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Music Man sound and pickups
- Thread starter TonyP-
- Start date
Thanks for the advice. Usually, I set the pickups' height once after buying a bass and never return to this procedure again, haha. However, I would prefer not to lower it much, but I'll try it out, thanks.
If I’m reading this correctly, at factory spec 6/32” distance from the pickup, your E string has the chorus effect. But at 7/32”, it will go away….but the bass tone and output suffers tremendously…
1/32 of an inch is a very small measure of distance…about 1.25mm
Are you sure you have your measurements correct?
What strings are you using?
When you string up your bass and have your intonation set dead-on, do you set your positive witness points?
I’ve never had chorusing issues with my Stingray or any other bass with MM pickups…except for one that had a 2nd MM pickup in the neck position. Indeed, I had to lower the neck pickup to get the chorusing to go away, but the amount I had to lower the pickup didn’t really have any affect on tone. Volume, maybe a little, but not to a point of catastrophe. I may have lowered the pickup by 1/8” at most.
Yea that's correct, although catastrophic is probably too strong a word. I would say that, in my experience, 1/32" is actually quite a large distance when it comes to pickup height. Between 6/32 and 7/32 the bass goes through a considerable change in overall character. 7 puts it basically in passive bass output level. It'll have more midrange and less lows and highs accordingly. It basically has a harder and less present sound, as opposed to what I hear as a more up-close and juicy tone when the pickup is closer. It's still a good tone and I do like mine at 7, which is what I've had to settle on. It's just not ideal for issues to dictate setup.
I use super slinkies, the stock strings for Stingrays. I'll admit the problem is quite subtle at 6/32" and in a band setting would not be noticeable. However, it's definitely there and when playing quieter music it will sound out of tune above the 12th fret on the E and to a lesser extent the A string. At 6/32" the A string is almost cured of the issue.
By setting the positive witness points I'm assuming you mean pressing down the strings next to the bridge and nut? No, I've never done that. I guess I could try it.
Believe it or not, it might help. @Turnaround explained to me why they are important years ago. Although I don’t remember the details, setting witness points solved the issue I was experiencing, and I’m a firm believer.
Edit: Also make sure your strings aren’t twisted, which usually IS a cause of the chorusing effect.
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I tried it. Surprisingly I was a bit put off by how it actually lowered the strings closer to the pickup, and threw my intonation totally out. You push down the strings to create a witness point, but then you have to adjust the intonation, which moves where the witness point is supposed to be? Do you then witness point it again at the new saddle location? I would imagine you repeat that process until the intonation doesn't change after pressing down the string.
That means the next time you change strings they will not be intonated; you'll have to witness point them until they fall into intonation? Do I have that right?
It will change string height some, yes, and you will have to tweak saddle height and such. I can’t recall that my intonation went “totally out”, maybe a slight adjustment with a single turn of the adjustment screw here and there to make up for a few ¢.
But I also wouldn’t go too crazy with pressing on the string in the chance that you might create too much of a dent in the string where instead of creating a simple break angle, the string is now sort of wrapped around the top of the saddle.
You just need to give the string a slight nudge, that’s all.
But I also wouldn’t go too crazy with pressing on the string in the chance that you might create too much of a dent in the string where instead of creating a simple break angle, the string is now sort of wrapped around the top of the saddle.
You just need to give the string a slight nudge, that’s all.
Alright interesting. Yea I guess I gave them a pretty good press down. Thanks for all the advice!
I know this thread is more inline with traditional MM sound, however am curious if anyone is familiar/could suggest, an off the beaten path MM pickup that isn't a hybrid of Jazz/MM, or dual blades only. Kinda wish i could find the old ATK pickups with their triple coils/blades. I'm finishing up a stingray build (ash body, flame maple neck/rosewood board), has a 4 band Noll EQ (bass, lo & hi mids, treble). So if anyone has ideas, directions to point me into, i'm all for it 
thanks!
thanks!
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
I know this thread is more inline with traditional MM sound, however am curious if anyone is familiar/could suggest, an off the beaten path MM pickup that isn't a hybrid of Jazz/MM, or dual blades only. Kinda wish i could find the old ATK pickups with their triple coils/blades. I'm finishing up a stingray build (ash body, flame maple neck/rosewood board), has a 4 band Noll EQ (bass, lo & hi mids, treble). So if anyone has ideas, directions to point me into, i'm all for it
Well, that was going to be my suggestion. Find an old ATK bass and steal the pickup.
You might want to check out Turner Pickups.
