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Pickup Mod On My Roscoe Fretless

RocketMusic

RocketMusic

Gold Supporting Member
Commercial User
Oct 31, 2007
10,754
8,929
Blacksburg, VA
www.rocketmusic.net
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Owner, Rocket Music
#1
I'm trying to get a little more oomph in the mid-range out of my Roscoe FL. I'm also trying to get a little more output overall, since my fretted Roscoe (with Joe Bardens) is quite a bit louder than my fretless. The volume discrepancy is a pain in the butt when I switch instruments on a gig, and I currently have to max both mid controls on my FL's Audere pre to get the mwah I want... waaaahhhh, right? :help:

Anyway, by most accounts, the Nordstrand Fat Stacks that I originally settled on for the fretless were a poor choice. So I called Nordstrand and related my experience vs. my wants, and they recommended I try the Dual-Coils run in Series. The DCs should provide both the higher output overall as well as more prounounced mids. So what the heck? I'm game to try something different if they are :hyper:

Adding just a hint of complexity is the fact that I ordered Ebony covers with the original Fat Stacks, and I really want those covers to stay on the bass no matter which pickup solution I ultimately go with. Since I'm replacing Nordstrand guts with new Nordstrand guts, there's no size issue. The DC guts will drop right into the Ebony covers once I remove the Fat Stack guts.

The new DC guts showed up today (they're still in the plastic baggies in the pic), and tonight I was able to get everything pretty much ready to wire up first thing tomorrow morning (I want Danny to do that for me, he's the soldering pro around here). Here she is on the bench, anxiously awaiting Dr. Danny.

3006-PICKUP-CHANGE.jpg


The wood covers were a SUPER snug fit, so much so that it took me almost a half hour to get the pickups out of the body. They were wedged in there something fierce. Once I got them out, I promptly sanded them on all 4 sides to give me a little breathing room when they go back in. A couple coats of rub-on poly later, and they're looking good as new (and they now fit MUCH better, yeah!).

Hopefully, we'll be able to crank out a sound clip tomorrow to hear the difference! :bassist:
 
#3
Yeah, I think Fat Stacks actually have a bit of a mid cut to them, so they're really not a good idea for fretless. The Series DCs are supposed to have a decent mid boost plus a whole lot more output (so much so that some folks complain about them pulling their strings out of intonation, thanks to the big/strong magnets in the DCs).

We shall see tomorrow! I'm actually pretty optimistic. I've heard a bunch of Roscoes with DCs in 'em that sounded amazing. I won't inflate Gard's ego by saying one of them was his... well, OK, I will. His DC-equipped bass is ridiculous. And Clint has a killer one, too.

But if the DCs don't do it, I'll be heading back to Joe Barden. I'll just have to convince them to make their guts fit in my Ebony covers, which might not be an easy argument to win... I might need DB5 to negotiate for me. The dude can sell ice cubes to Eskimos...
 
#5
Good luck with the swap, Greg. I appreciate the pics, too. Always nice to see what's under the hood.

Question on the Bardens...and keep in mind I know very little about them...aren't they pretty much hotter than, well, anything? :D I've only heard good things about them (from you as well, of course), but the one common thread is that everyone seems to say, "Bardens? Oh man, the output is really hot!"
 
#6
Barden already makes a variety of bass pickups, just none that fit in a soapbar package... they'd have to do some mechanical work to cram their pickups in these covers... I'm sure they could do it, I'm just not sure I can afford what they'd charge me to do it :)

And, yup, Jerry, Bardens are indeed hot. As I always like to say, there's more of everything with the Bardens: more mids, more lows, more highs. The passive Gadow that I have in stock, you'd almost swear it's active!

I think the series DCs should also be pretty darn hot. They've got massive magnets, so there's plenty of induction going on there...

And speaking of under the hood... I had no idea what to expect when I took the pickups out of the bass last night. Worst case, I figured the guts would have been potted in the covers (wax holding the guts in place). But the tolerances on these wood covers are nice and tight. The guts are a very snug fit, so there's no need for potting. The gaskets in the cavities push the guts up, and the exposed screws pull the covers down. Everything stays put, no rattles. Very cool!
 
#13
You know, Joe took the heat for me. :) I actually had it in mind to suggest Barts, but didn't want to muddy the waters since you'd already invested in the DC's. I've always been very hit-or-miss on the Nord DC's (and yes, I have a bass with them...ain't easy being me!), but the Barts....just like Samuel Adams....always a good decision. :D

Okay, and since I've exposed myself (shut up!) here, let me ask a dumb question, oh ye fan of Bardens. How about tossing a set of their 'standard' ones under those covers, but jammed up to the bridge side of each opening? You'd have hotness, and a greater emphasis on the upper mids just by the placement. Just a thought, and as always, my mind is a dangerous thing.
 
#14
VroomVroom said:
Okay, and since I've exposed myself (shut up!) here, let me ask a dumb question, oh ye fan of Bardens. How about tossing a set of their 'standard' ones under those covers, but jammed up to the bridge side of each opening? You'd have hotness, and a greater emphasis on the upper mids just by the placement. Just a thought, and as always, my mind is a dangerous thing.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, if I could get empty shells, and the Bardens fit under them, I'd give it a whirl.
 
#16
Yeah, I wish the stock Bardens would fit in the covers, but they don't. They're a molded J-bass pickup, so I'd either have to get jiggy with a jig saw or I'd need Barden to make me a custom set...

So the DCs are in now, and my initial reaction is that it's definitely an improvement. The mids are more prominent and the overall volume is louder, too. Now I'm going to marinate with them a bit and see if I LOVE the tone... recording a clip should help tell the tale...
 
#17
RocketMusic said:
Yeah, I wish the stock Bardens would fit in the covers, but they don't. They're a molded J-bass pickup, so I'd either have to get jiggy with a jig saw or I'd need Barden to make me a custom set...
Click to expand...
Are they wider than the soapbars, I honestly find that quite suprising.
RocketMusic said:
So the DCs are in now, and my initial reaction is that it's definitely an improvement. The mids are more prominent and the overall volume is louder, too. Now I'm going to marinate with them a bit and see if I LOVE the tone... recording a clip should help tell the tale...
Click to expand...

Great to hear that you're moving in the right direction. :cool:
 
#19
Darkstrike said:
Are they wider than the soapbars, I honestly find that quite suprising.


Great to hear that you're moving in the right direction. :cool:
Click to expand...

I know they're longer for sure, and I think they also might be wider than the Nordy guts thanks to the 4 screw tabs that stick out of the sides of each J pickup...
 

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