MusicMan Pickups on a Jazz bass?

[Jamie_Funk]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

A gap around the pickup will not affect the tone. Why would it?

All you really have is a small gap between the two screw tabs on the bass side.

If you look at some basses with the pickguards removed, you can see a big rectangular rout around the pickup that you don't see with the pickguard on. The size of the pickup rout has nothing to do with how the pickup works.

I think he was referring to placing the pickup in a particular POSITION to minimize the gap, would affect tone, which it likely would.

J

[kasbrey]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

A gap around the pickup will not affect the tone. Why would it?

All you really have is a small gap between the two screw tabs on the bass side.

If you look at some basses with the pickguards removed, you can see a big rectangular rout around the pickup that you don't see with the pickguard on. The size of the pickup rout has nothing to do with how the pickup works.

I didn't mean to suggest that the gap would affect the sound, more the placement. As you describe the 2 coils would be either side of the original Jazz PU position ?

I have a Sandberg PM as well as the surf green JM pictured and the MM pickup is nearer the bridge and sounds very different.

Even on my JM (in single coil mode) I prefer not to be choosing the coil nearest the neck as was originally stock.

I think I'd have to see and hear it to make a decision whether I could live with it personally.

[SGD Lutherie]

You can put a pickup anywhere you want under the strings. There isn't a right or wrong location; just different.

[EricssonB]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

You can put a pickup anywhere you want under the strings. There isn't a right or wrong location; just different.

Depends on what you're going for. To execute a proper Ray voicing, you'd need to use their measurements. I'd post them if I were on my PC.

[kasbrey]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

You can put a pickup anywhere you want under the strings. There isn't a right or wrong location; just different.

Agreed. Some combinations of pickup positioning just sound wrong to me though.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

You can put a pickup anywhere you want under the strings. There isn't a right or wrong location; just different.

+1

What this man says.

[Angel LaHash]

YOu would need some switching with the Pickups
P-Bass about 8KOhms Pick ups and a Humbuckler (MM Pickup) about 13KOhms
unless you split the coil in the MM Pickup

I was told that the bigger Pickup if lot greater just swamps the smaller one

So what sort of Distance do you suggest along the String line.. there must be some set sort of rule of distance so the note sounds right on every one.. with the scratch plate it forces you in to a posiston, just worried with this add on and the Jazz 2nd Pickup putting it in the wrong place and sounding bad.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by Angel LaHash

YOu would need some switching with the Pickups
P-Bass about 8KOhms Pick ups and a Humbuckler (MM Pickup) about 13KOhms
unless you split the coil in the MM Pickup

I was told that the bigger Pickup if lot greater just swamps the smaller one

So what sort of Distance do you suggest along the String line.. there must be some set sort of rule of distance so the note sounds right on every one.. with the scratch plate it forces you in to a posiston, just worried with this add on and the Jazz 2nd Pickup putting it in the wrong place and sounding bad.

It won't sound bad. Just different.
I have a hybrid Jazz/MM, with the MM closer to The bridge than on a Stingray, and it sounds good, just not very Stingray like, more "fat jazz".
If you want it to sound more like a Stingray, you need to place it where it is on a Stingray... but it will not sound bad in other places.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by kasbrey

Agreed. Some combinations of pickup positioning just sound wrong to me though.

If you are trying to copy another bass' tone, or another player, then that's true. Otherwise how does a bass sound wrong? They all have their own tone, and you should too!

I never get it when I see people saying something like "this is what a Jazz bass sounds like" etc. Players used to mod their basses to get a signature tone. That's how the after market pickups like DiMarzio and Bartolini got started. people wanted something different. These days it seems people want to all sound the same.

[Angel LaHash]

what i was trying to say is there any point when you can Foot up a guitars placemtn of a pick up that it sounds like a CAT getting its NUTs Shopped off.. If it can never be WROnG then it can never be out of turn.. just a different sound..

but you have a set pattion on how a guitar normaly looks (NORMAL) and sounds and what note is where
Personaly turning in a guitar wrong so it makes some chords a lot easier to play is a way.. But the normal standard thing is to have it set up so any one can pick it up and use it ok.

So when say WRONG .. mean if there is any rules that is so far out over there that makes the guitar not sound simlar to another.

So whos up for using CAT Organs for strings.. just sounds so wrong PSwhen doing this make sure the cat is dead .. other wise makes a nasty mess and sounds even worse

[richntiff]

Let me be the first to say... HUH?????

[kasbrey]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

If you are trying to copy another bass' tone, or another player, then that's true.

As I was expressing a personal opinion it can't be anything but true !

Half an inch more towards the neck (than the 60's position), a jazz bridge pickup interacts with the neck pickup in a way I don't like. Is this wrong? Of course not. But there's a reason it is not an accepted layout on lots of popular basses.
I wouldn't want to discourage anyone's personal freedom to sound *wrong though.
(*just my opinion of course)

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by kasbrey

Half an inch more towards the neck (than the 60's position), a jazz bridge pickup interacts with the neck pickup in a way I don't like. Is this wrong? Of course not.

That's fair enough, if you don't like it... but far from been a "non accepted" position, it is very very close to the position of the pickup on a Stingray.

The Squier Jazz DeLuxe V I had, the active one, had the bridge pickup in that position, as I found to my surprise when I measured it, after I could not get "the" bridge jazz bass sound.

I very much doubt more than a couple of people would say that sound is "wrong" for a bass, alone or blended. But you are right, you are entitled to your opinion. Even if it sounds a little odd

[kasbrey]

Ok, just to clear this up. I never said there was a right or wrong position for a pickup. The whole "wrong" issue was introduced by Mr SGD and I agreed.

My point is though that I agree with Leo's choices on pickup placement which, I believe know, were not random.
Having said that I own 2 basses where the MM pickup is not in the "classic position" (but neither are single pickup basses). I am quite happy to have my own tone, clearly .

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by kasbrey

Ok, just to clear this up. I never said there was a right or wrong position for a pickup. The whole "wrong" issue was introduced by Mr SGD and I agreed.

My point is though that I agree with Leo's choices on pickup placement which, I believe know, were not random.
Having said that I own 2 basses where the MM pickup is not in the "classic position" (but neither are single pickup basses). I am quite happy to have my own tone, clearly .

Don't worry, like most other things in this forum, it's easy to get caught in semantics when someone misinterprets another person's post and we probably all agree more than It seems

With my previous post I just wanted to reassure the OP that while the position of a pickup does affect the resulting sound a lot... you will not find a position that makes the result unusable.
Whether we like the result or not... that's personal. Just like some people only like P basses, and others hate them.

[Angel LaHash]

Originally Posted by richntiff

Let me be the first to say... HUH?????

so What are you lot on

[Chuck Sylvester]

Thanks, droppedurpocket and DiabolusInMusic. Very cool!
Chuck

[Mykk]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sylvester

Anybody ever tried to add a MM pickup to a P-bass?

I converted my learning bass (a Fernandes P-copy) in to a passive P/MM.





The MM pup is really bright. After experimenting with wiring options and various forms of parallel/series wiring, I ended up with the P-pup in series with the MM pup wired up as humbucker.

[bkbass2000]

I converted my learning bass (a Fernandes P-copy) in to a passive P/MM.

Did you buy a router template for the MM or wing it?

[Mykk]

Originally Posted by bkbass2000

Did you buy a router template for the MM or wing it?

Wing it. I layed the MM pup down where I wanted it, scribed around it and went at it with drill bits & dremels. It's not perfect, but clean enough.

I wish I went closer to the pickguard, but I'm sure there wouldn't be a drastic change in tone.