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MM-style pups

T

TheAngryPocket

Feb 28, 2011
545
2
The Abyss of What is my Mind
#1
I think this is where this thread belongs cause it pertains more to the tones of the pup, then the bass. But I was curious to know(did search already) if MM-style pups go after that EBMM/StingRay-type tone, or maybe something else. I've been looking into Duncan's Basslines' , and Carvin's MM-style pups, and was looking for that similar tone. Thanks.
 
#2
The MM pickup is important, true, because its wide aperture (wide coils and large polepieces), magnet (Alnico on the original, I believe) and coil wiring (wired in parallel so the total coil resistance is around 4kOhm) gives it part of the sound.

However, the original EBMM preamp is responsible for the major part of the sound. Look around the first few pages of this forum for a thread on recreating the original preamp, and if you need that tone, making or ordering that type of preamp is a good start. Also, check out Nordstrand, Delano and last but not least, SGD pickups. They're all good in their own right, it's just down to the nuances of each of them.
 
#3
Stealth said:
The MM pickup is important, true, because its wide aperture (wide coils and large polepieces), magnet (Alnico on the original, I believe) and coil wiring (wired in parallel so the total coil resistance is around 4kOhm) gives it part of the sound.

However, the original EBMM preamp is responsible for the major part of the sound. Look around the first few pages of this forum for a thread on recreating the original preamp, and if you need that tone, making or ordering that type of preamp is a good start. Also, check out Nordstrand, Delano and last but not least, SGD pickups. They're all good in their own right, it's just down to the nuances of each of them.
Click to expand...

This is a good point. The pickup does have a certain tone because it's fairly low impedance. So it's very bright.

But the preamp is a big part of the tone. I just installed one of my Stingray preamps into my '87 Ibanez 5 string with my Neo Jazzbuckers, so the bass is as far as you can get from a Stingray. Yet, when the treble is cranked on the preamp, you get a very similar tone, with the thick bottom and the clear treble on top.

I played two gigs with the bass this weekend, and at times the tone reminded me of Tony Levin.

As far as pickups, the Duncans and Nordtrands are pretty much exact reproductions of the real thing, while other pickups, including my MM pickups, are totally different on the inside, but are in the same form factor. So you can get other types of tones in that pickup shape, or the real MM tone.
 

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