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Music Man sound and pickups

#182
slapagroov said:
Quick question for you experts:
I have a 5 string Modulus Flea Bass with Bartolini's - a mm in the bridge and a J in the neck. Lately, I've been feeling like the mm is a little thin soloed. I almost always use both pickups together.

Will a Nordstrand mm 5.2 or 5.4 fit as a replacement, and will it sound right with the Bartolini J? I'm looking for a thicker, burpy tone for jazz soloing kinda like a Matthew Garrison tone

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hmmm...Good question.
Here is my take

-I would take the measurements of the barts and and check them against the 17mm spacing Nordstrand 5.2 from bestbassgear.com (I'm pretty sure its a fit and might just take a small route or sanding to fit the Nordstrand) if needed.

-As far as mixing pickup brands...That can be dicy due to impedance and such. I don't recommend that all. I have seen/heard it before with unsuccessful results. NOTE: The Bart size is the same size that they use for the 4 string. Nordstrand does make a replacement 5 string pickup for a 17mm spacing J pickup. Its not a stock item but they do it. (I have a Modulus FU5 J with Nordstrands Js...Its a custom, that they have it on file). If you go that way tell them its for a Modulus and give them the size.

-I cannot comment on the Audere and MM style pickups...I love in J basses but its not very aggressive per-say...The low Z sound is a flip of coin on how it would sound with a MM style pickup. Honestly I would go with a Bart pre that uses a master V with a pan pot.
 
#185
Down_Low said:
A pre amp. Look at some of the after market Stingray pre's like the John East one. You won't get a 'ray sound without one.
Click to expand...

Awesome, I'm looking into those now. Not nearly the price I was expecting which is good!
Could you also explain to me the process of actually replacing pickups that are perhaps different sizes/shapes? I understand the j retro preamp is shaped to fit a jazz, but the humbuckers I'm looking at are wider than what I have. Would I need a newly cut pick guard? More importantly, are humbuckers wired any differently to the jazz pickups I have now? I think they're just standard American jazz ones.

I'm asking all this so I can actually learn, there's a lot I don't know still. So any help would be great :)
 
#186
Really, if you're asking all this, I'd be getting a Luthier to do it for you. And you need to decide if the price it will all cost will make it worth while - maybe you'd be better off just getting a SBMM ray34 instead?

To fit the humbuckers and a musicman style pre amp in your bass though (a j retro pre is going to sound pretty different to a mm style such as the John East by the way) you're going to need to route the body though. As I'm sure you've read in this thread, the music man sound mainly comes from the humbucker itself, the location of the humbucker, and the pre amp.
 
#187
Agito said:
Hi,

I have a Stingray from the year 2000 with an ash/maple combination.

First, I'd like to know which kind of pickup I have on it (Ceramic/Alnico)

I'd really like to improve it's sound, sometimes I don't dig the bass well and I've tried different strings (though not enough, but that's a different story)
Another thing is that the pole pieces cut my fingers when I dig in, so that's a problem.

Anyway, I'm looking for a versatile pickup, which is not too dark, not muddy when I dig in, punchy and will help me get both the aggressive Stingray tone (RHCP, RATM) and the funky smoother tones (Chic, Brothers Johnson)

I was thinking either Bartolini, Duncan or Delano, I've read that the Nordies are a bit dark.

I would really appreciate some help and sorry for the poor English.

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...

Yours is alnico.
You want punch? Try wiring the pickup in series -it's in parallel now- and get ready to smile ;-)
 
#188
Down_Low said:
Really, if you're asking all this, I'd be getting a Luthier to do it for you. And you need to decide if the price it will all cost will make it worth while - maybe you'd be better off just getting a SBMM ray34 instead?

To fit the humbuckers and a musicman style pre amp in your bass though (a j retro pre is going to sound pretty different to a mm style such as the John East by the way) you're going to need to route the body though. As I'm sure you've read in this thread, the music man sound mainly comes from the humbucker itself, the location of the humbucker, and the pre amp.
Click to expand...

Best call yet ;)

To be the pre the preamp is the last component of that sound (I would not get caught up in it) that pick up and its placement is more significant to 'that sound' IMHO.

The preamp is the iceing on the cake and there are a few ways to go.
The pickup and its positioning is the cake ;)
 
#189
I was comparing Stingray 5 models at the store and I notice a significant difference between the HH and H sound even when I only had the bridge pickup engaged. What would account for this? I did notice that the Ernie Ball website says that there are a couple pickup options and it could have been that one of the basses had the standard phantom coil and the other had a different option. Is that the only possible explanation? I preferred the sound of the HH in bridge position, but I'd rather get a bass with just one pickup if I could get the same sound.
 
