Retrovibe MM pickups? Any good?

[TRBboy]

Hey folks! 👋😊

 

Although I'm really loving my little bargain Ibanez GAXB150, the stock DX4 pickup is leaving me a bit flat...  So I'm looking at options, and at the moment I'm sorely tempted to put an Alnico V MM humbucker in it (minor woodwork required). Also, I want to spend as little as possible, obvs. 😅

 

There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of budget Alnico MM's around, but I did spot some for sale with Retrovibe. Just wondered if anyone has used these, and could tell me what they're like?

 

Thanks!

[Pea Turgh]

I played a whole bass made by them with one of those in, but it was in a bass bash, so I couldn’t really hear it!  Nice bass though.

 

I also bought a Warman MM pickup, but didn’t complete the project it was destined for.

 

So that’s two useless pieces of information…

Edited January 25 by Pea Turgh

[TRBboy]

9 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

I played a whole bass made by them with one of those in, but it was in a bass bash, so I couldn’t really hear it!  Nice bass though.

 

I also bought a Warman MM pickup, but didn’t complete the project it was destined for.

 

So that’s two useless pieces of information…

Thanks for the help 😅👍

[TRBboy]

@Pea Turgh I'm glad you reminded me about Warman actually, they seem to have the cheapest Alnico MM pickups available. The thing I'm wrangling over now, is whether to go cheap or just spend out on something I know will sound killer...  I know it's a cheap bass, but it plays amazingly, so maybe worth the cost?

 

Current options:

 

Warman MM4.        £23.50

Retrovibe MM4.      £45.00

Catswhisker MM.    £78.00

 

Now, it's entirely possible the first two options will be the same, they will both be made in the far East, maybe even in the same factory. The Catswhisker will be hand wound here in the UK, and I KNOW will sound phenomenal based on the PJ5 Allan made for my build last year. 

 

DIfficult decisions...

[jezzaboy]

Another option could be an EMG that comes with all the gubbins attached as below. A bit more expensive but I use it for gigging fitted in a Sterling Sub and it`s great.

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/emg_mmcs.htm

[NancyJohnson]

People!  (Deep breath)  We really need to move away from the thought that just because something looks similar to something else that it's going to deliver something similar to what it pertains to be. 

 

[Sorry deep EDIT here: I've seen too many posts here and elsewhere where someone buys a Harley Benton Stingray clone or a Chickenbacker and goes, 'Yeah it really growls like a Stingray' or 'It clanks just like the real thing.'  These remarks just seem to be some kind of affirmation by the buyer of a bass costing 10% that of the original that it apes, is somehow vindicated.  I will continue to cite the blind test at one of the SE Bass Bashes, which kind of proved that a) people don't know what basses sound like at all and b) people couldn't identify their own bass from anyone elses.]

 

Voice of reason here.  Again.  I'd argue 'til the cows come home that tone is subjective ('all basses sound more or less the same and nobody aside from you gives a rats as to what you sound like'), more to the point tone is about synergy; the interaction of all the component parts, from your fingers/pick, the strings, pickups, wiring loom and cap, lead, stomps, pre-amps, power amps, speakers and your ears. 

 

Apart from saying the stock pickup leaves you a bit flat, you're not really saying why.  What do you want a replacement to do for you that the original doesn't?  I'm genuinely interested (see elsewhere), having swapped out a fair few pickups in my time and finding that a non-badged pickup from an old Strat' copy sounds virtually the same as the Mike Lull hand-wounds on a £5K bass.  I'm very much of the view that it's not worth changing anything on a whim; you'll have a perceived opinion of how much better the pickup sounds (which will be a direct correlation to how much you paid).

 

 

Edited January 26 by NancyJohnson

[TRBboy]

34 minutes ago, jezzaboy said:

Another option could be an EMG that comes with all the gubbins attached as below. A bit more expensive but I use it for gigging fitted in a Sterling Sub and it`s great.

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/emg_mmcs.htm

They do look good, but I kinda want a rounder more classic tone, and passive. I was looking at the TBHZ before though, could be another option.

[TRBboy]

3 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

People!  (Deep breath)  We really need to move away from the thought that just because something looks similar to something else that it's going to deliver something similar to what it pertains to be.

