ok long story short I have a godin bg5 that sits in my hands so nicely It feels like it was customer made for me .. but its one of the emg versions a 40p5 neck and 40cs bridge with the bqc ? preamp .. I have had a million ideas for warming it up (sorry emgs and me don't see eye to eye ) the word that comes to mind is sterile .. I want to like them I know they are good pickups so I'm thinking maybe I can warm then up with a different pre .. i don't want to rely on my amp for this as I often play this pass straight into my audio midi interface (pc) for practicing and writing purposes .. any ideas ?

a few i have had are .. just get some nordstrand fs's or big singles .. maybe try some seymours (don't know much about them) or bartolini classic bass ...

one point is that the godin is all maple so its adding to the brightness .. I use bronze strings and I'm thinking of moving to smooth wound .. i mostly look for a jazz funk booty sound .. even when I slap and pop I don't want that zing sizzle stainless steal sound .. thanks for reading Paul

Do as the Jamerson, the Collins, anyone using an old Fender would have... FOAM....
Dampen a pice of foam, medium-density, and place it under the strings at the bridge. You might have to experiment with the thickness, density, placement, but, it will be much cheaper than replacing your pickups or your strings. I do, however, agree that EMG's sound a bit sterile, and changing to groundwounds or possibly flats might be a good change. But, don't forget the foam!!!

Sincerely,

Thumpin_P:bassist:

At the risk of sounding like an ass, the best way I've found to warm up EMGs is by replacing them with Barts.

foam .. wow I knew the first electric basses had something dampening the strings to give them that double bass thud thing .. but i didn't think people were still doing it .. I'll try anything once ... well next time i replace the flats on my fretless even though its 4 string and the godin is 5 I think I'll move the strings across for a test drive .. and ground wound half wound thing is also on the cards .. as far as changing the pickups I guess its on the cards sooner or later .. I was just hoping that a preamp change might get me there hahahah .. no such luck huh .. oh well out to get some phone and then if that doesnt' quite do it for me I guess its .. should I stay or shoudl I go nortstrand or bart ... thanks for the opinions guys and I will try the foam .. you would loose some sustain no matter how good the placement was though woudln't you ? thanks again Paul

EMGs tend to carry their tonality through pre's. If you don't like them, try something else.

Edit: lost the last line when I posted. For clarity and some warmth, but not EMG sound, try Villex.

+1 on the Barts. I know it's cliche, but I swear by them and they are warm and yet still pristine sounding.

Try boosting the bass on the BQC and cutting the treble?

EMGs tend to carry their tonality through pre's. If you don't like them, try something else.

..For clarity and some warmth, but not EMG sound, try Villex.

+1

(from the thread title, i imagined a discussion involving little fluffy booty or sweater ideas for soapbars...:scowl: )

thanks people .. I think I have a few ideas to try before finally giving up and moving the pickups on .. anyone want some emgs ? ahahaha .. I remember once that one bass player rubs a hamburger on his strings .. gets them nice dead and dirty .. I think I'll give that one a miss though .. oh well while I'm trying these ideas I guess I'll do a bit of research into barts villex and nordstrand .. thanks again for your help everyone .. I almost got the sound I want once when I owned an ebs microbass 2 (amazing little box).. I just don't like to many links in the chain as mentioned above if you don't like emgs you don't like em get rid of them .. so I'll foam up tomorrow ... the bridge that is .. and also swap my flats over to the godin .. i can imagine what those two are going to sound like and I don't have high hopes I must admit .. so out with the old in with the new .. thanks again .. Paul

Another thing which might help tame the aggressiveness of the pickups is lowering them a little. When I still had EMGs, I found that this would mellow the tone somewhat and give them a more "acoustic" sound.

well I wound the pickups all the way down and I must admit there was barely any change must admit I can't get them too far from teh strings .. I possibly lost a little definition but its still quite cold sounding .. gonna go pull the flats off the maton fretless .. also had a thought .. the pre is only running on 9v .. but I think setting it up for 18 volts would only make things worse ? ... any recomendations on a particular bart pickup .. I'd like something that gives a nice fat modernish sound and then coil taps to a jazzish sound .. and I'd like a car that doesn't use petrol and a job that pays alot that I don't ever have to go to ?

