modern production Fender basses: .047uf. All taken from Fender parts list on their website.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you, this is helpful!

[@ricardobass4831]

sick bass

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you!

[@daveydoodle1916]

Much BETTER! Bumzzzz up nice and punchy

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Davey!

[@tdub8986]

Pretty amazing difference. II don see how they can justify not doing this at the factory. Probably the physical size of the capacitor itself, but they still could have designed the board a little different to make it LOOK like it belongs there, and not so out of place. It is not an area in the bass that needs to look pretty. Not at the cost of losing that much control. Awesome video, big eye opener. You crushed it again Lobster, keep up the good work.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Toby!

[@marks5s603]

Definitely a big difference! Warmer sound for sure. As soon as I have time I need to open up my M3 and see if I can figure out why the preamp is not working. Passive mode works fine but as you've shown here the tone control is weak. Time to go look for my soldering iron. Nice review as always!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Marks5s!

[@travatron4000]

Why'd you go with the big 'ol paper cap instead of a ceramic one or an Orange Drop? Just had it on hand?

[@LowEndLobster]

Bingo! Haha

[@mattgahr]

As someone who usually prefers playing in passive mode, this was awesome. Even on my phone speakers, the difference was substantial. Awesome mod man! May have to do this to the stealth musicman. I think I only have a .047 µF cap in there right now.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Matt!

[@TheBartostock]

Have you tried the V10 yet?

[@LowEndLobster]

I have not.

[@TheBartostock]

@@LowEndLobster I'd love to see what you think. It seems like the biggest difference between the V10 and most of the V series is in the pickups and roasted neck, but I'd be interested in knowing whether the tone capacitor on the V10 is similar to the P10 or the V5.

[@1okanaganguy]

Don't know that I've heard you play the same video episode riff twice... that true?

[@LowEndLobster]

This riff is one of my faves especially when doing a back to back comparo but yeah I usually noodle ;P

[@davidhodge7461]

Way to go Lobster! do you have any pics of how you fit the panel back into the body cavity after you swapped out the new capacitor?

[@LowEndLobster]

Good question! I do not, you can bend the capacitor legs/wires a little bit to get it to fit if no problem though. I did this mod to a P7, my P10, as well as an M2.

[@48streetrat]

More presence with the new tonal addition, perhaps that's why many Sire basses are up for sale.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ralph!

[@Below-Average_Joe]

That new capacitor really brought bridge pickup to life. That said, the bridge really sounds muddy and undefined with the tone off, and a bridge Jazz pickup should never sound undefined, just think Jaco.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Joe! Yeah I think the hum cancelling J loses too much J character in this application. It's definitely a balancing act with the PJ basses.

[@stevenvanveen3651]

@@LowEndLobster I did replace the J pickup of my Sire P7 with a Lollar J pickup as the Sire J pickup was too characterless and too thin sounding to my liking. With the Lollar J it’s to use on its own now. Lollar is not hum cancelling, but well build and hardly any hum when solo’d.

[@Bass.Player]

That fixed it, you can get smaller .1MFD caps probably with lower voltage rating and it will still be a poly cap. some are bigger around and not as long. Sire should make this change...

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks BP!

[@chrysr7773]

I agree the .022uF is not enough, I never use less than .033uF. I think the .1uF cap is too much, just kills everything from 40% to 0% on the tone knob. Prefer a .047uF cap or at the most .068uF

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chrys!

[@OspreyD40]

I find a .068 about right. Heavier than common Fender stock .047, and .050 p, not as damping as a .1 would be. Saw a video of a fellow gradually moving from .047, .068, 0.1. He wanted to be completely rid of what he called midrange "honk". He sure achieved that, but to me the 0.1 was damp mud.

[@dm4728]

Nice work, keep in mind folks this will void your warranty!. You need to be pretty handy (clawry) with a soldering iron as you can risk damaging the PCB of the preamp, if you're not confident your local luthier can do this, would be relatively cheap too.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great point Domenic! I will mention that in the description to cover my arse ;P

[@dm4728]

@@LowEndLobster Always CYA ☺️ hehe

[@samlelowitch]

The difference in sound between the capacitors is very revealing.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Sam! Indeed

[@Bassic778]

Very interesting! Are there any downsides or upsides to changing the tone capacitor with respect to noise?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Keith! No, there's no increase or decrease in any noise or interference.

