Anybody replace the stock pickups in a pbass with the H22 goldfoil pickups from Novak? I purchased one recently, should be getting it later this week, I know it can be placed over the pickguard but I am realizing the pickup routes may be slightly bigger than this pickup, wondered if anyone else has done this and what you've done.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Curtis Novak Goldfoil Pickup in PBass
- Thread starter jcarlin
- Start date
@tony moore did this recently with an MJT '54 P bass body he bought from me. Although he rerouted a smaller '51/'54 style pickup cavity for the Novak gold foil pickup, he may be able to answer your questions.
Last edited:
I did it on a split coil setup. I just cut a new pickguard with no pickup route and drilled a hole for the pickup cable to pass through.
Ah, I see that now that I actually read the post. Very good looking instrument regardless.
That H22 is a very easy pickup to mount if I understand this….surface mount with just the wire going down to the VT circuit.
My question is how does it sound? I am familiar with the old Kay bass with the H22 pickup, very underrated but I am really curious about this pickup!
My question is how does it sound? I am familiar with the old Kay bass with the H22 pickup, very underrated but I am really curious about this pickup!
Well, I absolutely love it. I have had it as the sole pickup in a p bass and as a bridge pickup with a bisonic in the p position. It has a nice chewy mid-range that can't be beat, in my opinion.
That said, while it is easy to mount, it is very responsive to it's height relative to the strings. This means that while it's easy to mount, because there's no inherent adjustability, you might find you want to increase it decrease it's height without ready made means. I made some shims out of pickguard material I had on hand and depending on whether it was in bridge or neck position found I needed to select different shims to achieve the sound I liked from it.
I absolutely love this pickup and would like to put it in several other basses. In my experience, it has been the best singular pickup addition I have come across.
That said, while it is easy to mount, it is very responsive to it's height relative to the strings. This means that while it's easy to mount, because there's no inherent adjustability, you might find you want to increase it decrease it's height without ready made means. I made some shims out of pickguard material I had on hand and depending on whether it was in bridge or neck position found I needed to select different shims to achieve the sound I liked from it.
I absolutely love this pickup and would like to put it in several other basses. In my experience, it has been the best singular pickup addition I have come across.
Curious as to where you landed on distance from the strings. Also, is the string-to-string balance good?
I had one of the Hammon Dark Stars about 15 years ago and its tied as my favorite ever mag pickup with the hi gain on my single pickup Ric.
But this goldfoil looks like an amazing pickup. If I get another bass, it will have an H22 goldfoil
But this goldfoil looks like an amazing pickup. If I get another bass, it will have an H22 goldfoil
I ended up aligning the middle of the good foil with the pole pieces of the bass side of the p bass pickup. The string to string balance was quite good especially once I dialed in the height. I ended up needing to shim the neck and raise the bridge saddles a bit (they were almost bottomed it even before the gold foil install). I could also have used a thinner pickguard material but I'd already cut one new guard and didn't feel it was worth it to go through the process again. The 51- 57 slab p bass seems to be a better platform because of the lack of pickguard under pickup.
Edit: realized I didn't actually answer the height from string question. I it was about 5/32" from the e and g strings with last fret fretted.
Last edited:
I guess flat pickups don't work well with 7.25" necks.
My Jazzmaster has a flatter radius of 9.5" and the middle strings are considerably quieter than the outer strings. It would be even worse with a smaller radius.
The Bisonic has adjustable poles however.
My Jazzmaster has a flatter radius of 9.5" and the middle strings are considerably quieter than the outer strings. It would be even worse with a smaller radius.
The Bisonic has adjustable poles however.
For the P-bass did you use the bridge or neck model Novak? I'm curious how different the two are
Neck.
I recall reading somewhere that someone reached out to Curtis and this was his recommendation.
I recall reading somewhere that someone reached out to Curtis and this was his recommendation.
Oh that's awesome, gonna give that a go. Where did you get the blank pickguard?
I think I just ordered it from Amazon. Musiclily was the brand. But pickguard blanks can be purchased many places. I went with black so it wasn't a big issue. But some colors can vary depending on where you source them.
