3 pick-up basses

[Lfalex v1.1]

I really like my Yamaha Attitude. Great bass in many ways, but it never "sings" in the way that a bass with a bridge pick-up does. I've often wondered what a bridge pick-up would sound like, but I'm not about to butcher the Attitude. In the future, I may well try and acquire a used BB414 and add something like a DiMarzio Model 1 at the neck. I could be persuaded to remove the "J" at the bridge and replace it with a Bartolini MM or Humbucking soapbar.
(Barts because they're available with bladed polepieces, and pick-up alignment won't suffer if it's in an odd place)

Then it came to my attention that I've only ever played one bass with 3 pick-ups. A Burns Bison (And liked it)
Who else has or has had a 3 pick-up bass? What did you like about it? What was didn't you like about it? How did the controls work?

(Just for guidance' sake, a P=1, MMHB=1, J=2, J/JJ=2. It's about [i]discrete[/i] pick-ups, not individual coils in one housing- so all the post 1992 'Ray5 and Sterling owners, Status Groove owners and Original T bass owners don't get to count as 3!!)

[hillbilly deluxe]

I've had 3 and 4 pickup basses,the 3 pickup one was a 1973 ? Fender Telecaster bass with the neck humbucker as standard,but with added P and J pickups in their respective positions,it had a fantastic array of sounds,the only reason i got rid of it was because of the weight which was way heavier than any bass that i've owned before or since,and my current one is roughly 12lb.That and the uncontoured body just made it uncomfortable.If i remember right it had 3 vol,1 tone and a Strat 5 way switch.
The 4 pickup bass is an Italia Modulus Tipo 3,with 4 lipstick pickups mounted vertically,which has undergone serious modification to replace the pickups,one of which failed,and now has a soapbar at the bridge and a mudbucker in the P position.

Edited March 29, 2011 by hillbilly deluxe

[Lfalex v1.1]

Awesome! Do you think that 3 pick-ups' worth of magnetic field "drag" on the strings kills sustain too much? That's one of my major concerns...

[neepheid]

At the risk of boring people (as I may have mentioned this before), I have a 1978 Gibson G-3. Three single coil pickups. Volume, tone and 3 way selector which does neck/middle, all three and middle/bridge respectively. Like: the basic tone (particularly low down), the looks, the chunky neck, the fact that it's not a Fender. Dislike: only 20 frets, pearl dots on a maple board are very hard to see, neck dive if you don't use a grippy strap (fine with), limited variation considering there's three pickups on offer.

Also had a Danelectro Hodad. Three single coil lipstick pickups. Full seven way switching and concentric vol/tone. Like: the flexibility of tones (although I have to say that the individual pickups are a bit weak on their own - I usually used one of the double combinations or all three), light (semi hollow), nice neck, the fact that it's not a Fender. Dislike: only 20 frets, neck dive impossible to avoid because of light body, all or nothing tone pot.

When it comes to three pickups having an impact upon sustain, you have to balance out that these are single coil pickups, so probably less magnetism going around per unit. I haven't thought about it much though, because note sustain isn't something that concerns me a great deal. As long as the notes aren't decaying like a 70s Alfa then I'm happy

[Doctor J]

I put an Aria MB dual coil pickup into the neck position of a fretless Aria PJ wired it as 3 Vols & 1 Tone. It was fun, never noticed any problem with magnetic pull, but I don't put my pickups too close to the strings anyway. There was lots of different tone on tap, it was definitely worth doing at the time.

However, I just installed an ACG filter pre last night and can honestly say there's inifinitely more tonal variety in that than a passive 3 pickup system.

[Musicman20]

EBMM Big Al. Awesome.

[hillbilly deluxe]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1180562' date='Mar 29 2011, 10:59 AM']Awesome! Do you think that 3 pick-ups' worth of magnetic field "drag" on the strings kills sustain too much? That's one of my major concerns...[/quote]

Not at all.

[thisnameistaken]

I was planning to put a third coil in my jazz bass, up by the neck pocket, but the consensus seemed to be that it wouldn't be worth doing - that I would need to re-think my amplification to get any benefit out of it.

I might still do it anyway, it would probably improve the tracking on my synth pedals if nothing else.

[Conan]

Three pickups? Pah!

[hillbilly deluxe]

4,but why ?

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Conan' post='1180703' date='Mar 29 2011, 01:00 PM']Three pickups? Pah![/quote]
[url="http://www.loewenherzbass.com/english/model_00907.htm"]Why stop at 5 when you can have 12?[/url]

[skelf]

I have a couple of basses coming up with 4 pickups in them. My RFS triple coil is two pickups in the one casing. A wide aperture humbucker with a single coil in between the humbucker coils. It is used in conjunction with a 3 way switch which gives you the following. Humbucker single coil or humbucker or a triple coil. I have two basses with two of these pickups in them.

[Conan]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1180707' date='Mar 29 2011, 01:07 PM'][url="http://www.loewenherzbass.com/english/model_00907.htm"]Why stop at 5 when you can have 12?[/url][/quote]

Isn't that cheating? If they are all in one casing it just lloks like one pickup! Albeit a rather large one...

[Doddy]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1180707' date='Mar 29 2011, 01:07 PM'][url="http://www.loewenherzbass.com/english/model_00907.htm"]Why stop at 5 when you can have 12?[/url][/quote]

Pffft.....

How about 16 with a little keypad to select them?

