New Pickups for Schecter Diamond 5 Custom

[cneda34]

Hey all, I recently picked up a 5 String Schecter Stiletto bass that has no electronics on it, for a really good price.

I originally wanted to go with a Fishman Fluence 5 soapbar setup. I don't mind sanding the pockets around to get them to fit and drilling for the toggle switch.

But I'm wondering if I could just get away with Seymour Duncan Passive 5 pickups. Or another Passive Pickup. I don't think Nordstrands would fit on this unless I really make them fit but I'm pretty new to the modding world and I don't want to go beyond my capabilities.

Could anyone also explain to me what active EQ means? Does that mean the bass has a pre amp?

I believe that the original EMG HZ's on this bass were passive but they had an active EQ. I can't seem to wrap my head around it as most of my basses have been passive all the way.

Also the genres I normally play are Pop, Rock, Funk, Some Gospel, Reggae but nothing on the heavy metal side.

So does anyone have a setup that is "versatile" in that It can get the job done w/o sounding too bland?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[celticafro]

Howdy, I saw your questions have gone unanswered.

I'm in the process of taking a similar approach to you. I bought the Mike Inez Fishman Fluence set with the intent of modding an old beater bass, but decided i'm better off finding a bass with the correct shaped routes in the first place. The Schecter Stiletto Extreme is my current choice and i'm trying to reality check, and found your post. I'll answer some questions in case you haven't had them answered yet.

First of all: Fishman Fluence soapbars are supposedly "drop-in" replacements for EMG soapbars. They come with their own pots etc but I've seen ppl talk about straight-up putting the pickups in and being happy with the sound.

Problem #1 you'll find is that Fishman's can't be used with another preamp: their preamps are "built into" the pickup's PCBs, at least that's according to their customer/sales service person I chatted with a while back.

Problem #2 you WOULD find if you bought a new bass is that the existing pre-amp has to be discarded. Yours has no electronics so you should be okay...

If you bought the bass with NO pickups or pots or wiring, and a brand new Fishman Fluence set, you probably will not have these first 2 issues, and you'd simply have a tech install the pickups and the wiring/knobs that come with it into the raw bass body, and you're off to the races.

Could anyone also explain to me what active EQ means? Does that mean the bass has a pre amp?

I believe that the original EMG HZ's on this bass were passive but they had an active EQ. I can't seem to wrap my head around it as most of my basses have been passive all the way.

Yes you guessed right, a "preamp" and an "active eq" are the same idea. Not all preamps have an EQ section: some are just on or off, pretty much an "active buffer." But ALL "active eqs" are preamps WITH an EQ section.

Also, some preamps are designed for "active pickups only" and others can accept and amplify the signal of a passive pickup as well. It depends on the product and your intent for use.

As far as OTHER pickups go... not all the bass humbuckers out there are goign to play nice with the default routes on your Stiletto. That's the main thing. The Duncans MIGHT have the right measurements. Good to look into and see if they match the dimensions of the EMGs.

That said, the EMG soapbar has become its own kind of "standard format" for bass pickups. So if you DON'T LIKE the sound of the Fishmans, even EMG has soapbars that sound like passive P, J, Stingray, etc pickups. I find I like the way the Fluence bass soapbars sound in videos no matter what bass they are on so that's the direction I'm going.

The Fluence 3-voice gimmick is a POWERFUL gimmick if the sounds it gives you are useful for your playing style and musical situation. Some people don't like how "bright clean and snappy" their sound is. So if you like warmer, more vintage tones, their Vintage Voicing is going to be the closest you'll have. If you want VERSATILITY and are willing to do without the EXACT qualities of a true passive pickup, the Fluence are kind of hard to beat.

Good luck with your bass journey.

 

[cneda34]

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

The route I went is I found a used BTS EMG system for $50.

then grabbed two EMG40P5's for $100 off of reverb.

I was able to get in touch with EMG techs to help me self install and they work great! I really wanted to do the fishman fluence set but for $150 I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try modding on my own for the first time, esp since it was solderless.

That being said I'm finding the string spacing for the Stiletto series to be a little bit to small for me. So for now I'm keeping it but In the event I get bored or another bass pops up I will have a tough choice to make. I like the sound and feel of the bass so I'm in no hurry to get rid of it.

Is it true that the FF set drains batteries like no other?