P2 Sized Pickup Suggestions for Dual/Single Coil Switching

[5StringPocket]

I have a 5-string bass with ash body, pau ferro fingerboard, split coil pickups, and a Sadowsky 4-knob preamp. I like the bass a lot but the tone is quite a bit brighter than expected. Replacing the DR Pure Blue strings with GHS Pressurewounds helped a bit and the passive tone is good with the tone control rolled back about half way, but the Sadowsky preamp naturally adds some brightness and isn't very useful at this point.

My first inclination is to replace the split coil pickups with a set of P2 size Sadowsky soapbar pickups. These are used in the Sadowsky M5-24 bass and pair well with their preamp. These pickups have good articulation but not as bright a top end which I think would be a better fit for this instrument. They have a 2-conductor cable which suggests the coils are wired in series.
Sadowsky Soapbar Humbucker Bass Pickup Set, Dual Coil, 5-String - Bridge & Neck

I was wondering if there were any other P2 size 5-string pickups with a similar warm-but-punchy voice and parallel coils which could be wired to a DPDT switch to select neck/bridge or inner/outer coils (both hum-cancelling pairs) to the balance pot as shown below? Dual coil mode is a is a bit thicker with single coil being more open tonally. The switch and balance control working together should provide a good variety of tones.

Nordstrand dual coils wired for parallel seems like a logical starting point, but they seem to be on the bright side so I was wondering if Bartolini might be a better choice?
I'm looking for solid lows and low mids and good presence in the midrange for finger style but a more subdued treble. The Sadowsky pre can provide more edge if needed.
Delano makes some good pickups but they seem to have more treble than the Barts.
Kent Armstrong USA dual coils are well regarded for sounding good in both dual coil and single coil mode but might also be on the bright side.
Any observations or suggestions from personal experience would be appreciated.

 

[sikamikanico]

It does sound like Barts might fit what you're looking for. I'd say maybe Aguilar, but they're hardwired in series... Perhaps also Delanos?

But if you're willing to experiment some, I'd try load the pickups with small caps and resistors, to shape the resonant peak some. Very inexpensive, and can wire it to a switch (or a few) to have options.

 

[5StringPocket]

It does sound like Barts might fit what you're looking for. I'd say maybe Aguilar, but they're hardwired in series... Perhaps also Delanos?

But if you're willing to experiment some, I'd try load the pickups with small caps and resistors, to shape the resonant peak some. Very inexpensive, and can wire it to a switch (or a few) to have options.

I'm not willing to experiment with caps and resistors on an expensive new bass. It looks like the original Bart P25C might have the right voicing - not hifi on their own but the Sadowsky pre can add that. Public Peace has the most comprehensive collection of videos I've found showcasing Bartolini and Delano pickups. The Delanos sound great but seem to have a bit more clarity and top end.

 

[sikamikanico]

I'm not willing to experiment with caps and resistors on an expensive new bass. It looks like the original Bart P25C might have the right voicing - not hifi on their own but the Sadowsky pre can add that. Public Peace has the most comprehensive collection of videos I've found showcasing Bartolini and Delano pickups. The Delanos sound great but seem to have a bit more clarity and top end.

Yeah, Public Peace videos are great!

To be clear, you don't have to modify the bass to experiment with capacitors and resistors. I believe the Sad preamp allows for passive operation, so you can do experiments on an outboard basis. Here's probably the simplest way: if you have a cable with a plug where you can unscrew the cover (and expose the wires; see pic below), you just need a couple alligator clip leads and some low value caps, and you connect them between tip and sleeve. I'd aim for capacitor values in the 330-3300 pF range (just get a bunch with different values, they're cheap). You can also get some small resistors, or a 25k or 50k pot (variable resistor!) to place in series with the cap(s), but I find it that a tone pot will do that just fine for the most part. If you find a combination of components that works well, you can just hardwire them and tuck everything into the electronics cavity (but this allows no tone adjustment).

Of course, this may seem like a "bandaid." I come from the perspective where I want to do everything I can passively, and this approach works great with a bright pickup. But if you have an active pre, it may be simpler to just get darker pickups...

 

[5StringPocket]

I can see how this would work, especially if you found a set of values that shift it where you want or use a switch to give some options. I'm going to try and record a few sound samples for a baseline in case I swap in another pickup set to see what the change is like.

 

[ragetoca]

Stay away from Barts. The Aguilar DCBs are very similar to Sadowsky

 

[iplay5strings]

The only barts that come to mind for the tone/capability you are asking for are the 2J Squared. They are quad coils setup as 2 hum-cancelling J's in a soap bar, so even when you coil split, they are still hum-cancelling. They have a much more subdued treble when set to parallel humbucker from all the comb-filetring due to the quad coil design, but are still very clear for fingerstyle.

 

[Lonnybass]

Question. Does your Sadowsky preamp have the Vintage Tone Control (VTC)? Because that is the best way to tame your highs.