Nordstrand Zen Blade

[Todd GT5]

Hi Todd, are they punchy if needed?

I would say they can be plenty punchy. Note that I'm running some old school-ish flats(and a 37" B string) that have a punchy - kick drum-ish thump! I would say that these pickups don't over-react, but allow utilizing hand position and attack to shine through.

Todd

 

[5StringPocket]

Since series and parallel both sound good, has anyone tried series/parallel switches with a set of these?

 

[Larchi]

View attachment 3131350
Well I got them last night! I had taken out the original pickups and wiring over the weekend so I was able to drop them in and wire them up quickly. I used a prewired passive VVT from BBG and wired the pickups in series.

It's early in the process, but so far I am very pleased! They are very open and they do maintain a transparent "flat" response. It will be difficult to judge detailed differences with my Big Splits and Big Singles I had before due to the bass being so different. There is definitely a similarity to the Big Splits. Probably slightly smoother and flatter. The evenness across the fret board is remarkable!

Todd

Are you still happy with the pickups? - I'm thinking of getting a set for my 6-string.
Does it pick up the C string well?
Do you have it it the standard serial mode?

 

[Todd GT5]

Are you still happy with the pickups? - I'm thinking of getting a set for my 6-string.
Does it pick up the C string well?
Do you have it it the standard serial mode?

Hello Larchi,
I am still very happy with the Zen pick-ups! I'm using this bass as my main bass now. The C string is excellent also and I'm actually using it a lot now. Yes, I have it in standard series wiring.

Thanks

 

[Daniele Camarda]

Here 2 clips with the zen on serie.

 

[Maiden Bass]

A big thank you goes out to Mo, Carey, Adrian and everyone else at Nordstrand Audio!

Super excellent work and a super fast turnaround!
My bass shipped back to me today and I'll have it on Saturday!

I highly recommend these guys to do ANY work you want or need done!

You can trust them 100% with any bass!

I sent them my brand new Spector as soon as it arrived from the Spector factory!

Zen Blades wired in series, along with their 3 band preamp and full shielding!

 

[Toptube]

A big thank you goes out to Mo, Carey, Adrian and everyone else at Nordstrand Audio!

Super excellent work and a super fast turnaround!
My bass shipped back to me today and I'll have it on Saturday!

I highly recommend these guys to do ANY work you want or need done!

You can trust them 100% with any bass!

I sent them my brand new Spector as soon as it arrived from the Spector factory!

Zen Blades wired in series, along with their 3 band preamp and full shielding!

View attachment 3278246
View attachment 3278247

OK but what is your first 5 seconds tone impressions!?!?!?

>_>

 

[sikamikanico]

OK but what is your first 5 seconds tone impressions!?!?!?

>_>

I think we’ll have to wait until this weekend

 

[Toptube]

haha I'm a dummny

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I do kind of wonder if this design gets closer to a single-coil sound than a split-coil design.
The main reason I haven't switched my Big Singles for Splits is because I'm afraid of losing that single-coil zing.

DOH!
not sure why I'm wondering, I can just compare their stats on the Nordstrand site

 

[Toptube]

I do kind of wonder if this design gets closer to a single-coil sound than a split-coil design.
The main reason I haven't switched my Big Singles for Splits is because I'm afraid of losing that single-coil zing.

DOH!
not sure why I'm wondering, I can just compare their stats on the Nordstrand site

 

[Maiden Bass]

OK but what is your first 5 seconds tone impressions!?!?!?

>_>

Package just arrived back from Nordstrand Audio and DANG did those guys pack the bass well! They even put wrapping paper between the strings and the frets and used a ton of extra protection in the box!

A super big thank you to Nordstrand Audio and Mo's Shop!!!

So even though I received this bass a couple days before Christmas, today is technically my New Bass Day!!!
Woohoo!!!

Haven't plugged it in yet, I will tonight I promise, have to watch the NFL Playoffs right now!

 

[Toptube]

HOW THE HECK do you NOT plug that thing in right away???

I mean, I guess some people love the football. but there are commercial breaks and half time!!!

>_>
<_<
^_^

 

[Toptube]

Either there's a problem or football is a hell of a drug

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The game probably is still in overtime. They tend to do that every time there's a program on AFTER the game that I want to watch

 

[sikamikanico]

Maybe he tried them and is now “centered on a plane of echoed clarity” and “at one with the face of the musical universe,” and simply has no interest in responding to worldly things such as Talkbass threads

 

[Killed_by_Death]

That's how I was with the Big Singles, spent my time playing when I got my SR Premium, less time talking/posting about it.

 

[Maiden Bass]

HOW THE HECK do you NOT plug that thing in right away???

I mean, I guess some people love the football. but there are commercial breaks and half time!!!

>_>
<_<
^_^

 

[Maiden Bass]

Here is a quick update with my thoughts about the new Nordstrand Zen Blades. First no hum when you have them on at different levels!

I think the tone is really outstanding and has a very strong fingerstyle sound (sorry I don't play slap or pick so can't comment on those styles).

I have to say that I actually love the passive tone of these pickups, its so solid of a tone you actually don't really miss anything when switching from active to passive mode, which for me I find extremely rare, as most pickups are not this strong tonally. I would also describe the tone as better suited towards any style where you really need to cut through the mix because it does have a strong attack. Overall though it is very balanced between the lows, mids, and highs.

I think this pickup is a winner and probably suited best for basses with a flatter radius fingerboard, and if you have maybe a 7 to 10 inch radius then you might want to look at the Big Blades instead of the Zen Blades.

Also, if you love passive mode, or are wanting to make a switch from active to passive on a bass then I would definitely put these on the top of your list!

Hope this helps!



And FYI even though these are really great pickups, I am not 100% sure that they are the right sound for where I play now (a large church) so I may decide to try something else and could end up listing these for a great price in the classifieds, so if anyone is wanting the Bart BC size Zen Blades then shoot me a PM and if I decide to sell them you will be first in line.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

When the EQ is flat on my SR Premium, switching to passive sounds exactly the same as active & the Big Singles sound great on their own.
Maybe one day I'll give the ZB a try.