Nordstrand in the slant position??

LightGroove · #1 10-30-2007, 07:34 AM

Hey now,

I haven't even received my bass yet and I'm already scheming to make changes. I did a little search and nothing popped up. Will the Nordies work tonally in the typical Roscoe slanted position or is this exclusively set up for Bartolini??

God bless
Michael

allenhumble · #2 10-30-2007, 07:36 AM

I dont know if the poles would line up correctly.

Gard · #3 10-30-2007, 09:01 AM

Michael -

Check with sha975, he did it with either Fat Stacks or Big Singles on his LG 3005 and it seems ok. It definitely won't do so well with Dual Coils though.

You may need to custom order the pickups to make them work....

sha975 · #4 10-30-2007, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightGroove

Hey now,

I haven't even received my bass yet and I'm already scheming to make changes. I did a little search and nothing popped up. Will the Nordies work tonally in the typical Roscoe slanted position or is this exclusively set up for Bartolini??

God bless
Michael

Carey told me that the dual coils are a "No go," as far as slanted pickups go but he can install the Fat Stacks or Big Singles in the slants. I must admitt that it turned out very well...Carey's attention to detail is second-2-none. If I wasn't such a "Roscoehead," I'd definitely be looking into getting one of his basses. I have a bartolini pre-amp installed in my LG and the combination is outstanding! By the way, I think that I need mention that if you have a demeter pre-amp in your bass then plan on changing out your pre-amp also because the demeter just does not work with any of Nordstrand's pickups. Here are some pics of his work.

J.Wolf · #5 10-30-2007, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sha975

By the way, I think that I need mention that if you have a demeter pre-amp in your bass then plan on changing out your pre-amp also because the demeter just does not work with any of Nordstrand's pickups. Here are some pics of his work.

Really? I don't agree with that. Gards bass sounded pretty dope when he had that combo I thought. What is this based on?

sha975 · #6 10-30-2007, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfbass1025

Really? I don't agree with that. Gards bass sounded pretty dope when he had that combo I thought. What is this based on?

This is based on the same guy who makes Nordstrand pickups...he (Carey) would be the first to tell you that demeter pre-amp just don't match up with his pickups and that he does NOT recommend using them. That was the first thing he told me when I sent him my basses but I was hard-headed and found out the hard way. I'm not saying that demeter isn't a good pre-amp because I have it in my Roscoe SKB3006 and it sound awesome with the bartolini's

J.Wolf · #7 10-31-2007, 08:08 AM

Thanks for clarifying. I wasn't aware of Carey's position on that. I only responded because I had really enjoyed the sound of Gards Century with DC's and a Demeter. I enjoyed the sound of the audere more, and subsequently went with that setup in my century, but it didn't sound like a mismatch to my ears at the time.

Gard · #8 10-31-2007, 09:49 AM

I dunno what happened, maybe something was different or weird about either the pickups or preamp in my original setup (Nord/Dem), but I never noticed much of an issue with them...

...several people had issues afterward however...

...talked to Carey quite a bit about it, and he indeed told me that there was some "things" about the Demeter that just didn't do well with his pickup designs.

That said, once I put the Audere in my bass with the Dual Coils, I never even looked back!

And with the Fat Stacks, the Aggie OBP-3 is just killer as well....

J.Wolf · #9 10-31-2007, 02:45 PM

I still gotta make it down there to check out the fretted guy G-Los. I may be in your hood next week for a gig, maybe we can rendezvous. It would be cool to catch up!

Gard · #10 10-31-2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfbass1025

I still gotta make it down there to check out the fretted guy G-Los. I may be in your hood next week for a gig, maybe we can rendezvous. It would be cool to catch up!

Cool man...let me know if it's goin' down, when & where...if I can't make it out for the gig, maybe you can come in early, grab lunch?

J.Wolf · #11 10-31-2007, 03:37 PM

you got it. I'll give you a ring when I have the details. p.s. the guy I'm playing there with said "make sure you bring that fretless, it sounds soooo good"

Gard · #12 10-31-2007, 04:21 PM

Of course it does, we made it!