[url="http://www.atlansia.jp/OXFORD.3.JPG"]http://www.atlansia.jp/OXFORD.3.JPG[/url]

[tommorichards]

I love this thread. I love seeing multiple pickups. Heres my own creation with 3 5-way switches.



And i dont really notice any kill of sustain.

[Darkstrike]

They're my 3 pickup basses, lotta fun!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Some interesting stuff coming through here. I still think I'd go for a DiMarzio Model one at the neck, some sort of "P" in the mid-position, and either a MMHB or JJ (with coil tap) at the bridge.
Gives;
P
P/J
Neck +P like the Attitude
P + JJ (sort of Sandberg-ish)
Neck alone like a Tele
Neck + J
Neck +JJ
All Three

I'd probably opt for passive, 3Vol/tone (stacked) and some sort of selector- maybe buttons rather than switches for each pick-up?
There's got to be some good noises in there somewhere!

[tommorichards]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1180997' date='Mar 29 2011, 03:40 PM']Some interesting stuff coming through here. I still think I'd go for a DiMarzio Model one at the neck, some sort of "P" in the mid-position, and either a MMHB or JJ (with coil tap) at the bridge.
Gives;
P
P/J
Neck +P like the Attitude
P + JJ (sort of Sandberg-ish)
Neck alone like a Tele
Neck + J
Neck +JJ
All Three

I'd probably opt for passive, 3Vol/tone (stacked) and some sort of selector- maybe buttons rather than switches for each pick-up?
There's got to be some good noises in there somewhere![/quote]
Thats pretty much mine dude. Fantastic sounds. Independent pickups, or any combination in series of parallel.

[AttitudeCastle]

[url="http://www.fret-king.com/venturasuper80car_spec.html"]http://www.fret-king.com/venturasuper80car_spec.html[/url]

Thats a nice one, played one modded with three Volumes rather than a 3-way switch + blend

James Lomenzo also has a Custome Shop Yamaha BB with Model One in the Neck, Model P in the Bridge and Model J in the bridge position.

I find the Yamaha Attitude just right, (maybe the P being a little further from neck like on the Attitude 3, must try one asap!) but then again i'm not a fan of bridge pickups, but that said i like what a bridge pickup Adds, but i never have the volume on them high/i always have the pickup blend 70+ percent to the neck

Get a squire P-bass special and modd that!

Also the "Danny Growl 'Signature'" has a Neck Humbucker, P-pup and a bridge Humbucker. I've also seen a jackson custom shop with the same set up

I think its all about the sound at the end of the day, if your bass as 50 pickups and you like it then go for it!

[fragglefart]

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='1181130' date='Mar 29 2011, 06:24 PM'][url="http://www.fret-king.com/venturasuper80car_spec.html"]http://www.fret-king.com/venturasuper80car_spec.html[/url]

Thats a nice one, played one modded with three Volumes rather than a 3-way switch + blend[/quote]

Ooo I have one of those, posted it here before.





I love it man, total tone monster, and has become a joy to play now I'm used to it's bigger size compared to my Rockbass. Lovely finish too.

Rocks like a beast.

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='fragglefart' post='1181307' date='Mar 29 2011, 08:15 PM']Ooo I have one of those, posted it here before.





I love it man, total tone monster, and has become a joy to play now I'm used to it's bigger size compared to my Rockbass. Lovely finish too.

Rocks like a beast.[/quote]

Looks killer!

I only played it for a minute or two, and it had new Pups and wiring, i'd love to hear some sound clips of one!

Just on the note, was that a Warwick rockbass? Which did you have and did you like it? (Might get one you see!)

[fragglefart]

Yeah mine is a Warwick Rockbass - passive Corvette 4 string.

It's the older model with a one piece bridge, polished finish, about 4 years old.

I love it, it was a present but I'd probably have chosen it myself! Very different from the big beasty posted above, much smaller body, lighter, longer and thinner neck. Nice warm modern growl but less output than the Fret-King. The new models look slick, especially the $$ model, would like to have a go on that myself!

[lee650]

Ive always loved the idea of three jazz pickups, i remember as a kid in the late 80's seeing an advert for a squire HM jazz bass which had three jazz pickups and a 5 way strat style selector i thought it was really cool. if the big al pickups were available on a sterling body i'd be drooling

OH!! and of course the fender urge with a J/P/J setup now i'd love to try one of those, sadly discontinued!!

Edited March 29, 2011 by lee650

[watchman]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1180508' date='Mar 29 2011, 10:14 AM']I've had 3 and 4 pickup basses,the 3 pickup one was a 1973 ? Fender Telecaster bass with the neck humbucker as standard,but with added P and J pickups in their respective positions,it had a fantastic array of sounds,the only reason i got rid of it was because of the weight which was way heavier than any bass that i've owned before or since,and my current one is roughly 12lb.That and the uncontoured body just made it uncomfortable.If i remember right it had 3 vol,1 tone and a Strat 5 way switch.[/quote]

That does as though it'd pretty much cover the Fender sounds

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='lee650' post='1181631' date='Mar 29 2011, 11:05 PM']OH!! and of course the fender urge with a J/P/J setup now i'd love to try one of those, sadly discontinued!![/quote]

It is at this point that I would like to apologise for lying in my original post. :'(
I did play an Urge II many moons ago. And liked that, too. I think I'd prefer the variety that different types of pick-up used by different manufacturers in different places would give. The Urge, for example is too Fender-centric.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Lfalex v1.1