Artec Big Pole Jazz Pickups

[Malak the Mad]

Greetings, All!

Does anyone have experience with Artec Big Pole Jazz pickups, either ceramic or alnico? I'm starting another Projekt and I'd like to find something solid, inexpensive, but stands out from other off-the-shelf Jazzes.

 

[logdrum]

Looks like the Delano big pole

The TB comment was the pole pieces are not grounded. Can you fic that issue


I am vain so I go for brand names, if I want big pole I'd go Delano. I think Ceramic Big Pole will tend to be a tad darker and hard to balance the low strings output Really interesting how inexpensive these are,. If they have an Alnico version, I'd go with that. When I tested both Delanos. I really dud not dig the ceramic Big pole and kept the Alnico version -- but I like Ceramics on older Bartolinis. I think by design he uses less winds but user stronger magnets

Post in thread 'Artec “Fat Pole” pickups'

Dec 21, 2023

Ordered the J set, and followed up by ordering the P set. Installed the P and the bridge J into a Squier PJ bass.

Pros:
- very smooth and articulate sound.
- appear to be made well with decent quality, though not as high quality as the Delano set.
- P set has cloth covered wiring. J has shielded wiring.
- Foam and mounting screws included.

Cons:
- pole pieces are not grounded and buzz when touched. The back of the pickups have stickers (on the J and one of the P) that make adding grounding difficult without removing.
- Single-coil J is noisy when soloed, does not quiet when blended...

• SharpCat

• 

 

[Malak the Mad]

Looks like the Delano big pole

The TB comment was the pole pieces are not grounded. Can you fic that issue


I am vain so I go for brand names, if I want big pole I'd go Delano. I think Ceramic Big Pole will tend to be a tad darker and hard to balance the low strings output Really interesting how inexpensive these are,. If they have an Alnico version, I'd go with that. When I tested both Delanos. I really dud not dig the ceramic Big pole and kept the Alnico version -- but I like Ceramics on older Bartolinis. I think by design he uses less winds but user stronger magnets

Post in thread 'Artec “Fat Pole” pickups'

Dec 21, 2023

Ordered the J set, and followed up by ordering the P set. Installed the P and the bridge J into a Squier PJ bass.

Pros:
- very smooth and articulate sound.
- appear to be made well with decent quality, though not as high quality as the Delano set.
- P set has cloth covered wiring. J has shielded wiring.
- Foam and mounting screws included.

Cons:
- pole pieces are not grounded and buzz when touched. The back of the pickups have stickers (on the J and one of the P) that make adding grounding difficult without removing.
- Single-coil J is noisy when soloed, does not quiet when blended...

• SharpCat

• 

Thanks for pointing out that thread. It didn't come up when I searched for "artec big pole".

After reading that, I found myself leaning more towards the alnico set, even if it was more expensive.

As for the past tense "found" and "was", I re-checked the price on the 'Bay page and saw there was only one set left. After some quick comparison shopping, it was plainly obvious it was the best price available, so I pulled the trigger. If they work well with whatever preamp I decide to go with, that's great! And if I think they're merely okay, then I'll put them up on the classifieds and experiment with something else.

As for what I have in mind for them, well…

Thread '(Yet another) Projekt in the works…'

Jul 24, 2026

I always feel weird posting something in the Luthier's Corner since I consider myself more of a "tinkerer" when compared to others on the forum, but here it goes, anyway…

Greetings, All!

Despite the fact that I have a number of Projekts waiting to be finished, I just pulled the trigger on yet another J-body from overseas. (I know…shocky-shocky, right? )

Since I already have a handful of Jazzes, I want to make this one stand out from the rest. Big picture; I want to keep the cost low, while creating...

• Malak the Mad
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Luthier's Corner

• 

 

[logdrum]

Thanks for pointing out that thread. It didn't come up when I searched for "artec big pole".

After reading that, I found myself leaning more towards the alnico set, even if it was more expensive.

As for the past tense "found" and "was", I re-checked the price on the 'Bay page and saw there was only one set left. After some quick comparison shopping, it was plainly obvious it was the best price available, so I pulled the trigger. If they work well with whatever preamp I decide to go with, that's great! And if I think they're merely okay, then I'll put them up on the classifieds and experiment with something else.

As for what I have in mind for them, well…

Thread '(Yet another) Projekt in the works…'

Jul 24, 2026

I always feel weird posting something in the Luthier's Corner since I consider myself more of a "tinkerer" when compared to others on the forum, but here it goes, anyway…

Greetings, All!

Despite the fact that I have a number of Projekts waiting to be finished, I just pulled the trigger on yet another J-body from overseas. (I know…shocky-shocky, right? )

Since I already have a handful of Jazzes, I want to make this one stand out from the rest. Big picture; I want to keep the cost low, while creating...

