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MTD Kingston Z5 Pickup Upgrade

#22
BuffaloBass said:
I used AEROS. They have the widest frequency response of any I've heard. For 5 string players, you owe it to your B string to get the response down that low.
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I know they get some rave reviews. I will look further into them.

Im looking at all my options for pre-amps and pups. The Nords have the top of my list with the Barts in second (only based on Michael Tobias's recommendation though.)

I have 2 Bart soap bars on my SR5000 Prestige and to be honest, while they do have a thousand different tones I don't really like any of them, and the A & D stings are hard to hear. Its either tooo high or to low.

I'm a sucker for the Smith, and MTD sound, and thats what I am trying to emulate. Unfortunately I don't understand the adjectives used to describe tone here. Clear, Muddy, Bright, Warm etc...

I've been thinking about starting a thread to ask members to describe the sounds of certain Youtube vids so I can attach the adjectives to the basses sounds.
 
#23
Here is my Z5. It has Nordy DC5's each with a coil tap, Audere 4 band with Z-mode, as well as a Hipshot bridge and tuners. It really has every tone you could imagine.

DSCF0008.gif
 
#24
tbone0813 said:
Here is my Z5. It has Nordy DC5's each with a coil tap, Audere 4 band with Z-mode, as well as a Hipshot bridge and tuners. It really has every tone you could imagine.

DSCF0008.gif
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Oh I have seen your bass many times...and its a big reason why I am even doing this. Its set up pretty much like I want it (Hipshot, nords etc), but haven't heard any sound clips of it, thus I am still undecided. If you could find a way to post some you could make life a lot easier for us:D

Some slap samples, some B stings samples you know. :D
 
#26
godspeed said:
I know this thread is old, but I am confused about the XXP2C pups mentioned. Bartolini offers a XXP25c quad coil pup on there website but not the XXP2C pup mentioned above. I am assuming they are different pups, but need some clarification on this.



This would mean that XXP2c would be custom spacing, P2 shape and Classic Bass. Is the XXP25C a 5 string pup and the XXP2C a 4 string? If so there is still no mention of XXP2C in their 4 string offering on their site.
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:scowl:Sorry bout that typo it is XXP25C. an update concerning that, I am little embarrassed but I guess thats just apart of living and learning.:hmm: I am not satisfied with limited tone even after the upgrade. I haven't bought the preamp yet cause I don't know how much difference it will make. Can anybody help?:help: I see a guy with Nordy DC5's each with a coil tap, Audere 4 band with Z-mode I think I might try that!! He says he gets all kind of versatility. :cool:
 
#29
Yes, the smoked chrome knobs that come standard on the non-U.S.-made MTDs fit the Bartolini pots. I got the pre-wired NTMB harness (5 knob w/ push-pull mid for 250 Hz and 800 Hz frequency selection and push-pull volume for active and passive operation selection).

I think you will be extremely satisfied with this mod. I have recently changed the hardware on my Z5 to all black (Hipshot ultralite tuning machines, Hipshot B-style bridge, and rubber-coated plastic knobs). I plays, sounds, and looks exquisite!

Scott
 
#32
What are the switches function for the KZ5 that Godspeed did? I assume one if for low-Z selection what are the two other for?
I just bought a KZ5 and looking at upgrading the pick-ups and hesitate between Nordstrand DC5 and BigSplit. Any advice?
On the preamp, I have seen Bart, OB3 and Audere as choices, any advice?
-Eric
 
#35
I just got a Kingston Z5, and I'm excited that it can be even better than it already is. But, how do I get started? I'm not much of an electronics guy - do I need to find a local person who will know what would fit and what wouldn't? (I also assume some soldering is required for preamp/pickup mods, which would be someone else's domain.)
 
#36
churchpark said:
What do you find in the ebony fretboard?
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At the time....I mostly like the look of it. In addition the density of ebony gives you highs that are very defined and a tight and compressed overall tone.

However....

I am so happy with the Rosewood neck that my Z has I would not change even it it was free. I cannot tell you all how happy I am with the feel of my bass.

