Ibanez GSR200 replacement Pick-ups

[PhilStache]

My Girlfriend got me a Ibanez GSR200 for Christmas. I was apprehensive at first as I've only really ever played fender or fender style basses. But after picking this thing up and playing it for the past couple of weeks I have to say I love the way this bass feels and plays. It's light it's got a small fast neck and is all around a very comfortable bass. With that said while I love the way it feels I don't really like the way it sounds. It's very twangy and lacks depth especially on the bottom end. So I'm thinking of changing out the pickups. All my other basses are passive and I'm not very educated when it comes to a bass with active electronics. I've seen a lot of other threads of people suggesting emg pj and pjx pups for the GSR200. But I kind of feel like putting $180 pups in a $200 bass is a bit of overkill. The part of the bass that actually makes it active is the preamp right? The pickups themselves are still passive? So pups like the emg pjx that are labeled as active are like that because they come with a preamp? So if I just got some cheaper say DiMarzio or SD passive pickups would they
work with the stock Ibanez preamp that's already in place? And if so would changing the pups actually improve the sound if I'm not changing out the preamp?
This bass is probably going to be more of a practice/play at home bass. I'll more than likely stick with my fender for gigs but the lightweight playability of the GSR will definitely come in handy for those 3 hour practice/writing sessions with my band or just sitting on the couch plucking around. So I don't need anything that's super nice just looking for a more pleasant well rounded tone.

 

[Remyd]

Sub'd - I also have one of these and J pickup is less than great. Really like the neck one, more articulate than a Fender P I think. If I have reason to open it up, I might jump the silly little pre-amp circuit; I don't like it very much at all.

Never had an Ibanez before, it's crazy how playable they are. Mine is usually my back up, but is playing first chair right now.

 

[Brad Kellar]

On my GSR-200, only the bridge pickup was noisy. It picked up electrical noise from the room, like hum when I brought the bass close to an amp head, and buzz from light dimmers. I replaced it with a Bartolini 9CBJD‑L1 (around $70) and the problem was solved. I still keep the dimmers off, though! I also found that my laptop computer power supply and cell phone charger generated electrical noise. Sweep your studio with your bass to track down noise generators!

 

[knee_boarder]

Are the pickups the same size as standard PJ?

I've got a Harley Benton PJ which I've fitted Geezer Butler PJs in and it sounds absolutely amazing but I miss the Ibanez neck and was thinking of getting the GSR-200 and putting the pickups in it

 

[Gt6s]

Leave the pickups alone Change the preamp The Phat 2 IS GARBAGE.

 

[knee_boarder]

Cool cars - I've owned a '71 Spitfire for 32 years and had a GT6 for a couple of years too

 

[bigtone23]

The pickups are perfectly usable, but small upgrades can go a long way in finding your sound. I also agree that the Phat circuit is rather dumb--only bass boost? Silly, especially for a bass marketed to a player that often pairs it with a low watt 8" practice amp.
If you really like the bass, change out pickups and electronics at will. Using the original price of the bass vs replacement parts as the deciding factor is moot in the world of reversible mods. The bass already has a battery compartment on it, so it's easy to experiment.
The Duncan STC-2C-BO is a great sounding 2 band that costs about $55 and would drop in place of the Phat circuit.
EMGs are great, they resell for good deals and rarely fail due to their strong build. For smoother tones, look at the alnico versions (PA/PAX/JA/JAX).
Also, look for used pickups here in the classified section. P pickups are pretty standard, but the most important measurement is the length of the bridge J pickup. I'm not sure what size the Ibanez one is and there are two J lengths. I'm mostly sure it's a "long" pickup, but measure to make sure.

 

[Gt6s]

"I also agree that the Phat circuit is rather dumb--only bass boost?"

Not just dumb A REALLY BAD Mudmaker. Rip it out, fit ANYTHING OTHER. Even Chinese is upgrade. I use a Belcat Chinese £I0 3 band in my modded GSR205. that is more than perfectly fine

 

[Killed_by_Death]

If you want bottom-end, use only the neck pickup & pluck/pick near the neck.
Also, don't forget to roll back the treble-cut knob.

If you don't like that, I suggest getting a GSR100EX, with the single pickup. Those have bottom for days when you roll the treble-cut knob back, & loads of output:
Link Removed

 

[knee_boarder]

The Geezer Butler pickups (standard PJ size) I fitted the to Harley Benton PJ sounds absolutely amazing and were totally what I was looking for soundwise but I miss the ease of playing of an Ibanez neck (I've got an SR370 and I love it) so getting a PJ Ibanez and swapping the pickups to what I already have seems a no-brainer.