• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

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

#21
Admittedly a Nordstrand fan here, you are entitled to not like them. However, I do not think anyone can throw every Nordstrand pickup in the same category of good or bad. Not because good and bad are opinions (though they are and that is a separate argument), but because Nordstrand has way too many pickup configurations/options. I have the NJ5 60s wind Alnico III magnets and the Big J-Blade Warm and Wooly wind. Both are 5 string J style pickups. Aside from fitment/single coil aspect of design, they are different pickups with completely different sound profiles.

The same holds true for almost any pickup manufacturer (except those with extremely limited lineups). I hated my first set of Bartolinis (way too tame/sterile for my taste). Loved my second set, but they were targeted at completely different tone profiles using different designs to get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isotonic, Lowandfat and ctmullins
#22
Lowandfat said:
You preferring the tones from other pick ups does not mean Nords are "inferior". This concept was explained, and you doubled down. You have quite the high opinion of your own opinion.
Click to expand...

No I just feel that I am qualified to make those kind of opinions. I just played in front of
30,000 people laSt week with Nico and Vinz. I feel that a bass with Seymour’s works better in that situation than Nordstrands
 
Last edited:
#23
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 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.)
Click to expand...
I can’t agree more with eq settings, I’ve got Aguilar hum cancelling in my J Bass and it’s taken me about 2 months to find a great eq setting. I have to dial back the lower mids a bit ~ 500hz and boost mid highs ~ 2K a bit and cut at 4K to get what I’d consider a neutral sound. So those are my 12 o’clock settings for this bass now.

Also make sure the wiring is correct and that you’ve got the right capacitor 47kohm vs 25kohm and quality pots. With hotter pickups you need to upgrade the entire signal chain.

I’d call customer service as well, they are there to help. Maybe you’ve got a defect or something. I’d agree with the other posters with the tone of this thread, intentionally or not, unless you’ve exhausted all of your resources fixing this issue this thread comes off a little self serving. Asking for help instead of simply stating why these pickup aren’t working for you would have been a better approach.

Also trying all sorts of strings with new pickups until you get the sound you like is almost always a necessary task.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: two fingers
#24
I’m not asking for help lol. This thread was more of a I’m baffled that everyone likes these pickups thread. Ive never heard a bass with Nordstrands I’ve liked at all. That’s my point. It isn’t a wiring or eq issue. I’m well versed in how to eq a bass properly
 
#25
tleebassist11 said:
I’m not asking for help lol. This thread was more of a I’m baffled that everyone likes these pickups thread. Ive never heard a bass with Nordstrands I’ve liked at all. That’s my point. It isn’t a wiring or eq issue. I’m well versed in how to eq a bass properly
Click to expand...
Well then, it sounds to me like you just wanted to rant to the world about your experience. Mission accomplished.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FRoss6788
#29
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...

I personally like Klein Epic series J and P pickups for passive basses.
My favorite active set-up is George's older proprietary pickups and preamp on the Fbass VF series.
I've experimented with a ton of pickups and preamps - these are my go to's.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tleebassist11
#30
tleebassist11 said:
No I just am qualified to make those kind of opinions. I just played in front of
30,000 people laSt week with Nico and Vinz. I know that a bass with Seymour’s works better in that situation than Nordstrands. Everybody on talkbass is always try to flip something around lol
Click to expand...

tleebassist11 said:
Jealous much.....lol
Click to expand...
Brag much?
No one's impressed dude.
 
  • Like
Reactions: edwinhurwitz, deff, Lowandfat and 2 others
#31
InnerBass said:
I personally like Klein Epic series J and P pickups for passive basses.
My favorite active set-up is George's older proprietary pickups and preamp on the Fbass VF series.
I've experimented with a ton of pickups and preamps - these are my go to's.
Click to expand...

Those Klein’s do sound really good!
 
#32
tleebassist11 said:
No I just am qualified to make those kind of opinions. I just played in front of
30,000 people laSt week with Nico and Vinz. I know that a bass with Seymour’s works better in that situation than Nordstrands. Everybody on talkbass is always try to flip something around lol
Click to expand...

Yeah, Sadowsky, Valenti, Roscoe, Modulus, Brubaker, Clement, Mayones, Mike Lull, Jerome Little, Overwater, New York Bass Works, SEI, Stambaugh, Wilkins, Tino Tedesco, Ibanez, and Warwick are all idiots.

What an arrogant person. Good luck with that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FRoss6788
#33
FYI your personal taste is not an assessment of quality. Really. One would think your endorsers would expect you to be an ambassador for their brand, not a bragging dink. Last time I checked, excessive pride is on that sin list you are supposed to be following.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: edwinhurwitz and FRoss6788
#35
Guys, rein it back in. The OP did say
tleebassist11 said:
Yessir I do believe you are right. It is simply a taste thing!
Click to expand...
Everybody take a deep breath, enjoy what you enjoy, and allow others to not like what you enjoy (or enjoy something different) without attacking their character for it.
Any additional ad-hominem attacks will be dinged.
 
  • Like
Reactions: smperry, scubaduba, Chris Fitzgerald and 1 other person
#37
Lowandfat said:
FYI your personal taste is not an assessment of quality. Really. One would think your endorsers would expect you to be an ambassador for their brand, not a bragging dink. Last time I checked, excessive pride is on that sin list you are supposed to be following.
Click to expand...

A person's personal taste is their personal assessment of quality. Really.

The rest of the above post reads like an ad hominem assessment of the subjective quality of another member based on your own personal taste. The former (subjective negative opinion about a piece of gear) is allowed on this site, while the latter (subjective negative disrespectful comment about another member) is not. Really.

The same is true for the thread starter with the mention of other differing opinions being "laughable". This sort of verbiage is not helpful to a civil discussion.

Let's all remember the site's rule 1, which reads:

Rule #1: Respect your fellow members. All registered users must address fellow members with the utmost respect at all times. If you do not agree with a fellow member, be courteous in your response. Thomas Jefferson said it best: "When I hear another express an opinion which is not mine, I say to myself, he has a right to his opinion, as I to mine".
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alivefor5, smperry, scubaduba and 2 others
#39
I’ve not bonded with certain pickups, I just sell them and move on. I have a set of Nordstrand Powerblades in a 66 P that slay in the mix. Way better than the DiMarzio it came with. Strung it BEAD and absolute thunder happens. Be more qualitative with your assessment and specific, folks don’t get bent out of shape that way. Nothing you’ve said so far offers anything tangible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ex-tension and FRoss6788

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back