Marcus Miller Owners..question 'bout PUPs

[mward69]

For the MM 4 string owners. The tech I have spoke with about changing my PUPS to the Sadowsky onboard pre and PUPS...he said the stocks are pretty much the same, and I won't get much more out of the Sadowsky's. Should I stay with the stocks, or find another tech....
I like the way they sound now....however I would like a little more umph behind it.

[SuperDuck]

I am confused, did he recommend that you change them or recommend that you stay with what you have? You could probably just change them to DiMarzio pickups and get the same effect as having the Sadowsky pickups, but for cheaper. I never found any reason to dislike the stock pickups, though.

I remember reading about someone doing a swicth to the Sadowksy pickups and preamp and saying it was the end-all be-all, so you might want to search around the forums.

[mward69]

Sorry it it sounded confusing...The tech said to stay with the stocks, that they sounded the same as the Sadoskys. The only thing I don't like about the stocks is there is a bit too much highs in them. I want a little more low in them.
90% of the time, I play in passive mode, there is one like 2 songs I'll hit the active switch and boost the bass and highs up about 10%.

[ecufunk]

i had a marcus miller 5 strings i dig the slap tecnique but i reaaly doesn´t like that the neck is 35" B strings sound low 35" make 5 strings basses sound bigger and better

[SuperDuck]

Originally Posted by mward69

Sorry it it sounded confusing...The tech said to stay with the stocks, that they sounded the same as the Sadoskys. The only thing I don't like about the stocks is there is a bit too much highs in them. I want a little more low in them.
90% of the time, I play in passive mode, there is one like 2 songs I'll hit the active switch and boost the bass and highs up about 10%.

You could always just have a passive tone control added to cut the highs. I thought about doing that quite a bit while I still owned my MM.

[figuredbass]

Your tech is correct - there is not a huge difference in the Sadowsky single coils in that they're designed to be a good Fender type pickup in the original sound. Even Sadowsky hum cancellers are designed to sound as close to single coils as possible. Yes, the stock Fenders can sound very bright and trebly without as much midrange oomph. But the main problem with overwinding pickups (making them "hotter") is that while there's more mid and less treble with hotter pickups, the actual frequency of the treble peak and the quality of the treble and clarity begins to suffer in a way that many players are unwilling to trade off. Marcus' own solution is to boost a little lower mid with EQ, around 500Hz, in order to get more oomph and cut-through, while retaining the funky top end.

That being said, there may be a few other pickups that may lean towards what you're after:

Sadowsky hum-cancellors: While these were designed to be a close to a single coil sound, they're not precisely so because there is no way to absolutely nail the single coil sound with a hum-canceller design. These pickups have slightly more mids and slightly less highs while staying in the "vintage" ballpark. I've owned them and heard recordings of my own and others. Very musical.

DiMarzio Ultra Jazz (NOT Model J): These are like the Sadowsky's but even a little hotter, definitely more oomph, but also even less treble.

Nordtrand NJ4: These are traditional single coils made the way Fender made them in the earliest years of the Jazz bass, which use the same subtly different insulation (heavy formvar) on the winding wire and a simulated hand-winding technique that tames the high end somewhat and warms up the sound. These are extremely well liked by a large number of TB'ers.

EMG J Set: Totally different animal. Much more oomph and mids, but while retaining an extremely clear treble that is not excessively boosted, allowing you to dial in as much or as little as you need. I hear them as almost approaching a P bass (or even Music Man) in the mids, with a more J-like treble. Not for everyone, yet they're extremely versatile for many styles.

[mward69]

OK I'll look into that, thanks for that info. He {my tech} suggested the Norstads as well. Actually Wizard from Mothers Finest did too...he's totally old school

[tplyons]

If your biggest complaint is that extra bit of high-end zing, look no further than Stan Hinesley Pickups (www.has-sound.com) ... I used the Hot J's to tame the zingy beast and it worked perfectly. However, being a one-bass man now, I opted for humcancelling pickups and got a great deal on a set of Sadowsky HC pickups, which I'm using now.

[ecufunk]

mmm...i prefer sadowsky great sound aero pickups lindy fralin and the nordstrand big singles in that order