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A bass with Movable Pickups?
- Thread starter zac2944
- Start date
Dude said:The Ovations just look this they're movable due to the elaborate "rail" system on them but they are fixed.
Damn that's one fine looking bass. Proof positive that they never made a lefty.....
Yep, it pretty much comes down to the Westone, the Spalt and the Gibson ripper.
Those are the three that I remember.
I've never seen a Dan Armstrong with MOVABLE pickups, but I've seen the ones with reMOVABLE pickup units.
Those are the three that I remember.
I've never seen a Dan Armstrong with MOVABLE pickups, but I've seen the ones with reMOVABLE pickup units.
BassFelt said:
Yes, IIRC he did it first. Not of all of the DAs had sliding PUs, but at least one model did.
I still find it an interesting concept, if only somebody would make work flawlessly. You could have a J with a bridge pu sliding between 60's and 70's position. Or J/MM/J where you could slide the bridge MM & J in the appropiate position. Dunno...I probably wouldn't buy it myself 
Someone a few years back made one with a movable pickup that was driven by a stepper motor, and had memory storage/retrieval of several positions.
Just to set the record straight, it's the Grabber, not the Ripper, with the movable pickup. I've got a Grabber from '74, and it's actually quite a good bass. The change in sound when you move the pickup is fairly subtle. The sound is quite like a Precision, and the more you move the pickup to the neck, it still retains that quality, but sounds a little beefier.
The differences between the Grabber and the Ripper are ....
The Grabber has one pickup (sliding), the Ripper has 2.
The Grabber is bolt on, while the Ripper is set neck.
The bridges are different - the Grabber has a simpler looking bridge that's kinda Fenderish, the Ripper has the big bridge similar to a '76 T'Bird.
Also, the Ripper has a knob on it for some purpose - maybe it's the pickup selector, or it might be a Varitone switch. I can't quite remember.
The differences between the Grabber and the Ripper are ....
The Grabber has one pickup (sliding), the Ripper has 2.
The Grabber is bolt on, while the Ripper is set neck.
The bridges are different - the Grabber has a simpler looking bridge that's kinda Fenderish, the Ripper has the big bridge similar to a '76 T'Bird.
Also, the Ripper has a knob on it for some purpose - maybe it's the pickup selector, or it might be a Varitone switch. I can't quite remember.
In 2001, when i started is aw an ad for these and started drooling - i don't feel the same way but i do kinda like it
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Norton Gutiars
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Norton Gutiars
A bass with two sliding pickups would be very interesting. I think many players would be surprised how drastic the change is when moving two pickups slightly closer together or farther apart.
IME, I'd say that
- moving a single pickup (when it's the only one on) by an inch is a subtle, but noticeable change. The character of the instrument's sound stays mostly the same, with just a slight adjustment to the lows/highs balance.
- moving two pickups (both on) each a half inch towards or away from one another is a dramatic change. The character of the sound changes, as complex things happen in the midrange that you can't do with a single pickup
IME, I'd say that
- moving a single pickup (when it's the only one on) by an inch is a subtle, but noticeable change. The character of the instrument's sound stays mostly the same, with just a slight adjustment to the lows/highs balance.
- moving two pickups (both on) each a half inch towards or away from one another is a dramatic change. The character of the sound changes, as complex things happen in the midrange that you can't do with a single pickup
Yeah the Wilkes looks sweet! That's what I'm talking about! I'd love to play that thing.
The HMN guitars by Norton are pretty rad too. Check it out.
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I went to Boston Guitar Works today and played one. A pretty odd bass, it sounded nice though.
The HMN guitars by Norton are pretty rad too. Check it out.
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I went to Boston Guitar Works today and played one. A pretty odd bass, it sounded nice though.
Yes. Not that you could program sweeps in real time, but there were in the range of 6-12 memorized positions that you could teach, and then recall one and have it jump to that position.BassFelt said:
