• 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.

Ibanez sounds way better with Bartolini than Norstrand. Yay or nay?

#21
This is the best series of bass I think Ibanez has made tone wise.
NOVAX said:
These:
View attachment 2818653
Click to expand...

I has a suspicion that those pickups are similar in design to those in the early pre Gibson Tobias basses, especially since Ibanez had a couple of models they produced in conjunction with Tobias.

I think the big singles are really for the people who like aggressive J-tones. Nordys dual coils and big rigs are some of the best pickups I have played and heard from anyone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: larrygs
#24
It depends a lot on which Bartolinis/Nordstrands you're referring to. Bartolinis tend to have a less aggressive mid-range when compared to Nordstrand Big Singles/Big Splits, which is probably why you feel the way you do about Nordstrand (as those are the ones commonly found stock in factory-made instruments). However, I recently swapped out the Big Splits in my LTD B-1005SE for the 'Warm & Woolly' versions of the Big Blades, and the mid-rang is much more tamed now. The sound is also darker overall (without sacrificing articulation), which I prefer over the Bartolini MK-5 pickups that I used to have in another bass.

I think this is due to there being more tonal variation between different Nordstrand pickups, when compared to Bartolini, which is either good or bad (depending on which ones you happen to try out first). IMO, Nordstrand should make the 'Warm & Woolly' version standard on all their pickups, but I also know that brighter bass tones have been in vogue for awhile.

Also, as others have pointed out, I find that Bartolinis sound MUCH better in the bedroom than they do live. They have a nice, vocal upper-mid range with fairly warm lows, but once you start playing with a band a lot of their nuances just get buried. By contrast, Nordstrands always seem to cut through without sacrificing too much low-end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dukeorock and LiquidMidnight
#25
I like 'em both for different reasons. My first Ibanez was a '90s SR (can't recall the model #) with Barts and sweepable mids boost/cut. I really liked the tonal variety I could get. At the time, I played jazz almost exclusively.

I currently have the SR1205 with the Nords. Gotta say I love 'em, but I play funk/R&B almost exclusively now. On the rare mellow tune I play, I have to work a bit harder to keep it smooth, but I have to work less hard to keep it funky/gritty, so...
 
#27
phillipkregg said:
Ok, I'm probably going to be unpopular here, but I gave it my best. I tried several Ibanez basses with the new Norstrand pickups but I just don't see the appeal.

To my ears, the Nordstrands are just "loud". It's like taking your amp and diming out all the EQ knobs. The mids are super mids, the lows are just "low-mids" and the highs are just "high-mids". Seems like these pickups are just trying to be in-your-face as much as possible.

The Barts, on the other hand, are very subtle and have a warm, punchy tone that is distinct without being in your face. To me, even the MK1 pickups sound better than the US Nordstrand big singles.

Maybe I'm crazy, who knows. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I purchased a used BTB with Bartolini MK2 pickups and Bartolini preamp back in July. I sold that bass a week ago. Granted, because the bass was a steal and in excellent condition, I brought it home with the intention of trying it for a couple months and if I really liked it, I would keep it - if not i would flip (sell) it. I liked everything about the bass except the pickups/electronics. Maybe it was just the MK2 series - but the pickups and electronics were far too "dark" for me and the tonal options were too limited. I have not yet owned a bass with Nordstrand pickups, but I have played (in the local store) Ibanez basses with them, and based on my limited experience I would definitely choose Nordstrand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killed_by_Death
#28
Blue_Whistle88 said:
Also, as others have pointed out, I find that Bartolinis sound MUCH better in the bedroom than they do live. They have a nice, vocal upper-mid range with fairly warm lows, but once you start playing with a band a lot of their nuances just get buried. By contrast, Nordstrands always seem to cut through without sacrificing too much low-end.
Click to expand...

I find Barts to be the opppsite, in that in the bedroom, they can almost lack 'sparkle'. They always sound good but they sometimes don't pack that super HiFi punch that we crave. In a mix though, they sit wonderfully and any reservation dissipates. I believe this is true both live and in studio and testament to Bill Bartolini's skill. It is perhaps no surprise that so many boutique builders turn to Bartolini by default.

I will point out that they sound best in a clean mix. I can imagine the Nordstrands perform better in a noisy rock or metal mix where there is a struggle to be heard over flapping bass drums and mushy guitars. In a cleaner, tighter mix for jazz, fusion, pop, Latin, classical, rock etc, the Barts perform so well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrustRod, Pugosaurus, jazzalta77 and 1 other person
#29
Your question is a matter of taste so of course the answers you are going to get will be widely varied, as they have been so far, and your opinion is 100% true even if you happen to be the only one that holds it! In my case I have never tried Nordys so no opinion there, I have liked the Barts just fine that were in two of the Ibbys I have owned, and I like the EMGs that are in one of my current Ibbys less. Less to the point where I may actually swap them out for something else which would be a first for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LowMax
#30
I always found brats to be too "polite" for my tastes. They don't reacting to variances in attack the way other pickups to in my experience. It's almost as if there's a tiny compressor in there somewhere.

I owned a BTB with Ibanez pickups that I loved. I flipped a BTB with Barts almost immediately because it lost its character to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dukeorock, MobileHolmes and REV
#31
Hey Man..I love Nordstrand and I'm Nordstrand aritst.

However there are more dinners available then Phat Burrito...Play what speaks to You and Your creative canvas.
Cheers
 
  • Like
Reactions: LowMax, dukeorock, TrustRod and 2 others
#32
phillipkregg said:
Ok, I'm probably going to be unpopular here, but I gave it my best. I tried several Ibanez basses with the new Norstrand pickups but I just don't see the appeal.

To my ears, the Nordstrands are just "loud". It's like taking your amp and diming out all the EQ knobs. The mids are super mids, the lows are just "low-mids" and the highs are just "high-mids". Seems like these pickups are just trying to be in-your-face as much as possible.

The Barts, on the other hand, are very subtle and have a warm, punchy tone that is distinct without being in your face. To me, even the MK1 pickups sound better than the US Nordstrand big singles.

Maybe I'm crazy, who knows. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I agree with you. When I tried them for the first time, they just sounded sterile...and I like mids. I think the Barts sound much more refined, too...richer, as they separate the eq bands better. It was like when I went from SD quarter-pounder J's on a Jazz 24, to dual-coil VFLs (Peavey). Obviously different basses, but I could tell that it was mostly the pickups. The change was a shock, but I really grew to like the non-brash/brittle frequencies of the sound of dual-coil warmth and fullness, and so, I could express dynamics a lot better, without everything being so clacky, easily, overdriven, and pingy.
 
#33
Most in here are comparing the cheaper Barts against the Nordstrand Big Singles which is not fair IMO. Compare USA made Barts against the Nordstrand Big Singles and you will see a difference. I love the Big Singles but USA Barts to me sound better in a mix.
 
#38
My 1206 has Big Singles in it and I wouldn't trade them for Barts in a million years: fed into a few tubes the sound is soooo thick. That said, I am saving to buy (or trade my singles) for Big Splits to reduce hum (my rig is noisy enough without the single coils).

But no, Ibanez basses and Nords just go together for me. But some of those new top line models with the Aguilars are sounding nice so I might have to try it out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killed_by_Death

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back