Custom build pickup choice - advice please

[Max Normal]

I was going to buy this epiphone EB-3 to play in my oldschool metal band, but I heard the pickups were bad, so I found this brand new Dimarzio Model One gathering dust on a shelf in America via the net for only £30.00 so I bought it. Having looked on youtube and read some forums, Epi does not look like a good choice for me, but I still have the pickup. I need a bass permanently set up 1/2 tone detuned. I don't want to change my P-bass as it changes the intonation and i need a guitar in concert pitch too. So I decided to do a custom build. I have found a nice 1 piece swamp ash P-bass body and I'm going to put a Jazz neck with a rosewood fingerboard on it. I'm then going to put the Dimarzio Model one mudbucker replacement in the neck position for extreme trouser flap, and a treble pickup in the bridge position for definition a'la Billy sheehan, but without the whole stereo setup. I'm going to wire it with a separate tone and volume for each pickup a'la Gibson, (but no pickup switch a'la Jazz Bass) and coiltaps.

problems are, what is the best pickup to put in the bridge treble position? I thought initially a J-bass pickup, but I prefer a humbucker I can tap like a Stingray pickup. Stingray is active though, so no good as the bass will be passive (also I like the look of the stingray pickup). Should I just get a single coil pickup for definition and forget about the coil-tap option? If I get a Jazz pickup, what brand should I buy? I think I'm going to need something with nice crystal clear toneful trebles and enough power to compete with the fat Dimarzio model One.

Also, I have to rout the body for both pickups, how do I know the best spot for each? I should Imagine I can put the Dimarzio Model One hard against the neck, but I am worried about putting the treble pickup [i] too[/i] close to the bridge and getting a twangy tone from it.

Any ideas/expertise?

Ta!!!
Mark

Edited September 9, 2010 by Max Normal

[Colledge]

as far as i know, theres nothing to stop you from using an MM style pickup, active and passive pickups work just the same, its just the circuits they're attached to that makes a difference. infact for my a-level project i made a bass with an mm pickup but p-bass passive tone circuit.

[Max Normal]

[quote name='Colledge' post='950146' date='Sep 9 2010, 01:40 AM']as far as i know, theres nothing to stop you from using an MM style pickup, active and passive pickups work just the same, its just the circuits they're attached to that makes a difference. infact for my a-level project i made a bass with an mm pickup but p-bass passive tone circuit.[/quote]


Cool! how did it sound?

[Ou7shined]

One of the pitfalls of bunging unmatched pups into the same project is when one overpowers the other to such an extent that you get no smooth balance adjustment between them - they are effectively either on or off. Measure the Ohms of your Model One and use that as a starting point to find a suitable mate for it.
I'm guessing an Ultra J might cop it... just guessing like.

[Colledge]

well at the moment its just the pickup wired to a jack because of some pillock managing to break a pot while the bass was stored for examination. but while it was all working it was great, my first venture into fretless so i can't really compare it to much but i was really impressed by the amount of variation in tone of the p-bass circuit, all my other basses are active and i didn't expect that. the pickup is in the bridge position and it can get really bright if thats what you're after.

[Max Normal]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='950149' date='Sep 9 2010, 01:46 AM']One of the pitfalls of bunging unmatched pups into the same project is when one overpowers the other to such an extent that you get no smooth balance adjustment between them - they are effectively either on or off. Measure the Ohms of your Model One and use that as a starting point to find a suitable mate for it.
I'm guessing an Ultra J might cop it... just guessing like.[/quote]

Thanks Ou7shined and Colledge! This is exactly the sort of advice i need, I have some small electronics experience, but it seems that guitar electronics is a dark art. I do have an avometer so I'll start with that and then look at the two pickups you have suggested. One point though, if the imbalance is due to resistance, can I correct it by using different value pots?

[Ou7shined]

It's not as simple as that.
The resistance reading comes from the the amount of wire used (turns) the more turns the more voltage is produce and therefore a hotter signal output. In actual fact the Ohms reading is only a ballpark figure for the pup's output as there are other factors that come into play like inductance which is based around magnet strength.
Like you say it is a black art.

[Max Normal]

OK, according the the website, Ultra J has 12.3K while Model One has 11.31K is this close enough? (sorry if I sound stoopid, new area for me).

[Ou7shined]

Yep pretty darned close.