Looking for replacement bridge pickup for...

[Stupid Jerk]

...my 5-string Ibanez Gary Willis Signature.

It's the black basswood model. The fancier clear ash version has a Bartolini pickup. Mine has a stock Ibanez pickup, and just like most stock Ibanez pickups, it is a piece o' crap.

I don't know what the measurements are or anything... I'm a dumb-@$$ when it comes to this stuff. I just wanna order the thing, go into a shop and have the guy swap it out for me. Out goes the old, in goes the new.

I'm going to start jamming regularly with some serious heavies in a few months so I need to upgrade the gear I have. Gonna be doing all this jazzy jam/prog type stuff... the kind of stuff that for the most part I dislike listening to but love playing, as paradoxical as that sounds.

From what I hear, I wouldn't like the smooth jazziness of the Bartolini. I like it on the heavier side... would something by EMG do the trick? What else can be recommended? And where can I buy the stuff over the internet or something?

Much appreciated in advance.

 

[PilbaraBass]

...my 5-string Ibanez Gary Willis Signature.

It's the black basswood model. The fancier clear ash version has a Bartolini pickup. Mine has a stock Ibanez pickup, and just like most stock Ibanez pickups, it is a piece o' crap.

I don't know what the measurements are or anything... I'm a dumb-@$$ when it comes to this stuff. I just wanna order the thing, go into a shop and have the guy swap it out for me. Out goes the old, in goes the new.

I'm going to start jamming regularly with some serious heavies in a few months so I need to upgrade the gear I have. Gonna be doing all this jazzy jam/prog type stuff... the kind of stuff that for the most part I dislike listening to but love playing, as paradoxical as that sounds.

From what I hear, I wouldn't like the smooth jazziness of the Bartolini. I like it on the heavier side... would something by EMG do the trick? What else can be recommended? And where can I buy the stuff over the internet or something?

Much appreciated in advance.

You could get a Nordstrand double coil...just e-mail them tell them what you're replacing, they'll hook you up with a nice pickup...

EMG is also an option, although some claim they sound a bit "sterile".

 

[Stupid Jerk]

Nordstrand double coil... and it'll be nice and compatible with the preexisting active electronics?

I just sent them an e-mail. I hope they can hook me up!

How much more of a pain in the @$$ is it to replace pickups on an active bass than it is on a passive? Trust me, I'm too dumb to do either... I'll be going to a pro.

Edited to add: I should say that my bass has an active pickup. I guess the Nordstrand pickup is... uhhhhh... where the preamp isn't in the pickup itself? Will that be a problem?

EMG would still be an improvement over the Ibanez stock pickup, for it is ultra-crap.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

btw, that's what I got.

 

[PilbaraBass]

Nordstrand double coil... and it'll be nice and compatible with the preexisting active electronics?

I just sent them an e-mail. I hope they can hook me up!

How much more of a pain in the @$$ is it to replace pickups on an active bass than it is on a passive? Trust me, I'm too dumb to do either... I'll be going to a pro.

Edited to add: I should say that my bass has an active pickup. I guess the Nordstrand pickup is... uhhhhh... where the preamp isn't in the pickup itself? Will that be a problem?

EMG would still be an improvement over the Ibanez stock pickup, for it is ultra-crap.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

btw, that's what I got.

you have two ways to go when changing out your active pickup with a passive pickup (which the Nordstrand is).

1) Go completely passive (my preference)
2) put in a preamp, as well....add $100-$200 depending on what you want.

IMO...passive instruments are more expressive.

 

[Stupid Jerk]

For this here fretless of mine, I think I'll have to go with #2. Although it's a close shave... normally I much prefer passive. I like the simple little EQ thingy it has, and I wouldn't want to chop that out.

I would prefer to go passive, but I'm worried about my B-string. I don't want it to turn into mud, 'specially since its a fretless.

So anyways, if I go with #2, it's just a matter of installing the preamp and then the pickup? What brand of preamp? Aguilar?

How difficult would it be to convert it into a passive? If I could be assured of the integrity of my B-string, I just might do that instead.

