4 string pups on a 5 string bass?

[Spiderskot]

Hi, first time poster. I bought a 5-string bass from the bay a few years back, the brand is "Rah" or something like that. The oddity is that it has a P/J pup configuration, and they are 4-string pickups. The bass sounds okay, but I was wondering if this is at all common and how I could go about putting 5-string pups in it without modifying it a lot.
Thanks for any info!

Skot

[Stealth]

It's not common, but it can work. So long as the magnetic field from the pickups covers all the strings (and in your case it does), that's all there is to it.

If you really think it's necessary, you'll need to route the bass for the pickups.

[Von Felgenhauer]

So the 5 string bass has a set of 4 string pickups in it? Why wouldn't a normal 5 string pickup set work without modding it? Do you have pictures? That might help with the assesment.

[southpawpa]

A Bill Lawrence P-46 will fit in a 4 string P bass pick up cavity.
It's designed for 4 & 5 strings (& tightly spaced 6 strings)

I have one in a P 4 string I converted to a 5 & it picks up all the strings well, sounds great & happens to priced low.

[Spiderskot]

Thanks for the responses, guys! 'Kayso, here she is. As far as I know, it's not a 4 to 5 modded bass, it was just built this way. Maybe whomever did it decided it'd be cheaper to put 4string pups in it. I only paid $75 for it (in two pieces. They were selling the body and neck seperately)

I'm not an avid bass player, although I have played bass in a few bands, mainly because there weren't really any bass players around here and everyone wants to be the guitar god in the band. I do all of my own music now, so it's a necessity to have a bass. I do need to run it through a proper setup though, because I'm finding that the volume between strings is uneven. The low B and the E are pretty loud, but the A, D and G are quieter. I played a Soundgear 5 that was like butter, and I want this one to at least be heavy cream and not cottage cheese.

[knucklehead G]

Paging Ric5, Ric5 to the thread please...

Look up most of his posts. It seems all he does are 5-string basses with 4-string pickups.

[Spiderskot]

Damned if he doesn't I wish my strings were closer together. The Soundgear I mentioned before had a really narrow neck compared to mine. I could probably put a 6th string on mine and still have room lol

[Von Felgenhauer]

Your best option would be to get pickups like emgs where its a"blade" style cause those pole pieces aren't under each string

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

Look up most of his posts. It seems all he does are 5-string basses with 4-string pickups.

Because he turns 4 string basses into 5s.

Those strings look as close together as my Soundgear. I have 4 string sized jazz pickups on it, but they have blade pole pieces, so they work with 5 strings.

[panda bass]

To the volume issue try and adjust the pickup height further away on the E and B and closer on the A D and G!

[Spiderskot]

I may have to get longer screws or something, because I can only adjust them up so high before they're popping out of the body. The Jazz pup won't come up at all.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by Stealth

It's not common, but it can work. So long as the magnetic field from the pickups covers all the strings (and in your case it does), that's all there is to it.

Bingo.

Can y ou hear every string evenly? If so... it's working fine.