• Malak the Mad
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Luthier's Corner

• 

Awesome - Let us know when it is done. On the opposite spectrum. I am reusing a pretty beat body and neck, that should probably be discarded or just kept for memory, I want to see how a MusicMan Single Coil mode would work with a filter preamp and how a bass boost would help or not. Also I want a Ray type fretless

 

[Malak the Mad]

Two interesting things happened today! Not only did the body AND pickups arrive the same day, but it turns out that the body has a side-jack hole that wasn't shown in the adverts photos!

The existence of routes for both a battery box and a side jack opens up a number of possibilities when it comes to choosing a preamp. Since I choose the alnico pickups, one strong contender is a Retrovibe Stinger '77 that, supposedly, reproduces the early MusicMan Stingray's electronics.

Retrovibe Stinger ’77 Classic MM Stingray Bass EQ pre-amp 2 band pre-EB circuit – Retrovibe

The available space would allow me to install a 3-way pickup switch, a blend pot or even a stacked, dual-volume pot. Assuming I can fit both the preamp and pots into the control route, which one sounds good to all-y'all?

 

[MartinB]

The Stinger's a decent reproduction as far as I'm concerned. Mine certainly sounds Stingray-ish enough when the rest of the "four P's" are in place.

The bass and treble knob sweeps look like this when the input is buffered; there'll also be some interaction with the pickups if they're connected directly, but the general idea still holds:

Note that the bass is slightly boosted with the control at 12:00, which IIRC was to compensate for the Stingray pickup being closer to the bridge. The original manual (Music Man Bass Global - 1978 Hangtag Manual) suggests not turning the bass up above 12:00 anyway, and since you'll have a pickup closer to the neck, you may find it doesn't need much boosting at all!

Effectively, with both pickups in parallel, you'll have something along the lines of a Stingray but where the two halves of the pickup have been moved a few inches away from each other. Should be interesting! No strong feelings re switch vs. blend vs. pickup volumes. The one other thing I'd think about adding is a series switch... but then I've never met a switch I didn't like

 

[Malak the Mad]

The Stinger's a decent reproduction as far as I'm concerned. Mine certainly sounds Stingray-ish enough when the rest of the "four P's" are in place.

I have two waiting to go into their respective Projekts, one where the bass and treble pots have a detent at the neutral position, which might end up in this build, and an earlier Stinger iteration with no detents, just like the classic Stingrays. Which one(s) do you have?

Literary/linguistic side-note; I've, also, been using the "Four P's" term for the past year or two. Now, you're making me wonder if I got it from you or if it was already out there and we just adopted it, too.

The bass and treble knob sweeps look like this when the input is buffered; there'll also be some interaction with the pickups if they're connected directly, but the general idea still holds:

View attachment 7547346

Note that the bass is slightly boosted with the control at 12:00, which IIRC was to compensate for the Stingray pickup being closer to the bridge. The original manual (Music Man Bass Global - 1978 Hangtag Manual) suggests not turning the bass up above 12:00 anyway, and since you'll have a pickup closer to the neck, you may find it doesn't need much boosting at all!

I've been wondering if the bass won't need much of a kick, given the position of the neck pickup. I have had several Jazzes and it doesn't take much to see why a lot of TB'ers say they land close to a Precision sound when soloing it.

Effectively, with both pickups in parallel, you'll have something along the lines of a Stingray but where the two halves of the pickup have been moved a few inches away from each other. Should be interesting! No strong feelings re switch vs. blend vs. pickup volumes. The one other thing I'd think about adding is a series switch...

One thing for sure, I don't expect it to sound like a classic Stingray, what with all that space between the coils. However, you've gotten me thinking about another option; a 4-way rotary switch configured to either solo each pickup, both in parallel or both in series. That would eliminate the need for two, separate switches.

but then I've never met a switch I didn't like

How's this?

 

[MartinB]

I have two waiting to go into their respective Projekts, one where the bass and treble pots have a detent at the neutral position, which might end up in this build, and an earlier Stinger iteration with no detents, just like the classic Stingrays. Which one(s) do you have?

Mine's a third thing: detent on the treble pot only. To be honest I could replace the other two pots with fixed resistors. The only time I ever touch them is to put them back in the right positions whenever I take the bass out of the gig bag!

Literary/linguistic side-note; I've, also, been using the "Four P's" term for the past year or two. Now, you're making me wonder if I got it from you or if it was already out there and we just adopted it, too.

IIRC it was originally your "three P's", and I suggested a fourth - parallel.

you've gotten me thinking about another option; a 4-way rotary switch configured to either solo each pickup, both in parallel or both in series. That would eliminate the need for two, separate switches.

Sounds like a plan!

How's this?

Reminds me of Misson: Space at Disney World - when you're waiting for it to start, there are buttons and switches everywhere to fiddle about with. Satisfying!

