SPB1 vs SPB4

[Asllan Pizzatto]

Good afternoon, friends. I'm stopping by one last time before definitively buying the SPB4 for my noisy Steve Harris bass. Do you have any thoughts on this pickup? I saw a side-by-side comparison of the two models and found the SPB4 interesting, however, I'm a little worried about distorting the tone a bit... I've always been very satisfied with the tone of the SPB1, but, as those who read my last post know, my bass has a chronic hum problem, and I received several suggestions about changing the pickup permanently. Here in Brazil, the SPB1 is no longer available for sale. It seems to be discontinued. I only found it on eBay, but if I need to claim the warranty, I can already imagine the problem of having to return these pickups and get a refund... The best option would be the SPB4, especially because I found it at a very good price here where I live, in a reliable store, and with a much greater chance of getting an exchange if there's any problem. I'll leave a video of mine for you to evaluate the noise. It only really becomes audible at the end, however, keep in mind that there are songs with calmer parts where the noise becomes quite noticeable... that's what bothers me.

 

 

[Lozz196]

I had one of the SPB4s in a bass I bought for a while, it`s a decent sounding pickup but quite a bit different to the SPB1 - I found that the 1 had a huge mid-scoop whereas the 4 seemed to have the opposite. Re the distorting bit, well in general it`s mids that this seems to work on so I would think that the 4 would take this better than the 1.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

You could be disappointed if changing your pickup doesn't reduce the hum. Have you checked the circuit? If the output jack is wired up incorrectly this can cause untold amounts of hum. Also shielding the bass's cavities (and the back of the pickguard) using copper tape with conductive adhesive — often sold as anti-slug tape, can work wonders in reducing hum.

[ikay]

Listening to the hum at the end of the above vid, I agree with Jean-Luc re making sure the bass is fully shielded before replacing the pickup. 

[Asllan Pizzatto]

43 minutes ago, ikay said:

Listening to the hum at the end of the above vid, I agree with Jean-Luc re making sure the bass is fully shielded before replacing the pickup. 

Dude, honestly? Three luthiers told me it's well shielded... it can't be that. 

[Asllan Pizzatto]

2 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

You could be disappointed if changing your pickup doesn't reduce the hum. Have you checked the circuit? If the output jack is wired up incorrectly this can cause untold amounts of hum. Also shielding the bass's cavities (and the back of the pickguard) using copper tape with conductive adhesive — often sold as anti-slug tape, can work wonders in reducing hum.

My trusted luthier shielded the bass about a year and a half ago... I really don't think that's the problem because he's very experienced and well-known here in my city... I don't know if he would mess things up like that. But I also have a slight feeling that changing the pickup won't solve the problem... The problem is that I've already bought the pickup.

 

😵😵😵

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Can you post pics of your control & pickup cavities and your wiring? Are you able to check that the shielding is continuous with a multimeter, also using the multimeter to check that everything in the loom that should be grounded is also continuous? I can post some info on how to do this, but if you prefer to be hands-off, take the bass back to your luthier and tell him it is still humming.