Can I put a Pickup from a 5-string Bass into a 4-string Bass?

[zz9yfm]

Gents, I'm not crazy.
I got a Lace Helix 4 string with a lame output Alumitone pickup.
My friend has a Citron Humbucker from a 5-string Bass.

Can it work?

The Lace pickup cavity is 3 1/4" long, and I will reroute to fit Criton 4 1/4" length of course.

ref: Citron makes hi-end guitars, basses, and his own pickups..
here's a pic

[line6man]

As long as the strings are within the magnetic field of the pole pieces, I don't see why not.

[ctmullins]

Sure, it'll work. But wouldn't it be less trouble to just scour the classifieds for a replacement that's the right size?

[R. Laevinus]

Absolutely you can. But you will, as mentioned, have to route out the body, and the big pup might look odd in there.

For my first bass, a Stagg, I actually used two EMG passive soapbars, side-by-side, to fill a giant hole where the bridge pup (dual-J, or what they call Powerbucker) was.

I'd be inclined to agree with ctmullins, though - just get a 4 pup. Much easier. Unless you're dead-set on the sound of the new guy, in which case, have fun and go nuts!


P.S. - How do you like the Helix? I almost bought one, but the gigantic knobs turned me off so hard that I never did. I'd still like to play one sometime, though.