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11-27-2006, 06:37 PM
| | | | Are Villex pups the holy grail?
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I mean...every test and review i see about them only says great, great things. Even the few ones TBers who tried them, seem to love them.
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11-27-2006, 06:38 PM
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Endorsing artist: Brubaker Guitars | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Gaithersburg, Md | | | The installs I've heard... no. |
11-27-2006, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Brad Johnson The installs I've heard... no. | Somehow is good to know that they arent loved for everyone...i mean, people have different tastes.
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"I have enough trouble playing bass and chewing gum at the same time." - Jeff Ament
Lefty Union Member #22 |
11-27-2006, 08:20 PM
|  | Administrator Forum Administrator | | Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Lower Westchester, NY | | | I think they're really great pickups. Are they the holy grail of pickups? No. No such thing exists |
11-28-2006, 07:04 AM
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Endorsing artist: Brubaker Guitars | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Gaithersburg, Md | | | I've heard them in, among other things, a couple of custom basses built here in Maryland. Maybe the pickups weren't the problem but both basses sounded clanky as heck. Aguilar OBP-3 preamp in one, U Retro in the other. Clanky when set flat. |
11-28-2006, 07:15 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: League City, Tx | | | .......checks with Leonardo da Vinci
I'm afraid I can't tell you.
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11-28-2006, 07:26 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sinny, Oztraya | | | No, the holy grail of pickups (or basses or tone) doesn't exist. I have some Villexes and like them, but you might not.
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11-28-2006, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Dharmabass No, the holy grail of pickups (or basses or tone) doesn't exist. I have some Villexes and like them, but you might not. | I guess i would like them...The more i try active, more i appreciate passive.
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"I have enough trouble playing bass and chewing gum at the same time." - Jeff Ament
Lefty Union Member #22 |
11-28-2006, 04:34 PM
| | Notes we play > Gear we play them on | | Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Wisconsin | | Just remember to take what you read on TB with a grain of salt. If these boards were any indication, we'd all be using Dark Star pickups... no, wait, Avatar Cabs... no, better still - Sadowksys! And so forth.
If I had a dime for every post that said something along the lines of "OMG that would be awesome with a Dark Star in it!" (regardless if the poster has owned, played, or seen one in real life), I would be a rich man.  The same goes with Villex - they, among other things, have become the darling of TB at some point or another. |
11-28-2006, 04:35 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sinny, Oztraya | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Human Bass I guess i would like them...The more i try active, more i appreciate passive. | If you're using any of my comments as a reference, I should point out that I greatly prefer active when it's well implemented. I build most of my own electronics too so they're not much like what you can buy off the shelf.
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11-28-2006, 04:48 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sinny, Oztraya | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by SuperDuck Just remember to take what you read on TB with a grain of salt. If these boards were any indication, we'd all be using Dark Star pickups... no, wait, Avatar Cabs... no, better still - Sadowksys! And so forth.
If I had a dime for every post that said something along the lines of "OMG that would be awesome with a Dark Star in it!" (regardless if the poster has owned, played, or seen one in real life), I would be a rich man. The same goes with Villex - they, among other things, have become the darling of TB at some point or another. | Agreed 100%, except for the bit about the Sadowsky: I'd never buy one of those.
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11-28-2006, 06:10 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Agoura Hills, CA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Human Bass I mean...every test and review i see about them only says great, great things. Even the few ones TBers who tried them, seem to love them. |
I had them in a bass for about a week and replaced them with Bartolini's. I was not at all impressed with them. Now, this was a few years ago and they may have changed them a bit but from what I remember they left me wanting so much more. |
11-28-2006, 07:22 PM
| | Even a blind man knows when the sun is shining. | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Pensacola, FL | | | I have a set as factory install in a Modulus VJ and really do like them. Most of my other basses are active set ups and, as mentioned above, it's a nice change of pace to play a toneful set of passive pickups.
I also find playing passive pickups, whether the Villex or those in some of my vintage basses, I do more with my amp for tone shaping. When I play active pickups with good on board preamps I tend to run the amp flat and shape with the on board controls. Playing passive pickups gives me a bit of 'amp appreciation'.
