What pickups for EB-2?

[ddbassGA]

Looking for a new pickup setup for Gibson EB-2 style bass. Has big HB at neck position and smaller p'up towards bridge. Not finding much out there..any recommendations?

[Phendyr_Loon]

I can't imagine that you'd want to mod the bass, i.e. routing the body, so I suggest a DiMarzio Model One humbucker in the neck position. It's a direct replacement for Gibson mudbuckers.
As for the bridge pickup, possibly a soapbar pickup will work in there, something like an EMG HZ35 or Seymour Duncans 4 string soapbar. Check the dimensions of the bridge pickup cavity on your bass against the soapbar dimensions.

[SGD Lutherie]

Not too many choices for an exact fit for the bridge pickup.

I make bass pickups in the mini-humbucker size that matches the bridge pickups on Gibson basses.

That's like the top pickup in this photo. the bottom is standard humbucker size.

[brachal]

Curtis Novak makes a mudbucker replacement.

[darkstorm]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Not too many choices for an exact fit for the bridge pickup.

I make bass pickups in the mini-humbucker size that matches the bridge pickups on Gibson basses.

That's like the top pickup in this photo. the bottom is standard humbucker size.

Can I ask what tone changes your pup replacements make? Is very hard to find upgrade pups esp for the mini bridge humbucker. And a basic reason I havent much concidered getting another eb2 type bass. I like the looks but the stock pups arent gonna do whats needed. Too woofy for neck pup, to thin for bridge pup.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by darkstorm

Can I ask what tone changes your pup replacements make? Is very hard to find upgrade pups esp for the mini bridge humbucker. And a basic reason I havent much concidered getting another eb2 type bass. I like the looks but the stock pups arent gonna do whats needed. Too woofy for neck pup, to thin for bridge pup.

It would sound like my other bridge pickups. You can hear sound clips here:

SGD Pickups

In that first clip you hear both pickups, the bridge and then the neck. First it's passive and then active. The second clip is the same bass/pickups with TI flats.

The bridge pickup is designed to sound good soloed, and not be thin sounding. At the same time is has a clear top end.

Any of the pickups you hear can be put in that pickup case.

I had a late 60s EB-2DC I bought back in the 70s. It was a cool bass, but wasn't very useable live. The neck was too woofy and the bridge was weak and honky. I had replaced the baritone switch with a Varitone. I had also rewound the neck pickup to be a lot clearer sounding. I traded it to the singer in the band I was in at the time for a '74 P bass. She still has the Gibson and sent me this photo recently.

[ddbassGA]

Thanks for the tips guys. This ax is an Asian EB-2 copy and the stock pups have bad feedback problems. Yeah I've seen the DiM Model 1 and "Will Power" (is it really better?) but hadn't seen anything for the bridge position mini-humbucker. I guess the market is too small though I thought some maker would have a 2 pickup system for this style bass. Lutherie I will check in with you. Meanwhile if someone has pulled the OEM Gibsons out of their EB I'm sure most anything would be an upgrade for this bass.

[SGD Lutherie]

You can by a copy of the original neck pickup here:

Bass Parts Resource: Bass Pickups

It's wound just like the real thing.

You can get both the neck and bridge here:

Gibson Style Bass Humbucking Neck Pickup | Allparts.com

Bass Humbucking Pickup Bridge | Allparts.com

These should be just like the originals.

Are you having pickup feed back, or the body feeding back? I couldn't use my EB-2 at stage volumes without wolf tones and a lot of howling.

[ddbassGA]

Well I know this body style is prone to feedback but this one just screams and I assumed it was due to cheap pups. So you are saying the BassParts and AllParts pickups are good Gibson copies, wound just like the originals? Such a deal!

[Atlbass81]

Curtis Novak also recently added this model which is more of a full-range sound.

Gibson Pickup Demo - YouTube

CurtisNovak.com - Pickups and Guitars | EB-AA (FatBucker) Pickup

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Atlbass81

Curtis Novak also recently added this model which is more of a full-range sound.

Gibson Pickup Demo - YouTube

CurtisNovak.com - Pickups and Guitars | EB-AA (FatBucker) Pickup

Thats kind of how the fake mudbucker is made in the Gibson SG bass. Only they made some bad design choices.

By the way, Curtis wrote:

"It gives a very full clear tone, and actually a humbucker unlike the original Mudbucker."

No, the original is very much a humbucker. It's a sidewinder to be precise. They can actually be rewound to sound brighter.