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MEC pickups?

L

LowEbandit

Aug 11, 2004
76
0
NWPhx
#1
Hi, as I'm still on the hunt to change pickups on my custom 5, I came across the Incubus "morning view sessions DVD" and heard Dirk's tone on the song "new skin" (Warwick bass). WOW!! That's some killer tone!! I'm sure alot of it was all the gear he uses but I'm not familiar with Warwicks and I do know that they come with MEC pickups. The question: Are these pickups any or very good to replace in my Schecter?
Thanks!!
 
#4
Hi Lowbandit,

I'm a HUGE fan of Dirk Lance and I have been toying with putting Seymour Duncan Basslines in my Streamer SII as that is what he used on Morning View. Specifically two SD AJB-5B active pickups and the SD ToneCircuits STC-3M4 preamp.

You're right that so much of his tone comes from the huge Eden system he uses but as others here have said, the MEC's are a little brittle at the top end and if you reduce the treble and mids to compensate it sounds a little like someone threw a blanket over your rig. The warmth in them seems very artificial.

I can get a tone that I'm happy with but it doesn't allow for much in the way of adjustment or variation. I'm pretty much stuck with the one sound. No doubt it works well for a lot of people and I have to say that the MEC's have a nice strong output signal but I think they're a little sterile for my tastes.

Hope this helps and let us know if you go with the Basslines....
 
#5
Hey LowEbandit, I think the MEC pickups are fine pickups, they do have a good output but through a flexible amp you can get warmer tones. I think the MEC preamp actually doesn't do the pickups justice. The MEC preamp, IMHO, masks the pickups a bit.
 
#6
LowEbandit said:
Hi, as I'm still on the hunt to change pickups on my custom 5, I came across the Incubus "morning view sessions DVD" and heard Dirk's tone on the song "new skin" (Warwick bass). WOW!! That's some killer tone!! I'm sure alot of it was all the gear he uses but I'm not familiar with Warwicks and I do know that they come with MEC pickups. The question: Are these pickups any or very good to replace in my Schecter?
Thanks!!
Click to expand...

One thing to consider about Alex's sound, although defintley influenced by the Warwick/MEC sound, is that he uses a bunch of effects and compression etc. to get the sound that you hear, especially on the SCIENCE album. When he came to my area, we talked shop, and he more or less turned me on to the Sansamp overdrive that he was using. That's how he gets that overdriven sound along with some fuzz thrown in there from time to time. So, I don't think that you can attribute his sound completely on the the Warwick/MEC vibe, but it certainly has a characteristic sound though.
 
#7
on the topic of MEC pickups, does anyone know if the MEC 6-string bass soapbars are any good? Im hopefully going to be getting a Spector Legend 6 sometime this fall, and Ive generally heard that replacing the EMG-HZs is a good idea, and I haven't really heard anyone bashin' on MECs, so I was wondering if itd be worth it. and does anyone know where the F :eek: :eek: :eek: I can get them and how much theyll cost? and would replacing the EMG preamp/electronics be a good idea too?
 
#8
Hello, I can't comment about how good the MEC soapbars are since I have not had experience with them, but my guess is they should be tooooooo expensive. As for where you can get them, you probably can just go directly through Dana B Goods...or give Bass Central a call. I went through them when I wanted to replace the plastic nut with the brass nut on my Warwick and Bass Central had the nut drop shipped to my house directly from DBG. Hope that helps at least a little, goodluck!

Bill
 
#9
Gut_Implosion said:
on the topic of MEC pickups, does anyone know if the MEC 6-string bass soapbars are any good? Im hopefully going to be getting a Spector Legend 6 sometime this fall, and Ive generally heard that replacing the EMG-HZs is a good idea, and I haven't really heard anyone bashin' on MECs, so I was wondering if itd be worth it. and does anyone know where the F :eek: :eek: :eek: I can get them and how much theyll cost? and would replacing the EMG preamp/electronics be a good idea too?
Click to expand...

Well, there are a lot of people out there that dislike Warwicks because of the pickups and electronics as a whole, so that may tell you something. If you like the brittle high end on Warwicks, then that may be a p-up for you. Personally I would yupgrade to a nicer EMG p-up if I were you.
 
#10
Hi Lowbandit,

I'm a HUGE fan of Dirk Lance and I have been toying with putting Seymour Duncan Basslines in my Streamer SII as that is what he used on Morning View. Specifically two SD AJB-5B active pickups and the SD ToneCircuits STC-3M4 preamp.

You're right that so much of his tone comes from the huge Eden system he uses but as others here have said, the MEC's are a little brittle at the top end and if you reduce the treble and mids to compensate it sounds a little like someone threw a blanket over your rig. The warmth in them seems very artificial.

I can get a tone that I'm happy with but it doesn't allow for much in the way of adjustment or variation. I'm pretty much stuck with the one sound. No doubt it works well for a lot of people and I have to say that the MEC's have a nice strong output signal but I think they're a little sterile for my tastes.

Hope this helps and let us know if you go with the Basslines....
I've been looking at those basslines for a few days now, I think I might go with those, but I guess it would be hopeless to try to get Dirk's tone without a warwick and the exact pickups he's using in it. He has J type pickups (i think) that have a totally different discriptive explanation of tone than the one I need, the soapbars. I just hope the mids stand out enough to cut through and are clear. I'll check up more on them. Thanks for all your input guys.......
LEB
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
#11
OK he's using the AJB2-5 series pickups that are smaller than the soapbars that I need. If I REALLY wanted to get those pickups would it be a total pain in the ass to modify the bass so those could fit or should I stick with the soapbar models?
Thanks!!
LEB
 

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