89' MIJ 62' RI pickup upgrade, Single Coils/Humbuckers? NEED HELP!

altamont · #1 12-06-2012, 11:12 AM

Hey guys,
I have a sunburst 89' MIJ 62' RI that I got about 3 months ago. It's a beast. I really love the big chunky neck and it's now all naturally reliced. As soon as I got it I put on a bwb pickguard. I really love the looks and feel of this bass.

Soundwise, there's a small problem. The E string is probably all I ever wanted in a bass sound. Tons of low end, great tone, great output. My problem is on more on the A and D strings. A is not so bad, tonewise it sounds great but it could be hotter. D string is lacking a lot of output, to the point that I can't ever hear myself when I'm playing chords.

I'm considering upgrading the pickups for something hotter. At the same time, I don't wanna put on a SPB-3 and just get a dead rock sound. I play in drop D with a pick and we play a kind of grungy/90's type of post-punk. I'd really like to keep the "vintage" tone. I use a SamsAmp RPM to emulate the tuby-gain type of sound. So these pickups need to handle distortion/gain well.

So? What should I get? I'm thinking of an SPB-2 or maybe the Antiquity ones. I'm not quite familiar with the Single Coil/Humbucker technicalities, so I'm a little confused on what to pick. Also, the SPB-1 could be nice, but will it be hot enough?

Anyone ever tried these and could recommend?
Any help would be gladly appreciated!

M.R. Ogle · #2 12-06-2012, 04:31 PM

If the "E" sounds good to you, then it's probably not a question of "hotness" of the pickups. It's a string volume/balance problem, and you could try raising one side of the pickups closer to the D & G, and maybe lowering the E & A side some.

Also, try varying the low mids on your amp up to favor the other strings a bit. You're running through some processing that may also be exacerbating the problem.

My bet is that you'll install "hotter" pickups and have exactly the same string volume balance issues.

altamont · #3 12-07-2012, 10:49 AM

I'm saying "hotness" here, but honestly I don't think it's the output volume that too low on those 2 strings. Maybe they're getting cut off in the mix since there is so much low ends. The P pup is not flat, but I guess it could be bend even more in the center so that it will get closer to the A & G strings. I'll try that.

I'm also thinking about trying the Bill Lawrence P-46. Any inputs?

ale29 · #4 12-07-2012, 11:29 AM

Both the pick up sides and bridge saddles need to follow the fingerboard radius (7,25" i suppose).
This is clearly a setup problem, try to sort it out before spending $$$

Danno1985 · #5 12-07-2012, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ale29

Both the pick up sides and bridge saddles need to follow the fingerboard radius (7,25" i suppose).
This is clearly a setup problem, try to sort it out before spending $$$

Agreed. That said, I have Antiquity IIs in my MIJ '62RI Jazz, and absolutely love them. They still have all the vintage character, but are a bit punchier than the ones that came in the bass. Great pickup set.

Vakmere · #6 12-07-2012, 01:41 PM

Strings twisted . When restringing if the ball end is not allowed to unravel as you come up to pitch it will cause a loss of efficiency in the string. Loosen the two in question and pull the ball away from the bridge and see if it wants to twist in a certain direction. Even a quarter turn will improve the way the string vibrates.