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I'm going to make a bulldozer.

#21
How about a big chrome pickup from a Ginsom EB-3? Visually it should look pretty badazz - though I’m sure there are tons of pickups out there that would sound better and have even higher output.

Gotta be careful with those G&L pickups. Something about them can sound either glorious or ear-grating depending how you eq them as well as how your right hand technique is. I’ve had a couple ASAT basses, and the pickups were “too much” at times. Of course you just back down the volume a tad or not hit the strings as hard. I guess I could have lowered mine... but still, I haven’t played a pickup with such unique tonal frequency response.
 
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#22
aaronious said:
So I scored this sweet '84 Ibanez Roadstar for next to nothing. It's got some neck issues that are going to get sorted out.
Once it does, I wanna turn it into the most powerful, badass sounding, single pickup, tone monster in all the land.

My buddy has one with a T-40 pickup in in it. I LOVE IT! But...I already have a T-45.

I was thinking of turning it into a G&L
L2K. Last time I placed an order from them, I never got it. The pickups got cancelled and I never heard why.

A Curtis Novak darkstar maybe......?

I was thinking two of the DiMarzio DP120's right in the middle. Will it be too muddy?

Maybe a Nordy big single? Maybe 3

Music man pickup?

Anyhow, what would YOU do to turn this thing into a bulldozer.
Click to expand...


Maybe a Mudbucker? Or a similar styled pickup. They are the largest ones I know.
 
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#25
Why not a tractor?

D38E1793-FF7E-4284-B173-A38C2324A8F2.jpeg
 
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#29
ashtray said:
Gotta be careful with those G&L pickups. Something about them can sound either glorious or ear-grating depending how you eq them as well as how your right hand technique is. I’ve had a couple ASAT basses, and the pickups were “too much” at times. Of course you just back down the volume a tad or not hit the strings as hard. I guess I could have lowered mine... but still, I haven’t played a pickup with such unique tonal frequency response.
Click to expand...

I second this. I have a G&L L5500 that I sometimes prefer over my L2500. Why? Mid frequency response. This lends to an all or nothing result from the MFD. Not to mention that pickup placement is crucial for the design. They tend to really favor the sweet spot on the bridge end.

IMHO, MFD's are more pronounced than Stingray humbuckers. Your rig is going to play a big part in how you can tame that pickup. I'd play it safe and maybe look at the split coil precision used in the SB1. You can buy them here:

Pickup - SB-2 / SB1 MFD
 
#31
I still have the '83 Ibanez Roadstar II that I bought in '90 as my first ever bass. It came with a single P style pickup but I immediately replaced it with an EMG version and it sounds much better. Then about '95 I routed out a spot for a neck position pickup and installed a vintage Gibson EB "mudbucker" that I had laying around. Since this is a passive pickup and the EMG is active, I chose to run separate output jacks. I can switch between the two playing live or record in stereo in the studio.

Last year, I swapped out the EMG active for the Geezer Butler signature P from EMG which is a passive pickup and ran them both to the same output like a normal bass setup.

The two pickups could not be more different. It's fun to flip back and forth between them but it sounds amazing when they're run together. The combination of mudbucker/Geezer P is like nothing I've ever heard before on bass.

I'll see if I can record it and post an audio clip when I get a chance.
 
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#33
Bulldozer? It's gotta be a dual coil humbucker. With ceramic magnets if possbile. The Darkstar would make it more of a Tractor, as posted above. Or do the Jazz pickups make it a Tractor?

If you've given up on G&L, maybe Delano. Not sure how they compare, soundwise, but it's the only other ceramic MM style pickup that came to mind.
 
#37
alaskaleftybass said:
Berry moved shortly to a Jazz. Please read the following thread from musicians who have historical knowledge on the technical parts of his bass. You will need a Hagstrom fat humbucker and two Jazz pickups by the bridge about an inch apart.

Berry Oakley
Click to expand...

I thought that pickup was a Hagstrom he pulled from the Guild Starfire he used to play? Curtis Novak makes an excellent reproduction.
 
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#38
hbarcat said:
I still have the '83 Ibanez Roadstar II that I bought in '90 as my first ever bass. It came with a single P style pickup but I immediately replaced it with an EMG version and it sounds much better. Then about '95 I routed out a spot for a neck position pickup and installed a vintage Gibson EB "mudbucker" that I had laying around. Since this is a passive pickup and the EMG is active, I chose to run separate output jacks. I can switch between the two playing live or record in stereo in the studio.

Last year, I swapped out the EMG active for the Geezer Butler signature P from EMG which is a passive pickup and ran them both to the same output like a normal bass setup.

The two pickups could not be more different. It's fun to flip back and forth between them but it sounds amazing when they're run together. The combination of mudbucker/Geezer P is like nothing I've ever heard before on bass.

I'll see if I can record it and post an audio clip when I get a chance.
Click to expand...
Clips would be awesome!!!
 

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