flat response pickups ?

[staindbass]

anyone make them? pickups have a tonality/sound of thier own. the purest microphones have a flat resopnse, no tonality of thier own. they dont add thier own character to the sound. do flat response pickups exist? johnny a.

 

[fretlessman71]

Interesting question. I dunno. Mics are picking up an already audible signal, so it's easy to hear the results of using a "pure" microphone. A pickup is changing a magnetic field into current, so who's to say what a "flat response" would be? Maybe there's an answer out there somewhere...

 

[Jools4001]

I guess lightwaves would be the closest right now Invalid Link Removed

 

[Stealth]

Shouldn't Q-Tuners be somewhere around that?

 

[fullrangebass]

Villex have "flat" response (full and detailed). Q-tuners are "flat" but transparent (too much "high" presence IMHO and IME). Lightwave are the flatest of them all, very transparent and very touch sensitive (they translate every touch on the bass, even the shirt rubbing on it!!!)

 

[staindbass]

fretlessman, i see your point. but seeing as some pickups sound 'warmer', or 'thinner' ect, there must be some manipulation of the frequency resopnse happening somehow. the sound i want is when i got new strings, and press my left ear flat against the horn of the bass while playing.(try it). wood and steel sound. never heard it thru any amp. still hunting that sound. thanks for the link, ill check it out. johnny a

 

[fretlessman71]

If that's what you're hunting for, then I +2 the Lightwave idea. I've played a bass like that once; it might have been just a little too "honest" for me.

fullrange, have you been rubbing your shirt on your bass AGAIN??

 

[staindbass]

wow, no magnets on a lightwave? i smell an increase in sustain. interesting ! johnny a

 

[12bass]

IMO, Lane Poor wide aperture pickups are also pretty flat sounding, but presently very difficult to find in captivity.... not quite as extended in the highs as the Q-Tuners.

Interestingly, some players with relatively even/extended-sounding Q-Tuners have found that they preferred the more traditional colorations of "normal" pickups, which often have a bumpier response with a peak in the upper-midrange/lower-treble range, and less extended highs.

 

[Atomik Rooster]

IMO, Lane Poor wide aperture pickups are also pretty flat sounding, but presently very difficult to find in captivity.... not quite as extended in the highs as the Q-Tuners.

Interestingly, some players with relatively even/extended-sounding Q-Tuners have found that they preferred the more traditional colorations of "normal" pickups, which often have a bumpier response with a peak in the upper-midrange/lower-treble range, and less extended highs.

At first glance flat response sounds (as it were) like a great place to launch from, but the wide variety of pickups, processors and effects would seem to bear out what you're saying. Color is good.

 

[staindbass]

ok guys, from reading the site, they cant be flat. if they were flat they would not need the piezo for 'highs'. my guess is that the system has more trouble tracking the upper harmonics, each octave up vibrates twice as fast. id sure love to hear it and try it out. johnny a

 

[j3b3r]

How about Aero's ??
Mr Larry Pollack himself told me that the sound of his pickups is the sound when you take your bass to a quite room, shut the door, and play it acousticaly with no amplification. That is the sound that will be reflected by the Aero's pickups in the electrical signal.

I'm waitting for someone to sell a used Aero Js

er..stainbass, are you happened to be Johnny April of Staind ?

 

[fullrangebass]

I confess fretlessman71. I could not hold back and I allowed my shirt to rub against the bass

I have owned (and still own some) basses with "flat" pickups (Q-tuners, Villex, Lightwave and Lane Poor). The ones that fit best to my (diverse) needs are Villex (I still own many other basses with many other pickups).

As far as Aeros go, they sound too "tame" IMHO; they don't color much but they leave a lot to be desired (still own two basses with Aeros)

 

[staindbass]

yes, its me. i see many well known bassplayer names on here, are they all fake? i saw john deacon on here the other day (queen), but i can tell by his posts it aint him. so what if john deacon wanted to sign up? he would have no name,lol. my pm's were closed, but i will open them if anyone wants to chat. i do alot of forum/chat stuff. (ham radio,telescopes,custom cutlery,hi-fi) and i normally remain anonymous, but i couldent help it on this one most of u guys play better than i, i am still smart enough to know i can learn from you. ive been playing gigs since 1983,waaay before staind. maybe i can help with my experience. johnny a.