 

Voice of reason here.  Again.  I'd argue 'til the cows come home that tone is subjective ('all basses sound more or less the same and nobody aside from you gives a rats as to what you sound like'), more to the point tone is about synergy; the interaction of all the component parts, from your fingers/pick, the strings, pickups, wiring loom and cap, lead, stomps, pre-amps, power amps, speakers and your ears. 

 

Apart from saying the stock pickup leaves you a bit flat, you're not really saying why.  What do you want a replacement to do for you that the original doesn't?  I'm genuinely interested (see elsewhere), having swapped out a fair few pickups in my time and finding that a non-badged pickup from an old Strat' copy sounds virtually the same as the Mike Lull hand-wounds on a £5K bass.  I'm very much of the view that it's not worth changing anything on a whim; you'll have a perceived opinion of how much better the pickup sounds (which will be a direct correlation to how much you paid).

I appreciate what you're trying to say, but I'm not asking generally 'what type of pickup should I buy to get this sound' etc, I started off asking about a specific pickup, and I guess now it's expanded to 'what budget Alnico V MM pickups do people recommend?'. 

 

I'm confident that an Alnico V MM humbucker is going to get me where I want.

 

FYI, the stock DX4 pickup (dual ceramic soapbar) sounds a little 'boxy' to me, seems to be quite prominent in the high mids and lacking low mid presence. Generally lacking a bit of guts too.

 

I'm looking for a fuller, bigger, rounder sound, whilst still being pretty organic sounding and not being overly aggressive or hi-fi sounding.

Edited January 26 by TRBboy

[TheGreek]

I'm (sort of) with @NancyJohnson on this. 

I'm not convinced that spending lots of money on new pickups gets you anything more than you could get by adjusting the settings on your amp.

"I want pickups with more punch in the mid range"...I'm pretty sure that this would be possible with a bit of fiddling. 

For the price of your replacement pickups I would be happy to come and fiddle with your amp settings. 

(This is NOT a euphemism).

[TRBboy]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

I'm (sort of) with @NancyJohnson on this. 

I'm not convinced that spending lots of money on new pickups gets you anything more than you could get by adjusting the settings on your amp.

"I want pickups with more punch in the mid range"...I'm pretty sure that this would be possible with a bit of fiddling. 

For the price of your replacement pickups I would be happy to come and fiddle with your amp settings. 

(This is NOT a euphemism).

With the greatest of respect, this ain't my first rodeo. Of course I've tried playing with amp settings etc, and whilst I can improve it somewhat, the fundamental sound/character of the pickup isn't to my liking. I have other cheap instruments that I'm perfectly happy with the sound of.

 

I'm not the sort of person that EVER upgrades anything for the sake of it (I'm a massive tight-arse for a start 😅), and I never believe that throwing money at something makes it 'good'. I'm also not a believer in buying name brands just because they cost most therefore must be better.

[Tokalo]

I swapped out the pickup on my Sandberg Electra VS4. I found the original sounded like JJ in The Stranglers. Great, but not what I needed: I wanted a more vintage sound for gigs with a dad rock band and a soul band. 

I put in a (not expensive) Kent Armstrong pickup which just sounded more suitable.

I’m not sure I could have tamed the mids/highs enough using eq without losing a lot of the original note?

[TRBboy]

23 minutes ago, Tokalo said:

I swapped out the pickup on my Sandberg Electra VS4. I found the original sounded like JJ in The Stranglers. Great, but not what I needed: I wanted a more vintage sound for gigs with a dad rock band and a soul band. 

I put in a (not expensive) Kent Armstrong pickup which just sounded more suitable.

I’m not sure I could have tamed the mids/highs enough using eq without losing a lot of the original note?

Great example! Those large pole-piece Sandberg pickups have quality of sound, power and clarity, but for my ears were always a bit soulless. That's why in my 10 year, 9 bass Sandberg quest, I ended up ordering a TT5 Passive, with their Alnico V single coils. They gave me exactly what I wanted, still great quality sound, but more toneful, more organic, and I guess an inherently 'fuller' tone (perhaps more traditional I guess). 

 

All of this is pretty subjective, but I'm pretty sure to please my ears I want an Alnico V MM humbucker in this bass. I guess it's just a question of whether I take a punt on a cheaper one or spend more on something I know will be great (still far less than the big brands though).