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Darkstar in an Ibanez SRX400...?

TimBosby

TimBosby

Somewhere in middle America
Gold Supporting Member
Dec 19, 2004
11,931
10,240
47
Omaha, NE, USA
#1
Has it been done?
Can it be done?
Is it worth doing?

If you have pics of such a combination, or better yet, sound clips, I'd love to see/hear them.

SRX400MO.JPG


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thumbnails7.jpg


?
 
#4
The SRX 400 basses I've tried sound pretty good to me with the stock pickups, once the strings are replaced with good ones.

I don't know about what the Darkstar would do or if anyone has tried one on that specific bass, but, in effect you'd be putting a Darkstar in about the Musicman position, and since the SRX 400 already has a Musicman like vibe it could be a fairly dramatic change.

Myself, I'd like to try a Kent Armstrong humbucker in that bass. I imagine the routes wouldn't match but a pickup ring could be fashioned to cover any rough spots.

I tried a locally made custom bass with a Kent Armstrong humbucker in about that spot, or a little closer to the bridge. Nice warm and even sound. Nothing like a P or Jazz or Musicman, but very nice.
 
#5
Flawed said:
this is a dumb question but I still relatively new to bass playing, i have heard people talk about them but what exactly is a dark star pick up and what makes it special?
Click to expand...

Click here for the answers to your questions.

As to the OP . . . I don't see why it couldn't be done. It would no doubt take some routing and the like. As to "Is it worth it?", the only one who can really answer that question is you. If you like the Dark Stars' sound and can afford it, give it a shot.
 
#6
Thanks, guys. I love the Darkstar sound but the pickups cost about as much as I paid for that bass :) I might consider a Kent Armstrong. I'll hunt around for sound samples. The stock pickup..eh. Nice low end but, OK Mids, weak in the high-mids/highs. I love the playability and overall appearance though so I think a new pickup would be the ticket for this baby.
 
#7
actually the pickup is more in the P position, i'm sure it would sound great,, i've thought of doing it myself

i've modded my SRX-400 with a Villex custom humbucker a couple of years back,, sounded great

pulled it out recently & put the original pickup back in, wired directly to the jack,,, wow,,, sounds incredible ( hated that bass boost only pre,, tossed it in the trash )

you can do whatever you want to em,, they're a great playing & sounding bass
 
#9
If it's an MM sized humbucker then you have a little routing to do. Not much. You will have to fabricate a trim ring to cover the dog ears though. I'm the process of doing that with a Samick Royale hollow body at the moment. I yanked the Duncan 2 band pre and Duncan MM humbucker to mount the DS.

The Dark Star sounds sweet in the MM position. I always wanted a little more mid from my Dark Starred Precision,
 
#10
NorCal Dog said:
actually the pickup is more in the P position, i'm sure it would sound great,, i've thought of doing it myself

i've modded my SRX-400 with a Villex custom humbucker a couple of years back,, sounded great

pulled it out recently & put the original pickup back in, wired directly to the jack,,, wow,,, sounds incredible ( hated that bass boost only pre,, tossed it in the trash )

you can do whatever you want to em,, they're a great playing & sounding bass
Click to expand...

I've heard from others that converting the SRX 400 to passive works great. Good to know you've tried it.
 
#12
NorCal, was any routing necessary to accommodate that Villex?
I'm curious about the Kent Armstrong too, but ideally I'd prefer not to have any new routing done ...which kind of rules out the "two pickup" idea..hahah..but that WOULD be cool. :hmm:
 
#13
TimBosby said:
NorCal, was any routing necessary to accommodate that Villex?
I'm curious about the Kent Armstrong too, but ideally I'd prefer not to have any new routing done ...which kind of rules out the "two pickup" idea..hahah..but that WOULD be cool. :hmm:
Click to expand...

had the villex custom made for the rout, so no mods required. ( as i said, the villex is not in my bass presently, & could go into a new bass very easily,, pm me if you'd like to discuss the possibilities )
 

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