#190
SmellMyFinger said:
I was comparing Stingray 5 models at the store and I notice a significant difference between the HH and H sound even when I only had the bridge pickup engaged. What would account for this? I did notice that the Ernie Ball website says that there are a couple pickup options and it could have been that one of the basses had the standard phantom coil and the other had a different option. Is that the only possible explanation? I preferred the sound of the HH in bridge position, but I'd rather get a bass with just one pickup if I could get the same sound.
Click to expand...

There are lots of variables there.

How was the HH wired? (that alone can make a difference)
Where they using the same pickups materials. Now its Alinco, but not always.
Its tough to judge without trying something like 5 of each model and making sure they where of similar build years for the pickups.
 
#191
Born.II.Hula said:
Could you also explain to me the process of actually replacing pickups that are perhaps different sizes/shapes? I understand the j retro preamp is shaped to fit a jazz, but the humbuckers I'm looking at are wider than what I have. Would I need a newly cut pick guard? More importantly, are humbuckers wired any differently to the jazz pickups I have now?
Click to expand...

I dont think you should ruin a jazz and mod it into something you dont know if you're gonna like.
You could try selling your jazz and buy a used Stingray IMO.
 
#192
basswave said:
There are lots of variables there.

How was the HH wired? (that alone can make a difference)
Was they using the same pickups but using Alinco (for a while a lot some did not)
Its tough to judge without trying something like 5 of each model and making sure they where of similar build years for the pickups.
Click to expand...

it was in the last couple few years that I was comparing them and they were current stock with stock configuration at guitar center, so i'm guessing they were both AlNiCo. everything was stock, so however the HH is usually wired. hard to find a store that has more than one or two of each.
 
#194
Rano Bass said:
I dont think you should ruin a jazz and mod it into something you dont know if you're gonna like.
You could try selling your jazz and buy a used Stingray IMO.
Click to expand...

Definitely not for the faint of heart:
p-ray.jpg


Modded mine years ago with P-bass quarter pounders. I got tired of the MM pickup, active electronics and general 'clacky' sound of the bass.

I put the P-bass pickups in the same position as they are on a real P-bass. I really like the sound and my mod seemed to tame down the 'clacky' nature.

Wouldn't you know it... sounds somewhere between a Stingray and a P-bass. Go figure. I call it the P-Ray.

-Mark
 
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#195
Are there any general consesious as to the sound differences between wiring a MM pickup series vs parallel?

I'm not sold on putting a switch in my TBC to select series parallel as I'm running out of room. I'm not sure what's in there now. I have a volume, volume, passive tone pots, with active boost only 3 band preamp in it a la FBass. I just ordered a pair of the Nordstrand MM5.2's.

I'm looking to get more punch and bottom out of the sound. Currently there is great highs and plenty of mids. The 15 db low end boost brings more than enough bottom to the table but it's pretty close to max and I feel like I'd like some more punch, dynamics to each note.

Any thoughts, experiences on what wiring i.e. series or parallel would work best in this application?
 
#196
I have a series/parallel switch on a Stingray. I wouldnt say it gives more punch or bottom. It makes the signal a little hotter, with more mids and a touch of overdrive breakup to the tone.... But for thump and punch I prefer parallel. It definitely gives a more dynamic sense to notes.....now I just saw you max out the bass knob...with that it may add to the punch. Ill try it tonight.
 
#197
eyeballkid said:
I have a series/parallel switch on a Stingray. I wouldnt say it gives more punch or bottom. It makes the signal a little hotter, with more mids
Click to expand...

But for thump and punch I prefer parallel. It definitely gives a more dynamic sense to notes.....
Click to expand...

+1 to this.
 
#198
So if I understand you right, you boost the lows alot and leave the rest rather flat? I tried it that way A/B-ing between series and parallel and I think with that eq setting the series is more punchy. It fills out a little more than parallel and the mids at detent sit well to make a great rock tone that has balls, but it is a hot signal with all those lows.
 
#199
Series is noticeably punchier.

Parallel is mellower and has less prominent mids and low mids.

Parallel is how a Stingray is wired. But series is still very "rayish".

I have a 2band Stingray where I removed the preamp and installed a John East 3band, essentially the same 2band plus a mids module with sweepable frequency control.
I use the mids control often, adding some.

I also have a SUB. Same alnico pickup, but wired in series, 2band EQ.
On this one I don't miss the mids control, because it already has enough. I normally just turn bass up about a quarter to half turn, and treble to taste, usually about halfway.
 
#200
IMO every bass made with a humbucker should come with a series/parallel switch. It opens up some useful options. I installed a push/pull voume pot and wired it so series is down parallel is up. Works great. Series is hotter and starts to grind/ovrdrv sooner, parallel is cleaner sounding, not as hot. easy mod to do, and you don't have to add a hole" for a switch.
 
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