Drop in Stingray pickup that does NOT sound Stingray

[Makten]

I want a new pickup for my Warwick F.N.A. that currently sounds like absolute crap due to whatever pickup is installed. I've tried disabling the preamp and it just sounded a different kind of crap.

What I want is a more traditional sound; think Precision or Jazz. Doesn't matter too much, as anything even remotely resembling an old school passive pickup will definitely sound better than what's in there now. I also intend to run it passive, because I've never ever felt the need for an on-board preamp. All my other basses sound kind of similar even though they are not, but the Warwick is completely different and I hate it (even though I love the instrument itself).

So, what are my options? There are a few interesting pickups such as the Nordstrand Bigman, but I haven't heard one single sample where it's used without an active preamp. And maybe it's a bit too "Stingray-ish" from what I've heard.
Anything else I should investigate?

Edit: By the way, the F.N.A. has the pickup slightly farther from the bridge than a Stingray, but not quite as far as a Precision. Somewhere in between.

 

[gonzkal]

Hmm, probably not the answer you were hoping for, but IMO the pickup location on an FNA will always make it sound Stingray-ish, no matter the humbucker you put in there. I confirm the Nordstrand Bigman sounds very close to a Stingray even when run passive when the pickup is located in the traditional sweet spot. If you managed to put a single coils, or add a coil tap switch with a humbucker, you could get close to a (60s) jazz bridge pickup solo'ed. For a warmer sound, you could look into humbuckers wired in series, which by the way the Bigman can do.

 

[Makten]

Hmm, probably not the answer you were hoping for, but IMO the pickup location on an FNA will always make it sound Stingray-ish, no matter the humbucker you put in there. I confirm the Nordstrand Bigman sounds very close to a Stingray even when run passive when the pickup is located in the traditional sweet spot. If you managed to put a single coils, or add a coil tap switch with a humbucker, you could get close to a (60s) jazz bridge pickup solo'ed. For a warmer sound, you could look into humbuckers wired in series, which by the way the Bigman can do.

The pickup is far enough away from the bridge that I think it will not have to sound Stingray-ish. And, I must say that a better Stingray-ish sound would be fine too, even if that's not what I'm usually after.

A double Jazz pickup would probably be nice, but those won't fit.

 

[sunbeast]

Usually I think of a “Stingray” pickup sound just being pretty clear and neutral- so much of the character in a Ray is voiced into the preamp.

I have a bass with the Nordstrand Bigman in the bridge position (more bridge-ward than a Stingray, so opposite from you) and I love it. It is very clear and “big” while also remaining tight in typical Nordstrand fashion, it is ultimately just two Big Singles after all. I haven’t tried wiring it in series yet, but love it in both parallel and single coil modes (the bridge most single is basically in 60s J bridge position). It grinds and growls really nicely if the bass is set up for that, and responds well to bass boost without getting muddy and warms up nicely with some treble/mid-cut if you want (or even better, a passive tone control). Mine is paired with a Nordstrand 3-band preamp, I feel like it is a great combo in that the entire range of EQ sweep is useable (not overpowering bass or treble).

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

Nordstrand big splitman with a series/single/parallel switch, it's 2 big splits in a mm housing - each is a split coil pickup (how most humbucking jazz pickups work). The post before recommends the bigman, which is the same idea but not humbucking in "single coil" mode like the big split. One of my fave basses has 2 bigmans with series/single/parallel switching and they hum buck in single coil mode like a jazz - but if you have a single pickup route i would go splitman

 

[Lammchop93]

Nordstrand big blade did it for me. I had a stingray style bass, but did not want that sound. The blade man with a norsstrand 3 band preamp got me exactly what I wanting.

 

[Geogio]

Double bladed Joe Bardon.

The low string isn't aligned with the center pole as it is. Maybe a blade would optimize that spot in corner of the magetic field that isn't totally covered.

 

[sikamikanico]

I’d get a quad coil like Nordstrand BigSplitMan, with the ability to solo the neck “coil” (technically two coils in a split coil arrangement). That will get you more in a traditional passive bass territory like P or J bass, with the ability to maintain a more modern* humbucker sound at a flip of a switch.

Or, a more fancy option would be a multicoil like Turner. Can still do a single array of coils for a more “single coil” sound, but with a modern twist. Turner Pickups | Unique Pickups For Bass Guitar

*I realize that the Stingray pickup is a 50 y/o design now, so the terms traditional and modern are not quite right, lol

 

[birminghambass]

I say sell it, get what you want. Those basses definitely have a tone that is not anything vintage or traditional. It's the pickup and electronics but it's also the woods/construction.

