I have a 1984 Fender Bullet Deluxe B-34 - all original and in great shape. But I can't take the sound, so I'm going to replace the pick-up with a P-bass pickup...probably a Seymour Duncan Antiquity.

Does anyone have any experience with this modification? Besides the obvious routing considerations, is there anything else I need to look out for?

thanks,
andy

I'd hate to see you cut up that bass. Have you considered something like a Sadowski outboard preamp? Or maybe different strings? Anyway, I'm not sure that changing to a Precision-type pickup would make all that big a difference.

Noooooooo!!! I love mine so much I dunno how you can bring yourself to do that.

But anyway, I'm no master of electronics or anything but it seems to me from the wiring that perhaps it isn't wired as a humbucker like precisions and such. Then again I might be talking out my arse.

the existing pickups on this Bullet just sound so...terrible...for the music I play. I need a thick, bumping R&B sound and these pickups, while loud, distort and sound generally crappy...very low-fi.

I will try the Sadowsky outboard preamp/DI first, but I'm not super hopeful.

I love EVERYTHING about my Bullet Bass, with the exception of its lackluster sound...I'm dedicated to finding the right tonal solution for this bass.

If anyone has any other bright ideas, please pass them along - I'm all ears.

rather than cut up the original pick guard/pick up, cant you just buy a new one to chop around? then if you ever want to sell it or prefered the original sound, you could just swap it back.

Have you had a peek under the pickguard? there might be a pretty large route.

If there is enough space for a P pup in the route, id try and get a custom pickguard made.

Save the original PG and wiring harness?

I don't know how large the Bullet route is, but I do know they use the same pickups as the Mustang bass did, and you'd have to enlarge a Mustang route to get a Precision pickup in it.

Its maybe worth having a look?

Or how about getting one of the many quality pickup manufacturers to make a custom pickup for the bass that sounds P ish but is the same size as the pup already there?

I'm gonna try the Sadowsky preamp first - if it does the trick, awesome. The custom pickup idea isn't a bad one, though I wonder how much room that pickup has to improve, considering its design and size.

I've laid out the P pup covers on the Bullet and the existing pup cover could modified to work...a least temporarily. Eventually, I would get a custom pup cover.

It would be nice to avoid modifying the bass, but at the same time, it could be worth it. We'll see how much the outboard preamp helps first, before I start cutting...

Does anyone know whether it's single coil or not?

Anyway I think I know what your getting at. Mine sounded not quite distorted but pretty compressed when I was messing about with the pickup height and had it close to the strings, I found for the cleanest sound possible it was best to have them both fairly far away. Seemed to give it alot more definition for me anyway. I use 110s on it though so perhaps that's why I get away with having them so low.

You might want to reconsider wasting money and time on an outboard pre. I've tried a couple and still hate the pickups. You can get pickguards on ebay for the Bullet on occasion, either black or tort. I'm going tort and dropping in a Reverend to hopefully get closer to a P sound. Just haven't taken the time to get at it yet. SS strings had a far greater impact than the holy grail sansamp with this guitar. Parametric EQ helps a good bit as well.

Try getting a replacement pickguard instead of chopping up the old one, then if you ever sell it you can throw on the original one.

You might want to reconsider wasting money and time on an outboard pre. I've tried a couple and still hate the pickups. You can get pickguards on ebay for the Bullet on occasion, either black or tort. I'm going tort and dropping in a Reverend to hopefully get closer to a P sound. Just haven't taken the time to get at it yet. SS strings had a far greater impact than the holy grail sansamp with this guitar. Parametric EQ helps a good bit as well.

I just tried the Sadowsky preamp through a headphone amp and it definitely helps. I'll have a chance to play it with my rig tomorrow - that'll be the true test, but so far, so good. My amp has a decent EQ that helps. I also have an Aphex 204 aural exciter, which can help.

Eventually, I think I might still change-out the pickups and do this:

Try getting a replacement pickguard instead of chopping up the old one, then if you ever sell it you can throw on the original one.

I found a place that makes replacements pickguards:

http://www.wdmusic.com/fender_bullet_bass_pickguards_13552_ctg_2.htm

Really, I think I'll need a new custom pickguard right from the start.

The later Korean squier Bullet had the smaller bullet body with a Precision pickup. You can probably order that pickguard and I think it will fit perfectly. I'm not sure what the route under your pickguard is, but you might be able to slip a precision right in. If you do do this you won't affect the value of a bass that has been steadily gaining collectability. If you have to route, you might be well advised to look for a Korean Bullet. I know where I can pick one up for $150, and while it doesn't have the tele style headstock, the neck contour is very similar to an early sixties P bass, flat,wide, and very sweet.