[@williamwhren4275]

This was a GREAT comparison. Did the tone swap make a big difference with the preamp on ? I am going to make this swap with my V7. Thanks so much.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks William! We'll go over that in the full review (the cap is staying haha) but yeah it definitely adds another dimension of flexibility, where the tone control is no longer an 'or' with using the preamp or the tone control, but instead can augment it nicely.

[@zj1086]

Hey, I’m trying to change the stacked knobs on my v7 Sire jazz bass. I’ve seen videos where people have totally broken their preamp while trying to change these knobs. Can you do a video on how to remove the current knobs without ruining the pots or preamp??

[@markyurick4137]

Great video. I like Sire's overall, but I prefer the passive models. I think I have to have at least one P5 and maybe a D5. That P10 does look great with the fancy maple veneer. I think I agree with some comments I've read saying that the active circuits are overly complicated and difficult to dial in. Given that the passive ones are substantially cheaper and much easier to modify, I think it's a no brainer. The only thing I wish they would do is change the bridge design to make replacement a screw in modification. I give them credit for using roasted maple and significantly improving their tuning machines over those used in their first generation models. Anyway, thanks for the info.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great comment, Mark! I'm right there with you. Absolutely loving their passive models a lot.

[@richshields6692]

Upgraded tone caps really make a difference in the sound. I had a silverburst epi thunderbird with a oil cap. Great capacitor. Thanks for the video lobster !

[@2000SkyView]

too much

[@PorchBass]

0.1uF is a good choice. You can go too far and get a dubby sub tone.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks James! I agree, it's nice to have the ability to dub when needed

[@davidvitale9338]

I'm not sure why that weak cap made it out the factory door. Surely someone listened to it and said "useless". I wish the mod didn't void the warranty when you're actually just providing proper design engineering

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks David! On the bright side, I do think the newer 5 series uses a better cap

[@davidvitale9338]

@@LowEndLobster thanks and that's good to know. My M5 in transparent blue is on back order with Sweetwater and I'm sitting in a holding pattern. I'm really looking forward to having it and experimenting with the settings. I was really impressed with your M5 reviews.

[@kirillukin2222]

Nice, waiting on the m7/5 content! Just dropped barts in my and a john east uni pre 5 ( i discovered thanks to you!) in mine

[@jonsidell3338]

The Uni pre is the GOAT! Great decision! The pre shape eq alone is worth the cost of entry.

[@LowEndLobster]

Agreed, John East is da bomb! I just did a crazy experiment with my East MMSR preamp.... you will see :)

[@KozmykJ]

Excellent Mod. 0.1uf eh? I'll give this a try on my V7 4 string. Makes me wonder what a 47nf might sound like there as well.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks! .047uF would be a solid choice as well and a nice middle ground between the stock .022 and .1

[@Breeze_b_hard]

I've found that on these Sire V series Basses, the passive tone control seems to work best in conjunction with the treble control in active mode. In his demonstration, he never used the preamp as if people will use the bass like that. I look at the passive mode as an “in case of emergency” mode. Personally, I use the tone control last to add some sizzle to my achieved sound and find it more than adequate.

[@KozmykJ]

@@Breeze_b_hard I know what you're getting at. I, on the other hand, tend to leave the passive tone wide open and on;y use it as a Low Pass Filter (which I guess it is really) if the active tone that I've dialed in needs it. Some 'Jazz Bass' tones are best achieved in Passive mode though, and there I'm in agreement with LEL that a fatter cap is more usable for the Passive stuff.

[@salmon1s]

nice t-shirt

[@JeanV1986]

Good find, I like it! I might do the mod to my M7, even though I don't use the passive tone much. Thanks!

[@peterjanjanin9883]

So, it's a passive tone with an active circuit?

[@peterjanjanin9883]

I'm not a fan of ceramic capacitors

[@dm4728]

I have a suggestion... Several cap values on. Rotary switch 😜

[@LowEndLobster]

.... I mean I do have a couple spare rotary switches from a particular uhh... dinged... wall.... yeah.. ;P

[@dm4728]

@@LowEndLobster a dinged wall...... This must be a video I've not yet watched ;)

[@davelock3166]

My V7 has the same problem. I cannot see why Sire doesn't see this 'feature'?