I am still researching pups and pres for it though. I thought the Z's where supposed to come shielded! I pop'd open the cover on mine expecting to see some copper shielding tape but only found some black paint in the cavity.

lowfreqman said:
I put a Bart 3-band preamp into my KZ5 at the same time I changed to Nordy Big Splits. The change left me satisfied. I can get all the tones I want out of this bass.
Click to expand...

Any sound clips? I really like the NTMB setups.
 
#38
lowfreqman said:
Sorry! I don't have any recording equipment. The sound of my my kZ5 is very open and flexible. I still have no regrets about the upgrades I made to this bass over a year ago.

I agree that the rosewood fingerboard is excellent on the KZ5.
Click to expand...

When I got my Z5 I was looking for a good fit for an Urban Gospel setting (IBC, Pentecostals of Alexandria, Tye Tribbit etc). Your standard Smith/MTD environments. The electronics do that pretty darn well as long as the bass is boosted. I was very happy with how I sat in the mix.

Well wouldn't you know it...a week or two after I got my Z, and got it dialed in to my liking, our church started to move to a more contemporary "rock" (Chris Tomlin, Desperation Band, Third Day etc) direction.

At first I fought it, but the more I played the Z in that setting I found it can fit for both arenas. It drives very well in the "rock" style setting, but there are little things that I would like to change. It can get a little boomy at times on the "B" and the highs are Hi-Fi for sure (which is what I wanted originally).

I am hoping a new Pre with the stock pickups can give me a little more of a "centered" sound. While I am not against changing my pups, I would like to retain the ones I have if possible. I need something with a dynamic enough sound to fit both styles of music as I LOVE the feel and balance of this bass I don't like putting it down!

lowfreqman what style of music and setting are you playing with your Z? I am playing in a 200ish member church through a Fender Bassman 250/210 Combo with no P/A support at all. I am looking at moving to a SWR 410 golight with GB Shuttle 6.0 as soon as I get the funds together.
 
#39
godspeed said:
When I got my Z5 I was looking for a good fit for an Urban Gospel setting (IBC, Pentecostals of Alexandria, Tye Tribbit etc). Your standard Smith/MTD environments. The electronics do that pretty darn well as long as the bass is boosted. I was very happy with how I sat in the mix.

Well wouldn't you know it...a week or two after I got my Z, and got it dialed in to my liking, our church started to move to a more contemporary "rock" (Chris Tomlin, Desperation Band, Third Day etc) direction.

At first I fought it, but the more I played the Z in that setting I found it can fit for both arenas. It drives very well in the "rock" style setting, but there are little things that I would like to change. It can get a little boomy at times on the "B" and the highs are Hi-Fi for sure (which is what I wanted originally).

I am hoping a new Pre with the stock pickups can give me a little more of a "centered" sound. While I am not against changing my pups, I would like to retain the ones I have if possible. I need something with a dynamic enough sound to fit both styles of music as I LOVE the feel and balance of this bass I don't like putting it down!

lowfreqman what style of music and setting are you playing with your Z? I am playing in a 200ish member church through a Fender Bassman 250/210 Combo with no P/A support at all. I am looking at moving to a SWR 410 golight with GB Shuttle 6.0 as soon as I get the funds together.
Click to expand...

God Speed, try adding a second battery in series to run at 18v. Gives your more headroom, better transients. I did this with my Z5 and it rocks really well in the contemporary/alt rock worship style at my church. A LOT less expensive than a new pre and new pickups! It works for some people, others still go for the more expensive options, but it's worth a try as a first effort!
 
#40
My biggest gripe with the stock electronics was the lack of bass in the signal. I would always find myself boosting the bass too much just to get an acceptable sound. Additionally, it would eat a 9V battery in about 1.5 months.

With the new electronics, the bass sounds fantastic without any boosts or cuts. This is now my utility bass that I use for rock, funk (both slap and fingerstyle), country, worship, and some new-age jazz. Plus, I have two mid frequencies to choose from for boosting and cutting and the ability to go passive for a more vintage sound.
 

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