A couple of fixes come to mind for EMG's. First off try a set of coated DR's. Black Beauties will calm down the honk and smooth out the highs for sure. Plus they feel great and look, uh, cool. :cool: Secondly, something that always worked for me was a Sadowsky outboard pre. It seemed to warm up the low end just right. The beauty of the Sadowsky is you can use it on multiple instruments if you so choose, and if for some reason you find it's not your thing, an easy sell is just around the corner. You can often find one used and sell it for exactly what you paid for it if you decide to move it.

Based on a lot of building of pre's, swapping pickups etc, it's my belief that EMGs sound like EMGs because of their particular design of inbuilt pre. To get a substantially different tone, you'll need to look elsewhere. Good thing for you is, once you find it, you shouldn't have much difficulty moving the EMGs.

Have you read the comparison threads stickied at the top? Might give some ideas.

Another option apart from Barts and Villex may be the SD SSB's for about $115/pr from Warmoth.

How do the EMG's sound in a mix? I have often found that an undesireable solo sound sometimes sits well in a full mix.

hey Jerry I have never tried a sadosky pre .. I used to have an ebs that really helped but I don't really like having too many different boxes .. I like to just plug in and go .. very rock and roll huh ahhaha .. thats why I was hoping someone was going ot say .. hey get rid of that emg preamp and get a (fill in blank) and you'll be back in booty town .. just put a flat on just the g string .. and it is getting closer but I'm not sure close enough .. thats with the pickups wound right down as well .. I listened to a sound clip of one of the guys on here playing a 7 string with nordstrand fat stacks .. I think I might just have to get me some ... but I'll try a few more things before I go that road .. thanks again for everyones opinions .. cheers Paul

If it helps at all, the Sad pre is based around the OBP Aguilars, which in my opinion, are the best production pre's I've heard.

now we're talking .. I have always wanted to try a OBP Aguilars in my maton to see how it changes the dimazios but never really needed too .. so here is my excuse .. I'll get one to try with the emgs .. if it doesn't work off to the maton it goes ..

SD SSB's for about $115/pr from Warmoth these seem like a steal in comparison to the nords and barts anyone have a set ? what do they lean towards ? p j musicman .. I'm guessing they are warmer being passive ... thanks everyone ... off to look for an obp .. any tonal difference between the 2 and the 3 ? as I don't think I'm gonna be able to fit 18v under the hood ... nice torana a9x .. do you own one or just dream of days gone by ? thanks all Paul

As for as the comment about the mix goes .. when your playing with two guitars a keyboard and a loud drummer you could be playing a bassoon if you really wanted too .. but I'm reallygetting into playing a fair bit of chordal work and play with just one guitarist when I do .. and am hoping to possibly start something singing and playing bass lines chords etc maybe with a horn player or a guitarist .. so I really want THAT sound as its gonna be WAY out there and will never reach the hands of the dreaded sound engineer who only knows one bass sound .. I must admit the extra clean of the emgs really isn't at all bad for chordal work but as soon as I do a little soloing or drop into a groove .. well .. blah

Not knowing your tastes exactly, it is hard to make a suggestion. My own experience with the harsh sterility of EMGs led me to Lane Poor, then Q-Tuner. Both are clear-sounding pickups, but more natural and transparent in nature. IMO, the EMGs tend to impose an undesirable coloration on to the instrument. At the moment, Q-Tuner would be my suggestion for a sound which is very clear, natural and extended, but not sterile and artificial like EMGs. If you are curious, I started a Q-Tuner thread some months ago with sound clips.

Ah, a couple of Sydney people here. Anyway, I'm in the same position with my Godin 5, nice neck. I just eq it to get what I want. I have an obp 3 but that's going into the 6 string build I'll be starting soon.

Ah, a couple of Sydney people here. I view living in Sinny, as akin to working off lifetimes of bad karma.