 

[DrBnz]

Oh, no, no....... Sell that one and get ya something nice. There are so many great ones out there.

You can't stand the sound..... there's bound to be somebody out there whole loves the sound. Sell it to em.....

 

[Saetia]

I have a 1pc Black Limba body on the way from Warmoth. MM sweet spot route that will be home to a Big Splitman. Decided to go passive on this one after talking with Nordstrand. Trying to find a solid rotary 4 way switch for bridge coil, parallel, series, neck coil for versatility.

I also see Turner mentioned here, and OP mentioned single coil, the Gordo Solo is a great sounding pickup that I’m loading a short scale with.

 

[Makten]

Double bladed Joe Bardon.

The low string isn't aligned with the center pole as it is. Maybe a blade would optimize that spot in corner of the magetic field that isn't totally covered.

That's because I've adjusted the bridge to its narrowest string spacing. Actually makes the string balance better, since the pickup poles are flat and E and G are otherwise too close compared to the other strings. I don't understand why almost no pickups have staggered poles.

Oh, no, no....... Sell that one and get ya something nice. There are so many great ones out there.

You can't stand the sound..... there's bound to be somebody out there whole loves the sound. Sell it to em.....

Living in a remote country, there are definitely NOT "so many great ones out there". Finding a buyer for something like this is equally difficult.
I like the bass a lot, just not the character of the pickup. And I don't expect it to sound like a P or J, just a bit closer to that sort of realm than it does now.

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What I can't find out is if the Nordstrands are designed for use with an on-board preamp or not. Do they have very low impedance like the MM pickups, or are they closer to traditional pickups for passive use?

 

[beanondabass]

I want a new pickup for my Warwick F.N.A. that currently sounds like absolute crap due to whatever pickup is installed. I've tried disabling the preamp and it just sounded a different kind of crap.

What I want is a more traditional sound; think Precision or Jazz. Doesn't matter too much, as anything even remotely resembling an old school passive pickup will definitely sound better than what's in there now. I also intend to run it passive, because I've never ever felt the need for an on-board preamp. All my other basses sound kind of similar even though they are not, but the Warwick is completely different and I hate it (even though I love the instrument itself).

So, what are my options? There are a few interesting pickups such as the Nordstrand Bigman, but I haven't heard one single sample where it's used without an active preamp. And maybe it's a bit too "Stingray-ish" from what I've heard.
Anything else I should investigate?

Edit: By the way, the F.N.A. has the pickup slightly farther from the bridge than a Stingray, but not quite as far as a Precision. Somewhere in between.

The Lace Sensor Man O War is a MM humbucker but sounds very growly, like an old Lane poor, think like Flea's live bass. Thats an option. Can be wired series or parallel. Not stingray like at all, more like a trebly slightly driven jazz bass (sorta). I got a thread here somewhere about it with a sound demo.

 

[sikamikanico]

What I can't find out is if the Nordstrands are designed for use with an on-board preamp or not. Do they have very low impedance like the MM pickups, or are they closer to traditional pickups for passive use?

Traditional. Think of it this way: Big Single is designed to be like a J pickup on steroids. Big Split is a humcancelling version of that pickup and sounds even more like a P bass pickup. BigMan is two Big Singles, and BigSplitMan is two Big Splits.

Of course, if you run them in parallel, you’ll get both lower impedance with the weaker and brighter output, and the mid/high dip from the cancelled frequencies, which are a part of the MM sound. But it will sound more muscular than a traditional MM pickup…

This reminds me - have you tried wing the current pickup in single coil (I’d recommend neck coil) or series? That might get you what you want without getting a new pickup… you can also fine-tune the resonant peak with loading capacitors…

 

[sunbeast]

H

That's because I've adjusted the bridge to its narrowest string spacing. Actually makes the string balance better, since the pickup poles are flat and E and G are otherwise too close compared to the other strings. I don't understand why almost no pickups have staggered poles.


Living in a remote country, there are definitely NOT "so many great ones out there". Finding a buyer for something like this is equally difficult.
I like the bass a lot, just not the character of the pickup. And I don't expect it to sound like a P or J, just a bit closer to that sort of realm than it does now.

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What I can't find out is if the Nordstrands are designed for use with an on-board preamp or not. Do they have very low impedance like the MM pickups, or are they closer to traditional pickups for passive use?

