• 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?

#43
i have a sr600 with bart mk1 that i have had since 2012. at first i loved the sound but the more i played it the more that "clank" sticks out. i have tried to eq it out but it is not possible with out it sounding like it is underwater and it is still there. the pups have to much micro phonics in them.
i was hoping this thread might point me in some direction for replacing the pups but you guys are all over the place. any other humbucking options for this bass?
 
#44
My SR505 came with Bartolini MK1, hated them, replaced them with MK5, much better but still not good enough. Now I have Nordstrand Big Blades and I simply love the sound. I also ended up installing a Nordstrand preamp and that was the perfect combination.
I depends a lot of the sound you want, I experimented with different combinations but at the end the Big Blades were the match for the sound I was looking for.
Bartolini was too dark sounding on my case.
 
#45
non said:
i have a sr600 with bart mk1 that i have had since 2012. at first i loved the sound but the more i played it the more that "clank" sticks out. i have tried to eq it out but it is not possible with out it sounding like it is underwater and it is still there. the pups have to much micro phonics in them.
i was hoping this thread might point me in some direction for replacing the pups but you guys are all over the place. any other humbucking options for this bass?
Click to expand...

Check them out: 4 String Soapbar Bass Pickups

BigRigs, Dual Blades or Dual Coils, depends on the budget and the type of sound you want.
 
#46
The Big Rigs are pretty even and not near as aggressive as the Big Singles, but are super clear and have a nice growl. The dual coils are just awesome, and, depending on the coil configuration (series or parallel) can be more aggressive than the big rigs, but still fairly even and reserved. The Dual Blades would be the most aggressive out of the three and are what gave Carey the idea for the Big Blades.
 
  • Like
Reactions: phillipkregg
#48
Blue_Whistle88 said:
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.
Click to expand...
I think Big Splits are already quite warm compared to regular Jazz Bass, let's say.
 
#49
khutch said:
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.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the Nordstrand Big Rigs.
 
#50
I have Barts in my BTB1205E, and love their sound. They're one of the reasons I bought my BTB back in 2006; the sound, along with the feel of the BTB neck.

I like these Barts, because they have a vintage-type sound to them; the neck pickup soloed sounds very Pre-CBS Precision to me.

I was going to say I've never played an Ibby with Nordstrands, but I have when I was checking out a few basses recently. And as the OP said, they were loud, that's what caught my attention.

I've never ABed the Barts and the Nordies, but to me, the Barts are the exact sound I like.

Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: jazzalta77
#51
I'm not a fan of Bartolinis in Ibanez basses. When I was in the hunt for a 6 string, I went with a BTB for the Nordstrands after comparing both options in store. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but the Barts have a coldness to them that I strongly dislike.
 
#52
I've played two basses with Barts - the Quad coil in a Gibson Tobias Growler and a MTB Kingston 5-string with soapbars. I never liked them. Too polite is the best way I could put it - a lot of high end and mid-range clank. It was a lot of work to get a usable sound for me. The low end on both was weak. I have not tried Nords.
 
#54
Bassworship1 said:
It's according to what Bartolini's you have in them. To me the best bass Ibanez makes in the Prestige 5005 that has the USA Custom Barts. It will hang with any bass I've owned. Ive owned 9-10 Ibanez Premium basses with the Nordstrand big singles and some with upgraded Nordstrand DC pickups. It's hard to beat the Prestige Barts.
Click to expand...
So are the Barts in the Ibanez 5005 custom made for that model? Or is that a specific model of Bartolini's that I can order for another bass?

I wouldn't mind getting an sr505 and equipping that with the same Bart's and electronics of the 5005 model.
 
#55
phillipkregg said:
So are the Barts in the Ibanez 5005 custom made for that model? Or is that a specific model of Bartolini's that I can order for another bass?

I wouldn't mind getting an sr505 and equipping that with the same Bart's and electronics of the 5005 model.
Click to expand...
Thy are custom made for that bass only. I tried calling Ibanez to get a set for another bass and they won't sale them. They are amazing and the best Bartolini pickups I've ever played.
 
  • Like
Reactions: generalduncan, Roberto Nunez and phillipkregg
#59
Anybody mentioned pickup height. ??? Whenever i see the word big singles and loud, most mids etc i Think of hot pickups placed to close to the strings. Overwound single coils placed close to strings on a guitar equates loud aggressive mids...
 
  • Like
Reactions: MichaelT

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back