 

[Lo-E]

Something to consider is that the classic Stingray 2-band preamp buffers before the volume control and uses a 25k volume pot. If you want to use two pickups you might be best off with either a p’up selector switch or a 250k blend feeding the preamp.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Mine's a third thing: detent on the treble pot only. To be honest I could replace the other two pots with fixed resistors. The only time I ever touch them is to put them back in the right positions whenever I take the bass out of the gig bag!

Interesting!

IIRC it was originally your "three P's", and I suggested a fourth - parallel.

Then it must've been you who gave me that correction. I can't remember which I had left out, but I know I later revised it to "pickup, preamp, position and parallel" to achieve/get near the classic Stingray sound.

Sounds like a plan!

So far, it's now the top contender. I even asked for some advice on a thread where someone had done exactly that. I just need to know which is the proper rotary switch to get to achieve it.

Post in thread '4-way rotary switch diagram for Nordstrand single coils'

Jun 21, 2025

It worked out great, but this is the diagram I used, and i used a 2-pole, 4 way switch. So different than the original plan, but it worked out great.

• BarfanyShart

• 

Reminds me of Misson: Space at Disney World - when you're waiting for it to start, there are buttons and switches everywhere to fiddle about with. Satisfying!

Is that the one that had a simulation of a Mars launch hosted by Gary Sinise? If so, I did that once somewhere around 2005 or 2006. They did a very good job at hitting you with the high G-forces without the "oh-god-i'm-just-spinning-around-in-circles-and-gonna-get-sick!" effect.

Either way, I do appreciate Dizzy World's efforts to keep people entertained when they're waiting in line.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Something to consider is that the classic Stingray 2-band preamp buffers before the volume control and uses a 25k volume pot. If you want to use two pickups you might be best off with either a p’up selector switch or a 250k blend feeding the preamp.

That's exactly where I'm heading with this Projekt!

 

[Malak the Mad]

One thing for sure, I don't expect it to sound like a classic Stingray, what with all that space between the coils. However, you've gotten me thinking about another option; a 4-way rotary switch configured to either solo each pickup, both in parallel or both in series. That would eliminate the need for two, separate switches.

So far, it's now the top contender. I even asked for some advice on a thread where someone had done exactly that. I just need to know which is the proper rotary switch to get to achieve it.

@rojo412; I saw you posted something in this ballpark recently. Do you have any thoughts I could run with here?

 

[rojo412]

Rotary Switch - 3 Poles, 4 Position | Amplified Parts

3P4T (3 pole, 4 position) make-before-break rotary switch with 1/4" solid shaft and solder lug/tab termination. The make-before-break contact action connects the incoming position before disconnecting the outgoing one, ensuring uninterrupted signal during switching - preferred for audio input...

www.amplifiedparts.com

This stuff?

 

[Malak the Mad]

View attachment 7550778
View attachment 7550779

Rotary Switch - 3 Poles, 4 Position | Amplified Parts

3P4T (3 pole, 4 position) make-before-break rotary switch with 1/4" solid shaft and solder lug/tab termination. The make-before-break contact action connects the incoming position before disconnecting the outgoing one, ensuring uninterrupted signal during switching - preferred for audio input...

www.amplifiedparts.com

This stuff?

Yes, that stuff. I've seen a whole bunch of different 4-position rotary switches online, all with wildly different prices. I would hate to buy something that is both pricey and, in the long run, not the right one for the job.

If I wanted to get into the weeds, I'd ask about how to wire it a bit differently, but in the big picture of things, as long as it can hit all four settings, I'd be happy. (re: Neck/both-parallel/both-series/bridge, or even neck/bridge/both-parallel/both-series, would be cool, but they're not "make or break" options.)

 

[rojo412]

These are made by Alpha, I think, and I've been using them for a while. Very well made.

Did do this wiring scheme and I think it worked?

It was in an effort to mimic the "far back is Parallel" switch position that MM uses.
I recall having an issue where it popped from mode to mode, but only when playing, so I redid it with the "break before make" version of these (which I can't seem to find anymore), but still had the issue.

Then realized it seemed to do that with all the switches because when I was making signal through it, they all kinda hated translating that change without making sound.

Whatever the case, if you're willing to experiment, these have enough poles to really get you whatever configuration you want to do (within reason). Just takes knowing what has to connect to what in which position. Numbering these and dividing them into sections helped me immensely.

 

[Malak the Mad]

View attachment 7550816
It was in an effort to mimic the "far back is Parallel" switch position that MM uses.

I like it! The arrangement makes sense, pairing the two solo pickups and the two dual settings together!

I recall having an issue where it popped from mode to mode, but only when playing, so I redid it with the "break before make" version of these (which I can't seem to find anymore), but still had the issue.

Then realized it seemed to do that with all the switches because when I was making signal through it, they all kinda hated translating that change without making sound.

Since I don't gig or play out, I can live with that. Still, it's good to know in advance, so thanks for the heads-up.

 

[rojo412]

Anytime! Happy to help!