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Nordstand Pickups.....underwhelming..... (to me)

tleebassist11

tleebassist11

Taylor Lee
Supporting Member
Dec 21, 2011
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Disclosures
Endorsing: Fodera, DR Strings, Epifani Amps
#1
I am not trying to be a hater by any means. Just thought I would throw this out there, since I always see cats on talkbass asking what pickups they should try in their Roscoe, Warwick, Modulus, Fodera, etc
Lately I have seen a ton of people recommending Nordstrand pickups, which I find very interesting. To me Nordstrand pickups are lifeless and severely lacking in bottom end. I’ve had them in two different basses in the past an Ibanez, and a Roscoe I had very briefly. With both of these basses getting lost in the mix was a major issue. So granted I haven’t tried all of their options or even had experience with them in a ton of basses.....
However, I’ve had my hands on a fair amount of basses with them and within the first few notes the lack of presence is immediately noticeable.
The purpose of this thread is not to bash them but more than anything just recommend to give Seymour Duncan’s, Lane Poors, or Curtis Novak Pickups a chance. These three companies come to mind immediately for me for delivering a pickup that really has flavor that can enhance your bass, depending on what sound you are going for.
 
#3
"more than anything just recommend to give Seymour Duncan’s, Lane Poors, or Curtis Novak Pickups"

In that case, "recommending Seymour Duncans, Lane Poors, or Curtis Novak Pickups" would have been a better thread title, don't you think?

There's lots of pickups out there I don't like, but I'm not going to start a thread to knock them.

OTOH I didn't know what "character" was until I started playing my Premium Soundgear with the Big-Singles.
 
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#4
I'll definitely disagree. I have bass with Big Splits and a Bass with a BigMan. I've had Big Singles and regular Nordstrand single coils in the past. All of them have been some of the most lively sounding pickups I've ever used, and the bottom end is just huge. If yours had no bottom end, you may have wired them wrong (out of phase) or installed the wrong pots with them.

Nordstrand is up there with the very best. Every bit on par, if not a few notches above, all the other pickups that were mentioned.
 
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#5
The Powerblade, the BigBladeMan and the 60’s wind Jazz pickups have all had the “wow” factor to me.

Don’t forget, sometimes you have to find the right pickups for the right instrument.

The guys at Nordstrand are really great with their recommendations if you’re after something specific.
 
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#6
tleebassist11 said:
I am not trying to be a hater by any means. Just thought I would throw this out there, since I always see cats on talkbass asking what pickups they should try in their Roscoe, Warwick, Modulus, Fodera, etc
Lately I have seen a ton of people recommending Nordstrand pickups, which I find very interesting. To me Nordstrand pickups are lifeless and severely lacking in bottom end. I’ve had them in two different basses in the past an Ibanez, and a Roscoe I had very briefly. With both of these basses getting lost in the mix was a major issue. So granted I haven’t tried all of their options or even had experience with them in a ton of basses.....
However, I’ve had my hands on a fair amount of basses with them and within the first few notes the lack of presence is immediately noticeable.
The purpose of this thread is not to bash them but more than anything just recommend to give Seymour Duncan’s, Lane Poors, or Curtis Novak Pickups a chance. These three companies come to mind immediately for me for delivering a pickup that really has flavor that can enhance your bass, depending on what sound you are going for.
Click to expand...

Naturally, yer gonna get opposing opinions, especially since the topic of sound is quite subjective.

Your comments cause me to wonder just what you are expecting from a set of pickups.

I could respond with incredulity over the “lifeless” and “lack of bottom end”, but hey, that’s your impression and I doubt either of us are qualified to call the other one wrong or crazy.

I’m very partial to the classic Jazz bass both-pups 100% pretty much all the time. No pups have given me that tone like the Nord Vintage 70s wind Jazz pickups (bring in a boutique instrument certainly doesn’t hurt...:D). Paired with the Nord 2-band preamp makes for a magic tone experience for me. Nothing about the tone is exaggerated. They are a perfect blend of bite, aggressiveness warmth, and scooped character for me. And sound guys, fellow bassists, and a couple of recording engineers agree.

Of course, this works for me. I’ll not declare the Nords the last word in pups and preamps. I will declare them a really good start for anyone. Except the OP, I guess...:D
 
#7
Two things (and these are true of any pickups)....

1) You gotta have the right combination of pickups AND strings. I once almost got rid of a bass after only 48 hours because it was (to borrow your term) lifeless. I tried everything on my amp amd onboard electronics to bring out the tone (Bill Lawrence pickups, by the way). On a whim O swapped out strings amd BOOM, there it was.

2) Amp settings. For some reason (and I'm not accusing you of this) many here seem to think their current amp EQ settings are some sort of reference point through which all basses and pickups should be compared. They aren't. Different basses and pickups require different amp settings to get you "home". If you don't spend some time getting to know pickups amd really working with your gear to bring out their sound, you will be dissatisfied every time.

