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Mustang Bass Pickup Recommendations?


BahHumbug
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Hi folks,

firstly, I’m new here so apologies if I’m posting in the wrong forum.  Anyway….

 

I have an MIJ Mustang Bass that I bought 2nd hand a few years ago.  It came with a Nordstrand pickup.  Although I love the bass, it’s tone has been bugging me and I’m finally getting around to doing something about it.  It’s a bit of a ‘dull thump’er.  I have friend who has a stock MIJ Mustang (which inspired my purchase)  and it’s tone is more lively and zingy, which is what I like.

i checked the tone cap on mine and found it to be a bit bigger than stock 0.1uF.  I swapped it out for a 33nF that I had in my bits box, so slightly smaller than stock, but it hasn’t made any appreciable difference.

So I’m looking to swap out the Nordstrand.  Going back to a stock Fender would be a simple choice, 2nd hand would be ideal but I don’t know when one might turn up.  A quick google revealed a number of aftermarket options, so I wonder if any of the Mustang owners on here could recommend anything based on my zingy tone requirements?

 

TIA

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Stick a MusicMan pickup in there. It'll need some routing, and won't exactly look standard, but it'll give you what you need. Any MM will do, I've currently got an EMG on a short scale and to say it has balls is an understatement. 

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the pickup on my JMJ mustang is awesome, I thought it was a seymour duncan but the blurb doesn't say

 

but I've just watched a 2018 review online and it is a seymour duncan. The newer ones claim to have a specially voiced pickup, whatever that might mean

Edited by police squad
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42 minutes ago, BahHumbug said:

Thanks for your thoughts, folks.

@ped Yes I had spotted the Northern pickups ones.  Do you know anything about them apart from what it say on the website?

 

I spoke to David who sounded like a right legend, he said there's a 14 day money back guarantee and that he'll do something custom for you if required, such as a super hot overwound pickup with thinner wire, which he said I could swap for a standard set if I didn't like them. Sounds like they're worth a go.

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  • 11 months later...

If Northern can't sort you out, the Curtis Novaks don't sound a million miles away from the JMJ Seymour Duncans to my ears, perhaps a little less low end, more even (despite what Philip Conrad says at the end):

 

 

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The Northern pickups Mustang offering looks to be for the MIJ 'stang with the wider pups as the covers measure 44mm whereas the Squier CV has the more traditional 40mm wide covers. 

I've been looking down the Mustang rabbit hole recently and the replacement pickup game is not as straightforward as one would hope!

 

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I’m absolutely sure that Nordstrand pickups are top quality etc etc…

 

However, I’ve had a few basses with them in, and was underwhelmed. I find them a bit sterile and boring, personally. A bit like Markbass amps… same.

 

Personally I think SD or Fender pickups have more colour and character.

 

Just my opinion.

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  • 2 months later...
On 18/08/2023 at 12:06, Lozz196 said:

Very interested in this, I`ve got a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang as backup to my JMJ, trying to get the sound as near as possible, think I`ll see what Northern can do re this.

So an update on this, turns out that backing off on the tone control to about 60/70% gives me the JMJ sound. Have done a bit of research and the pots & capacitor are different so am getting the same installed (better quality never hurts) so not going to change the pickup.

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Here's a video I found interesting which compare's Fender's different mustang bass versions.

 

 

My classic vibe mustang came with a pickup from a vintera mustang fitted by a previous owner (shame they didn't put on the hipshot lollipop tuners from the vintera as well), however the stock pickup in the classic vibe measures up very well in the shootout.

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I recently got a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang in a trade for a Precision, it has round wounds on it but I fully expected it to be a dull thumper, it's nothing of the sort! I love the recorded tone of them, according to the guy I got the bass from the standard pickups have been wax potted, I have no idea if that changes the tone but thought it was worth mentioning.

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Hi all,

Just following down this thread after I recently acquired a Squier CV 60's Mustang for a great price. I wanted to switch out the pick guard and pup covers so I went online and bought some new ones. I have since discovered the discrepancy in pup size! 🤦🏼‍♂️

I have the 40mm pups but the guard and covers are for 44mm. The conundrum is that I think the stock Squier pick ups sound really nice. Do you think a luthier would be able to make an adjustment so that I can use these covers without changing the pup?

IMG-20240131-WA0003.jpeg

Edited by videoangelus
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having read this thread - i went to David at Northern Pickups - got the vintage pups with alnico5 not overwound - as the JMJ has A5 magnets and i like the tighter bottom end and slight more bite - still sounds vintage and i really like them, David sent them attached on a pickguard - so no faffing with springs and i wanted a new parchment guard - swapped them out to a solderless kiOgon loom from here with full size pots. - dont do what i did and put them on wrong way round and send a pic to ki0gon for him to point out i had a pot in the jack hole haha oops embarrassing -  sounds great though-- i had to use a hair dryer just to warm the guard up so it'd make the fit round the neck easier

 

Edited by Duroc17
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