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11-28-2006, 07:41 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Walla Walla, WA | | | I had two sets of Villex pickups...hated them. I just have never played a bar magnet design that I have liked. As a point of reference, I don't like Barts and prefer pickups like Aero or the Fender CS '60's pickups because, to my ear, they breath more and sound more like the unamplified sound of the instrument.
FYI - the reason why I had TWO sets...the first set was in a warmoth bass that I hated the tone of and sold it...the buyer would only buy the body with the villex p/u's in it. So then I ordered another warmoth and set of villex. Still didn't like the tone, then i put in a set of duncan's and liked the bass...it was the villex that were the problem for me.
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11-28-2006, 07:54 PM
| | | Glad to see both good and bad "reviews"! keep them coming! 
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11-28-2006, 09:18 PM
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Endorsing artist: Brubaker Guitars | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Gaithersburg, Md | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by SuperDuck Just remember to take what you read on TB with a grain of salt. If these boards were any indication, we'd all be using Dark Star pickups... no, wait, Avatar Cabs... no, better still - Sadowksys! And so forth.
If I had a dime for every post that said something along the lines of "OMG that would be awesome with a Dark Star in it!" (regardless if the poster has owned, played, or seen one in real life), I would be a rich man. The same goes with Villex - they, among other things, have become the darling of TB at some point or another. | +1 |
12-01-2006, 01:21 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Europe | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Metropolis_488 I had two sets of Villex pickups...hated them. I just have never played a bar magnet design that I have liked. As a point of reference, I don't like Barts and prefer pickups like Aero or the Fender CS '60's pickups because, to my ear, they breath more and sound more like the unamplified sound of the instrument. | What was it exactly that you hated about the Villex pickups? I agree with you that I don't like Bartolini's too (as well as EMG's). You refer to the Aero's as being more your sound (I have not had a pair of SC yet), IMHO the Aero's are a bit "blunt" sounding and leave much more to be desired.
The pickups that impose their personality on the bass are the EMG's, IMHO.
In my experience, the Villex p/up's materialized the acoustic (unamplified) sound of a nice Warrior bass (which twice changing the original Barts with different Barts failed to give that bass the sound it was producing acoustically). That's why I ordered another pair for another bass (more to follow).
I have tried most of the pickups out there and still looking around (never short sighted) but still I am waiting for a replacement pickup to translate the sound of the bass as smooth and open as the Villex.
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12-01-2006, 02:42 PM
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Endorsing artist: Brubaker Guitars | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Gaithersburg, Md | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fullrangebass What was it exactly that you hated about the Villex pickups? I agree with you that I don't like Bartolini's too (as well as EMG's). You refer to the Aero's as being more your sound (I have not had a pair of SC yet), IMHO the Aero's are a bit "blunt" sounding and leave much more to be desired.
The pickups that impose their personality on the bass are the EMG's, IMHO.
In my experience, the Villex p/up's materialized the acoustic (unamplified) sound of a nice Warrior bass (which twice changing the original Barts with different Barts failed to give that bass the sound it was producing acoustically). That's why I ordered another pair for another bass (more to follow). | That's surprising given my experience with Barts and Warriors. Quote: |
I have tried most of the pickups out there and still looking around (never short sighted) but still I am waiting for a replacement pickup to translate the sound of the bass as smooth and open as the Villex.
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12-01-2006, 03:34 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: DIXIE | | | FWIW:
in my experience if a Holy Grail exists in the bass world at all it's in the player, not what he's playing.
Any mix of gear may be useful for a given application but it takes a player that knows what he has and how to apply it.
Last edited by luknfur : 12-01-2006 at 03:37 PM.
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12-01-2006, 03:51 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fresno, CA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Brad Johnson I've heard them in, among other things, a couple of custom basses built here in Maryland. Maybe the pickups weren't the problem but both basses sounded clanky as heck. Aguilar OBP-3 preamp in one, U Retro in the other. Clanky when set flat. |
Did these basses have the passive mid-cut installed? These pickups sound harsh without it. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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