Also, the Nordstrand signature pickups, which seem to fit, only come in sets of 2. I only need a bridge pickup, because that's all my bass has. I like the way it's set up, so I want to keep it that way. Would they be able to accommodate me?

 

[12bass]

Another option worth looking into is Q-Tuner. Very open, natural sounding pickup.

One thing you probably want to consider is the radius of your replacement pickup. IIRC, the Bartolini GWB pickup has a fairly small radius. If you get a pickup with a flatter radius then the inner strings won't be balanced with the outer strings. The Q-tuners have adjustable polepieces, so you customize the radius for your bass.

 

[Stupid Jerk]

Another option worth looking into is Q-Tuner. Very open, natural sounding pickup.

Invalid Link Removed

*I turned the pic into a link because it's so beeeeeeg

Holy crap, what the heck is that!?!?!

1. Dude, that looks b!tchin'!!! I'd totally sport that George Jetson-lookin' mother[bleep]er on my bass!!!!!

2. I don't get it!!! I perused their site for a bit and... derrrrrrr....

3. They only come in big ol' humbucker size? Guess we'll have to rout!

4. Are the techs at the Guitar Center that I live walking-distance from even going to know what the hell they're supposed to do with that thing?

5. What else do I need to know?


........................................

Also, I'm aware of the peculiar string spacing on the GWB basses. That's how he likes it, and that's how I like it: nice and narrow.

Would Nordstrand have to custom-build me something to fit it?

 

[62bass]

Well, if you don't like the sound of the pickup, then you don't like it. But to say that all Ibanez pickups are crap is really overdoing it. I have two basses that are Ibanez out of 6 basses I own. They have stock pickups and sounf great. I see no need to change them. I might get a different sound but not a better one. One of them I've used for recording and it holds its own with anything.

Anyhow, you're supposed to be spending your money on a new amp, remember?

 

[Stupid Jerk]

Well, it's a common complaint I hear, but granted I haven't tried everything Ibanez has.

Either way, I find the stock pickup to be stink-o, and I reckon it'd be that way even if they lied and put the word "Bartolini" on the cover instead of "Ibanez."

My clues that what my bass has in its bridge position isn't being all that it could be:

1. Mine cost just under $700. The main expensive version that GWB himself uses - the one with the Bartolini - is over two grand.

2. No matter how much I tweak the EQ... just isn't enough tone, oomph, growl, thunder, or what have you. And I do realize what fretlesses are and aren't capable of in general.

So, I figure, a p'up upgrade and a decent small gig/practice amp and (for now) I'll be in business.

 

[The Penguin]

From what I hear, I wouldn't like the smooth jazziness of the Bartolini.

I often hear people here describe the tones of pickups solely by the company name. This is a pet peeve of mine as it's totally innacurate. Bart makes a huge range of pickups with many different tones as do many of the other makers.

 

[62bass]

1. Mine cost just under $700. The main expensive version that GWB himself uses - the one with the Bartolini - is over two grand.
[/QUOTE]

Well, there's a clue right there. You should get something for all that extra money. However, I tried a fairly inexpensive Ibanez recently-the SRX 700. You can get one for about $800 in Canada. With the generic Ibanez pickups, alnico humbuckers, it sounds fantastic. It sounds and plays like the $2000 and more boutique basses. I wouldn't change those pickups out for anything. They're perfect for that bass.

By the way, fretless basses can be tempermental. I played fretless before anyone else I knew of did back in the early 60s. I defretted the bass myself, my old original P. Jaco hadn't even been conceived yet. So I have a lot of experience with them. Back then of course we didn't have aftermarket pickups or even a choice of strings. I got a good sound nonetheless. Just different from what fretless players today want.

 

[The Penguin]

2. No matter how much I tweak the EQ... just isn't enough tone, oomph, growl, thunder, or what have you. And I do realize what fretlesses are and aren't capable of in general.

So, I figure, a p'up upgrade and a decent small gig/practice amp and (for now) I'll be in business.

