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Looking for something a little different (5-string pickup)

cornfarmer

cornfarmer

jam econo
Supporting Member
May 14, 2002
1,986
3,839
#1
Looking for a single pickup recommendation for a upcoming project single pickup 5-string, placed in the sweet spot or slightly towards the bridge.

I don't really want to go with any of the usual suspects (Nord, Aguilar, Bart, SD, EMG etc.)....right now I am kind of big on a reversed P-bass PU sound - a bit more clarity/growl on the low strings.

I also might want something that can be coil-tapped, so a 2 lead pickup can't do that right? It needs to be 4 conductor/wire...?

Kind of looking at Delano's, but other than that I am drawing a blank.
 
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#2
I don’t anything about which pups have how many leads but I can say that Delanos are great, as long as you are looking for a wide-open and dynamic pickup. They’re absolutely not the type of pups for someone who is looking for a vintage sound, or the type who wants a 5% overwind on something traditional. They might sound “sterile” if you’re an at-home player but in my experience, they’re amazing in a live context. Personally, I love what they give me in my Warwick bass and I have no plans to change them.
 
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#4
Quad coils give you both a split coil sound and a splitable "humbucker" sound. Delano comes to mind, yeah. If you want something unique, their Xtenders look (and sound!) nice to me. SimS is another one, also looks uninque... Then there are also Bartolini and Nordstrand, but you ruled those out...

Another unique choice would be Q-Tuner. Tho it doesn't have a split coil sound, it's another take on a noise-cancelling single coil design (sidewinder). But it's also splitable for a true single coil sound. The problem is that Erno seems to be not making pickups right now, and they're hard to find used. One alternative is Nordstrand Zen Blade, but you ruled Nord out...
 
#9
Delanos, Delanos, Delanos… different, selectable coils and sound great.
14EB17BA-607A-4A2B-A483-9E7A26A9F595.jpeg
 
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#10
You should look into those cool quad coil pickups from Sims guitars in the UK. You would need a 3 way switch but you can split them into P,J, and humbucker sounds. They make a bunch of variations with some swanky covers and stuff.
 
#15
The Nordstrand Big Rigs are a unique pickup - they are a flavor of dual coil humbuckers, but given the geometry of the pole pieces they don't comb filter the same way that normal dual coil humbuckers do - they allow (even accentuate) the frequency range that usually gets filtered out through - in the horizontal plane. In the vertical plane, they do act like dual coil humbuckers, but your strings vibrate elliptically, so the net result is....they sound different than anything you've ever heard. If you want different, they're an excellent candidate. And yes, they are 4 wire, so you can split them - with just one coil operating, it's close to a 51P sound.

I have them in a few basses. Here's one that's kinda like what you are thinking of:

Rick.jpg
 
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#17
Wilde makes a j pickup that can fit in a five (or a four - they have a unique design) with tight string spacing. They may have coil splitting capabilities - there are three leads coming off them (I don’t have them wired like that). I have a two in a Carvin five string kit that replaced the stock pickups.
 
#18
cornfarmer said:
Looking for a single pickup recommendation for a upcoming project single pickup 5-string, placed in the sweet spot or slightly towards the bridge.

I don't really want to go with any of the usual suspects (Nord, Aguilar, Bart, SD, EMG etc.)....right now I am kind of big on a reversed P-bass PU sound - a bit more clarity/growl on the low strings.

I also might want something that can be coil-tapped, so a 2 lead pickup can't do that right? It needs to be 4 conductor/wire...?

Kind of looking at Delano's, but other than that I am drawing a blank.
Click to expand...
Bartolini and EMG make P pickups in soapbar shapes. I pretty sure EMG's is a reverse P in a 35 shape.



But, what shape are you looking for? Misc Soaps, MM, Thunder Buck, Mag, Gibson buck, single J, P split?
 
#20
cornfarmer said:
Looking for a single pickup recommendation for a upcoming project single pickup 5-string, placed in the sweet spot or slightly towards the bridge.

I don't really want to go with any of the usual suspects (Nord, Aguilar, Bart, SD, EMG etc.)....right now I am kind of big on a reversed P-bass PU sound - a bit more clarity/growl on the low strings.

I also might want something that can be coil-tapped, so a 2 lead pickup can't do that right? It needs to be 4 conductor/wire...?

Kind of looking at Delano's, but other than that I am drawing a blank.
Click to expand...

i highly recommend MJS custom shop. the pickup he made for me came out perfect, and was very specifically customized to me.
 

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