...using a coupla no name jazz pups I've had laying around. I want to modify their covers, wire them together, and then pot them under the same cover for a single large pickup. Whether it will work well remains to be seen but my question is how should I wire the polarity for the 2 units? Series or Parallel? Any differences?

This isn't a critical thing - I've got a parts bass going together on-the-cheap and I've been struck with this idea. Something akin to Music Man location combined with simple wiring. It may not perform well but it'll look cool:cool:

i think it matters which sound you want ie the switch on a stingray5! from there i have no clue!

I would try to wire in a series parallel switch, but if youre gonna go one way or the other I say series.

Fatter, bassier, and more output.

Peace
Nick

I think you'd pretty much have the Roscoe Beck Fender thing going.

I would spring the extra $3 and slap in a switch. Maybe a push-pull if you want to keep the simple look going.

I think I actually saw a bass somewhere not too long ago where the owner had done something similar. But rather than removing the PUs from their covers, he simply ground the screw-mount tabs off and superglued the cases together.

Chas

Oh, and in case you havent thought of this, you wont be getting the MM sound because of the size of the pickup pole pieces.

A big part of the sound is the amount of bass that comes from having huge pole pieces. With the J bass you have tiny pole pieces. Im pretty sure it has something to do with mass and resonant frequency of the poles, but Im not positive.

Peace
Nick

I'd definitly put in a switch. :)

yep, agree with the selector switch idea- I've got an ON-ON-ON toggle switch on the Kent Armstrong JJ bridge humbucker in my Warmoth P bass.

parallel gets a Stingray-ish scooped sound, but the volume is a bit low.
I use this setting in my covers band with a volume and treble boost effect patch to get the stingray sound on RATM numbers.

series adds a lot of low mids. a bit muddy in comparison with parallel mode.

single coil mode (bridge-most coil soloed) gets the J bass sound.

re. the comparison with a true MM p/up, the spacing between the polepieces of each coil adds its own share of tonal difference too- ie.
on a JJ 'bucker the coils are closer together than on an MM= less hollow than an MM.

Thanx for the tips guys!

But I've got another question. How come it is that everytime I or someone else asks a question that refers to an MM style pup or placement (single pup biased towards bridge), everyone has to point out that it won't sound like an MM and it won't have the tone of an MM and it won't this or that like an MM??? It's just that I've noticed how this is as predictable as tomorrow and a bit funny.

I really didn't care and whatever it sounds like is fine with me. That's part of the fun of these things - hearing how it all comes together in the end. A surprise here and there is part of the game.

The selector switch sounds like a great idea but I think I just want this to operate as a single pickup. I might even combine this one with a nearly new DiMarzio in the bridge position to keep a variety of tones.

Simply because the obvious reason for putting a pickup in the MM position is for the MM sound.

Peace
Nick

I won't mention MM pups I swear! :eek: :p

You got a cool idea there. I've always thought one of these "Powerbucker (http://riograndepickups.com/5.html)"
types in the sweet spot would be pretty slick...the switching possibilities, oy!

Italian luthier Frudua makes some very pretty basses (imho) using this type of pup...

  http://www.fruduaguitars.it/img/gfj5_part.jpg

The English version of their new site doesn't seem to be up, but I tracked
down the sound samples page for their GFJ-VO model (above)...

http://www.fruduaguitars.it/gfj_it.html


hope that helps :)

Originally posted by Nick man
Simply because the obvious reason for putting a pickup in the MM position is for the MM sound.

Peace
Nick

Uh, if you say so. remind me never to put any type of pickup in the "P bass" sweet spot. i'll just be going for that "P bass" sound.:rolleyes:

Edit: that is a AWESOME looking bass. how does the sucker play?

Originally posted by PollyBass
...Edit: that is a AWESOME looking bass. how does the sucker play?
I dunno :confused:. Hopefully as nice as it looks.

Maybe TB'r barroso has tried one?

http://riograndepickups.com/images/pg9_powerbucker.gif
Riogrande Pickups has one! (http://riograndepickups.com/5.html)


and dont forget:

http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/virtualx_colors/BH5/BH5_blu.gif

Reverend does too! (http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/guitars_basses/brad_houser_5.html)

Originally posted by PollyBass


Uh, if you say so. remind me never to put any type of pickup in the "P bass" sweet spot. i'll just be going for that "P bass" sound.:rolleyes:

Edit: that is a AWESOME looking bass. how does the sucker play?

Well Im curious, why do you want to put it in the MM position then?

BTW, as far as I know, and IME, to get a sound close to a P bass when using a Jazz, you select the neck pickup soloed.

A huge part of a bass' tone comes from the position of the pickups.

Peace
Nick

It's been done.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?postid=747354

Originally posted by notduane

I dunno :confused:. Hopefully as nice as it looks.

Maybe TB'r barroso has tried one?

awesome sounding bass. but if you want really great italian basses....

www.laurus.it