[@LowEndLobster]

Hoping they listen to this feedback :)

[@davelock3166]

@@LowEndLobster Amen, Mr Lobster!- Although no problems with the excellent U5.

[@TheBartostock]

Cool modification! Do you think this could be done with the Sadowsky preamp? The newer Warwick/Sadowsky VTC tone control doesn’t seem to mute as much as the older, NYC preamps

[@LowEndLobster]

Looking at the pre, I don't think this is possible with the Warwick Sadowsky drop in. I believe the tone cap lives on the little PCB, and the cap is a lot more snug in there vs the Sire which is much easier to remove.

[@TheBartostock]

@@LowEndLobster thanks man, that coincides with what another luthier told me. I guess the only workaround is to find a pre-Warwick Sadowsky

[@michaelb.42112]

I didn't know you're a TB'er !!!! YES !!!!! We're practically related ! :) - mb94952. So, I am a HUGE SIRE fan. If it's not the best value out there, what is ? I can't see anything beating the Sire. I have yet to find a Fender I like, but the SIRE won me over immediately. Thanks Lob.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Michael! Indeed, a member since like 2003 or something haha

[@ShredAimlessly92]

Woah that was a massive improvement.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Shred!

[@keithgray7593]

Yeah great improvement!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Keith!

[@ike1500]

Can't help myself but to ask you, i have been having a hard time removing the capacitor with the sire v3 5 string i would really like to replace it with a better one. I have the part already. I really can't remove it. any advice will be greatly appreciated thanks again lobster and kudos to your videos

[@ajuk1]

Can you include a link to the capacitor?

[@PushSueAside]

Great idea. I only use my Sire in passive anyway (1-9v is bad, but 2...just because I forget to pull the cable out...nope) I wouldn’t say no to a couple more pix...but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Cheers Awesome Lobster. Real great video. Thank you

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Tommy! I'm going to be doing this to a few more Sire preamps (I have a few of Bully's here and he's humbly requested the lobster cap mod), perhaps a video of the process is in order... once I clean up my lair a little haha

[@PushSueAside]

@@LowEndLobster SWEEEEEEET. That sounds fun I just saw this.

[@olivierroquelle8007]

You can use a zampower system and you won’t be annoyed by such issue. I’ve got one on my Sire and it is totally noiseless and give you the level of brand new batteries at any time. You just have to pay attention to use a stereo jack to make it work. Cheers!

[@PushSueAside]

@@olivierroquelle8007 thank you. I need to look into that for sure. I have no idea what that is. Thank you so much Oliver

[@olivierroquelle8007]

@@PushSueAside Hi Tommy, you’re welcome! 😉 If it can help because it is a French product, here is the link where I bought mine: www.zampower.com/categorie-produit/zam-packs/ These are fake batteries linked to the power supply (the yellow box) through a stereo jack. When I bought one I was a little upset because it was not working at all with my Fender ADPV ...but at least it was working with my all other active basses including my Sire v7 and v10. As the preamp is the same, it should be working with the P10. Good points are it is totally noiseless, you could forget about batteries (and so it is Earth friendly) and bad point is you have to bring the yellow box and have stereo jacks at your gigs or rehearsals. But the box is small and at last, I could find an opportunity that became a new habit: as there is a big mute button with a green/red LED in front of the box I use it to turn off my signal between songs or when I want to swap bass. If you swap to passive basses on the same gig you have to pay attention to put the box off unless you will have a degraded noise. Yet, it won’t occur if you turn your Sire from active to passive, only if you use a bass that is not fitted with a preamp. Here is my feedback on this hardware. I use it since years now and it’s still OK. Hope it could have helped. Cheers!

[@markwolski1813]

Is the P10 worth the extra money compared to the P7? Same Pickups, Preamp but maybe a better bridge and lighter?

[@LowEndLobster]

I don't think so, but I hear the 10 series may be getting revamped. I love my P10, but I also got a fat discount. I don't think it's worth the 1600 or so when it shares electronics and hardware with a $700 bass.

