Fireball vs. Dimension

[Old Blastard]

I can't seem to find any information on the difference/similarities between the Fireball pickups in the Meteora bass and the old Dimension pickups in the now defunct Dimension bass.

This is not something that will resolve the ills of the world or make teeth brighter and whiter, but I'm painfully curious if the pickups are noticeably different or just renamed. I have the wide range humbuckers in my Fender Starcaster and they are definitely their own breed.

I'm interested in the Meteora because I like weird Fender stuff (MIJ Jag Deluxe, Jazz Bass Special, Starcaster owner) and I'm just curious.

Anybody know anything about these?

 

[bholder]

There are a couple of TBers who've gotten Meaty Auras, someone should be along shortly lol...

 

[Old Blastard]

Apparently not.

 

[deff]

They look just like the double J configuration they used on the Blacktop Pbass. I'm wondering if any of the internals are different between any of the models that share the same configuration. I don't have anything to compare them two but this is them on my bass.

 

[Old Blastard]

They look just like the double J configuration they used on the Blacktop Pbass. I'm wondering if any of the internals are different between any of the models that share the same configuration. I don't have anything to compare them two but this is them on my bass.

View attachment 4722024

That looks more like them than the ones on the Dimension. After a while you begin to wonder if it's all just names and they (all of Them, not just Fender) are just selling you a zoom call and repackaging what they already have. Thanks!

 

[deff]

That looks more like them than the ones on the Dimension. After a while you begin to wonder if it's all just names and they (all of Them, not just Fender) are just selling you a zoom call and repackaging what they already have. Thanks!

I mean, totally not surprising. I think it is the same pickup. The meteoras sound nice in active mode. The pickups in my pbass are a little hot and exceptionally normal for pickups that are a little overwound. I would call them very even, to slightly bass heavy. Some might describe them as "warm". Definitely wouldn't be described with words like "clarity", or Bright or clanky. I wouldn't call them muddy, but the dreaded "average", springs to mind. I have thought about yanking the neck pickup and sending it off to Fralin and seeing what they can do with it. Not sure if the whole thing is potted though. That'd be a bit of a disaster. Also I have seen people complaining about the Meteora not being passive, but there's an active passive switch, so maybe people just don't have good reading comprehension.

 

[Old Blastard]

I mean, totally not surprising. I think it is the same pickup. The meteoras sound nice in active mode. The pickups in my pbass are a little hot and exceptionally normal for pickups that are a little overwound. I would call them very even, to slightly bass heavy. Some might describe them as "warm". Definitely wouldn't be described with words like "clarity", or Bright or clanky. I wouldn't call them muddy, but the dreaded "average", springs to mind. I have thought about yanking the neck pickup and sending it off to Fralin and seeing what they can do with it. Not sure if the whole thing is potted though. That'd be a bit of a disaster. Also I have seen people complaining about the Meteora not being passive, but there's an active passive switch, so maybe people just don't have good reading comprehension.

That's possible. Apparently the passive switch is an emergency switch in case a battery croaks in the midst of a show. There's no tone control on passive. Not sure it's a deal breaker if you know about it in advance. Maybe they've combined the blacktop pickups with the Dimension pre-amp. Can't get my hands on one locally, yet. Not willing to spend a grand without checking it out first. Those days, unfortunately, went out with 2-dollar gas.

 

[spatters]

If you take the funky plastic cover off the pickups in a Squier Dimension, you'll find a standard double-J, hard-wired in parallel. It's very hot and midrangey and nearly 4H even wired parallel.

The Fender Dimension pickups appear to be different: they have wide oblong pole pieces, not standard J pole pieces. I've never had one apart so I can't tell you what's in them, but based on the pole pieces, they're not the same pickups as in the Meteora.

The preamp must be different too, as none of the active Dimensions have a passive mode. (There was at least one model of completely passive Dimension.)

One incarnation of the Modern Player Jazz also used double-J pickups, though IIRC they were passive. The Meteora pickups may or may not be the same.