• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Real Barts....yes they are THAT good

K

KingCrimson

Oct 6, 2008
438
21
#1
So i have a Peavey Milestone IV that i used for college in my jazz combo and for jamming with fellow students.

It was my first bass but plays like a DREAM, thin tapered neck and is very comfortable, but over the years its gotten beaten up. I used it stock until my combo teacher eq'ed the amp flat and hated the tone, comparing my old beaten up bass to a boat anchor.

Too bad, i decided to upgrade it with a new p bass pickup. So i looked around only to find that everything here in Canada is overpriced at around 100$ a pickup (stock fenders even). So i figured out that the only bass that is not inflated ridiculously by price is the bartolini 8s p bass pickup.

Bought it, got it installed, bass setup and got some new chromes put on.



HOLY CRAP!!!:eek: What a tone!

Played some jazz and had a great thump with the tone rolled up only a bit and volume a bit less then full....played some metal with my band my god it was perfect metal tone! All i did was roll up the volume and tone up all the way.

This was my first bass and now i think i got my P bass tone covered:D
 
#3
ps man i checked out your band and you guys are pretty sick. i "sing" in a thrash band and we're gonna be doing a few dates in Canada. Montreal is on the list, maybe we could get you guys on the bill... if not, you should come to the show anyway.
Link Removed
 
#4
MarshallLaw said:
Barts are awesome! i plan on buying a Squier VM P and putting some Barts in it for my next bass.
Click to expand...

I've been in love with Barts forever! But I hate to tell you guys this, there are people here on this forum who HATE Barts. They'll bad mouth the tone from one end to the other. Yeah, I don't know what is the matter with their musical taste, but I just thought I'd warn you!
 
#5
MarshallLaw said:
ps man i checked out your band and you guys are pretty sick. i "sing" in a thrash band and we're gonna be doing a few dates in Canada. Montreal is on the list, maybe we could get you guys on the bill... if not, you should come to the show anyway.
Link Removed
Click to expand...

DOWN!


As well, thats totally cool. TB is a lot like that though....there are fads here, i remember 2 3 years ago when barts were "IN". I could not be more satisfied though.


TONE IS SUBJECTIVE
 
#7
What's the sound like? I bought some seymour duncan quarterpounders (SPB-3) and while I like the hotness, it's not TOO big of an improvement over my stock pickups...I mean, it's cleared and certainly has less hum, but it's not the tone I'm looking for. I like the fat, low down gritty bite-y tones. Would you suggest this pickup?
 
#8
bart is one of many good pu out there...
i personally dislike the sound, but ironically im stuck with couple of bart and try to live with it since i dont have the budget to swap em..
tone is subjective.. and i dont say bart is inferior to the others...just dont like em thats all..
 
#9
I put a Bart 8CBP set in P-style bass I have, and I am really, really happy with them. I got them because I have an old Precision with Hi-A pickups in it (the original Bartolini pickups from the 70s; later he started selling them under his own name) and I really loved how it sounded.

Tonally, I would describe them as warm and thick without the upper-mid honkiness I hear in lots of pickups. They still have plenty of treble response, but it's true treble less than high mids, and I think a lot of people equate "bright" with high mids rather than treble response. If you're looking for a P-bass tone to lay down a nice heavy foundation, these would be great. I don't think they'd be as great for a "lead bass" tone.
 
#11
I have a PJ set (8s 9j) I installed in my 80s Cort neckthru headless right after I bought it. Chuck King describes them exactly. Great pickups. Although the last few years I've become a fan of Kent Armstrongs. I've worn out the frets on the Cort so the Barts are going to be pulled out for my next project. I flip a lot gear, but the Barts aren't going anywhere.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back