A question on pickups

[_Sasquatch_]

I'm having a custom built for me some time soon and I'm having trouble deciding on pickups. I'm basically aiming for the tone on a maple neck music man sterling. So, I'm looking for similar pickups...any suggestions? Thanks guys!
-Mike

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

The musicman Sterling 4H actually has two pick-ups. One is the humbucker that you see the other is a phantom coil which is a single coil that is hidden under the pickguard for extra hum canceling. So I woukld think that you would need a ceramic magnet humbucker, and a phantom coil. Also a three way switch that switches the humbucker from parallel to series wiring to adding the phantom coil.

 

[stflbn]

If really aiming for the tone of a MM sterling, I'd suggest a Musicman Sterling.

Otherwise you really are going to be searching or settling for different variations of 'all most'.

Just depends if that's good enough for your needs.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

With the right pickups and preamp it's easy to get a custom made bass that will sound like a MM, not "almost" (one word, not two). Music Man basses aren't made all that different from a Fender or a Fender clone.

I used to do these mods for a guy. They had the ceramic Basslines MM pickups and preamp. They sounded very good, and just like a MM bass, except he had the pickups in the Jazz positions, since these were Fender Jazz Basses.

 

[_Sasquatch_]

Thanks for the input guys. The reason Im just not buying a sterling is I can get a top of the line custom for about the same price. The sterling was roughly the tone I want. (One of these days I wouldnt mind owning a sterling though, fantastic bass).