LukeFRC Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1342050485' post='1728928'] That's so true. How many pups have been lucky enough to have been auditioned through a transparent sounding rig... how many have been rejected because of the amp or cabs characteristics being more dominant? [/quote] 345. but one set of barts were out of phase and the fella didn't realise so it was that that he rejected them for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 IME changing the pickups doesn't change the inherent sound of the bass that much, it just emphasises different elements of its sound. When i swapped to passive Basslines in my Peavey Grind, It sounded very similar but basically added more treble and the sound didnt feel quite so.... compressed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I've always found it amusing that one of the most successful and famous bass players on the planet managed to get by with just about the cheapest bass available at the time, and stuck with it even though he could subsequently afford anything he wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesh Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Just wanted to point out, I do believe there are fairly important differences in sound between different pups (though not as important differences as you get from changing amps/cabs or strings). But I'm wondering if spending money is necessary to get that difference. Anyway, as I was looking for a split coil jazz at the bridge, and there are nothing but £100+ versions of this that I can find, I'm going to have a go at winding one myself. Always love a new project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1342080908' post='1729068'] I've always found it amusing that one of the most successful and famous bass players on the planet managed to get by with just about the cheapest bass available at the time, and stuck with it even though he could subsequently afford anything he wanted. [/quote] Who are we talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1342050485' post='1728928'] That's so true. How many pups have been lucky enough to have been auditioned through a transparent sounding rig... how many have been rejected because of the amp or cabs characteristics being more dominant? [/quote] True. And it's difficult to get a proper A/B comparison because by the time you take one set out of the bass and put the others in, you have forgotten what the first set were like! Recording helps I suppose, but it's not quite the same thing listening back to a recording... I've been thinking a lot about this pickup thing recently. I think that there are certainly some cheap and weak-sounding pickups - particularly in Squiers (non DD VMs that is) - but once you start paying thirty quid or so for replacements there is a pretty big improvement in tone and output. Paying ten times that amount though? Well I personally never would, but I just can't see how the difference would be that much more. I do think there is an element of snake oil being peddled here... Also - why are so many people impressed by the output of replacement pickups? Really quiet ones can be a problem with signal to noise ratios obviously, but do you really [b][i]need[/i][/b] all that output from so-called "hot" and "over-wound" pickups? Just turn the amp up a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 High output pickups are usually the preserve of guitarists who want to drive the input stage of their valve amps and want lots of sustain. For bassists, I suppose if you have an amp with pre-amp valves and you're after an overdriven "rock" sound they might be useful, but personally I'd rather have something with a bit more subtlety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [indent=1]Excuse my ignorance, I havent researched pup design much so the answer to this might be obvious??[/indent] [indent=1]If you've got 2 pickups from 2 different manufactures with the same size and type of magnets and the same gauge scatterwound wire leading to the same resistance - are they going to sound different??? If so why dont we all just make our own??[/indent] [indent=1]I recently nearly got some pups on ebay from spain, cant remember the name but they were handwound alnico V etc etc and half the price of Nordstrands. I do go with expensive pups but thats cause I havent spent enough time with some of the cheaper aftermarket alternatives.[/indent] [indent=1]Dave[/indent] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='nugget' timestamp='1342092933' post='1729384'] ....If you've got 2 pickups from 2 different manufactures with the same size and type of magnets and the same gauge scatterwound wire leading to the same resistance - are they going to sound different???.... ....If so why dont we all just make our own??.... [/quote] If 2 companies make pickups exactly the same way then, I would imagine, they'll sound the same. Pickups generally don't sound the same because they are constructed differently. And the manufacturers do that because they want their pickups to have a particular sound. Given that a large number of people here couldn't change a light bulb I think it's a big ask to expect people to wind their own pickups! [font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 It's a law of dimishing returns. If a replacement pickup is 20x more expensive than the one on it, doesn't make it 20x better. Based on my own experience, the pickup would now be the last thing I'd change on a bass unless it was broken. Factors such as set-up, strings and technique have much more of an impact. If my passive bass sounded lacklustre I'd consider adding a pre-amp first. When I changed my pickups on a MIA p bass, I originally thought 'wow', until I became blasé about it, having recorded it in a studio in both guises and not noticing any difference. Please note that this was based on replacing a stock MIA p humbucker with an expensive p humbucker and keeping the circuit 'passive'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 In a nutshell. Some people can hear the difference (and can remember the difference without having to refer to recordings), some can't. Sometimes a portion of the the latter group think they can hear it. I'm pretty sure that no one from the subset that can hear the difference will deny being able to do so. If you can't hear the difference, there's no point in saying that it doesn't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Put it another way Remember the video I stuck up with me switching the pups out my JV squier... from Seymore Duncans to the original, could anyone NOT hear the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='Kesh' timestamp='1342081587' post='1729078'] Just wanted to point out, I do believe there are fairly important differences in sound between different pups (though not as important differences as you get from changing amps/cabs or strings). But I'm wondering if spending money is necessary to get that difference. Anyway, as I was looking for a split coil jazz at the bridge, and there are nothing but £100+ versions of this that I can find, I'm going to have a go at winding one myself. Always love a new project. [/quote] Cool! Diary please! On a personal level I'd rather change the strings or setup the bass differently before thinking about changing the pickups. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mog Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Always fancied trying to wind my own pick up. Re choice I reckon theres a few questions you should add the the list. 1: Is the bass likely to remain your main instrument? 2: Are super spec pups required in a sound sensitive situation, ie. recording glass like tones on a highly produced track/album? 3: Will the punters be able to tell the difference? 4: What are the chances that you'll be unhappy with the initial purchase and be forced to shell out for a more expensive option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesh Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1342103507' post='1729650'] Put it another way Remember the video I stuck up with me switching the pups out my JV squier... from Seymore Duncans to the original, could anyone NOT hear the difference? [/quote]My original issue was any difference between, say, a £40 pup and a £140 one. I definitely believe a big difference is possible over the typical factory pups on low end guitars. Edited July 12, 2012 by Kesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='Kesh' timestamp='1342000507' post='1727614'] Am replacing my pickups (P/J configuration) and electrics on a bass that is very playable, but has a lacklustre sound to it. Am going for passive circuit and vintage sound. It seems I can pay anywhere from £40 (say a wilkinson set) to £230 (Nordstrand or Fralin). Can you really get that much more value out of what is just copper wire and alnico magnets? Or is it like when they blind tasted wine with some wine experts and they couldn't tell cheap from expensive? Before I part with my money I'd be interested to know your thoughts. And hello (it's my first post). [/quote] It varies. A lot. In my experience, the cheaper pickups are almost invariably disappointing and a waste of money in the long run. They can be an improvement over some stock pickups in some Squiers etc, but not that great. At the same time, just because it's expensive it doesn't mean it's a pickup you will like. It will be made well, but it can disappoint as well. I owned several OLP Stingray-like basses. Their stock pickups are quite uninspiring. I tried a Seymour Duncan SMB4A and loved it. I still do. NIght and day, fantastic pickup and not terribly expensive. Then, one day I bought a Nordstrand MM4.2... a lot more expensive and... utterly disappointed, I reverted to the SMB4A. If you stay with the "big ones" SEymour Duncan and DiMarzio, you are safer, in my opinion. They make good ones, and there are many many many reviews all over the place, so you can narrow down your search substantially before pulling the trigger. But in the end, it's a bit of trial and error... what sounds great in one bass, may not sound the same in another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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