• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Guidance on pickups!

T

tofumonster

Aug 28, 2008
10
0
#1
I've been reading a bunch of stuff on the internet about different pickups. I've decided to get these pickups for the bass I'm building:

http://www.bestbassgear.com/emg-pickups-pj-bass.htm

Questions:

1) So from the looks of it, I don't need to buy a pre-amp because it's included? yes?

2) Where does the wiring for the input jack come in?

3) How should I go about positioning these pickups? Does it matter if I get them dead center on the bass? (I'm not using a pre-designed guide, I'm designing my own) I currently have a American Fender Jazz Deluxe and I see that the four strings (when looking from directly above them) fall right between the 8 magnets on the pickups. Since these pickups don't have any markings/magnets, do I have to somehow do the same?

4) There's no "right" and "wrong" way to position the pickups yeah? I'll definitely put the P pickups in the front and J in the back, but other than that, sky's the limit yeah?

Thanks a bunch! If there's any helpful guides that I skipped over on this site, please enlighten me!
 
#2
I'm a bass n00b but I know guitar pickups so I'll take a stab and no doubt someone will correct me where I'm wrong.

1) These are active pickups and the preamp should be built into the wiring harness. In other words, no need to buy a preamp.

2) It says the input jack is provided. I'm guessing it's either pre-soldered to the harness or has solderless connectors like the pickups.

3) The pickups would probably tolerate slight misalignment without affecting the sound much, but misaligned pickups would make the bass look like an amateur hack job. I would spend some time getting them perfectly aligned. You will need to figure out where the bridge is going to be located and where the strings will be. There are probably some tricks of the trade to doing this. I imagine it would be best to have the bridge actually installed and maybe even the neck in place. Then you could project where the strings will be using a straight edge or something.

4) Pickup placement has a big effect on tone. If you want to get authentic P and J tones, you will need to locate the pickups the same distance from the bridge as they are on an actual P and J bass.
 
#5
PJSShearer said:
... go into a music store with a P/J bass hanging up and take measurements!!.:-)

Or, once you've established where the Bridge, and therefore the strings, is going to go. Align the pups so they "overhang" the strings evenly on each side.
Click to expand...

Having them overhang evenly on the strings on either side would most likely be a last resort..

Anybody else with ideas? I need something to tell me where the pickup magnets are so I can straddle the string on either side evenly.
 
#6
Assuming you are going to use a standard bridge - I would say it is reasonable to assume EMG used one when designing the pups in the first place. This would mean the string spacing would be "standard" as well. Therefore, positioning the pups so they stick out the same either side of the strings will give you your positions. I enclose a pic of my EMG'd Yamaha BB400S as a guide. The P replaces the original passive Pickup and the J was added by a professional Luthier.
 
#7
Those pickups are active, meaning that they have a pre-amp built inside the pickup and they require a battery. They come with a set of potentiometers for volume volume tone and a jack. This pre-amp is not to be confused with a on-board pre-amp that has adjustable bass, mid, treble. Of course you can put one of those on it, too. I would say that position of the pickups matters. If you're referring to location, the tone will be different, for example, if you put the P closer to the neck as opposed to the traditional spot for the P. If you're referring to whether or not the pickups are lined up properly and don't look like someone hacked out the rout with an icepick, I'd say, yeah that matters, too.
 
#8
tofumonster said:
Cool. As a continuation of question and Tusec's answer of 3.. Without knowing where exactly the magnets are, how will I be able to align the pickups correctly? thoughts? ideas?
Click to expand...

The EMG's have blade polepieces that extend across the whole pickup, so there aren't individual polepieces for each string. Just line the strings up so they're not too close to the edge of the pickups.

Mike
 
#9
I had a set of EMG P/J pickups for awhile. They make any bass sound huge and ballsy. That being said, they make every bass sound the same. Seriously you could put these in a high end bass or a dime store cheapy and both basses will sound the same. I originally put them in a cheap ibanez ergodyne, then a jackson concert, and they ended up in a spector euro. All three basses sounded the same regardless of wood or quality of construction. If you want to 'hear' the instrument itself get something else. I think this is the reason you don't see a lot of boutiques using them, they kill the natural voice of the wood.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back