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Darkstar soundclips?

#5
GassieBall said:
Congrats on the order. Decided to pull the trigger, eh? Why did you decide to go Darkstar vs. P vs. SC P? Just curious.
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Yeah, I went for it. Probably shouldn't have. If my wife figures out I have $4000 in basses yet we drive a $900 car I'm in for it. However, this is all from gig money that I have saved. So in that regard its my money that I've earned and I am not in debt for my basses.

I'm not 100% sure about the Darkstar in this bass. Now that I've heard some sound clips I do prefer the sound of the Model Js, but I absolutely LOVE those pickups. The DS just seems more suitable for the vibe of the tele bass though.
 
#7
Yeah, he is really digging his heels in against the zero fret too.

As you have probably noticed Darkstars are one of the featured pickups he uses, so I assume the poles will line up perfectly. That's nice to know.

This bass, as he has commented, is quite a departure for him from his standard styles. If it turns out the way I envision it, it should be pretty sweet... and might be a new hot seller for him.
 
#9
::::BASSIST:::: said:
I'm not 100% sure about the Darkstar in this bass. Now that I've heard some sound clips I do prefer the sound of the Model Js, but I absolutely LOVE those pickups. The DS just seems more suitable for the vibe of the tele bass though.
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As a point of reference, one of my basses has Darkstar pickups in Fred Hammon's preferred position, which puts the pole pieces fairly close to a typical J+J setup, while the other one of my basses has DiMarzio Model J's.

In both cases, the basses are 34" scale, alder body, Status Graphite carbon fiber J necks, both are completely passive and wired straight to the jack.

Some differences to note before I give you my thoughts: One of the basses has Hipshot single-string saddles, while the other has a Gotoh 206 bridge. The Model J's are wired such that the bridge pickup is in series with itself and the neck is in parallel with itself.

With all that said, this is how I'd compare my two basses that have the pickups you're wondering about:

The Model J equipped bass has more deep low end extension and a bit more upper treble response. It has less mid content, to my ears from about 300hz up to about 1khz (ballpark). This bass has comparable output to a passive MIA Fender Jazz Bass.

The Darkstar equipped bass has less deep bass extension and a slightly more muted top end. It has a lot more going on in the mids, and the upper-mids/lower treble is noticeably more aggressive. This bass has substantially higher output than the Model J bass.

Of the two, I prefer the Darkstar equipped bass tonality whenever I'm playing in the context of a mix. Despite having less going on in the deepest parts of the bottom end it sounds quite a bit thicker, while the more aggressive upper-mids tend to cut through a dense mix quite effectively. The upper treble extension of the Model J bass tends to get lost in a mix and becomes moot. If I'm playing alone at my house I almost always go for the Model J equipped bass, as it has a better bedroom tone. The tone of the Darkstars is definitely not at its best when it's solo'd, but in a band mix they absolutely kill.

Good luck!
 
#10
The DS is a great pickup, but it's not exactly plug n' play. It takes some getting used to. It is very sensitive and quite hot, and I'd agree with the comment above about the aggressive upper mids. All of that together can result in some unpleasantness if you are not careful.

One thing I have figured out is that having the poles adjusted to what seems "normal" may actually be too high in many basses (depending on distance between pickup and strings). On my DS'd p-bass, I have the poles adjusted down to well below the top of the pick-up cover. Any higher and it can get very peak-y.

All that said, once you get a DS dialed in and figure out how to use it, it's great.

Congrats on the new bass, BTW!
 
#11
Thanks guys.

High-mids are what I usually cut.... 800 to 1200hz.... so that is something I have to consider.

As for the poles on my Model J stambaugh I have the E and A bumped up a bit, the D bumped up quite significantly and the G pulled back under the pickup cover. Seems to work for the tone I seek... after much experimentation.

I know a local bassist who has a DS equipped Landing so I'm going to check that out asap, maybe even today.
 
#12
xaxxat said:
Lakland used to have clips but I can't find them now. <snip>
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I have those [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I had a Tractor replica built and listened to them before making the decision to buy.

The DS in the neck and twinned Jazz p/u in the bridge positions are a great combination. I dial the DS in for volume and roll the Jazz p/u in to get some trebs and cut. It sounds fantastic in a mix. (but I am biased ;) )
 
#13
Codger said:
I have those [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I had a Tractor replica built and listened to them before making the decision to buy.

The DS in the neck and twinned Jazz p/u in the bridge positions are a great combination. I dial the DS in for volume and roll the Jazz p/u in to get some trebs and cut. It sounds fantastic in a mix. (but I am biased ;) )
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Wow! That's awesome that you saved those. I think I have only the Decade finger funk clip.
 
#14
Codger said:
I have those [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I had a Tractor replica built and listened to them before making the decision to buy.

The DS in the neck and twinned Jazz p/u in the bridge positions are a great combination. I dial the DS in for volume and roll the Jazz p/u in to get some trebs and cut. It sounds fantastic in a mix. (but I am biased ;) )
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Ressurecting a very old thread - are those clips a darkstar decade yea? Incoming double darkstar decade has got me searching for clips and I'm struggling to find many. If they are darkstar ones then its a bit of a goldmine thanks :)
 

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