Ok I have an obp on its way to try that .. its actually headed for the maton fretless but it will be a good test for the preamp thing in the godin ..

hey there is nothing wrong with sydney that a few drinks and a good lie down won't fix .. my missus wants to move to canberra .. out of the frying pan and into the nations capital which is sooo not the fire ..

just had a look at those q-tuner pickups .. man they look like something out of the transformers movie !!!! but nothing wrong with being different

since I have everyones attention .. yeah right .. any idea what a good price would be for the emg stuff I'm probably going to be getting rid of

cheers
Paul

I view living in Sinny, as akin to working off lifetimes of bad karma.

Well, apart from the cost of living and other undesirable aspects of a society of it's type, it ain't that bad... Lot's of things in karma. It's what you make of it really, but there's nothing stopping you taking control and moving on...

Well, it ain't that bad. Lot's of things in karma. It's what you make of it really, but there's nothing stopping you taking control and moving on...I'm taking the p!ss, but I already have a home in a beautiful rural area that I'll move back to soonish. When you're homesick, but other circumstances won't let me make the move yet, well, y'know?

Karmageddon (n) It's like, when everybody is sending off all these
really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's
like, a serious bummer.

In Sydney, that's when real estate prices fall. :)

Hey lets not get too deep here .. no one said I was looking for a smith or cure sound out of my bass ..

you got a house in a rural area a9x ? you looking to adopt I can stack a dishwasher mate ahhaha

It was widely known for a while that the Sadowsky pre-amp was really one of the only to really impact and warm up EMG's.

IMO, I dig the EMG "sound".

for sure mike bass .. I actually like them don't get me wrong .. it might sound like I don't .. its just that there not the sound that I hear in my head ... if I heard someone else playing my bass I'm sure I'd go cool .. that guys got a good sound .. but I play it and I just go ohhh lets see if I can't get that sounding more like me ... maybe someone else explained it better .. an uncle of mine who has played guitar for forever told me about buying his first 12 string a beautiful old guitar that sounded lovely but he'd have a melody or riff pop into his head and he'd play it on the guitar and the two just weren't the same .. hence he sold the guitar .. it was great but just not him ... Paul

well heres my update as I'm sure everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats ..

I tried the emgs with the bqs with 18 volts instead of 8 and they just got brighter and sharper .. so that was a no go

tonight I quickly pulled out the bqs and put in an aggie obp1 and first impressives the bass definitely got rounder
but I won't know until I record it and see what I think

sadly I have to get some new pots before I can as I'm playing the bass with the obp sitting on my leg behind the guitar as the pots don't fit ahhaha ..

anyway I'll let you know how it goes ..
definitely impressed with the aggie though ..

still thinking about barts though ..

keep you all posted
BTW emg make beautiful pots (how dorky does that sound ?)
nah really as neat as

As long they arent like the Barts in my old 55-01. I dont exactly know what your looking for, but I dont think thats it ( that was with a Bart NTMB). Still sterile.

I use Norstrands in a Valenti J5, and dont even bother with the Aggie pre ( which is VERY natural) anymore, run 'em passive with a little bias to neck pup. Ahhhhh, with nickle rounds.... ahhhh, aint never heard slap so nice.... or picked 1/8 note U2, either.....

I think you mentioned you don't want outboard stuff, but I've found the Aphex Bass Xciter really warms up my G&L L-1500, or at least fattens the thin-sounding regions of the fretboard. If you run through one of these and roll off the treble, you might find happiness. But hey, if you don't like the clutter of pedals, I understand. (This one can go in the effects loop though.)

HI:

Sadowsky two band is the way to go, second choice
would be an Aguilar OBP-1.

I also have a Godin (BG-IV), and through my SWR Baby Blue
the preamp gives it the warm sound. Just like the
Sadowsky, two frequencies that seem to help are to
boost 40Hz and 4KHZ, and then a little punch at
250HZ in your amp.

