Bartolini pickups

[rd2rk]

Hi! Old bassist, new to talkbass.

Building my dream bass. Using Warmouth stuff. Probably going to use Bartolini pups. But which ones?

I mostly play old school stuff (rock & blues), but dabble in funk.

Might go active - WTH, dream bass and all - but having trouble finding info on Bart actives. Their website is about useless. They seem to have the attitude that if you want Barts, you already know what you want. I'm tempted to go elsewhere just for spite.

Anybody know any details about these, including where to get them? The usual online sources (GC,SW,MF,ZZ) don't seem to have much.

 

[Jordan S.]

Welcome to TB!

Ok, as for where to buy, try bestbassgear.com, they have Bart's.

As for actives, I am almost certain (don't quote me though) that Bartolini don't make any active pickups, they are all passive. However, their preamps ARE active (as you would expect a preamp would be).

I have MK1's on my SR500, not their best pickup, but sound alright to my ears...for now I expect though, that if this is your dream bass build, your gonna put some nice stuff in there.

 

[rd2rk]

MK1's are what come on the Ibanez SR500, which I almost bought. If they're not their best, what would you suggest?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I love the sounds I get from my SR500, with the MK1's. To my ears, they sound excellent. To each his own...

 

[Jordan S.]

I think the downfall of the SR500 is the pre, as it isn't made by Bartolini, but by Ibanez. I haven't had much experience with other pickups, but I've heard the MK4's are a definite step from the MK1's. I have a friend who has MK2's on his Ibanez 6er, they sound pretty good... Do a search in these forums, there should be heaps of info on which Bart's are the best. But above all, go a Guitar Centre or the like, and try some different pickups out, you'll know for sure which ones you like then.

 

[Jordan S.]

I love the sounds I get from my SR500, with the MK1's. To my ears, they sound excellent. To each his own...

No doubt, mine sound great, I certainly won't be replacing them.

 

[Modulus1906]

For the style music you cite, get the CB Series Barts hands down. I put a set of CB Bart soapbars with a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp in a Pedulla Thunderbass with a Cocobolo top, and that setup made me get rid of a a 6-string Alembic Rogue bass that had a $9,000 street price. It kills the Alembic. Just killer pickups particularly paired with a good preamp!! Peace, good luck.

 

[eddododo]

Hi! Old bassist, new to talkbass.

Building my dream bass. Using Warmouth stuff. Probably going to use Bartolini pups. But which ones?

I mostly play old school stuff (rock & blues), but dabble in funk.

Might go active - WTH, dream bass and all - but having trouble finding info on Bart actives. Their website is about useless. They seem to have the attitude that if you want Barts, you already know what you want. I'm tempted to go elsewhere just for spite.

Anybody know any details about these, including where to get them? The usual online sources (GC,SW,MF,ZZ) don't seem to have much.

I would quickly suggest this: do not go active without trying out a lot of active basses. I was unpleasantly suprised not only by how much active circuitry takes away from that magic passive sound, and also by how much I found active onboard eq to be at best useless and at worst a huge problem causer.. I exaggerate alot, because my bass is amazing.. But I do have regrets often about having an all active bass.

In addition, ill suggest that barts arent what youre looking for in general.. They have some "normal" pickups, but that modern 'bartolini' signature sound is NOT great for rock or blues (blues rock).. Its a very polite, hifi kind of sound.

Ill put it this way. My active bass with barts gets it done for modern jazz, and modern dance-focused music, but I always find myself wanting for lack of good rock and classic funk sound.

They do alot, and they are GREAT pickups.. But I have a strong feeling that you want some kind of passive
P/MM + j setup or something..

I can tell you wanna get fancy (takes one to know one) so look into nordstrand pickups. Also, on a whim ill suggest you look into EMGs nicer stuff.


Ps you can always add a boost/preamp pedal (tone hammer or sansamp etc) if you find yourself NEEDING a lil boost. I find these play nicer with pa/amps

Good luck

 

[eddododo]

For the style music you cite, get the CB Series Barts hands down. I put a set of CB Bart soapbars with a Mike Pope Flexcore preamp in a Pedulla Thunderbass with a Cocobolo top, and that setup made me get rid of a a 6-string Alembic Rogue bass that had a $9,000 street price. It kills the Alembic. Just killer pickups particularly paired with a good preamp!! Peace, good luck.

this is what I was talking about: the CB is not as much of the muffly Bart sound .. But in my opinion, if you dont want Bartolinis for what theyre known for, you're better off finding somebody playing at their own game


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...9ytjaZ8wJ9CiBodog&sig2=Uy0TTQNq_-tEyJMtaw_KAA

that's what I consider the classic bartolini sound.. it sounds fantastic, but it doesn't sound like blues or rock

 

[Dean N]

I put together a Warmoth Jazz bass that I love. I used the Bart 9CBJD1 "deep tone" set, and I love them. They work well passively, but ultimately I'm going to put a preamp (Sadowsky maybe?) in it.

Barts have the reputation of being "dark". Honestly, even with the "deep tone" (rather than bright) these are spec'd for, I don't think I'll ever be dissatisfied with their top end. But then, I don't really want an overly clanky snarly top end with this bass. With the amp's treble turned up, and the tone pot dimed, it's more sparkle than I'll ever need. I think the "humcancelling just can't ever come close to single coil" mentality is extreme exaggeration in a live music context. YMMV. Of course, if you want an active jazz, I doubt you're hot for the single coil thing anyway... Of course, if you want more sparkle, opt for the "bright" version.

I recommend BestBassGear also, nothing but great CS.

 

[rd2rk]

For the past 20 yrs my goto bass has been a Vintage Series '62 Precision. Back then it was "solid". 20 yrs later it's just HEAVY! These days when I play out, for the first 2 hrs when we're playing pop-rock, I use my Korean Steine. It's a great general-purpose bass, and weighs nothing. But after we've had a few beers and we're ready to kick butt, it's the P that does the job! I'm always amazed when I strap it on how much balls it's got. So maybe eddododo has it right, I should be looking at a P/J setup. Lots of choices there. SD/Bart/Nordstrand/DiMarzio/???

Any body want to comment on this setup?

 

[Modulus1906]

this is what I was talking about: the CB is not as much of the muffly Bart sound .. But in my opinion, if you dont want Bartolinis for what theyre known for, you're better off finding somebody playing at their own game


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...9ytjaZ8wJ9CiBodog&sig2=Uy0TTQNq_-tEyJMtaw_KAA

that's what I consider the classic bartolini sound.. it sounds fantastic, but it doesn't sound like blues or rock

The CB Barts don't contain any trace of mud actually. They are very articulate with nice high-end crispness, and will therefore just kill in the funk realm. However, with a flexible active pre, they can cover various styles. For instance, I can nail this tone with my Pedulla, especially the "rock growl" you hear on the track during the chorus.

 

[eddododo]

The CB Barts don't contain any trace of mud actually. They are very articulate with nice high-end crispness, and will therefore just kill in the funk realm. However, with a flexible active pre, they can cover various styles. For instance, I can nail this tone with my Pedulla, especially the "rock growl" you hear on the track during the chorus.

Invalid Link Removed

Dont get me wrong, bartolini are my goto. I never said mud, in fact if anything I find theyre too clean. They ARE crazy for funk, but I think we're talkin a different funk. I find I dont ever find good rock type sounds on mine, I just happen to not like to play rock so its cool.. I think live rock bass is about that gritty clanky bass spectrum, with perhaps a nice tube amp/ preamp, hint hint to the original poster