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Fender Roscoe Beck V (pickup replacement Q)

#2
Ooh this is controversial. A fundamental part of the whole concept of the RB basses are the Bill Lawrence p/ups, clever switching (I assume you've tried out all the switching possibilites) and its passive nature, which rather makes me question why you bought it if you don't like the sound. But each to his own I guess. You could post your qustion here but be prepared for some disapproval.
 
#3
The RB Bill Lawrence pickups are designed to give THAT tone and sound. They really nail the best Fender 5-str tone I've heard, but it's not for all tastes (the pickups are amazing at doing that IMHO and IME).

Check the dimensions of the pickups and check out who does same size pickups, but you need to inform what tone you are after
 
#5
Greetings,

Uhmm.... Why not sell the RBV at a nice profit and get something more to your liking. The charm of that bass is in the stock condition. If you modify it you will never recoup the money you would have if you had left it stock and chances are you'll prolly never be truly happy with the modified sound. It's your bass and a fine one too, why ruin it..... pass it on to some one who will appreciate it for what it is.

Rezdog
 
#7
Rezdog said:
Greetings,

Uhmm.... Why not sell the RBV at a nice profit and get something more to your liking. The charm of that bass is in the stock condition. If you modify it you will never recoup the money you would have if you had left it stock and chances are you'll prolly never be truly happy with the modified sound. It's your bass and a fine one too, why ruin it..... pass it on to some one who will appreciate it for what it is.

Rezdog
Click to expand...


+1.

Of course, this is your bass, so anything any of us has to say can always be ignored. But, these basses are not being made anymore. Nice ones are becoming harder and harder to come by.

In my mind, your thoughts are alikened to scoring a '66 GTO, tubbing the rearend and cutting a giant hole in the hood for a blower. (Seeing that you used the word "rubbish" you may be from the other side of the water. So, maybe the GTO reference is lost on you.)

I had a RBV. I personally thought the passive circuit design and specifically the PUs were the redeeming qualities of the bass. Yes, it played nicely, but if you throw out the PUs and switching, it was basically a common variety, heavy old Fender.
 
#8
Ezbass said:
Ooh this is controversial. A fundamental part of the whole concept of the RB basses are the Bill Lawrence p/ups, clever switching (I assume you've tried out all the switching possibilites) and its passive nature, which rather makes me question why you bought it if you don't like the sound. But each to his own I guess. You could post your qustion here but be prepared for some disapproval.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I've never heard ANYTHING but good things about those P'ups (one of the few times Fender has offered stock pickups worth keeping!)...
 
#10
I'm looking for direct replacements and don't want to alter this bass's structure because i understand it's value. Anyway, maybe it's a good idea to just sell it and look for smth else. But just like my previusly owned Marcus Miller V, this bass is not a keeper for me. Cheers
 
#11
ciubz said:
I'm looking for direct replacements and don't want to alter this bass's structure because i understand it's value. Anyway, maybe it's a good idea to just sell it and look for smth else. But just like my previusly owned Marcus Miller V, this bass is not a keeper for me. Cheers
Click to expand...

What is it about the character of the PUs that you don't care for?

They are unique in shape. I don't know that I have ever seen anything like them on any other bass. (except the Fender ADPV)

One thought might be to try an outboard preamp like the sadowsky or similar. That might allow some tweaking without too much alteration.
 
#12
I went through the same thing with my RBV.
I tried different pickups.

Eventually I put the originals back in .......and Bingo...I loved them

Didn't know what I was thinking???!!

They are great pickups....play a few gigs and see how it grows on you.

I just never got used to the fat neck.
 
#14
I think I may grok what the OP is getting at - I had a RB5 for a while. I found that, to my ear, the bass didn't have much personality, unlike my other Fenders. I also thought the B string didn't sound like the rest of the strings. I sold it to a fellow TB'er who was excited to have it, and I got a (Keith) Roscoe which I love. So I guess I agree with those that say you might be best off looking for a different bass more to your liking. The good news is that the RB5 is a quality instrument prized by many.
 

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