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Kawai F2B pickups

L

lawjazz1

Sep 7, 2013
108
39
#1
I have an all original F2B that I bought new back in '87-'88 or so. The pickups are making a large amount of noise. Remedies? Anyone know what kind of pickups were original to this bass? What about possible replacement pickups?
 
#8
When these pickups work they're great but they do crap out. The pickups are proprietary and sealed - pretty much impossible to disassemble and
try to fix. They are also a non-standard size.

There have been numerous threads about this over the years - dig around.
I remember there was one TB'er in particular that completely gutted his FIIB's (he had 2)
and had all the info on the work he did/pickups he used.

Go here for more info.

Kawai FIIB Owners Group, or FOG
 
#9
Clark Dark said:
Those Bart replacements do not have a radius like the originals so I would try to figure out the cause of the noise.
I hope the scheme I put here helps

http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/PDF/fIIbwiring.pdf

http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/PDF/FIIB controls.pdf

...and the last sentence on this page Getting Started suggests they still have parts in stock including pup's, worth a call at least.
:cool:
Click to expand...


Well, just passing along info :) ...I've seen MANY F2Bs with these Barts in them (usually with something like a NTMB preamp) , and in every single instance the owner said it was a definite improvement in tone. I looked very hard at getting one and did a lot of research about 15-17 years ago....though I didn't get one, so my info is second hand.

But, like you say, if the originals are fixable, I'd suggest that first, and evaluate from there.
 
#10
I have fixed a beaten up F2B from a local bass player about 2 years back and among other problems the basse's electronics were dead. Because the owner was on a very tight budget i went with a pair of 10$ eBay pickups from china and converted the bass to passive.They looked like this:
pickup.JPG

I had to cut off the "ears" for the mounting screws for them to fit into the routing and used foam pads and hot glue to mount them. The bass sounds surprisingly good now.
 
#11
Hello People
I'm sure I joined this forum a few years ago but when I tried to log in I had all sorts of problems so I've opened a new account.

Adding a comment here as I need some help with my (second) Kawai. First was a F1 in Maple, my new one is an F2B in (I believe) a Koa finish. Tell me what you think.

A problem with the rear pickup - the volume output is significantly lower than the bridge...a not uncommon problem from what I read here. A friend of mine, Martin Herrick, (Invalid Link Removed) has agreed to build a replacement but I need the Resistance value for the pickup. My nephew is lending me a multi-meter tomorrow but I'm hoping to keep the build moving by providing Martin with the info he needs.

Does anybody know the standard values?
 

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#12
Fairfax Aikman said:
My nephew is lending me a multi-meter tomorrow but I'm hoping to keep the build moving by providing Martin with the info he needs.
Click to expand...
They're active like EMGs so measuring with a DMM won't work.

"The cut/boost
combinations are pre-set and cannot be changed as the tone
character pre-amps are sealed in the pickups.

While both the front and rear FIIB pickups and tone character pre-amps are the same, they will sound different because of their position
under the strings. This is an Active EQ System and requires
two 9-volt batteries."

From the controls pdf earlier in the thread.
 
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