Kent or duncan basslines

[THIRSTYGUMS]

which is the better of the two in your opinion, kent armstrong HB4E3B soapbars or duncan basslines SSB-5b "Phase II Passive Soapbar" i like clarity and round bass and mids, or would you scrap the two for emg's?

[22pauld22]

Ive been asking about teh duncans for ages on here .. I don't think anyone has a set as no one has ever given an opinon on them .. I asked for a general blurb from SD about them and this is what the guy said

my question
Question: could you compare your bassline ssb to one of your standard
single coil pickups as I'm unable to find a real comparison or review
anywhere on these pickups .. I guess because they are reasonably new ..
are they more musicman jazz bass or p bass ? I realise you mention they
are warm but so are all of the above pickups .. any help would be
greatly appreciated and would probably push me to make a purchase thanks
in advance Paul

his answer

I'd say these are more on par with an overwound jazz bass pickup

can't help with the kents
cheers
Paul

[markdavid]

Originally Posted by 22pauld22

Ive been asking about teh duncans for ages on here .. I don't think anyone has a set as no one has ever given an opinon on them .. I asked for a general blurb from SD about them and this is what the guy said

my question
Question: could you compare your bassline ssb to one of your standard
single coil pickups as I'm unable to find a real comparison or review
anywhere on these pickups .. I guess because they are reasonably new ..
are they more musicman jazz bass or p bass ? I realise you mention they
are warm but so are all of the above pickups .. any help would be
greatly appreciated and would probably push me to make a purchase thanks
in advance Paul

his answer

I'd say these are more on par with an overwound jazz bass pickup

can't help with the kents
cheers
Paul

Haven't heard the pups but as he has said that these are on par with an overwound pickup this suggests a pickup with lots of mid range and probably slightly rolled off highs. I could be wrong though

[Chrisrm]

I have the Duncans in a 4 string Modulus Q4. They are more open and clearer than the Bart soaps I've played in Mods, warmer than the EMGs. Somewhere in between those two extremes. I would say the are a little fuller than J pickups, maybe a little warmer. Haven't played out with them in the bass yet, so not sure how well they cut through with a full band yet.

No experience with the Armstrongs.

I hope this helps,
Chris

[22pauld22]

hey can I ask how you have the duncans setupin your mod .. do you have any active electronics in the bass ? and what position do you have the duncans in .. ie is it a standard mod or a sweet spot ?

thanks and sorry for hi jacking the thread

[bassman74]

Kent armstrong soapbar are the best in clarity on the market. Very detail and they cover all the frequency, totally balanced from E to G string. I liked them very much. Flat they sound very hi-fi, with a good onboard preamp (OBP-3 + Kent soapbar sounds awesome) you can cover any music style and still have clarity. They have there own personality which is something SD doesn't have. The sd are nice i found them to be like everything else on the market.

It's my opinion and i hope it helped you.

Francois

[Chrisrm]

Originally Posted by 22pauld22

hey can I ask how you have the duncans setupin your mod .. do you have any active electronics in the bass ? and what position do you have the duncans in .. ie is it a standard mod or a sweet spot ?

thanks and sorry for hi jacking the thread

It's a standard Q4, not a SS.

I currently have the ACG pre in it, though I will probably go back to the Ag OBP-1.

[22pauld22]

thanks chrisrm
just waiting for some pricing back and I'm gonna get myself some sd's

i already have the obp

hey THIRSTYGUMS be careful with the ken armstrongs if you get any .. they are like barts .. there are barts from america and the mk1's from somewhere in asia .. there are also ken armstrongs from asia which aren't supposed to be nearly as good .. and probably nearly as expensive

Paul

[bassman74]

I really suggest to go with the Kent armstrong SS design. You should contact him and he will wind them for you.

Tell him what you are looking for and he will custumized is winding for you.