I have the same bass with Dark Star pickups installed,
completely different beast. I put a Noll 2 band EQ with
active defeat, and it's just heavenly, but it's a loud bass,
the EMG's I can get a better very low volume tone

Phil Anderson

Interesting thread. On the subject, I recently gave up on my EMG soapbars (had them for 10 years) and ordered Nordstrand Fatstacks. I hope they're soon on their way :)

this has probably been said before. But the strings you use make a huge difference.

I personally play industrial metal, so not only do I have an EMG 40DC in the bridge, but I use D'Addario Pro Steels, their brightest sounding string.

Visit the D'Addario website, see their string choices http://daddario.com/DADFBass.aspx?ID=3

Ok, D'Addario are not the only string manufacturer in the world, but they tend to be the company that works best for me. I have tried all the others, and I just cant move away from the D'Addario strings. They just sound great, feel great, and last really well.

To summaries, try some Half Wound's, or for that really warm mellow sound, some Chromes Flat Wound.

hey guys .. keep the opinions coming .. glad people are finding this thread interesting .. I'm actually having the last think today at work and putting in the order before I go home i think

as andertone mentioned higher up .. there are just a few frequenxies that are basically lost in action with the EMG's I used to fix this with an ebs micro bass 2 (great bit of kit) but decided to get rid of it for one of those crazy reasons and have been unhappy with the bass tone since ..

I'm actually leaning towards the SD's that a9x mentioned
SD staff say they are basically hot warm jazz sounding which is pretty much what I want (fingers crossed) and cheap as chips . so I'll be a happy camper soon or will be listing them for sale hahaha

I'd love to try some of these groovey new pickups like q tuners nordstrand willex but the godin as very small spacing 16.25 or something like that .. so I'd have to get very custom pickups made and if I didn't like them would have a very small group of possible buyers (plus I don't have THAT much disposable cash)

I'll do my best to do some sound clips before and after the change to see if its significant and post the links

thanks for the opnions .. this is a great place .. loving it

cheers
Paul

ok its been a while hasn't it ... but finally I put the seymour ssd5's in .. only wired up the bridge straight to the jack so far but very nice .. a little hum but i think thats because i have a long peice of wire poking through one of the holes for the pots and jammed in the bridge as I still haven't drilled that hole yet ..

I did a quick bad quality bass taster .. i guess it was a bass sucker .. I even used what i remember to be the groove riff off bass taster .. sorry mr bass taster .. just thought it would help in comparison ..

I'm thinking at first listen with the hum they are a pretty hifi jazz bass sound .. very nice indeed .. and I think they will go great with a pre ... quite hot too .. the b string will easily clip my preamp which the emgs running 18 volts didn't ?

anyway if anyone has an idea of where you can upload some files (mp3s) so that anyone can have a listen if they are interested ... anyway possible a bridge change for the bass for a completely different reason but pretty happy with this initial change and will put the pre obp1 and wire up both pickups on the weekend if I have the chance

thanks for all your help

Please post more as you get to know them better.
I'm still interested in a set for the Conklin, and I may just bite the bullet and rout the B2V to fit an EMG40 to make it easier to try other models.

Hey A9x i'll let ya know when its all finally set up and you can come over and try em out if you want too its your old aggie that will end up in it first off might go an obp3 in the end if I feel the need .. Hey I grabbed that status series one off ebay a few weeks back .. now thats what active pickups should sound like

hey I'm not sure if your a slapper mate (boom tish) but they have a great slapping tone

I'm glad you ended up trying new pickups. I was going to suggest that its the only way to get where you want.

I'm a huge fan of EMGs, don't get me wrong. But no one has to like EMG's to like good tone, they definitely aren't the end-all-be-all. Pickups are the first place to start for changing tone in my book. Strings change tone too, but that tone changes over the life of the string anyway. Change your pickups and everything will sound different permanently.

Anything after the pickup has only what the pickup gives it to work with, if a pickup is missing something you're looking for you're not likely to get there no matter what you try.

If it helps at all, the Sad pre is based around the OBP Aguilars, which in my opinion, are the best production pre's I've heard.

You know, I thought so too, since the external versions used to look exactly alike. I asked Roger when I met him (I met Aguilar the same day), and he said they weren't the same at all.

They sure looked the same.