Have you tried different strings? And if you don't have a decent amp yet I'd wait for that before you change pickups, a good EQ for a nice mid bump of your choice can bring out the beast you're looking for. For strings you might find DR lo-rider nickels do the trick, go for the SS ones for an even more aggressive tone and a bit more wear of your fingerboard.

 

[Stupid Jerk]

Ah... amp first, pickup later (if at all).

When it comes to bass, all my experience jamming and playing live has involved using someone else's amp... it's long been time I got a decent practice/garage rig of my own. I've been practicing out of the same Hartke 1x8 30watt since I first started playing bass at the beginning of this decade.

The GWB is meant to be played with roundwounds (they came stock), hence the ebanol fretboard (as opposed to ebony) that'll get scuffed but not gouged/split/wrecked. I currently have D'Addario roundwounds at a slightly lighter gauge than stock, as I was trying to brighten the sound a bit. It helped, a bit.

Tension was still okay, although I found that if I remove the "Willis Ramp" (that block of wood between the pickup and the fretboard) the B-string will flop like a dimestore bungee chord. The Willis Ramp does wonders for fretless technique and somehow defeats such floppiness.

I always figured, that in general, Bartolini is aimed at the jazz/fusion/prog/easy listening side of the spectrum, though I'm sure if you tweaked it enough.... but in general, unless I'm shown an example that hits the spot for me, I don't think the spectruum of voicings they have is what I'm after.

 

[Andy Will]

If an EMG will fit, you should try the 45CS which espcially combined with an Aguilar OBP-2 (your current knob configuration can still stay the same using the stacked knob for Bass/Treble) will sound anything but Sterile! This will give you a very warm punchy sound without the trebly response people normally associate with EMG's.

 

[Stupid Jerk]

Have you tried different strings? And if you don't have a decent amp yet I'd wait for that before you change pickups, a good EQ for a nice mid bump of your choice can bring out the beast you're looking for. For strings you might find DR lo-rider nickels do the trick, go for the SS ones for an even more aggressive tone and a bit more wear of your fingerboard.

I neglected to mention that whenever I play with others, I use somebody else's rig. And I've played through some nice ones.

I think I wanna replace the pickup.

 

[PilbaraBass]

I neglected to mention that whenever I play with others, I use somebody else's rig. And I've played through some nice ones.

I think I wanna replace the pickup.

remember, pickups only reproduce and colour the sound that is already coming from the bass.
strings are THE most important factor when it comes to the sound that IS coming from the bass.

to decide between changing strings or changing pickups try this test:

1) do you like that sound that is coming from your bass when you put your ear on it?
Yes -- then pickups may be your option
No -- definitely try different strings, first

It really is pretty much that simple.

 

[Bassflute]

...my 5-string Ibanez Gary Willis Signature.

It's the black basswood model. The fancier clear ash version has a Bartolini pickup. Mine has a stock Ibanez pickup, and just like most stock Ibanez pickups, it is a piece o' crap.

I don't know what the measurements are or anything... I'm a dumb-@$$ when it comes to this stuff. I just wanna order the thing, go into a shop and have the guy swap it out for me. Out goes the old, in goes the new.

I'm going to start jamming regularly with some serious heavies in a few months so I need to upgrade the gear I have. Gonna be doing all this jazzy jam/prog type stuff... the kind of stuff that for the most part I dislike listening to but love playing, as paradoxical as that sounds.

From what I hear, I wouldn't like the smooth jazziness of the Bartolini. I like it on the heavier side... would something by EMG do the trick? What else can be recommended? And where can I buy the stuff over the internet or something?

Much appreciated in advance.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3630884&postcount=11

C.

 

[Stupid Jerk]

I've tweaked the strings on it a lot and finally got it as optimal as I could when it comes to strings. As far as I can reckon. Though I will give it the ear test. As I mentioned, the ebanol fretboard is meant to handle roundwounds (which came stock). I got D'Addario at a slightly lighter gauge than stock... the ramp thingy really helps keep that B-string stable... GW is a genius for that alone! Aside from opting for boutique strings, I think that's about optimized.