Pups for 6 string fretless

[wsal]

Hi all
I'm building a 6 string fretless bass, and I want some opinions on pickups!
I'll admit to not knowing much at all about the qualities associated with different brands, so make no assumptions there! As for the tone I'm after, I'd like a nice present modern sound with a bit of midrange-Jimmy Haslip, Alain Caron and Richard Bona are some players whose sound I like (although I have a pretty limited scope for tone references -the Jaco big band album 'The Word is Out!' is my main port-of-call for bass sounds! Just can't really find much in the CD shops around here...)
I'd like to be able to roll back to the bridge p/u and get some nice Gerald Veasley/Jaco Pastorius-esque growl, and also roll off the tone for a nice unobtrusive sound for walking lines.
Cheers
Will

 

[fullrangebass]

Seymour Duncan, Norstrand, even some Bartolinis come to mind for that type of tone (not overly hi-fi, with a bit of mid-growl). Another interesting approach would be the John East filter based preamp (approximating the Wal preamp side of things)

 

[Belka]

I'd say you need a set of Bartolini soapbars. There are lots of different ones available but they all have that nice midrange growl and modern sound. To be honest though, outside the states they are really expensive. I looked into buying a set (quad-coils for 5 string) in the UK recently and was quoted over 300 pounds (that's around $600 with the current exchange rate. Even if they have an Australian dealer I'd look into ordering direct from the US.

Seymour Duncan basslines are available everywhere, sensibly priced, and sound good as well. I'd recommend the Stage One active soapbar.

A lot of folks will probably chime in with Nordstrand. They are great pickups and really the flavour of the month at the moment. To be honest though, I've tried the fatstacks and they sound very trebly ; great slap sound, but I prefer the Bartolinis for fingerstyle. Maybe the basses I tried were just very trebly.

 

[wsal]

Yeah cool, I was getting the impression that I should steer away from EMGs. I have the HZs in my Spector and they're nice pickups, just don't sound suited to the fretless sound.

I'm also just wondering if there's a science to pickup placement? Stupid question! There's a science to pretty much everything. I should say, are there practicable methods for finding optimum placement based on variables such as locations of harmonic nodes on the string etc.?
Cheers
Will

 

[toobalicious]

I'm also just wondering if there's a science to pickup placement? Stupid question! There's a science to pretty much everything. I should say, are there practicable methods for finding optimum placement based on variables such as locations of harmonic nodes on the string etc.?
Cheers
Will

hmm, interesting question which i cant answer for you. it seems that the answer would be yes--- for a given string length. it appears to me that the variables would change for every fretted note, all of the way up the neck. maybe an average could be calculated to achieve the most harmonic content via placement? then again, the magnetic field (and thus pickup pattern) is wider than some might think. moot point?

thinking about this also made me wonder about the implications of phase relationship between two pickups, as changed by altering placement. ive seen basses with pickups very close together, and ones where they are spread from the end of the neck pocket to very close to the bridge. too bad the grabber only had one pickup, lol.

while i have never built an instrument from scratch (other than a washtub bass, but i digress), i have added pickups to several. general considerations aside, i didnt address placement with this precision.



i mean, subscribed!

 

[fullrangebass]

I'd say you need a set of Bartolini soapbars.
A lot of folks will probably chime in with Nordstrand. They are great pickups and really the flavour of the month at the moment. To be honest though, I've tried the fatstacks and they sound very trebly ; great slap sound, but I prefer the Bartolinis for fingerstyle. Maybe the basses I tried were just very trebly.

If you like Barts then you'd fall in love with Villex pickups in terms of depth and fullness (not sounding muddy or generic), but Villex pickups are a different sound from the modern sound with a bit of mid-range (even though you can get that sound by using the mid-control)

 

[toobalicious]

thinking about this also made me wonder about the implications of phase relationship between two pickups, as changed by altering placement. ive seen basses with pickups very close together, and ones where they are spread from the end of the neck pocket to very close to the bridge. too bad the grabber only had one pickup, lol.

i am surprised that no one has an opinion on this?