Time for new pickups

[killyourfamily]

I bought my first and only needed bass about a year back from a second hand store. It is a Fernandes. It came with a document that stated the bass was originally bought back in 87' for a bit over $2,000 AUD. Now I don't think the pickups have been changed since then because I can't find much about the company (for you who care the company is F.G.I Technology). . . . . . . I'm very new to anything related to pickups so as much help as you can give will be greatly appreciated. . . . The tone I want: I dig John Myung's clean deep badass tone, but I also love upped mid powerful heavy stuff like most hardcore bands and metal. For those of you who know Municipal Waste, I want that sort of tone as well. I like to play a bit of funk slap so a tone that can do that would be amazing. . . . So is there are there a set of pickups out there that can been clean and deep yet low and powerful but also bright and funky? Cheers.

[GlennW]

I'd say it's time for a new username cupcake.

[killyourfamily]

Find me some pickups that fit what I want and I'll change it to anything you want.

[Nighttrain1127]

Check out EMG's And Bartolini's

[killyourfamily]

Originally Posted by Nighttrain1127

Check out EMG's And Bartolini's

Would you recommend any model in particular?

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by killyourfamily

Now I don't think the pickups have been changed since then because I can't find much about the company

You can't find much about Fernandes guitars??

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/

They don't make that model any more though.

I'm very new to anything related to pickups so as much help as you can give will be greatly appreciated. . . . The tone I want:

All those tones you mention have more to do with the amp/signal chain than the bass... any clear sounding bass should work.

Now the question is, what don't you like about these pickups? Also, have you changed the strings since you got it? That would have a huge difference.

I'm all for changing pickups... but see what tones you can get from the bass first.

I'm not sure what would fit directly in there, but they look kind of EMG-35 size.

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by GlennW

I'd say it's time for a new username cupcake.

Just awesome. Such a good use of the word cupcake

If you know your way around a router and a few wiring tricks, the world is your oyster, me boy.

[killyourfamily]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

You can't find much about Fernandes guitars??

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/

They don't make that model any more though.




All those tones you mention have more to do with the amp/signal chain than the bass... any clear sounding bass should work.

Now the question is, what don't you like about these pickups? Also, have you changed the strings since you got it? That would have a huge difference.

I'm all for changing pickups... but see what tones you can get from the bass first.

I'm not sure what would fit directly in there, but they look kind of EMG-35 size.

I am familiar with Fernandes, I just couldn't find much on the F.G.I pickups.
The bass worked fine up until a few months back. I have changed the battery twice, thinking the problem was that. But the pickups are just fried. If silence was a tone, that's what this bass has. Plugged in, you can barely hear it.
I might just buy a nice 5 string for now, and keep this bass as a post-poned project of mine.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by killyourfamily

I am familiar with Fernandes, I just couldn't find much on the F.G.I pickups.
The bass worked fine up until a few months back. I have changed the battery twice, thinking the problem was that. But the pickups are just fried. If silence was a tone, that's what this bass has. Plugged in, you can barely hear it.
I might just buy a nice 5 string for now, and keep this bass as a post-poned project of mine.

FGI must be Fernandes Guitars Inc.

Pickups don't just "fry" and certainly not both at the same time. There must be another simple problem with the wiring. If anything the preamp might be bad. You have magnitudes better chance of an op amp going south than a pickup, especially any kind of epoxied pickup.

If the bass worked a few months ago, it's not the pickups. Could be a bad switching jack also, or a broken battery wire. If the circuitry is not getting power you will hear a very faint sound, if any.

You need to track down the problem before you swap the pickups, or the new pickups wont work either!

[killyourfamily]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

FGI must be Fernandes Guitars Inc.

Pickups don't just "fry" and certainly not both at the same time. There must be another simple problem with the wiring. If anything the preamp might be bad. You have magnitudes better chance of an op amp going south than a pickup, especially any kind of epoxied pickup.

If the bass worked a few months ago, it's not the pickups. Could be a bad switching jack also, or a broken battery wire. If the circuitry is not getting power you will hear a very faint sound, if any.

You need to track down the problem before you swap the pickups, or the new pickups wont work either!

Cheers a lot mate. You probably just saved me a few hundred dollars. Now I have a new problem; what bass? I was think an Epiphone Embassy Standard V. I played it a few days ago and I dug it. Does anyone know anything about this bass? The only real con I can find is it is pretty heavy, but that doesn't bother me.

[4Mal]

Got a buddy handy with a soldering iron ? You perhaps ? document the existing wiring - where the pickup leads attach. Assuming that the pickups themselves are not active - that they do not receive power from the on board battery - some do, some don't ...

unsolder them and wire then straight to the jack. You'll have to guess a bit regarding the wire colors but black is generally ground., Tie those together and to the ground lug on the jack tie the other color together and to the tip lug on the jack - give that a whack and maybe what you want is a new pre ...