Tjhooker Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Hello all.. Just seeing if there is anyone with some advice on my Spector mod itch that has been developing over the last couple of years. Picked an old(ish) q6 up on ebay for a fairly good price, I think it used to belong to a BC member at one point? Anyway it plays well and I'm getting to grips with 6 strings and enjoying it and after a few setup tweaks it is playing really nicely. It also sounds pretty good ... but its not got that thing.. it just doesn't. ... I don't think without paying out a fair bit (£££) I can get a better bass and honestly I don't want to.. I think I could upgrade this one? So I'm asking for some advice on pickup and / or preamp upgrades. It currently has EMG HZ pickups and EMG BTS 2 band preamp, not bad and after reading the official emg blurb on the hz they are supposed to have a good amount of mid range ... I'm not convinced. Also this can't be adjusted with the 2 band pre. So whats the verdict on the pickups and pre? Upgrade one or the other or both? Any advice would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Upgrade to full active EMGs first. If that doesn't do the job then upgrade the pre as well to an EMG BQC preamp (which has mid control): https://www.emgpickups.com/bqcsystem.html 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 Thanks for the reply.. What EMGs would you recommend for a decent punchy mid tone? .. Would these need additional batteries being active? or just pop in with the current BTS system do you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) . Edited March 19, 2021 by Tjhooker mistake 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 Should be... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 Trying to find a set in the UK at the mo is proving tricky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 2 hours ago, Tjhooker said: Trying to find a set in the UK at the mo is proving tricky! I bought some EMG bass pickups a few weeks ago and the only place that actually had them in stock was Guitar Sound I've had a quick look and you may be in luck with the 45PX... https://www.guitarsound.co.uk/emg-45px-black I couldn't see the 45JX, but there is a 45DCX https://www.guitarsound.co.uk/emg-45dcx-black HTH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulhauser Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 From my experience the 45px and 45jx are a lot harder to find anywhere in stock whereas the dcx is is readily available with most vendors. I have Spectors using both dcx/dcx and px/jx and the dcs have fuller sound with more of everything while the pj sound more "dry" for the lack of a better word. I love both for different reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 (edited) . Edited March 19, 2021 by Tjhooker edit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 The pickup on the q6 is pretty close to the bridge so I suppose that should be taken into account 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 40 minutes ago, Paulhauser said: From my experience the 45px and 45jx are a lot harder to find anywhere in stock whereas the dcx is is readily available with most vendors. I have Spectors using both dcx/dcx and px/jx and the dcs have fuller sound with more of everything while the pj sound more "dry" for the lack of a better word. I love both for different reasons. What combo (DCX / DCX .. PX / JX) would you say has a good punchy mid range .. Both neck / bridge ... neck only / bridge only Any thoughts on if the PX / DCX would be a good combo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 I use 45DC's in both of my custom basses - which I also believe is what Spector used to put in their USA basses for a long while(?). That said, I used to run two Tobias basses with 45P's in both positions for a slightly sweeter sound. The DC's do have a dip in their character somewhere around 300hz-ish maybe - they are the closest to the MusicMan pickup sound. A P / J combination will work well too and I've heard that some like to put a DC in the neck and a J in the bridge. One of the cool benefits of using EMG soap bars! You can swap them round, even put them in upside down too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulhauser Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Tjhooker said: Thanks for the input Anyone got any thoughts on different combos of EMGs? I'm not set on anything really but I will probably go for a P at the neck as I'm a P player at heart and like that sound but the bridge is open to experimentation! I have a couple of Spectors so I have tried quite some combinations. If you are putting a 45P to the neck I'd recommend using a 45DC or 45CS for the bridge partly for better maching the outputs (the P has a lot bigger output than the J ) and also the q has a bridge pickup closer to the bridge so a J in itself might be too thin sounding in that position. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 6 minutes ago, Paulhauser said: I have a couple of Spectors so I have tried quite some combinations. If you are putting a 45P to the neck I'd recommend using a 45DC or 45CS for the bridge partly for better maching the outputs (the P has a lot bigger output than the J ) and also the q has a bridge pickup closer to the bridge so a J in itself might be too thin sounding in that position. This seems to stack up as the current HZ at the bridge sounds a lot quieter and thinner than the one up front and as a result not that usable on it's own.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjhooker Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) . Edited February 20, 2021 by Tjhooker mistake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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