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Nordstrand big singles replacements

C

Crimax

Nov 15, 2015
39
16
61
MIlan, Italy
#1
Hi everybody

I play an ibanez sr 1200 with nordstrand big singles and flat strings, great bass, very well made and very versatile if i play "modern", meaning that the sound is great mids and some lack of "vintage" bass frequencies.
I play everything from funky-dance to blues-ballads, and would like that the ibanez could fit it all (obviously i don't expect to turn it into a precision, just a little more versatility).

I thought to replace the big singles with something more vintage and less crisp, and i'm asking your opinion: could this be an option (and in this case which pickup would be useful) or the sound of the ibanez is due to wood, weight ecc, so that changing the pups would be worthless?

I play also a jazz and a precision, but would like to bring just one bass, and in the band i play now the ibanez is the most suitable option in terms of sound.

Thanks in advance
 
#2
Changing the pickups would do something, but not necessarily what you want. I played a similar Ibanez and it sounds aggressive, more than anything else with BigSingles I've heard. So wood/construction probably has something to do with it.

But, even in the Nordstrand line, BS are probably among the most crisp, aggressive pups, so a swap would tame it to some extent... you can start with their other pickups. BigSplit is more tame in the upper end, i suppose more like a P. It's a split coil... Their dual coils also offer some tamer tones, especially the series wound version. And then there's so many others to choose from, Aguilar, Bartolini...

Have you tried setting them lower? Maybe that would be a cheap way to get them more mellow. Also, what flats are you using? Maybe try something pure nickel, like Pyramid or TI
 
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#3
Thanks for the reply

I thought construction had something to do, the fact is that for playing funky/dance the bass is really a killer, it deliver an immediate punch that everybody like.

As for the lowering the pickups, yes i tried and made some experiments lowering and rising, both or one at a time, lowering the G string or rising the E, but the sound lost definition and it was worse, as for the strings i use D'Addario.

Regarding the pickups i'm quite afraid to buy some nordstrand or aguilar, because in Italy they are rare to find used, and they are quite expensive,and if there will be no improvement i'll have wasted money; i would look for some seymour duncan (if they can fit) o bartolini, although i'm not a fan of their sound because i find them quite dark, but maybe that darkening the sound will improve the global response.
 
#4
In my opinion, their offset pole piece design for the big single, gives a modern flavor to the tone.

You can get order their "vintage" style jazz pickups in the same casing as your big singles. They call them "Jazz Bars".
Jazz Bar 4

You could do true single coils or get split coils for hum-canceling. and there is the Alnico III magnet option, which seems to open up the tone for a warmer character.
 
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#5
I've had several Ibanez Premium basses that had the Big Singles of course but the best pickup I've tried by far in them are the Nordstrand Dual Coils. They are a bit pricey but I couldn't believe the difference they made. I also had a set of USA Barts Classic series pups dual coil that sounded better. The Nordstrand DC5's are amazing though.
 
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#6
Toptube said:
In my opinion, their offset pole piece design for the big single, gives a modern flavor to the tone.

You can get order their "vintage" style jazz pickups in the same casing as your big singles. They call them "Jazz Bars".
Jazz Bar 4

You could do true single coils or get split coils for hum-canceling. and there is the Alnico III magnet option, which seems to open up the tone for a warmer character.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my first thought was Nordstrand Jazz Bars. The other options that came to mind were Aguilar Super Singles or (if you wanted a thicker, darker sound) Super Doubles.

You said these brands are expensive for you but unfortunately there aren't many options for a "vintage" sound in a soap bar shell.
 
#14
Crimax said:
Hi everybody

I play an ibanez sr 1200 with nordstrand big singles and flat strings, great bass, very well made and very versatile if i play "modern", meaning that the sound is great mids and some lack of "vintage" bass frequencies.
I play everything from funky-dance to blues-ballads, and would like that the ibanez could fit it all (obviously i don't expect to turn it into a precision, just a little more versatility).

I thought to replace the big singles with something more vintage and less crisp, and i'm asking your opinion: could this be an option (and in this case which pickup would be useful) or the sound of the ibanez is due to wood, weight ecc, so that changing the pups would be worthless?

I play also a jazz and a precision, but would like to bring just one bass, and in the band i play now the ibanez is the most suitable option in terms of sound.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I'd highly recommend the Big Rig pickups from Nordstrand; rounder and more complex than the Big Single, very "vintage" sounding wired in series and also hum cancelling :)
 
#15
Thanks everybody

I think i'm gonna try the jazz bars, the fact is that i really like the sound of big singles and the way it is produced, i mean the strong attack, and during gigs i really like (and so people who play with me) the strong mids, this bass really emerge by itself. I just would like a little more colour on the basses side, a little touch of vintage, just for the slow tunes where i need some colur.
Otherwise i've got to say that the ibanez sr 1200 is really a great bass (and i have a japanese jazz and an american precision)
 
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#16
Crimax said:
Thanks everybody. I think i'm gonna try the jazz bars
Click to expand...

This is my first user post (intro redirect!). I just want to write that this thread is informative, collegian and a perfect example for what a great online community can be! Thank you to all who contributed. My 1200 is on the way! I'll postpone any pupsgrade until I get my fill of the stocks, but I suspect I'll be back to read this again.
 
#17
Bassworship1 said:
I've had several Ibanez Premium basses that had the Big Singles of course but the best pickup I've tried by far in them are the Nordstrand Dual Coils. They are a bit pricey but I couldn't believe the difference they made.
Click to expand...

Were you looking for a more vintage timbre?
I've checked out the "tone" profile on the Dual Coils vs. the Big Singles & decided to stick with the BS, but would really like the humbucking of the Dual Coils.
Surely the Dual Coils have more output, which I've found true of my PFR (Passive Full Range) humbuckers in my SR eXtreme.
 
#19
This is an old-ish thread however I need to say the issue could be the active pre. I've run both Big Singles and Big Splits in my GGS basses with passive VVT set-ups and get great old school rich tones. To me, and I've heard from others the Big Singles and Big Splits are really best passive. BTW, I can also get more modern tones with the tone control wide open and variations between the bridge and neck PU's.

Todd
 
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