The reason you aren’t finding anything about Nordstrands being “low impedance” is because there are very few passive pickups available like that aftermarket- I’ve only ever seen a few passive pickups ever advertised as being suggested for use with active preamps only. Onboard preamps are designed for and used with typical passive pickups and in most cases are designed to be pretty neutral when set flat (though the original Musician preamps were an exception to that, as are things like the Sadowsky preamp), and they don’t require special pickups in 99% of cases. Musicman humbuckers themselves aren’t low-impedance in any meaningful way either- many of them had the coils wired in parallel which might sound kinda sterile to people on their own, but the coils themselves are not low impedance- just wired to be relatively full range in a way that might sound kinda bland without their preamp (but there have been a number of different Musicman humbuckers used in their basses with different coil wiring and magnets used too, so actually no single sound).

So Nordstrands are standard high-impedance passive pickups, just like 99% of all pickups paired with preamps- I love mine equally in passive or active modes. I agree with the posters suggesting the Big-Splitman as well- I haven't used one personally, but do have a bass with Nordstrand Big-Splits (Splitman is just two of those next to each-other). I'd say if you want a bit more of an aggressive high-mid and want hum-free operation even if you single one of the two sides then the Splitman should be great. The Bigman is a great option if you want a bit wider response and an actual single-coil tone (which will of course have some hum) when soloing either coil. If you don't plan to add coil switching then personally I'd stick with the Bigman for the extra clarity, with coil-switching added then maybe the Splitman. Can't really go wrong with either though!

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

The low end lobster did a great series on weird stingray pickups a few years back, with lots of good sound clips. Her content is always good

 

[dazmond]

Maybe some kind of preamp/drive/eq type of pedal would be an alternative? If you can articulate exactly what you don't like about the sound, you'll have a better chance of finding an option to fix it. I do know how you feel, having a corvette $$ that is beautiful and feels amazing to play but having a hard time getting the sound I wanted. Cutting some 250-300 hz range helped for my preference.

 

[Isaac_James]

Traditional. Think of it this way: Big Single is designed to be like a J pickup on steroids. Big Split is a humcancelling version of that pickup and sounds even more like a P bass pickup. BigMan is two Big Singles, and BigSplitMan is two Big Splits.

Of course, if you run them in parallel, you’ll get both lower impedance with the weaker and brighter output, and the mid/high dip from the cancelled frequencies, which are a part of the MM sound. But it will sound more muscular than a traditional MM pickup…

This reminds me - have you tried wing the current pickup in single coil (I’d recommend neck coil) or series? That might get you what you want without getting a new pickup… you can also fine-tune the resonant peak with loading capacitors…

Agreed - a big part of the MM style humbucker's sound is the wider field of the humbucker, combined with the naturally darker sound of a hum cancelling design. Isolate one of the coils and it will definitely change the sound, hopefully for the better. Series/parallel switching also makes a big difference. It's at least worth a try before dropping money on a whole new pickup.

 

[rojo412]

Some companies will make a P pickup in an MM shaped housing. I had Nordstrand do that for me a few years back.
And someone is making pickups for the Reverend basses that have that style, just not sure who.

That said, the least MM sounding stock drop-in pickups I've ever heard were Bartolini and EMG.

 

[Makten]

Traditional. Think of it this way: Big Single is designed to be like a J pickup on steroids. Big Split is a humcancelling version of that pickup and sounds even more like a P bass pickup. BigMan is two Big Singles, and BigSplitMan is two Big Splits.

Of course, if you run them in parallel, you’ll get both lower impedance with the weaker and brighter output, and the mid/high dip from the cancelled frequencies, which are a part of the MM sound. But it will sound more muscular than a traditional MM pickup…

Sounds like what I want then!

This reminds me - have you tried wing the current pickup in single coil (I’d recommend neck coil) or series? That might get you what you want without getting a new pickup… you can also fine-tune the resonant peak with loading capacitors…

No, because there are only two leads coming from the pickup, so I have no idea of if the coils are in series or parallel. However, I doubt I would like it even if I could change it, because it has a character that is like completely opposite from what I want. It's both "sterile" AND "blunt". Like there is a very narrow frequency response that overloads whatever you put after it, even without the preamp. Every overdrive just farts out, even if you lower the output volume.

Maybe some kind of preamp/drive/eq type of pedal would be an alternative? If you can articulate exactly what you don't like about the sound, you'll have a better chance of finding an option to fix it. I do know how you feel, having a corvette $$ that is beautiful and feels amazing to play but having a hard time getting the sound I wanted. Cutting some 250-300 hz range helped for my preference.

It's hard to describe, but look at my answer above...

Since I've been pretty happy with my other basses, I don't think a preamp or EQ is the way to go, even if it probably would make it less bad.

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Now, how the heck do I get Nordstrand pickups in Europe? They will end up extremely expensive if importing.