Newbie question about replacing pickups

[AudioDwebe]

When replacing pickups, do you need to stick with the same size?

Right now, my bass has a pair of the thinner pickups (Basslines) spaced a couple of inches apart. The tech who is fixing it told me that the pickups are bad and will need to be replaced.

When swapping them, do you have to stick with the same shapes? He mentioned EMG's, but those are wider than the Basslines (like going from a single Kit-Kat to two sticks, side by side).

Thanks.

Mamoru

 

[Nev375]

EMG has pickups in all the common shapes.

 

[Hopkins]

Pickups don't really just go bad, it sounds to me like he might be trying to sell you a set of pickups.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Actually, it's a bit of a long story:

I bought a Lag bass locally without trying it out. When I got home and put the batteries in (9 volt x 2), I thought that the housing would "only" close "if" the batteries were seated properly.

I plugged the amp into a Vox amp and nothing came out. I thought maybe I didn't put the batteries in correctly, and when I went to take them out, one of them was more than warm to the touch.

That's when I decided to look closer at the battery compartment to see if there was a "+" or "-" to indicate how the battery should go in. I then put both batteries in correctly...still no sound.

When I first took it to the tech, he spent 1.5 hours with me right there watching, checking many, many things. In the end, he suggested I return it if the seller was willing to take it back (he was, but I'd have had a 2-hour round trip and figured the gas and cost of the tech already had cost me $50 AND I really liked how the bass looked and felt) but I decided to keep and get it fixed, as he said it'd cost aroud $150 or so for a full tune up and a by-pass of the preamp, which was okay with me because I justed wanted sound to come out.

So I got a call from him yesterday saying he's tried everything else that could be the problem and the only thing left is to replace the pickups. He has no idea how crossing the batteries could have damaged them, but everything else checked out.

If the tech was some inexperienced guy, I'd have my doubts. But this guy's been doing guitar/bass repair and setup for over 30 years. I think he both knows what he's talking about and doing.

So...that's the story.

 

[autodidact]

If he recommended EMGs they come in a stadard single coil jazz shape [the "kit kat" shape] or you could just replace them with a new set of Basslines, which are pretty good p'ups IMO.

Furthermore, this is just another example of why you should always always ALWAYS play before you pay. Don't buy something used without playing it first. So if this bass has electronics issues and you need to get some stuff replaced to fix it then let this be a lesson to you about used gear. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk because I've been burned too, just learn from it.

 

[maurilio]

a little too little info here

some basslines (seymour duncan) are active and I can see it can be a problem.
What kind of size? do you have pics?

if you don't wanna rout new cavity for different pups you'll have to stick to 'that' shape, but not necessary same exact model/manufacturer….

In these cases the best thing is to eliminate (bypass) the preamp and verify if the pups are actually damaged. IF they are passive, a meter (ohmmeter) would tell if they are working or not…..

What preamp is there right now? If the battery gets hot I doubt it is because of the pups (even if active). I presume more likely a wire somewhere in the cavity is shortening the hot to ground

We can assume we can trust that tech guy (?). Not to sound arrogant, but I know repair guys with long experience that are not too "friendly" with electronics (mostly acoustic and passive repair)

M

 

[AudioDwebe]

I know...I know...I know...

I should have tried it out. But the seller sounded genuine, offered to have me try it out several times before selling it so I figured all was well. And it probably was.

When I called the guy to tell him it didn't work, he genuinely sounded surprised and immediately offered to take it back. It was my decision to keep it, as I really liked the look, feel, and the fact that it's a fairly rare bass. And the price was right. Only $200.

So I figured it was a steal. And in my line of thinking, I decided that had I paid $400-$500 for the bass, I'd been pretty happy with it. That's why I decided to go ahead and keep it and get it fixed. But now I'm not so sure.

The Basslines are active pickups. The electronics (from what the tech told me) are EMG's.

Here's another question: Can you switch from active to passive without swapping out the electronics?

If it works, the photo is here: It's a Lag Fusion Standard.

http://img254.imageshack.us/i/lagfusion5fdno.jpg/

 

[maurilio]

nice bass.

No. With active pups and pre you can not switch to passive (only bypass the pre).

You need passive pups and than you can swith a/p (which still it is bypassing the preamp).
Those are standard 'single coil jazz bass shape'. There are tons of options with that shape and you don't have to stay active. Plenty of great sounding JB pickups out there.

M

 

[matante]

I know...I know...I know...

I should have tried it out. But the seller sounded genuine, offered to have me try it out several times before selling it so I figured all was well. And it probably was.

When I called the guy to tell him it didn't work, he genuinely sounded surprised and immediately offered to take it back. It was my decision to keep it, as I really liked the look, feel, and the fact that it's a fairly rare bass. And the price was right. Only $200.

So I figured it was a steal. And in my line of thinking, I decided that had I paid $400-$500 for the bass, I'd been pretty happy with it. That's why I decided to go ahead and keep it and get it fixed. But now I'm not so sure.

The Basslines are active pickups. The electronics (from what the tech told me) are EMG's.

Here's another question: Can you switch from active to passive without swapping out the electronics?

If it works, the photo is here: It's a Lag Fusion Standard.

http://img254.imageshack.us/i/lagfusion5fdno.jpg/

You might want to double check this info, but my understanding is that EMG preamps only work with EMG pickups, while EMG pickups will work other companies' preamps.

 

[mmbongo]

You might want to double check this info, but my understanding is that EMG preamps only work with EMG pickups, while EMG pickups will work other companies' preamps.

No, some EMG preamps work with passive pickups. I have an EMG preamp with Bartolini pickups in my Brubaker.