[@markwolski1813]

@@LowEndLobster I do like everything with my M5: pickups, preamp, bridge, neck, weight....

[@dincorcelles]

Gotta try this on my V3

[@LowEndLobster]

Good luck! :)

[@MasonMorris_RadioSaladStudios]

Like a whole new axe.

[@LowEndLobster]

Indeed!

[@jonathanguillory8321]

Yo jam awesome

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jonathan!

[@ninovalenti96]

Cool!!!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Nino!

[@markwolski1813]

Is the Tone control disconnected in Active Mode?

[@LowEndLobster]

No, it's functional even with the preamp engaged

[@markwolski1813]

@@LowEndLobster Thanks, I just received my M5 and it really is hard for me to tell with the stock Tone Capacitor. Thanks again.

[@jfufighter]

Thank you for the insight! Will the .1uf also work with the V7 Vintage 2nd Generation 5 String?

[@MrJohnnyorange]

What is then "the best value for the money"? Also, could there be a (good) reason for Squier to use the weak capacitor? Seems strange.

[@LowEndLobster]

For the best value bass, I like the _5 series (M5, U5, P5, V5, etc.) from Sire. They use a much better tone cap and the passive layout is just right IMO. I think they use this cap to make the player lean more heavily on the preamp, but that's just speculation

[@MrJohnnyorange]

@@LowEndLobster But what is the best value bass in P10 price category? Not just Sire.

[@LowEndLobster]

@@MrJohnnyorange You have a lot of options in the 1200-1500 range, and it really depends on what you want out of an instrument. I could recommend a bunch from the FGN Mighty Jazz DE 5, Ibanez EHB, Lakland 55-02, etc. but all of those have their own sound and features. There's no one 'best value bass', but I do my best to point out good values and not so good values and try to have some relativity to it all. Second hand, for the money you start getting into USA EBMM, Fender, Euro Spector.

[@MrJohnnyorange]

@@LowEndLobster Many thanks for taking the trouble to answer.

[@pz5006]

First!

[@LowEndLobster]

I love your name

[@bassclefconnoisseur]

Ahhh yes...there's nothing like having to modify your $1,000 + bass guitar because you're just not happy with the tone...thanks Sire. You Rock, Lobster (get it?!)!

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL Thanks BCC!

[@CandraR]

Big difference!! I think that old tone cap sounded VERY messy when turned down! Maybe they don't put much energy into the capacitor because they assume most folk are looking to play it in active mode anyway... Just a thought. Since they have passive basses with way better tone caps, maybe they're thinking passive bass lovers will migrate to those basses specifically... hmm.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Candra! Great comment :)

[@jermainelong1843]

Definitely a worthwhile mod🔥

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jermaine!

[@rickrolli7091]

Good job on the modification. You pay so much for these "boutiques" but then the tone variation isn't much. What would you think about a video to modify an Ibanez SR505 with the 2 position mid range switch that doesn't do much? I believe it's the same one in all the SR's above 500. How would you modify it? Or modify it at all? It is obviously a little older bass.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Rick! Great question. For an SR505... I'm kind of biased but I would totally go with the Aguilar DCB soapbars (which should be drop ins) and pair it with whatever preamp tickles your fancy. I'm a big fan of the DCB stuff

[@rickrolli7091]

@@LowEndLobster thanks for that info. Aguilar is a very well known company. I'm not familiar with their sound though. But there are so many. I feel a little lost in the "pile of information". I like the sound of unhindered, wide open tone. The voice of the instrument is full. You can adjust the tone after that. How would you feel the Aguilar are compared to this? I was really wondering if something could be done with the weak 2 position mid range boost switch.

[@dahnger]

Haha this bass is a lot of trouble!

[@LowEndLobster]

This is just the beginning ;P

[@kevmac1230]

A good hack!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Kev!

[@PhuckHue2]

Those Cornell Dubilier caps are great. I like Mallory and Nichicon too

[@LowEndLobster]

I just got a bunch of em for some other mods, I like the tone I get with em :)

[@Shitsurei-ib2no]

The number of your followers is growing as fast as your hair)

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL Thank you! Now I'm afraid to get a haircut ;P