Based on a lot of building of pre's, swapping pickups etc, it's my belief that EMGs sound like EMGs because of their particular design of inbuilt pre. To get a substantially different tone, you'll need to look elsewhere.

This is my experience also. I had EMG soapbars in all my basses since the time I build them. I had 40-P5's and 40-J's mostly, and some had DC's as well.

I like the P and J models, but I think the J could have more bottom end, and the P, which is wired in parallel, could be a tad bit thicker sounding.

The DC had an annoying top end which I couldn't tame at all. I like top end, but this was kind of harsh and edgy sounding. I had to use extreme EQ to extract a small change intone.

I wanted something with more lows and highs and more transparent sounding... My solution was to replace all the EMG's with my own pickups.

EMG's sound good out of the box, but that's the sound.

Hey A9x i'll let ya know when its all finally set up and you can come over and try em out if you want too its your old aggie that will end up in it first off might go an obp3 in the end if I feel the need .. Hey I grabbed that status series one off ebay a few weeks back .. now thats what active pickups should sound like

hey I'm not sure if your a slapper mate (boom tish) but they have a great slapping toneCheers I will.
Which Status?

This is the one (status series1 wooden neck with graphite rods) 140175506521 not sure if I paid too much but I really wanted it and it ended up being in great nic .. it had had a refret not long back and there isn't much wear on them, the finish is great also .. so i coudlnt' be happier ..

as far as the ssb5's .. hooked both pickups up today and drilled through and put my earth wire through to the bridge (scarey) and put the copper sheilding in and a couple of volume pots ..
thats as far as I've gotten so far but still all smiles .. still very jazz bass sounding as far as I'm concerned .. very nice highs and tonnes of bass the B string really shakes stuff now and with much more definition than the emgs .. I guess I'd say presence in the b that I never heard with the emgs and no i didn't put new strings on when I put the pickups in .. oh and really quiet now the proper bridge earth wire is through

let you know what its like when I put the obp in

Congrats Paul. I looked at it, but no spare pesos.

When I come over I'll bring my carbon monocoque Status to compare.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=46069&d=1164313079
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38609&d=1153623981

Brettt Maaaaate .. I played something very similar to your bass years ago I think at the bass player .. thats why I wanted a status

very sharp looking indeed .. gotta love status styling

spare pesos .. I'll be on 5 minute noodles for a while because of this one

I should have the godin going strong by sometime next week .. I'll let ya know

Maple and EMGs are going to be sterile. If you have a sound you want, try the wood you want first. Find a bass that has that sound you are looking for wood wise, Then use the pickups to annunciate rather than compensate. I wanted to warm up the pickup in my maple/wenge Warwick, and did so by buying a jazz bass ;)

yeah I half agree with you there .. I have had all maple basses before and you could say they were bright (although this one has a wosewood fingerboard so not all maple).. you could also say they lack any form of muddiness .. or that they articulate very clearly .. which I love .. with the new pickups the bass is still very bright .. but it also has great mids and really present bass .. no note is missed because of the brightness of the bass itself but I have also lost the EMG sound .. which I realise is a certain sound that I don't appreciate ... so I see it has changing out an engine I didn't like in a car I love rather than just going out and buying a whole new car .. I could have gotten a whole new bass .. but I love the feel of this one so don't see a reason to get rid of it just because I don't like emgs :) I could have ended up with a bass I loved the sound of but hated the feel of .. anyway I am now very happy .. and will be more so if I ever get the chance to put the pre in .... so after that long winded rant .. maple .. I have the wood I like .. did you keep your warwick ? if not then you weren't a maple guy I guess .. if you kept it, you wanted both which is also way cool

yeah I half agree with you there .. I have had all maple basses before and you could say they were bright (although this one has a wosewood fingerboard so not all maple).. you could also say they lack any form of muddiness .. or that they articulate very clearly .. which I love .. with the new pickups the bass is still very bright .. but it also has great mids and really present bass .. no note is missed because of the brightness of the bass itself but I have also lost the EMG sound .. which I realise is a certain sound that I don't appreciate ...

