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King Koa - Now With Nordy's!

#241
So two of my mild complaints with Joe Barden pickups have always been the lack of covers (the case is not a smooth place to rest your thumb) and the exposed rails causing big-time clicks and pops if/when you drive a string onto the rail. I can happily live with both issues, they're fairly minor. But I do bring them up periodically with Frank @ Joe Barden whenever he asks if there's anything they can do to improve, etc.

Well I'm very pleased to say that they've produced a prototype set of pickups for me that solves the second issue. Here are the old and the new pickups side by side (old on the left, new on the right).

BARDENS-OLD-AND-NEW.jpg


You can't really tell from that angle what they've done, so here's the money shot:

BARDENS-RAIL-PROFILES.jpg


You can see in the original design that the rails were radiused and sat proud of the casing. In the new design, the rails are flat and sit just a smidge beneath the surface of the casing. So now if a string hits the pickup, it should hit the plastic rather than the rail.

I'll drop these new Bardens into King Koa tomorrow to see how they work and sound!

Many thanks to Frank @ JBE for listening and actively pursuing a solution! :bassist:
 
#243
Darkstrike said:
Ahhhh! The P pickups are that way, with the flat blades. Nice one.

I never really found them uncomfortable as a thumbrest, but without the shells I'm afraid to do so.
Click to expand...

Ah, so that must've been a design change they came up with a couple years ago when they introduced the P pickups, and it's just now being propogated to the older pickups (the J's). Makes sense!
 
#244
Before rewiring with the new Bardens, I decided that I should do a full-on project with King Koa and the Barts. The bass definitely sounds closer to a classic J-bass tone with the Barts (at least based on my memory of the Barden tone). Here's what I came up with so far today:

"Bart/Barden Jam" (entire mix)
"Bart/Barden Jam" (bass line only)
"Bart/Barden Jam" (chords only)

NOTE: Sorry 'bout the huge WAV files, my MP3 export capability is down for some reason...

The drum programming isn't done yet (you'll hear the cymbal accents & fills die out about halfway through), but I dig the bass tone pretty well. I can definitely hear the Bartolini "ping" that some folks disparage, especially on the chords which were played with the bridge PUP solo'd. That tone has a plastic quality that I'm not in love with. The bass sounds great when both pickups are blended equally, and you can hear that in the bass line. Both the neck and the bridge by themselves are kinda bleh to my ears.

I'll install the new Bardens and then re-record this project so we have a fairly A/B sort of comparison.

All bass parts were recorded through a REDDI by A-Designs.
 
#246
And to REALLY hear the difference, here are the raw tracks with all effects (EQ and reverb) removed:

Barts:
Bass Line
Chords

Bardens:
Bass Line
Chords

The Barts seem smoother and more present, the Bardens are a little thicker and have more bark. I have to say I've grown to prefer the Barts just 'cause they're closer to a traditional J-bass tone... but I don't think either set is my final solution. I like the roundness and smoothness of the Barts, but I want something a little fatter and woodier. So I'm still on the pickup prowl!
 
#247
Greg,
I gave 'em a good listen and A/B'd back and forth quite a few times. I tried to forget which P/U I was listening to (and actually did!) and in the end I consistently preferred the sound of the Barts.
Probably not a big surprise based on my history of preferred tones. I've never been a huge fan of the more aggressive sounding tones.
 
#252
I'd be willing to try some single coils, but I doubt I'd be able to live with the noise... I know myself too well on that front.

My next step is to find a set of pole-based j-bass pickups. Both the Barts and the Bardens are rails. Nordstrand has a stock set that should fit and have the correct string spacing, and I'm also on a waiting list for some Delanos...

I'm just so glad that I've once and for all convinced myself that my bass is fine... it's just the electronics that I'm feeling the need to tweak. If there was a cross between the Barts and the Bardens, I'd be really happy. I love the heft of the Bardens, but I also like the smoothness and clarity of the Barts. If the Barts were just a little woodier, a little less plastic sounding... I'd be happy. At least for a few days. :)
 
#254
RocketMusic said:
I'd be willing to try some single coils, but I doubt I'd be able to live with the noise... I know myself too well on that front.
Click to expand...
I was thinking that was gonna be your answer, the hum issue. Maybe a stacked humbucker, rather than a side by side, or split? I don't actually know what the Bart you're currently using is though, to be honest.
JOME77 said:
Although it might sound woodier with a solid coat of Krylon flat black paint applied!

:D
Click to expand...
No! No! No!

:rollno: :spit: :scowl:






Black is the colour to paint it if you want METUL tone. :D





He needs to paint it brown, nothing more woody than the colour of trees.

If you want it more airy, you can paint it sky blue, or leaf green(that adds a bit more gritty rustling quality to the air)...


:D:D:D
 
#255
Darkstrike said:
I was thinking that was gonna be your answer, the hum issue. Maybe a stacked humbucker, rather than a side by side, or split? I don't actually know what the Bart you're currently using is though, to be honest.

No! No! No!

:rollno: :spit: :scowl:






Black is the colour to paint it if you want METUL tone. :D





He needs to paint it brown, nothing more woody than the colour of trees.

If you want it more airy, you can paint it sky blue, or leaf green(that adds a bit more gritty rustling quality to the air)...


:D:D:D
Click to expand...

He should paint it Rainbow and I can hook him up with some leather for his audition for the Villiage People or the Bee Gees....:ninja::help:

:spit:

:D

God Bless, Ray
 
#259
It dawned on me that the Bardens usually sound better the closer you get them to the strings... I couldn't believe how much less top end the Bardens had in the previous clip I did, so I went back, raised the pickups & re-recorded. This is more like the Barden tone I remember. It's not a huge difference, but I think the increased treble output helps smooth out that Barden bark a little bit. It's a similar effect to what happened when I put the tweeter in my NV-610 cab... there's still a ton of growl, though, which is kinda cool... there also seems to be more meat on the tone now.

"Bart/Barden Jam" (entire mix)
"Bart/Barden Jam" (bass line only)
"Bart/Barden Jam" (chords only)
 
#260
It's been almost a month, so it's obviously time for me to change pickups again. :rollno::D

I ordered these Nordstrand NJ5FS pickups a while back, and they arrived while I was gone last week. I put them in last night... and I haven't been able to stop playing my bass since! :hyper:

I've been yearning to get a more traditional j-bass tone out of King Koa. The Barts got me about 80% of the way there. I loved the sound of both pickups together, but I didn't care for either pickup solo'd. These Nordy's have taken me all the way, I'm happy no matter how I set the blend! I'm pleased as punch!

Of course, I'm still well within the honeymoon phase. The true test will come on a gig, but I don't have anything lined up until later this summer... for now, I'm looping like crazy and LOVING the tone of my bass.

Roscoe Century Signature V (Koa, BEM)
3000-NJ5FS.jpg

3000-NJ5FS-BACK.jpg

3000-NJ5FS-BODY.jpg
 

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