Which Bartolini [or other brand] replacemnent pickup for the bridge pickup position ?

[jibreel]

Now a very specific question from my thread below. I started this new so those who already read the orignal would see this. Here is the original thread.
Please critique my Bartolini pickup/preamp system

The bridge pickups on jazz basses, including this one, always seem thin, sharp and nasaly to me. Not my sound at all. I like the organic, piezo fretless sound. When I used to have magnetic pickup basses, I was a precision guy.

What Bartolini pickup [ or other pup that would work with the existing Bart pre ] should I use to replace the existing bridge pickup in order to get a fatter, richer more acoustic sound ? Yes, routing will be needed. Bart or otherwise ?

I tried a MM bass that had a single in the neck position and a double in the bridge position. I liked this combination.

Here is a montage clip of the type of fretless sounds I like:

Tim Landers on a lightwave bass
Richard Bona on the NW Bass Works Bona model
Kai Eckhardt
Demo MP3 for the Basslines worp semi-acoustic Fretless

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=745295

[m.oreilly]

i'd look into delano. you really can' go wrong.

[jibreel]

Wow !!

Check out this Delano sound clip :

http://www.delano.de/english/index-eng.html

Go to SBC5 HE/S There is a sound clip at the bottom left hand corner.

[jibreel]

But then comes this question. Take this great sounding pickup. How much different will it sound in the bridge position vs the neck position ?

[m.oreilly]

here is a direct link to clip:
http://www.delano.de/soundcenter/xp15fretless.mp3

How much different will it sound in the bridge position vs the neck position ?

well, a bit different, but no doubt sweet

[fullrangebass]

For a single pickup replacement I would not suggest a Villex. If it was a full pair replacement I'd suggest the Villex (when using the mid control to cut the mids you get a very acoustic sound that I use on ballads and slow numbers). I've got another pair of Villex coming my way, so stay tuned

[Brad Johnson]

I've always been able to get the sound you described using Bart pickups and preamps. Pickup placement at the bridge is key. A Bart 9J installed in the "right" place will yield very nice low end by itself along with open highs, flowing mids like a Lightwave with the added bonus of extreme punch if and when you want it. My two favorite fretlesses both do this, a Brubaker KXB5 with quadcoils, NTMB and gloss Ebony fingerboard and my Zon Legacy Standard 5 with dual coils and Zon (ZPD-1?) preamp. A friend has another Brubaker with 59J's and the NTMB with a gloss board and it does it all too... sounds like a fretted Jazz that can turn on a dime right into Percy Jones territory. From there, getting a more legato sound is up to technique.

I can't think of a pickup/preamp that would "improve" on what you already have. It would be interesting to see why you're getting the results you are. Have you adjusted the internal gain on the NTMB? I usually run that hotter than the passive sound. Then I'd turn the volume on the bass up, everything set flat and bring the amp/board volume up to max I'll probably be playing. This should take care of headroom issues. Solo the bridge pickup and notice the tonal change. Then tweak the bass and/or low mid position if necessary.

With the bridge pickup you're going to get a very different vibe from a fretless precision. You'll have the ability to have a lot more punch IME if you want it, right at your fingertips. Or not.

[jibreel]

Thanks Brad. More experimenting to do !!