I tried a set in my sadowsky modern but they didn't do it for me. I was hoping to pick up a bit more upper mid grind in particular but the big singles went in the opposite direction. They have a nice mid bark but I found them very dark. Notes on the G had nice weight to them and if you were looking to mellow out a modern with a rounder tone then these would do it. Not what I was looking for unfortunately, the std duncans are back in place now.
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Nordstrand big singles... experiences?
- Thread starter Willem
- Start date
I have a modern 5-24 too and had been thinking about the nordstrands bebause I do a lot of rock stuff and play a lot with a pick and I find the original pups a bid too modern sounding for that. would you think that the nordstrands would suit my needs
I'm not a rock player so take my opinion with some salt. The nordies are definitely warmer and rounder to my ear, and by quite a bit. That slightly artificial sounding zing on the top that that you can get with the stock pu's/pre is just gone. I would definitely describe them as less modern fwiw. Mine buzzed quite a bit when panned, even tho my bass is well shielded. If that's important the big splits (is that the right name??) might be a better choice.
ps my modern has the duncans not the emg's that were used at one point.
ps my modern has the duncans not the emg's that were used at one point.
thanx for the info , I got the metro so these are not emgs but I never knew that the stock pups were duncans. I also have a Mike Lull with single coils and they are noisy when soloed but not so much that it bothers me when playing live.
Thanks for these latest threads...I was also considering replacing the emg soapbars in my modern 24-5 Fretless as I am thinking the Bsingles would provide a mellower woody tone in the bridge pup but I'm guessing I'm better off with just leaving the emg's in as they do a decent job with tone versatility (both passive and active) and are virtually silent (great in the studio).
The kind folks at Nordstrand told me it will take them 8 weeks (!) to wind the pickups for me. I'm subscribing to this thread as a kind of support group to curb my impatience...
Ugh... I can feel your pain, as my order for two sets of Big Singles must be custom-wound due to their going into EMG 40-sized routes as opposed to their standard Bartolini P2 size. :scowl:
To add to the pain, I can't even place my order yet, as my fretless will be heading into HG Thor's shop within the next few weeks (finally!
) and I need to have the funding for each project available when they get called up. However, I'm pretty sure it;ll be worth the wait when no less than Stew @ Nordstrand commented, "Oh my lord, the tone from these are going to crush mountaintops beyond your Point-Of-View!" when I informed him about the idea of dropping Big Singles into my Spector ReBop DLX FMs with OBP-3SK/PPss, and especially that Thor was doing my epoxy. 
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,586
- 18,595
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
Wow... love that orange bass!
I'm running big singles passive and have been loving the versatility of these pickups. Question: anyone play with the bridge pickup rolled back, front rolled up to approximate a P tone? If so, what do you think?
Edit: also, has anyone noticed that passive big singed act like a gain in that when you roll back the volume the tone changes? I find that when all the vol is way on, the tone is very aggressive... And when rolled off a little, the tone gets smoother, more polished.
Matt
I'm running big singles passive and have been loving the versatility of these pickups. Question: anyone play with the bridge pickup rolled back, front rolled up to approximate a P tone? If so, what do you think?
Edit: also, has anyone noticed that passive big singed act like a gain in that when you roll back the volume the tone changes? I find that when all the vol is way on, the tone is very aggressive... And when rolled off a little, the tone gets smoother, more polished.
Matt
YES! I have Big Singles in my Nordy VJ5 and I am blown away at the P-Bass-ish tones I can get when I favor the front (neck) Pick up. Dial down the passive tone control just a little and it's warm, fat, round, yet retains an articulate clarity that makes it the most usable front Pickup I've ever used. Big Singles have become my favorite Pickups of all time.
Of course favoring the Bridge PU gets nice, snarly, growly, burpy mids that cut like a hot knife through butter! But man, that front Big Single is just awesome!
PS: I haven't rolled down the volume to listen for tonal changes. I'll have to give that a try.
I'm one of those people who says you won't get a P sound out of a J type bass, and I have both, so....
You can get a 'dirty' tone that's vaguely similar, but you can't get that low-mid thud, sorry. Oh, I run Fat Stacks in my J.
Tone change with volume? Yes, this is a well known phenomenon with passive J type basses. The actual pickup doesn't really matter, it's the wiring/pots that does it. Personally I find this to be very useful.
Well... I would agree that I might not get exactly a pure P tone with the front pickup, but I do think that with big single, I can dive pretty deep into P territory. The thing I'm discovering with my passive vJ4 is just how versatile it is and that by adjusting the VVTs I can cover an awful lot of territory.
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,586
- 18,595
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I subscribed to hear folks thoughts on this.
I love the pickups but I have to say where a little different then I expected, they don't hum at all soloed and sound very full for a single (both good IMHO).
I love the pickups but I have to say where a little different then I expected, they don't hum at all soloed and sound very full for a single (both good IMHO).
+1!!! Maybe not pure P Tone, but with the front Big Single pickup solo'd or favored, the sound is a LOT more P bass souding than the front PU on a traditional Jazz bass with standard Single Coils.
I dial down the tone control a bit, go to the front PU (Nordstrand Big Single) and it's more pillowy, punchy, deep and round like a P bass more than anything else for all intents and purposes. I am thrilled with Big Singles!
They turned my 55-01 into a low end beast. I literally have to turn the highs all the way up or drop the lows to get any clarity out of it. And the mids are outrageous. I think it has something to do with pairing it up with an Aguilar OBP-3 but where this bass shines is when I pull the passive switch. Roll back the blend knob a little and I have bridge grind and growl for days.
They turned my 55-01 into a low end beast. I literally have to turn the highs all the way up or drop the lows to get any clarity out of it. And the mids are outrageous. I think it has something to do with pairing it up with an Aguilar OBP-3 but where this bass shines is when I pull the passive switch. Roll back the blend knob a little and I have bridge grind and growl for days.
that kind of sounds like the experience i had with his nj5's. the big splits were another story though. i put those in my fodera for a minute and paired with a pre, they were stupid bright.
They turned my 55-01 into a low end beast. I literally have to turn the highs all the way up or drop the lows to get any clarity out of it. And the mids are outrageous. I think it has something to do with pairing it up with an Aguilar OBP-3 but where this bass shines is when I pull the passive switch. Roll back the blend knob a little and I have bridge grind and growl for days.
I have to admit, I am playing my Nordy VJ5 almost exclusively in passive mode with the Big Singles, even though it KILLs with the Nordstrand onboard Preamp. The Big Singles just have more growl and attitude in passive mode to my ears.
But I don't understand why you don't have any highs with the Big Singles and your OBP-3 unless you boost the highs all the way up. That seems strange.
I have a bass with the BSingles and one with the DualCoils. BS-more clear and woody, great for jazz. I prefer them sans preamp
DC's are thinner in single coil mode and very fat in DC mode. Better for metal and rock I would think. These I prefer with the preamp.
Either one when in single coil mode seem to be a lot more quiet than any fender single coil I have used.
Just my opinion.
DC's are thinner in single coil mode and very fat in DC mode. Better for metal and rock I would think. These I prefer with the preamp.
Either one when in single coil mode seem to be a lot more quiet than any fender single coil I have used.
Just my opinion.
Having owned a number of traditional Js include Fender and Sadowsky, I don't really thing of big singles as a J pickup. In comparison, I think the traditional J pickup sounds thin when compared to the big single.
The tone coming from my vJ4 w/big singles is just a lot thicker and richer... with a wider range of usable tone, and as a result I find myself actually adjusting the tone on my bass from song to song more often now because I find it easier to dial-in different tones that sound really good.