(Also, I have found that Bartolini pickups leave me every bit as cold as Nordys do for you. They're simply too "polite" to tue point of almost being compressed. I tried everything to bond with a few sets on basses and couldn't get them to work out for me.)
 
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#9
So in response....
My main bass is a Fodera with Seymour Duncan’s so there is def the possibility that they have spoiled me so much that I find the Nordstrand highly inferior. Secondly I do feel that I have enough experience as a touring musician and bassist to decipher that Nordstrands Sound dull to my ears. I saw some guys say that Nordstrands are better than the pickups I mentioned. Laughable
 
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#10
two fingers said:
Two things (and these are true of any pickups)....

1) You gotta have the right combination of pickups AND strings. I once almost got rid of a bass after only 48 hours because it was (to borrow your term) lifeless. I tried everything on my amp and onboard electronics to bring out the tone (Bill Lawrence pickups, by the way). On a whim O swapped out strings and BOOM, there it was.
Click to expand...
My experience with Nordstrand has also been negative. Had Big Splits in my Lakland briefly. Way too hot and way too much mids. Got rid of them. I currently have some 70's wind single coils in my custom jazz bass (along with a Nordy pre). No booty and no presence at all in the detente (flat) positions. I plan to go back to an EMG setup or possibly Aguilar.
 
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#11
Building on what @two fingers said above: You have to find the right combination of pickups, strings, bass, and amp, and you have to match that against the tone that your ears are looking for.

I put Big Singles into a hollowbody fretless years ago. They sound great.

I then put Big Splits into a solid body. They sounded thin to my ears.

As most of us know, the Big Singles and the Big Splits have a very similar tonal profile. The difference in these two instruments was therefore not attributable to the pickups, but rather the bass construction (hollow bolt-on versus solid set-neck), the woods used (sapele versus maple/walnut), the strings (LaBella tapes versus Dean Markley rounds), and the tone that I wanted to hear.

This is true of any and all pickup brands, not just Nordstrand.
 
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#12
tleebassist11 said:
So in response....
My main bass is a Fodera with Seymour Duncan’s so there is def the possibility that they have spoiled me so much that I find the Nordstrand highly inferior. Secondly I do feel that I have enough experience as a touring musician and bassist to decipher that Nordstrands Sound dull to my ears. I saw some guys say that Nordstrands are better than the pickups I mentioned. Laughable
Click to expand...

So it's not okay that others' opinions of the tone of various pickups is different than yours?
 
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#13
I've owned many different low to high end bass brands and with every maker of pickup you can get even the boutique brand pickups. I find the exact opposite as the OP's experience and have never played a pickup that comes close to the definition, clarity and cutting power that my Nordstrand loaded basses have. Especially the DC pickups that I have wires coil tapped with series, parallel, and single coil mode. I play in some of the biggest churches and venues in our area and all the Sound engineers have agreed that my Devon basses with the DC pickups have sounded and cut through more clearly than any of the Roscoes or other basses I've used with Bart electronics. These are my main 2 basses right now and the Devon is easily more Clear and cutting through a mix over my Custom Roscoe.

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#14
tleebassist11 said:
So in response....
My main bass is a Fodera with Seymour Duncan’s so there is def the possibility that they have spoiled me so much that I find the Nordstrand highly inferior. Secondly I do feel that I have enough experience as a touring musician and bassist to decipher that Nordstrands Sound dull to my ears. I saw some guys say that Nordstrands are better than the pickups I mentioned. Laughable
Click to expand...

Is your Fodera loaded with a Pope preamp by chance? If so, then yeah the Duncan/Pope combo is going to be a different sound and feel than a Nordstrand Pre/pickups combo. The Fodera Pope/duncan combo is one of my all time favorites. That said neither Nordstrand/Nordstrand or Pope/Duncan is better or worse, just a different form of real good depending on your taste.
 
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#15
scubaduba said:
Is your Fodera loaded with a Pope preamp by chance? If so, then yeah the Duncan/Pope combo is going to be a different sound and feel than a Nordstrand Pre/pickups combo. The Fodera Pope/duncan combo is one of my all time favorites. That said neither Nordstrand/Nordstrand or Pope/Duncan is better or worse, just a different form of real good depending on your taste.
Click to expand...

Yessir I do believe you are right. It is simply a taste thing!
 
#17
There are many approaches to playing the bass. Nordstrand has worked for me in several instances. Their PJ line is as good as that format gets. I have also love the Big Splits. I have also found that the Nordstrand lines respond well to active electronics. And build quality is second to none. I also appreciate that Cary Nordstrand is not afraid to explore and innovate. For his successes he has become an Icon of the industry. Well deserved.
 
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