...and even better, it's kinda my formula, isn't it?

Joel B · #13 10-31-2007, 05:36 PM

I find the Nord Demeter debate interesting. I have that very combo, and I think it kills in my bass.

I get comments on the sound every time I play out. I even had a guy ask specifically for that bass, when he asked me to record with him this year.

I guess I'm just lucky. I have considered putting an Aggie pre in though, I just hate to mess with the tone without hearing the difference first.

sha975 · #14 10-31-2007, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel B

I find the Nord Demeter debate interesting. I have that very combo, and I think it kills in my bass.

I get comments on the sound every time I play out. I even had a guy ask specifically for that bass, when he asked me to record with him this year.

I guess I'm just lucky. I have considered putting an Aggie pre in though, I just hate to mess with the tone without hearing the difference first.

Thats funny you would say that. Now I'm wondering if it was just my DC's. What kind of pups do you have installed? Maybe its just certain pups of Carey's

Joel B · #15 11-02-2007, 01:59 AM

Sha975, I have the DC Nordies. There is one thing I need to mention that may or may not have to do with the tone.

I have the 19mm string spacing on my bass, but the DC pickups are the ones designed for Roscoes regular spacing.

This causes the string to be a little off center with the center of the poles. This may affect the tone somehow.

The wood combo on mine is this. Swamp ash body. Amboyna burl top. Wenge wedge neck with wenge fretboard.

I don't know if the density of the wood combo along with the offset of the poles combined perfectly with the magic funky mojo dust that Gard sprinkled on it before shipping it to me, but it really does sound great.

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Here are a couple of pics that show the beauty of Keith's artistry, and also give an idea of the situation with the poles and strings.

JOME77 · #16 11-03-2007, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel B

I don't know if the density of the wood combo along with the offset of the poles combined perfectly with the magic funky mojo dust that Gard sprinkled on it before shipping it to me, but it really does sound great.

Attachment 72476

Attachment 72477

Here are a couple of pics that show the beauty of Keith's artistry, and also give an idea of the situation with the poles and strings.

Isn't mojo dust just a generic name for fairy dust?

Awesome looking bass Joel! I love the look of the Nords on Roscoe's!

LightGroove · #17 11-03-2007, 07:53 PM

Hey now,

Just to clarify.. Do the big singles or fat stacks have to be modified by Carey or can I purchase them from an off the shelf dealer?

It will be awhile before I make any changes .. Just trying to get a better understanding.

God bless
M

sha975 · #18 11-03-2007, 09:54 PM

According to Gard, every LG3005 (although not seen by the naked eye) does not have the exact same routes of course this due to everyone of them being hand made. Gard, recommended that I send my bass to Carey and thats just what I did because Carey had to figure out the measurement and the angle of the pole piece in relation to each string so everything lines up. Hope this helps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightGroove

Hey now,

Just to clarify.. Do the big singles or fat stacks have to be modified by Carey or can I purchase them from an off the shelf dealer?

It will be awhile before I make any changes .. Just trying to get a better understanding.

God bless
M

LightGroove · #19 11-04-2007, 05:42 AM

Hey Sha..

Yes that helps very much.. Out of curiosity is Carey's price reflective of the extra work or is it pretty much comparable to buying them off the shelf??

God bless
M

Gard · #20 11-04-2007, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sha975

According to Gard, every LG3005 (although not seen by the naked eye) does not have the exact same routes of course this due to everyone of them being hand made. Gard, recommended that I send my bass to Carey and thats just what I did because Carey had to figure out the measurement and the angle of the pole piece in relation to each string so everything lines up. Hope this helps!

I want to clarify that while the pickup routs are done by hand (well, on a pin router with a template, but setup and operated by a person), and there can be some variation, that variation is in the 1/128" to 1/64" range, and does not affect the performance of ANY pickup you use, as long as it will line up under the strings correctly.

The work Carey & crew did was to get the bobbin placed and spaced to line up with the general layout of the LG model, and I'm sure he can repeat this quickly now.