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PJ with Musicman bridge pickup
- Thread starter SteveXFR
- Start date
Is anybody reading anything between the first and last comments on this thread? A lot of repeat suggestions being presented as brilliant new ideas 
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
![IMG_20200104_095220_025[1].jpg](/data/attachments/6278/6278495-9ac23383dc191c5b25d343dfe95829d3.jpg?hash=msIzg9wZHF)
Maruszczyk.
I am not sure I could play a bass whose name I cannot pronounce.
The worst part is I’m descended from Jewish immigrants from Poland. You’d think I would know.
Is it Mah-ROOSH-chick?
Guess I ought to check out the Maruszczyk Pronunciation Thread.
I am not sure I could play a bass whose name I cannot pronounce.
The worst part is I’m descended from Jewish immigrants from Poland. You’d think I would know.
Is it Mah-ROOSH-chick?
Guess I ought to check out the Maruszczyk Pronunciation Thread.
Even though it's not a P bass and doesnt have a P pickup, I'm making a hybrid to my taste.
Starts with a 2001 Peavey Cirrus, adding a Zen Blade, BigBladeMan, and J-Blade pickups from Nordstrand. Bridge is a Graphtech Ghost piezo, and it's all routed to a Nordstrand 3B preamp via a Freeway 5B5-01 10-way switch.
Overkill? Yes. Yes it is.
Here is a crappy pic I made of it in paint as a basic layout.yeah, it's not to scale.
More of the madness for those interested
Peavey FrankenCirrus mod thread
Starts with a 2001 Peavey Cirrus, adding a Zen Blade, BigBladeMan, and J-Blade pickups from Nordstrand. Bridge is a Graphtech Ghost piezo, and it's all routed to a Nordstrand 3B preamp via a Freeway 5B5-01 10-way switch.
Overkill? Yes. Yes it is.
Here is a crappy pic I made of it in paint as a basic layout.yeah, it's not to scale.
More of the madness for those interested
Peavey FrankenCirrus mod thread
Yeah, my bass has the same pickups and pickup location as the Nordstrand Dan Lutz. The P is in its traditional position and the MM is 1/16" or 1/32" back (I forget which) from it's traditional spot because those two positions just barely overlap on a P-bass and Stingray.
Here's what I'd say. If you want a true Stingray sound, that pickup needs to be in the Stingray position. Most P/MMs or J/MMs (from Sandberg, Kiesel, Lakland etc) push it closer to the bridge which gives a thinner, more nasal sound. It's not a bad tone (and it blends better with the neck P or J pickup) but it doesn't sound like a Stingray.
With the pickups right next to each other my bass gets a legit P bass sound and a legit Stingray sound. But the trade off is that I don't like the two blended all that much. Now, if I split my MM pickup to the rear coil only, then I dig the blended sound. It's just a thick PJ really.
So to me it's a trade off. MM closer to the bridge means a better sound with both the P and MM pickup on but I don't like the MM sound soloed as much. YMMV
You're welcome!
If it helps, the other trade off I should have mentioned is with the pickups themselves. A normal Stingray style pickup has lower resistance than a standard P pickup. So just buying one of each and sticking them in a bass may not give the results you want because the P will overpower the MM.
One fix is to try to balance them by raising the resistance of the MM (maybe by wiring it in series) or less commonly, lowering the resistance of the P (possibly wiring it in parallel like some EMG pickups). Either change also affects the sound of the pickup somewhat.
And of course Pbasses are passive while the low impedence MM pickup was made to be used with a preamp, specifically the Stingray preamp. Most P/MMs are active and use their own preamp which changes things a bit more.
Like I said, it's all a compromise.
My bass has a pretty normal P pickup but the MM is actually a Nordstrand BigMan which is two of their Big Singles pickups in a MM case so it matches the P pickup well. And because of the position that pickup gets pretty decent Stingray tones, but they aren't exact. And the preamp is a Pope which isn't exactly like a MM Stingray preamp but does have a passive mode and tone knob which helps with P-bass sounds.
So to conclude all this, I'd say anyone who is considering a custom P/MM build should think about the following:
1) Do you want more of a legit Stingray tone or more of a legit P-bass tone? Because to get one you'll have to sacrifice the other.
2) Do you care more about the sound of the P-bass and MM pickups soloed, or the sound of them blended?
My bass definitely does a great P, a decent but fatter PJ, and a pseudo Stingray. The front coil of the BigMan also has its own vibe.
But if I wanted a bass with a legit Stingray sound I'd have the pickups in the same positions but get one of Delano's vintage style MM pickups and then one of their P pickups with the MM-style pole pieces that match well with their MM pickup and put in a legit Stingray preamp from Nordstrand or John East.
If I didn't care about either the P or MM pickup having the traditional sound and wanted the pickups to blend well I'd buy a bass from Sandberg, Kiesel or any of the others that push their MM pickup near the bridge and use their own in house 3-band preamp.
I recently picked up a fretless bass on Craigslist, and it clearly had been modified to replace the old P pickup with a MM style Bartolini. I was wondering the same thing - could I fit in a P pickup as well. Looks like it might be too tight and as others have suggested here, I would have to move the P forward just a bit. The Bartolini is passive.
I almost bought that bass. Unfortunately, every single one I tried hummed like crazy. But honestly, the nicest sounding bass made by Fender!
This is the sort of thing Kent Armstrong could do. He's the son of legend Dan Armstrong. He has a line of retail pickups and he does custom builds in upstate NY. Great guy who makes a fabulous pickup. His custom stuff is sealed in epoxy as that's the way he can make various shapes, so I don't see why it couldn't be made to happen.
FWIW to anyone who plans to make their own, I have a jazz bass modded with a P in traditional position and a musicman in the J position (further back than it'd be on a stingray). As much as I monkey with the controls, I often just go back to the P and forget the humbucker. Three things I might try differently before giving up on it or would consider differently next time:
1. Wiring the humbucker parallel instead of series. I was afraid passive-parallel would be too weak, but passive-series is so mid-heavy you can't do anything with it.
2. Moving the humbucker right behind the P. I don't care if it looks stupid, I don't get good tone where it's at
3. Using active electronics (or more realistically, just getting a sterling and putting a P in that).
1. Wiring the humbucker parallel instead of series. I was afraid passive-parallel would be too weak, but passive-series is so mid-heavy you can't do anything with it.
2. Moving the humbucker right behind the P. I don't care if it looks stupid, I don't get good tone where it's at
3. Using active electronics (or more realistically, just getting a sterling and putting a P in that).
Thanks a lot. I did this in 2005.The reverse P is in the right spot but the MM had to be moved back to accommodate the route without chipping. 1/4"? I defy anyone to tell me it's "off the sweet spot" by listening to it. I don't know whether they still offer the carved top - back then it was an option. Mine is a one piece upgraded AAAAA top (back then that was a $250 upcharge). I don't believe they do one piece anymore, but do book matched for better grain consistency. I'm very lucky to have gotten a great piece.