This is true. Maple is bright, but it has a very smooth top end.

My basses have cherry bodies (similar to maple in weight), with a purpleheart lamination between the back and top. My main bass has a birdseye maple top. The set necks are maple and purpleheart, with a phenolic (ebonol) fingerboard, and graphite.

So we have all the ingredients here for a bright bass, but it's actually very smooth sounding, not like a maple bolt on, which would have that bright attack.

The issue with EMG's is they have their own sound, and that's not the sound of the bass. It works well with some basses, and not with others. Since they have a kind of EQ'd tone, they might make some basses sound harsh.

On my fretless, the single DC in the MM "sweet spot" sounded great, but the same pickup in the typical Jazz Bass bridge position on my other basses sounded harsh and brittle.

New pickups can make a big difference!

This is true. Maple is bright, but it has a very smooth top end.

My basses have cherry bodies (similar to maple in weight), with a purpleheart lamination between the back and top. My main bass has a birdseye maple top. The set necks are maple and purpleheart, with a phenolic (ebonol) fingerboard, and graphite.

So we have all the ingredients here for a bright bass, but it's actually very smooth sounding, not like a maple bolt on, which would have that bright attack.

The issue with EMG's is they have their own sound, and that's not the sound of the bass. It works well with some basses, and not with others. Since they have a kind of EQ'd tone, they might make some basses sound harsh.

On my fretless, the single DC in the MM "sweet spot" sounded great, but the same pickup in the typical Jazz Bass bridge position on my other basses sounded harsh and brittle.

New pickups can make a big difference!

In my opinion, the DC is a FANTASTIC pickup but ONLY in the "Stingray" sweet spot - as mentioned above, in BRIDGE position it is harsh city. Thing is, the DC was designed with Modulus specifically for their sweet spot Stingray style bass they brought pout in the early 90s (got this directly from EMG and Modulus) and is eq'd to give that Stingray sound without onboard EQ. WQorked GREAT for me in my Yamaha BBN5 bass in that position - people thought it was a Stingray 5. But in other piositions, yuck....

I also agree that EMGs, compared to most pickups (especially PASSIVE ones) sound roughly the same in most basses...subtly different based on construction, but mostly the same...which is great if you like that sound, bad if you want the sound of a particular bass....

Jamie

Here's my opinion on pickups...

a good, strong, bright sounding pickup can be mellowed with a bit of EQ MUCH more effectively than a dark sounding pickup can be "lightened" with EQ.

In other words, IMO, I can do something with EMG's if they're too bright. But I'd be hard pressed to get an effective tone from a set of Barts if they were too dark.

Just my 2 cents...

Here's my opinion on pickups...

a good, strong, bright sounding pickup can be mellowed with a bit of EQ MUCH more effectively than a dark sounding pickup can be "lightened" with EQ.

In other words, IMO, I can do something with EMG's if they're too bright. But I'd be hard pressed to get an effective tone from a set of Barts if they were too dark.

In my experience (similar to DavidRavenMoon's) I found the EMG DCs to have a harsh sound no matter what I did with EQ. It don't think it is just a matter of bright or dark. The Lane Poor M3.5Ws I installed as replacements aren't harsh at all, yet they are clearer in the highs and deeper in the lows than the DCs. It seems to me that the EMG brittleness has more to do with the pickup design itself, perhaps having something to do with the onboard preamp.

In my opinion, the DC is a FANTASTIC pickup but ONLY in the "Stingray" sweet spot - as mentioned above, in BRIDGE position it is harsh city. Thing is, the DC was designed with Modulus specifically for their sweet spot Stingray style bass they brought pout in the early 90s (got this directly from EMG and Modulus) and is eq'd to give that Stingray sound without onboard EQ.

Yep, I was told that directly from Doug Marhoffer himself when I met the guys from EMG at the '95 A.S.I.A. Symposium. I told him on my basses it was too "chirpy" at the bridge position, and he said "oh no, it's not made to go there, it's made for the MM spot".

It is made to sound like a Music Man bass right out of the box.


