Nordstrand Dual Blade Neo's

[Tewest86]

What do you guys think about the neo's in the MTD 535 vs the standard Customs Bartolini picks?

 

[mikezimmerman]

Hey, I'm looking for some more feedback on these pickups, particularly from folks who are also familiar with Barts.

I'm considering pickups options for an upcoming Cliff Bordwell build, and had been looking at the new Aguilar Super Doubles (among other things). But I'm really happy with the sound of the Bart quad-coils in my Curbow 6, and so I'm thinking I should really be looking for something with a similar basic sound. The videos, especially of the black Jazz (Lull?) and the MTD really caught me ear, since I'm pretty familiar with (and love) the standard Bart-equipped MTD tone.

Of course, the Curbow is a really unique beast, with a fully hollow mahogany/zebrawood body, a Rockwood composite neck, and a heavy brass tone block under the bridge, so it's hard to know how much of the tone to attribute to the pickups. But if I could find something with a similar basic tone profile to go into the new CB, but maybe taming the low mids just a bit, with bigger lows (like the Lull Jazz) while opening up the highs just a touch, I'd be really happy.

What do you think? Might the Dual Blades do the trick? The CB will have a maple neck with ebony board, makore body, and myrtle top, if that helps.

I wonder, do the EMG 40-sized versions in the MTD demo sound any different from the P2-sizes versions, since the pickup is a bit wider?

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Nordstrand and Aguilar make fantastic pickups. I don't have the Neo Blades, but have experience with the Big Splits, NJ4S & SE, and the NP5v/NJ5SE set. For your situation I also wouldn't rule out hand wound Kent Armstrong pickups. They are fantastic and versatile. I have a J/MM set, but the J is really a SS, which is sort of like a sidewinder only splittable to series/single/parallel. Kent Armstrong has been as it for a long time and his pickups are not sterile and bland like some companies. But, if you order them from WD you're getting his Korean imported line...not the same as the hand wounds!!!

 

[mikezimmerman]

Thanks for the recommendation, Dave!

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Thanks for the recommendation, Dave!

I have no doubt the Nordstrands are fantastic. I love mine (don't have the blades though). But when I was looking to upgrade my Bart-equipped basses I went with the Kent Armstrongs and couldn't be happier. The Aguilar Super Doubles are in series so I don't think they will give you the tone you want, but I only you can be the judge of that.

 

[TapyTap]

I have a J/MM set, but the J is really a SS, which is sort of like a sidewinder only splittable to series/single/parallel.

I've wanted Carey to take a stab at a single blade sidewinder for some time. Hopefully, he will do that soon.

Your Armstrong J sounds very interesting...

 

[mikezimmerman]

I had some sidewinders made by Aaron Armstrong in the ACG I had a while ago and actually didn't care for them all that much. Guess I just really prefer the wider aperture sound...

 

[narud]

while the ag super doubles are wired in series, theyre brighter and more open than parallel wound duncan dual coils. you cant really judge them by how theyre hard wired.

 

[mikezimmerman]

Thanks for the feedback on the Ags, narud. Any chance you've had a chance to play with the Dual Blades, especially if you can compare them to Bart dual or quad coils?

 

[DaveAceofBass]

I had some sidewinders made by Aaron Armstrong in the ACG I had a while ago and actually didn't care for them all that much. Guess I just really prefer the wider aperture sound...

I don't know if what I have is truly a sidewinder I just know that calls it the SS

 

[mikezimmerman]

I'm really leaning towards these in my upcoming CB build. Does anyone know (Carey?) if the EMG/MTD version of the blades is identical to the P2-sized ones internally, or if they have a wider aperture to match the wider size of the casing?

 

[maurilio]

I'm really leaning towards these in my upcoming CB build. Does anyone know (Carey?) if the EMG/MTD version of the blades is identical to the P2-sized ones internally, or if they have a wider aperture to match the wider size of the casing?

if you mean the distance between the two blades, yes the EMG are a little wider.
The MTD pickup is also not the same (coil wise) standard/stock blade EMG/P.

 

[mikezimmerman]

Thanks. Some makers put same basic pickup into wider casings without spreading the coils out any further, but if the MTD version of these spreads the coils a bit further, that's what I'm looking for.

 

[maurilio]

as I said, the MTD version is not the same as the regular blade. It is wound differently.

It actually make sense to have the same pickup with same specs in either wide or narrow soapbar to preserve the sound (identical for both size)…(to me anyways)

 

[Carey]

I don't think Mike wants the actual low impedance MTD version we make. He just wants the EMG sized covers. They are wider spaced than the Bart size version we make.

 

[maurilio]

right on!

 

[mikezimmerman]

Thanks for the clarification, Carey! I love Michael Tobias' work, but I know he uses custom Bart electronics and at one point was using active low-impedence Bart pickups, so it wouldn't surprise me if that required special replacement pickups as well.

I wasn't sure if 1) the MTD 535 with the Nordstrand Neo Blades that has appeared in the video was using a custom pickup specifically for MTD rather than the "standard" Blade, and 2) if the "standard" Blades were actually slightly different depending on whether they were going in Bart P2 or EMG 40 cases.

It sounds like the answer is "yes" to both. I'm not going to be using MTD-spec Bart electronics, so the MTD version of the pickup doesn't make sense, but I think that going with the slightly wider coil spacing of the EMG 40 version of the pickup seems like what I'm looking for.

Carey, as I'm looking at the specs that are shaping up for the CB bass that I have commissioned, I realize that it is turning out very much like an updated version of the wonderful SC5 you built for me many years ago. Alas, the current owner of that bass has made it clear that he'll never let it go...

 

[Carey]

Thanks for the clarification, Carey! I love Michael Tobias' work, but I know he uses custom Bart electronics and at one point was using active low-impedence Bart pickups, so it wouldn't surprise me if that required special replacement pickups as well.

I wasn't sure if 1) the MTD 535 with the Nordstrand Neo Blades that has appeared in the video was using a custom pickup specifically for MTD rather than the "standard" Blade, and 2) if the "standard" Blades were actually slightly different depending on whether they were going in Bart P2 or EMG 40 cases.

It sounds like the answer is "yes" to both. I'm not going to be using MTD-spec Bart electronics, so the MTD version of the pickup doesn't make sense, but I think that going with the slightly wider coil spacing of the EMG 40 version of the pickup seems like what I'm looking for.

Carey, as I'm looking at the specs that are shaping up for the CB bass that I have commissioned, I realize that it is turning out very much like an updated version of the wonderful SC5 you built for me many years ago. Alas, the current owner of that bass has made it clear that he'll never let it go...

Cool Mike! Yeah, my basses seem to find pretty good homes these days. I am building more, but I'm very low volume with everything else I have to deal with these days and the prices are reflective of that.

I do hope you end up with a killer CB bass that delivers the tone you have in your head. And Cliff is one of my favorite builders. Wonderful stuff!

 

[Tewest86]

Does anybody have any samples of the neos besides that MTD video I posted?

 

[mikezimmerman]

Does anybody have any samples of the neos besides that MTD video I posted?

There are two other videos earlier in this thread, of a Nordstrand and a Lull Jazx