Turner Pickups Multicoil 4 String (MC4-ATK-SPPP) 2022 - Black | Reverb
*** BEFORE ORDERING, PLEASE REVIEW THE NOTES AT THE END OF THE LISTING ABOUT DIMENSIONS AND OPTIONS ***This is a custom-made (by me, owner of Turner Pickups) multicoil bass pickup, made to fit into a 4 string Ibanez ATK bass. This is for the "older" ATK basses that have the pickup without the mo...
reverb.com
Turner Pickups | Unique Pickups For Bass Guitar
At Turner Pickups, we offer meticulously crafted low frequency audio conduits: pickups for bass guitar that are out of the ordinary, including multicoil designs, allowing you to discover new timbres for your favorite bass guitars.
Nordstrand BigBladeMans are MM-ish in tone (kinda somewhere between an MM and a Wal pickup), they're blade-style, and come in MM-sized housings, so maybe they'd be worth a try?I know this thread is more inline with traditional MM sound, however am curious if anyone is familiar/could suggest, an off the beaten path MM pickup that isn't a hybrid of Jazz/MM, or dual blades only. Kinda wish i could find the old ATK pickups with their triple coils/blades. I'm finishing up a stingray build (ash body, flame maple neck/rosewood board), has a 4 band Noll EQ (bass, lo & hi mids, treble). So if anyone has ideas, directions to point me into, i'm all for it
I believe they're designed to be used with Nordstrand's own JC-3B EQ circuit that was made to work with them, but I don't think there's any reason why they wouldn't work with a Noll or any other preamp.
Well, that was going to be my suggestion. Find an old ATK bass and steal the pickup.
You might want to check out Turner Pickups.
Turner Pickups Multicoil 4 String (MC4-ATK-SPPP) 2022 - Black | Reverb
*** BEFORE ORDERING, PLEASE REVIEW THE NOTES AT THE END OF THE LISTING ABOUT DIMENSIONS AND OPTIONS ***This is a custom-made (by me, owner of Turner Pickups) multicoil bass pickup, made to fit into a 4 string Ibanez ATK bass. This is for the "older" ATK basses that have the pickup without the mo...
Turner Pickups | Unique Pickups For Bass Guitar
At Turner Pickups, we offer meticulously crafted low frequency audio conduits: pickups for bass guitar that are out of the ordinary, including multicoil designs, allowing you to discover new timbres for your favorite bass guitars.www.turnerpickups.com
If i found an old ATK bass, i'd love to keep it as is x) but yeah, i've been looking them up, & also many multicoil pickup makers along with Turner. Seems like the most off the path (having that WAL type build in the Ray sweet spot).
I'll check those out, i remember listening to a demo of them & found them rather dark (could've been context of what the bass player was using/EQ set up). Thanks!
If you are considering a multi-coil pickup perhaps also think about the Lusithand Devices NPF Special? I put on in a fretless Warwick Corvette (that was heading for the classifieds) a month or so back it it's like having a whole new bass which is now a total keeper.
Single NFP Special - Lusithand Devices
For single pickup instruments, it consists of 1x Single NFP-Special filter board and 1x Master Volume potentiometer (not shown in the pictures). Our Filter preamps, unlike common EQ/Preamps, allow you to completely change the character sound of your pickups by shifting its signature resonant...
lusithanddevices.com
If you are considering a multi-coil pickup perhaps also think about the Lusithand Devices NPF Special? I put on in a fretless Warwick Corvette (that was heading for the classifieds) a month or so back it it's like having a whole new bass which is now a total keeper.
Single NFP Special - Lusithand Devices
For single pickup instruments, it consists of 1x Single NFP-Special filter board and 1x Master Volume potentiometer (not shown in the pictures). Our Filter preamps, unlike common EQ/Preamps, allow you to completely change the character sound of your pickups by shifting its signature resonant...
Thanks, though i'm not really looking to 100% emulate the whole WAL filter sound, though it is unique to it. I'd much prefer keeping my 4 band Noll preamp as i'd still get within the Stingray tone, albeit my own personal touch/version of it
Note that the Volume pot in the JC-3B preamp is a 500k. That might be the special sauce…
LeCompte makes interesting pickups: LeCompte Electric Bass - Four String Pickups
Lane Splitter - 4MM might be considered 'off the beaten path'
More about those pickups:
LeCompte Triple Threat Pickups
LeCompte Triple Threat Pickups - The reasons for which builders and craftsmen produce what they do are always of great interest to me...
www.bassgearmag.com
How different is the tone from the typical Stingray big pole pickup (under each string) vs the one found in the Old Smoothie (Poles outside of each string)?
Not trying to be a D1(£ but the clue is in the name, and it's a pretty accurate description.
Non taken, was curious how drastic a departure the tone was from what we know the stingray as.
It's not crazy drastic, but it certainly changes the attack of the note.
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