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Lakland 01 Club
- Thread starter Supertanker
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Anybody here know how Norstrand Dual Coil pups and USA Bartolini soapbars compare in terms of tone and sound?
Bartolini:
"Classic Bass" CB series bass pickups are passive designs featuring an extended and more resonant frequency range. They have far more "air" and definition at the top without sacrificing lows and low mids. They are cast in epoxy to remove unwanted feedback and microphonics. They are available as dual coil humbuckers in the wider soapbar shapes and, as single coils or as in-line hum cancelling dual coils in the narrower shapes. CNC machined blades on all of the 5 string bass pickups listed below allow them to cover a very wide range of string widths on medium curvature fingerboards with excellent string balance.
Norstrand:
These pickups are available in two different versions. One set is designed to be wired in parallel, and the other is designed to be wired in series. The reason we do this is that a pickup that is made to sound good wired parallel will usually be too hot and dark sounding if wireed in series. So, we put less wire on series dual coils than parallel dual coils.
In general, a pickup wired in series will have a fuller and fatter midrange with a subdued high end than a pickup wired in parallel, which will typically have more highs and a deeper low end with a cleaner midrange. Series pickups also have more output than parallel pickups. Parallel pickups generally are a better choice for a split-able installation as there will not be the gain loss associated with series style pickups.
Hey guys. I just want to ask what strings are suitable for a 55-01. It says in the manual that a standard scale string would easily break because the 5501 is a 35-incher. As far as i know.. i am just limited to D'Addario and Ernie ball since these are the only brands available here..
D'Addario makes strings in an XL length, which will work just fine on a 35" scale bass.
Eeh, it isn't exactly that simple. For instance, I managed to install Elixir, Carvin, B-52s and they worked (not discussing the sound quality). Then again, you install 35" Lakland or Warwick (Black Label I guess, I'm not sure), and they show you their exposed cores - depending on the load type, Laklands will do that over the bridge or the bridge pickup, Warwick on the 1st fret or on the bridge side. It makes you think of economy really
And what happens sometimes, you can't have the exposed-core string balanced throughout the scale - that's what happened with my Carvins.P.S. you could always try top load only - that makes it a wider choice
Personally I even tried installing bass strings through the body and treble strings top load - that's something Warrior Bass luthiers proposed, and vice versa.
Eeh, it isn't exactly that simple. For instance, I managed to install Elixir, Carvin, B-52s and they worked (not discussing the sound quality). Then again, you install 35" Lakland or Warwick (Black Label I guess, I'm not sure), and they show you their exposed cores - depending on the load type, Laklands will do that over the bridge or the bridge pickup, Warwick on the 1st fret or on the bridge side. It makes you think of economy really
P.S. you could always try top load only - that makes it a wider choice
I have GHS Brite Flats on my 55-01, and I love the sound! The B and E strings are top loaded so I could intonate them correctly - the other three are strung through the body. I can't tell a tonal difference between the two ways of loading, but the body definitely vibrates stronger with the through-body string strings.
Ok. So you know pretty well that the Mk-1 pre is capable of sizzling highs. At some extreme point of highs and volume it may become uncomfortable - I would explain that as "glassy", but not the kind Fender single-coils are capable of, this one sounds like there's more gain, but there's that kind-of-plastic sound... Is that what you hear? Well mine had that awful hum too - not everywhere, but when you tried to make it sound J-like.
I asked Dan Lakin and he told me he had no idea about the pre since they bought it whole from a korean manufacturer.
So the luthier told me it was the 1c-worth Korean processor of the pre - he had had some experience with that before. He swapped it for me for a 2c-worth American-made by Texas instruments, and did some extra shielding too. The difference was quite noticeable - the highs became more pleasant and, somehow, the whole sound was now more full-bodied.Before, it could stand out in the mix. After, it was capable to softly cradle other instruments... or am I poetic?
I assume it was a low cost upgrade. Sounds like a winner to improve the stock 5501...
Ok. So you know pretty well that the Mk-1 pre is capable of sizzling highs. At some extreme point of highs and volume it may become uncomfortable - I would explain that as "glassy", but not the kind Fender single-coils are capable of, this one sounds like there's more gain, but there's that kind-of-plastic sound... Is that what you hear? Well mine had that awful hum too - not everywhere, but when you tried to make it sound J-like.
I asked Dan Lakin and he told me he had no idea about the pre since they bought it whole from a korean manufacturer.
So the luthier told me it was the 1c-worth Korean processor of the pre - he had had some experience with that before. He swapped it for me for a 2c-worth American-made by Texas instruments, and did some extra shielding too. The difference was quite noticeable - the highs became more pleasant and, somehow, the whole sound was now more full-bodied.Before, it could stand out in the mix. After, it was capable to softly cradle other instruments... or am I poetic?
Do you know the model number of the chip? That is a mod many people could easily do if we knew what chip to put in.
I just checked the circuit board part of the MK-1 preamp in my 55-01 and the opamps (the processors) are surface soldered to the board. If they were slot mounted we could purchase and replace our own, but it would take some special soldering gear to replace these.
Thanks for the help guys. I just wish there were lakland strings here... i really love the feel of those strings. I'd rather load the strings through the body since i want my notes to last longer hehe.. For now i'll just soak my strings over night in my home made string rejuvinator hehe =)
No, I don't, that's the problem. I never dug it in the electronics. The guy that did all this for me lived in Moscow which is like 1 500 miles away and it was back in late 2005.
I'll send a note to the guy who owns the bass currently although I don't know if he can help.
However, I suppose an expert in electronics can find a replacement quite easily if he has the model.
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