I think Seymour Duncan might make bullet-type pickups.

How about having the pickups rewound???

MM

Good choice on pickguard replacement. When I started contemplating a new pickgaurd on mine the torts where only $45 and plain colors $25-35. I'd love to put on a tort, just can't justify spending $70 or so to chop something up!

Glad to hear the Sadowsky helped, these pickups are just boring.

I just tried the Sadowsky preamp through a headphone amp and it definitely helps. I'll have a chance to play it with my rig tomorrow - that'll be the true test, but so far, so good. My amp has a decent EQ that helps. I also have an Aphex 204 aural exciter, which can help.

Eventually, I think I might still change-out the pickups and do this:



I found a place that makes replacements pickguards:

http://www.wdmusic.com/fender_bullet_bass_pickguards_13552_ctg_2.htm

Really, I think I'll need a new custom pickguard right from the start.

Glad to hear the Sadowsky helped, these pickups are just boring.

Ain't that the truth. Everything else about the bass is PERFECT - the way it plays, the way it feels, the way it looks, it's light weight...but those pickups are awful.

Just a quick tangent. About 10-years ago, I replaced my factory Bullet Bass electronics with Seymour Duncan Basslines P/J actives. Let's just say that I put a few miles on my Dremel that weekend. The end result was amazing. I still play that bass. If I can find any good pics, I'll post 'em. :bassist:

Just a quick tangent. About 10-years ago, I replaced my factory Bullet Bass electronics with Seymour Duncan Basslines P/J actives. Let's just say that I put a few miles on my Dremel that weekend. The end result was amazing. I still play that bass. If I can find any good pics, I'll post 'em. :bassist:

nice! yeah - I'd love to see pics. I'm curious to see what you did with the pickguard.

I have a set of Duncan Antiquity II P-bass pickups ready to go...I might pick up a Dremel and do the work myself.

Just out of curiosity, what kinda music are you wanting to play with it? I can see why they might be awful for alot of kinds of music but I can get a really nice deep aggressive sound out of it.

The music is best described as urban rock...rock with lots of R&B and hip-hop influence.

Right now, the bass sounds very rock, without a lot of bass presence. It gets a mid-growly sound and has some natural overdrive built in when I turn the bass volume up to 10. I'm looking to balance the rock sound with some low end thump...and smooth out some "dead spots," which there are several of.

So far, it seems that the Sadowsky preamp definitely helps add some tight thump without any muddiness, which is a big step in the right direction.

I'll be rehearsing with the preamp today to see how it does in a real playing situation...

LaBella flats might help.

LaBella flats might help.

The black nylon LaBellas? Or the flatwound "Jamerson" set?

I dig flatwound.

ton of wdmusic bullet pickguards on ebay right now for low money.

The black nylon LaBellas? Or the flatwound "Jamerson" set?

I dig flatwound.

I'd say neither and try the .049"-.109" 760FM set, or the .045"-.105" 760FS set if you'd prefer something lighter. Those strings will change the sound in a good way, and when you consider they'll last for years they aren't more expensive than other strings.

...So far, it seems that the Sadowsky preamp definitely helps add some tight thump without any muddiness, which is a big step in the right direction....


Interesting that you found the Sad to help cause that’s a very transparent pre so whatever I ran through it sounded like what I ran through it. I had to hit the by-pass on it when I first fired it up to tell that it was doing anything at all and even then it amounted to a subtle addition of presence. You had to get up above 10:00 or 11:00 on the B/T to clearly hear it kick in. In my experience it made a good pup sound better and was no help to one that sucked. With a good pup the tone was more appealing below 11:00. I don’t remember what it did for cranking it more for a less desirable pup but must not have made much (or enough) difference or I’d think I’d remember that. The Sans did make a suck pup (or rig) sound better cause it colored tone so heavily.

I’m assuming you’ve played other basses through the rig you use and it met your needs so you know the issue is with this bass.

The first thing I would do is run the pup straight to the jack to know what the pup itself sounds like. I’ve heard pups that sounded a lot better straight to the jack but I recall none that sounded worse (than through a passive harness that is). My guess is it won't matter but you don't know that.

Next I’d run it through a flexible piece of EQ, preferably a 3 band parametric or better but at minimal something like a GEB-7 (to get some feel).

Next I’d find out what strings guys that play the style are using, get some, and try the EQ again. Strings can make a big difference.

Once you've done the above then there's a bass choice to be made. If the bass has resale value than you're probably better off moving it on down the road - unless you're just nuts about it otherwise.

