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Choosing between Nordstrand Dual Coil and Bigrig

Recover9720

Recover9720

Oct 16, 2020
121
171
#1
Is there anyone who used Nordstrand DC and Bigrig?

I've been building a custom bass and still haven't decided which Pickup to use. I am considering Darkglass Tonecapsule or Noll 4band as a preamp.

I asked Nordstrand which pickup will be the best and they suggested DC in parallel and Bigrig in series.

There were many threads of each one but not one comparing both of them. How they are different? I want to know their characters.

I'm into Tech Death, Prog metal, and also Jazz. The artists I am pursuing are Alex Webster, Forest Lapointe, and Hadrien Feraud.

It would be my pleasure if you share your experiences. Thanks.
 
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#2
Recover9720 said:
Is there anyone who used Nordstrand DC and Bigrig?

I've been building a custom bass and still haven't decided which Pickup to use. I am considering Darkglass Tonecapsule or Noll 4band as a preamp.

I asked Nordstrand which pickup will be the best and they suggested DC in parallel and Bigrig in series.

There were many threads of each one but not one comparing both of them. How they are different? I want to know their characters.

I'm into Tech Death, Prog metal, and also Jazz. The artists I am pursuing are Alex Webster, Forest Lapointe, and Hadrien Feraud.

It would be my pleasure if you share your experiences. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Did you ever choose one or both? Why did nordstrand suggest what they did?
 
#3
The dual coils can get more aggressive than big rigs, but the big rigs can have more of a scooped mid tone than the DC's.

The Big Rigs are a bit smoother sounding. The scooped and smooth nature may be good if you plan on running a lot of distortion, as the mids will be clear but the highs will be gritty like most "Nolly'ish" modern metal tones.

The dual coils definitely have a more modern tone. They are very similar to Fodera, only a bit more traditional sounding (more low mids and mids than the Fodera SD's). They are more mid forward but still pretty balanced.

Neither are as aggressive as EMG's or the Nordstrand Big Singles/Splits that seem to be the norm for "metal" basses.

I would think the DC's would get to closer to Alex Webster and Hadrien Feraud. I would suggest getting series/parallel/single switching, too. If you want something in the middle you could go Alnico III on the DC's.
 
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#4
Thank you very much. Maybe DCs are what I want. Big splits sounds too aggressive and the big rigs may be too smooth. I do love Mike Bendy's tone in all those Fodera videos.
 
#7
I have always preferred series but overall never jelled with humbuckers due to sounding thin. It seems that nordstrand wires their pickups differently to really excel in parallel. I've read a bunch of posts of people preaching the versatility of two three way switches. I kinda hate having too many options. I usually pick what I like and never touch it.
 
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#10
winegamd said:
The dual coils can get more aggressive than big rigs, but the big rigs can have more of a scooped mid tone than the DC's.

The Big Rigs are a bit smoother sounding. The scooped and smooth nature may be good if you plan on running a lot of distortion, as the mids will be clear but the highs will be gritty like most "Nolly'ish" modern metal tones.

The dual coils definitely have a more modern tone. They are very similar to Fodera, only a bit more traditional sounding (more low mids and mids than the Fodera SD's). They are more mid forward but still pretty balanced.

Neither are as aggressive as EMG's or the Nordstrand Big Singles/Splits that seem to be the norm for "metal" basses.

I would think the DC's would get to closer to Alex Webster and Hadrien Feraud. I would suggest getting series/parallel/single switching, too. If you want something in the middle you could go Alnico III on the DC's.
Click to expand...

What an amazing review! Thanks. it will be really helpful since there were not many reviews comparing those PUs. I think DCs will be the way to go.
 
#13
winegamd said:
Quite a bit actually. The EMGs are a lot brighter/extended and don't have the same midrange character. The Nordstrand also seem more sensitive to touch and technique differences than EMG. More of the player's personality comes through with the Nordstrands.
Click to expand...

thanks winegamd. now I might have to think deeply about what I really need.
 
#15
Just dropped a set of BigRigs into a new build. They are the most "detailed" pickup I've ever heard. I have them wired to independent switches for single/parallel/ series selectability. Tons of options in there, and all very useful.

Nostatic's demo of them is what sold me. Here's a link to it:

 
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#17
devo1 said:
This video confirms that Nordstrand's recommendation of parallel is the best for these pickups.
Click to expand...

Agreed...though I've found the Series option can give you a convincing P bass tone in the neck position, and can really fill out the low end of the bridge position.

On my bass, parallel sounds essentially identical to single coil, without the noise from the dimmer switch in my office. Parallel is where you really hear the "detail" - it's like the pickups are conveying way more information about the vibration of the string somehow. There's a certain level of pristine clarity in there up and down that I've not heard before.
 
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#19
winegamd said:
The dual coils can get more aggressive than big rigs, but the big rigs can have more of a scooped mid tone than the DC's.

The Big Rigs are a bit smoother sounding. The scooped and smooth nature may be good if you plan on running a lot of distortion, as the mids will be clear but the highs will be gritty like most "Nolly'ish" modern metal tones.

The dual coils definitely have a more modern tone. They are very similar to Fodera, only a bit more traditional sounding (more low mids and mids than the Fodera SD's). They are more mid forward but still pretty balanced.

Neither are as aggressive as EMG's or the Nordstrand Big Singles/Splits that seem to be the norm for "metal" basses.

I would think the DC's would get to closer to Alex Webster and Hadrien Feraud. I would suggest getting series/parallel/single switching, too. If you want something in the middle you could go Alnico III on the DC's.
Click to expand...

Does single coil mode in a BigRig sound like a sole 51P bass pickup would? With the associated growl etc.?
 

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