Are the Zen Blades radiused like the other Nordie Blades (14” std) to give them a good string to string balance?
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Nordstrand Zen Blade
- Thread starter sikamikanico
- Start date
Different structures behave differently... the big blades have to have a radius to be balanced output wise, but the zen blades, because of the two coils’s phase cancellation, have to be flat to compensate for even output.
Just came across this video... fretless with TI flats!
Shame the sound clips in a few places, as being an MGBass owner I'm a fan of seeing/hearing them in the wild. For a passive setup & no EQ, there's a couple settings with a whole lot of funk in there!
I'm putting a few dimes away every so often for a pair of these or some other Nordys for my Ibanez SRSC805. My G string is oddly loud, and I think it's because of either string proximity (my action hugs the fretboard radius) or the Bartolini Mk-1 pickups being built to overcompensate for G string weakness...so being flat vs some of the radiused pickups is something I need to figure out decision-wise.
Another convert to the Zen Blades here!.
I chose them to replace the Bartollini BH2s on my Inane SRMS805. While they sounded pretty good, I thought that they sounded a little dark and lacking in upper frequencies for slap-style pkaying and sounded a little veiled.
I've just dropped the Zen Blade 6 into my bass and just roughed out the pickup heights. My are wound for series mode and although I may think about adding series/parallel mini toggles later, they sound really great as they are.
Outputs seems a bit higher than the BH2s and the tone is very even. The sound is balanced and clear with a nice open mid. I'm using the stock Ibanez pre and there is a wide range of tones on tap. I'm impressed!.
I did it in a rush before going away for a few days, but I very much like what I heard on first impressions and will post some sound clips later when back at home.
Cheers,
Alex
I chose them to replace the Bartollini BH2s on my Inane SRMS805. While they sounded pretty good, I thought that they sounded a little dark and lacking in upper frequencies for slap-style pkaying and sounded a little veiled.
I've just dropped the Zen Blade 6 into my bass and just roughed out the pickup heights. My are wound for series mode and although I may think about adding series/parallel mini toggles later, they sound really great as they are.
Outputs seems a bit higher than the BH2s and the tone is very even. The sound is balanced and clear with a nice open mid. I'm using the stock Ibanez pre and there is a wide range of tones on tap. I'm impressed!.
I did it in a rush before going away for a few days, but I very much like what I heard on first impressions and will post some sound clips later when back at home.
Cheers,
Alex
Looks awesome! Glad they are using a standard pickup size on the newer SRMS.
The routing is a fractionally tight fit, but works (just). If you look at the photo, the strings sit over the black boys where the cover segments the blades, which avoids visual issues using a six string pickup on a five string, inclined at an angle.
Would very odd otherwise..
Alex, I like what you did there and had the same thoughts about my Ibanez SRMS805 so I ordered a pair of P4 size Zen Blades for mine. I'd like to route these through a pair of series/parallel switches, a 250k ungrounded M/N blend, and 250k stacked volume/tone into a Dark Glass Tone Capsule. I like the Tone Capsule EQ points (70, 500, 2.8k) but want a passive tone as well. I have a 50k pot with DPDT switch for bass/bypass. Here is the wiring diagram I am planning to discuss with the tech for installation.
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Looks good beside the stacked V/T. On the volume you wanna reverse hot and ground (unless you are lefty
)
A final check with the volt/ohm meter and both pots found one more wiring change was needed to make the controls work as designed with correct directions of rotation. Here is the drawing and instructions I provided with the parts for my SRMS805 upgrade:
This has turned out to be a big improvement! The Zen Blades have a clear, balanced, and focused tone that is present but not at all harsh. I definitely prefer them to the Bartolini BH2. The M/N ungrounded blend has no volume drop in center position. The Tone Capsule is an excellent match for these pickups and takes the sound to the next level. It's tone is lively, not overdriven and the eq points seem to let it sit very well in the mix. The bass control makes the low end full but not bloated. I like it. The passive tone is icing on the cake and very useful with the Tone Capsule. I had a Dingwall NG2 which I sold because it had a harshness to the tone I didn't care for. The passive tone and 2.8k high mid work very well together to shape the high end. I think this should be included as an option in the Darkglass wiring configurations.
The one thing I did find is hum when one pickup is in series and the other in parallel but the system is quiet with both pickups in either series or parallel. Not a big enough concern for me to chase it down. My SRMS805 has a stable neck, good sustain, no dead spots, and is very comfortable to play. This major tone upgrade makes it a keeper.
The one thing I did find is hum when one pickup is in series and the other in parallel but the system is quiet with both pickups in either series or parallel. Not a big enough concern for me to chase it down. My SRMS805 has a stable neck, good sustain, no dead spots, and is very comfortable to play. This major tone upgrade makes it a keeper.
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Series is fuller and fatter with more mids. Parallel is more detailed and not quite as thick sounding. Both are quite useful and the volume difference is not as pronounced as other pickups I've tried with the S/P switch. Parallel with the Tone Capsule on sounds excellent with passive tone used to dial back some of the sizzle. Running passive I like series with no passive cut.
Mounting evidence for my desire to try a set of these wired in series in my fretless.
you might also wanna consider a set of BigRigs in series for a fretless!Mounting evidence for my desire to try a set of these wired in series in my fretless.
you might also wanna consider a set of BigRigs in series for a fretless!
Mo! You're killin me!
I've been looking at those too!I've got a fretted 5'er with Big Splits. Been wondering what it'd be like to swap just the neck pickup out for a Big Rig.
Mo! You're killin me!
I've got a fretted 5'er with Big Splits. Been wondering what it'd be like to swap just the neck pickup out for a Big Rig.
I was thinking a BR at the bridge! .... Do what I have ever done since... forever... buy both (or three), try them out, sell the one you don't want! (I think I've sold dozens of pups here on TB)