These days you can buy a bass that meets your needs for little more than the time and effort your looking to invest in making this bass useable for this application - which may not be useable for the next one. For less than a Sad for sure. If you have to route it, you may as well just gut out under the strings and make a pickgaurd to fit whatever configuration you settle on. Then routes will no longer be an issue and you’ll have a bass you that will work for any situation that arises. I did that years ago and haven’t looked at another bass since - in fact sold several I had cause the different routes no longer served a purpose. Then find out what pups guys are using for the syle and get some.

Just an update for anyone who cares...

I played the Bullet thru my rig late last week, with the addition of the Sadosky preamp. In short, the preamp was a definite improvement...though I still found that I needed to do quite a bit of tweaking with my EQ and processing in my rig.

FYI - I play an SVT 3 Pro head, Aphex 204 Aural Exciter, Aphex Easyrider compressor...thru an Acme Low B2 cabinet.

I started out with the Aphex units OFF and my Ampeg EQ flat. Without the Sadowsky, it sounded like garbage. With the Sadowsky, it sounded better, but still not close to the tone I'm looking for. After a lot of tweaking, I managed to get the best sound out of the Bullet that I've ever gotten...so far.

Tonight, I'll be playing at our rehearsal studio, so I'll be playing the Bullet thru the Sadowsky and a completely different amp. It'll be a good test to see how much (if any) of the poor tone is a result of my rig.

The next step will be strings...and then, finally, pickups.

...and yes, I'm married to this bass...I absolutely love it for every reason other than its tone. I'm truly dedicated to getting the tonal awesomeness to match the rest of its awesomeness :)

keep us posted, i've got my pickup, pots, jack, and hardware ready to go in mine....just awaiting pickguard.

You tried lowering the pickups yet? Helped me out loads balancing the tone (That and some stupidly fat strings). Got a Badass II bridge for it which will help give it a bit more sustain once I get it sorted out. That's the only thing that seems to really lack from it for me at the moment, should also help balance the top heaviness cos it's a pretty hefty chunk of metal... By the way I'm finding it difficult to find screws for the pickup in hardware stores. Lowered my pickups a little too much and lost 2 of them and apparently they "don't make screws that size anymore". They standard Fender screw sizes or are they some vintage ones I'm gonna have to have specially made somehow?

I understand you wanting to change the pickups now though playing stuff with R&B and rap kinda sound as well as rock. I use mine for a little Surf/Hardcore Punk recording project I do on the side and It sounds perfect for it, just cut some of the really high mids and give it plenty of bass and and other lower end and it sounds pretty well suited (Get to use my Danelectro and my bros sweet Japanese Strat too once I get somewhere to record sorted, a suitable guitar amp might help too...)

By the way I posted under AnRK before but decided it was stupid to use my piss-take computer game pseudonym for a bass forum... If anyone cares.

Does anyone know if a Jazz neck will fit onto a Bullet? I'd like to convert the one I'm playing to a lined fretless.

You know that a standard guitar pickup just about fits in that slot?

My drummer put a Seymore Duncan humbucking single coil (rails) for guitar in his and it sounded really good.

Ever thought of that route?

You know that a standard guitar pickup just about fits in that slot?

My drummer put a Seymore Duncan humbucking single coil (rails) for guitar in his and it sounded really good.

Ever thought of that route?I've posted on this many times and it works very well. The DM Fast Track 1 or ProTrack are the best starting points. The SD Coolrails is pretty good too.

back from the dead thread - I'll be putting a Reverend 8.7 into my Bullet at the end of the month, requires just a touch of Dremel work to route a wider opening. Got a fake tort 3-ply to make the switch. Hopefully it ends up sounding like an angry P....keep you all posted.

the existing pickups on this Bullet just sound so...terrible...for the music I play. I need a thick, bumping R&B sound and these pickups, while loud, distort and sound generally crappy...very low-fi.

I will try the Sadowsky outboard preamp/DI first, but I'm not super hopeful.

I love EVERYTHING about my Bullet Bass, with the exception of its lackluster sound...I'm dedicated to finding the right tonal solution for this bass.

If anyone has any other bright ideas, please pass them along - I'm all ears.

No pun intended! :smug:

You do mean that it IS really bright don't you? Maybe it's me not being a fan of trebley bass but I find it to be more the bright enough, and usually cut the high on my amp when using it.

To all the people getting new electrics, seriously try lowering your pickups to an insane degree, it gets rid of ALOT of the nasty compression/distortion/whatever it is and gives the bass a much more rounded sound.