In my experience (similar to DavidRavenMoon's) I found the EMG DCs to have a harsh sound no matter what I did with EQ. It don't think it is just a matter of bright or dark. The Lane Poor M3.5Ws I installed as replacements aren't harsh at all, yet they are clearer in the highs and deeper in the lows than the DCs. It seems to me that the EMG brittleness has more to do with the pickup design itself, perhaps having something to do with the onboard preamp.

I agree.. I would try drastic EQ to warm up the DC and take the edge off, and it was always there. It's the resonant peak of the pickup.

It also doesn't extend very low, which is part of the reason it's hard to get a lot of tones from it. But if you want a god biting MM tone, it will do that in spades.

Here was an example I recorded. I wanted to compare the tone of a DC and one of my first pickups on the same bass, so I recorded the DC and then swapped out the pickup and recorded that. They are both running though an EMG BTC. All EQ was flat.

They were installed on a cherry body/zebrawood top bass in a position somewhere between a MM and Jazz bridge pickup.

You can hear that the DC is more EQ'd sounding and doesn't go as deep. The top end is more brittle sounding.

EMG DC (http://www.david-schwab.com/music/EMG-DC_bridge.mp3)

SGD Bridge (http://www.david-schwab.com/music/SGD_soapbar_bridge.mp3)

Well I'll see soon. I just ordered a pair of EMG HBCS for the XL2. I'll probably take the pre out and just run it with a passive loom and trad type tone control. I got an exceptional quote for them, so I took a gamble.

Hey Brett .. whats it like out there on that limb .. two emg cs' for your stieny huh ..
so what was the exceptional quote ? I think you can get some good prices on CS' at the moment because everyone is spending the few extra dollars and getting the tw's

still haven't put that pre in but I have everything here at work today so hopefully it will all be done bar the shouting by tonight and the ssb's will be ready for a proper audition

I won't tell you what I thought of the bridge cs I had until you check them out .. they might go well with the graphite

Hey Paul, I was concerned about getting the Villex as there is little depth in the body due to the spine on the XL2. The HBCS are special ordered with a cable out rather than a push on connector, so I reckon these are about the only option for this instrument unless I get something custom made. If I still don't like them enough, and reports from the Steinberger user's group seem positive, then I'll throw them in the Hohner B2 and try. Should be able to move them on the SOG of worst comes to worst. Price was under what Hydes charge for a pair of std EMG's, on special. I'm thinking the vintage type tone control will better tame any HF issues.

TW's won't fit in the case according to EMG tech.

ahhh fair enough then if thats all you can fit off the rack and as far as I've read the reviews are mixed on the tw's .. I think the cs aren't that bad on the HF to tell ya the truth out of the emgs .. I was actually thinking that the graphite might pump a bit of life into them .. I really liked them for a little chordal work as they made my bass sound quite a bit like a jazz guitar .. didn't have the bootey that I wanted for a bass line though in the godin anyway..

sadly the obp won't fit in the godin without different pots or a chisel..
so thats a no goer for today

I'll pm you my mobile number I'm home most of the week through the day next week come over and check out the basslines in the godin and the new status if you have some spare time

sadly I only have a ****** practice amp through a 210 at present (waiting for my bass head to arrive) but it doesn't sound too bad

Well I'll see soon. I just ordered a pair of EMG HBCS for the XL2.

Those are probably closer to the original HB-SS than the current HB, since the original SS had a steel plate on the inside.

Here's one of the very original Overlend EMG pickups they used in the L series. Not sure what it sounds like on a bass, but it makes a good guitar pickup.

http://www.sgd-lutherie.com/images/Overlend_EMG.JPG

Those are probably closer to the original HB-SS than the current HB, since the original SS had a steel plate on the inside.

Here's one of the very original Overlend EMG pickups they used in the L series. Not sure what it sounds like on a bass, but it makes a good guitar pickup.

http://www.sgd-lutherie.com/images/Overlend_EMG.JPG
That seems to be the consensus on the Steinberger Yahoo group, and why I jumped. If after a couple of months they still don't do it for me, I should be able to move them on and try a custom.