I have a Dean Zone Xm bass with a single soap bar pick up. It was my first bass but I've outgrown it and want something that offers better tone. Unfortunatly, I can't afford a new bass anytime soon, so I think its time to upgrade my electronics. If I replace the soapbar with split jazz pickups, I should get a better tone. Only I've heard people says its not worth changing the pickups on a bass with a basswood body because of something about the wood not resonating or something. I personally think that's BS, but I don't want to drop $150 on new pickups only to find that the tone has remained the same. So what do you guys think?
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Basswood body and pickup upgrade
- Thread starter JamesMichael
- Start date
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
- 253
- 68
- Disclosures
- Owner, SGD Music Products
I have a basswood Ibanez 5 string. I've had a number of different pickups in it, and it sounded very different with each set of pickups. So don't worry about the basswood. It has a nice warm tone similar to swamp ash.
The wood is fine. Any wood will resonate. I would try one of Bartolini's quad coils. That would allow you to have some wiring options via toggle switches. That way you could get a single coil jazz bass sound, a fat humbucker bassy old school tone, a music man scooped type of sound, and I think there is even a way to arrange the internal coil orientation to make it like a precision pickup.
The wood is fine. Any wood will resonate. I would try one of Bartolini's quad coils. That would allow you to have some wiring options via toggle switches. That way you could get a single coil jazz bass sound, a fat humbucker bassy old school tone, a music man scooped type of sound, and I think there is even a way to arrange the internal coil orientation to make it like a precision pickup.
I remember the clip you sent me of that bass-the one with you playing Gentle Giant (sounded REALLY good BTW)
Is it better to avoid a high output pickup in a lighter wood body? I think it was on the Warmoth site about different woods; some, while being light thus helping with a bad back, can sound muddy with hot/humbucking pickups? Does that sound right?
Basswood is a good choice for those who like crunchy voice moreso then smooth imo. Emg active soapbar or basslines soapbars with or without active 2-3 band eq would be nice upgrade imo. If you like how the bass plays, looks, and feels then upgrading is good. Otherwise that money is better spent toward new bass.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
- 253
- 68
- Disclosures
- Owner, SGD Music Products
I upgraded a Squier Deluxe 5 (basswood body) with a Sadowsky pre, as well as Sadowsky hum cancelling JJ's. I'll put this plainly. I have owned more boutique basses than I care to remember, plus many production basses including 60's and 70's Fenders. I will stack that Squier's tone against any of them. Head to head, it even sounds better than most. Maybe I got lucky, but my Squire is a flat out tone monster.
RedLeg
Supporting Member
my 85 ibby is loaded with tyler henderson vintage pickups and has a basswood/birch body. It out fender's most fenders! try some different pickups. try looking in the used market. be patient. the right pickup will come to you.
I have a Dean Q4 Bartolini that I picked up on the cheap when Amazon was blowing them out. The bass itself is beautifully made and has a really nice fast neck with low action and no buzzing. It has Bartolini Pickups in pickups in it. Other talkbassers who bought them have changed the preamps and said that it really brought that bass to life. I'm thinking of putting a bass mods preamp in mine. It has what looks like an Artec pre in it right now. I'm hoping the Bass Mods will wake it up. I'm not happy with the mids it puts out right now. Even with a preamp swap I'll still only be into it for ~ $200.
