Replace pickups in beginner bass, or just replace it?

[Cheryl J]

I have a Yamaha RBX170 bass that I bought a long time ago. I've replaced all three potentiometers already because they all failed.

The pickups sound muddy. There's no treble or character. Is it worth investing in replacement P-J pickups? What would be a good choice that will sound a lot better without being ridiculously priced for such a modest instrument?

I've been looking over the TRBX605 and I'm concerned about remarks concerning the sound of the pickups. I'm wondering if most/all Yamaha basses have substandard pickups? This entry level bass of mine sounds particularly bad to me...

Another thing I noticed is that the split P pickup isn't level. The ends towards the center are raised. It seems like they tried to follow the contour of the neck but overcompensated dramatically. They aren't spring-loaded so I'd have to shim them to make them more level. The D string is much louder than the rest of the strings.

Firewood, or DIY? Your vote...

My other bass is a budget Ibanez fretless P-J that sounds okay with ground flats and I'm still hoping for a 5 string that doesn't weigh a ton and sounds/plays good.

Thanks.

 

[iiipopes]

How does it feel to play it? If it feels good to play it, then inexpensive replacement pickups might be the item. I have done that. If it doesn't do anything for you to play it, even imagining good tone coming out of it, then send it down the road.

 

[Cheryl J]

It plays okay. I wouldn't consider upgrading if it had problems. The question I have is what pickups will improve the sound without costing as much as a better bass would. I don't know much about replacement pickups.

 

[pepj]

Move up and onwards.
No point throwing good money at it, imv.

 

[el murdoque]

It's not firewood, but if you sold it and took the money you got plus the money you'd spend on a pair of pickups,
you'd find yourself looking at much nicer basses.

 

[Lobster11]

You could probably find some good used pickups in the TB classifieds for cheap.

 

[kalle74]

Before throwing more money at it, make sure you get the pickups adjusted properly. A piece of foam underneath pickups will act as a spring and will make the pickups adjustable. Experiment with thickness to find the right size. Also, are your strings old? Old strings lose their highs fast, so maybe try putting on new strings before investing in pickups.

 

[iiipopes]

It plays okay. I wouldn't consider upgrading if it had problems. The question I have is what pickups will improve the sound without costing as much as a better bass would. I don't know much about replacement pickups.

A pair of decent replacement pickups may start at @$140 for name-brand PJ sets (Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, etc.), less expensive for something like GFS. New, you can get these basses for @$240, including gig bag. So replacement pickups are already exceeding 1/2 of cost of a new bass. I can justify that because I gig and can write it off. But many recreational players or those on a limited budget cannot. Moreover, I think this is an active bass (do you have to put a battery in it?) It is usually the preamp that is muddy, and that is another significant upgrade adding to cost so that the total upgrade package would approach or exceed the cost of the bass new retail. I hope this post helps with the OP's financial analysis.

 

[CallMeAl]

IME And IMHO, it’s a gamble. And your tolerance for gambling is up to you. I agree if it plays well, it’s comfortable, it might be worth the risk. Good news is you can resell the pickups here on TB and minimize your loss. Or shop used on TB in the first place. Good point above about the preamp too.

Best thing you can do is go out there and try out basses. If you pick up one that really speaks to you- game over, decision made. If you’re looking online, mail order… it’s a little harder, but you can still go on good reviews and buy from somewhere with a good return policy.

If I had to throw out a pickup suggestion, it’s DiMarzio model PJ. Well regarded pickups, but affordable enough it’s not a totally crazy purchase. Good luck!

 

[JamesDeGrandis]

Kill it with fire on YouTube... Maybe get enough AD revenue to buy a new bass.

Beware the flame war you will get for burning an instrument.
(Pun intended.)

 

[bassdude51]

Use logic and common sense. If your Yamaha plays good, feels good and is decently made, try a pickup upgrade which might cost you around $150 or less if you can find used.

I'm assuming your Yamaha pickups are probably ceramic and AlNiCo pickups will give a more traditional sound.

Never underestimate the power of "strings"! They are the #1 link is sound! So, perhaps try some different strings before buying a different bass or pickups.

For adjusting your current pickups, cut some pieces of flip-flop rubber soles and stick them under your pickups. IME, flip-flop rubber is excellent. You don't have to cut a full length piece. A little square piece for the north and south end of the pickup will do. (I've seen flip-flops at Walmart for $1.00.)

 

[Mushroo]

Have you changed the strings, gotten a setup, and taken a few lessons?

I wouldn't even dream of replacing the pickups in a bass, until I tried those 3 things first.

Do you and your teacher ever swap basses during lessons? I found that to be a very useful exercise: "Hey teach, I think something is wrong with my bass? I don't sound very good." (We swap basses, teacher plays my bass, he sounds amazing.) "Sorry Mushroo, I think your bass is fine. Next lesson..."

 

[sporadic29414]

Have the pickups always sounded like that or was it after the pot replacement? Make sure the capacitor isn't wired in wrong. I have an Ibanez GSR200 that I fell in love with 10+ years ago because of the neck. I ended up putting a SD 1/4 pounder PJ set in it and loved it even more. The bass plays great, sounds great, but still feels cheap. In hindsight, I kind of regret doing it as the pickups are worth more than the bass is. The only reason I've kept the bass for so long is that it's become sentimental and I can't find the original pickups to put back in it for selling. If you like the feel of the bass and the way it plays acoustically, I'd drop a cheaper upgrade set into it like the GFS pickups mentioned. If you're going over the $100 mark on pickups, I'd consider upgrading. If you like the Yamaha, I'd checkout the Ibanez SR line as well.

 

[Cheryl J]

Okay so here's the update with answers to your questions. My RBX170 is passive, so I'd be replacing the pickups with passive pickups unless there's a really good reason to go active. I think there may be room for a battery under the rear plate but I'm not sure. Although I'm competent to install it I wouldn't DIY it because of disabling injuries that affect my coordination and concentration while limiting what I can complete in a day. I've scaled back my personal projects so I can take care of the home and animals.

The thing has always played well but had a dead sound. It's in practically new condition now that I've replaced the potentiometers that failed, with only minor fret wear and no appreciable blemishes. I like the simple hardware and the light weight is its most attractive feature for someone with severe chronic pain. I've always liked how comfortable it is to play, so much better than my Peavey T-40 was, and the fret finish is good with no rough edges. It's well crafted for such a budget instrument but the electronics are definitely the weak link.

I have cheap medium round Boomers on it but changing them for new didn't make much difference to the sound so I haven't bothered putting another set on for a while even though I've had them for a couple of years. I saw a bassist gig with one of these and his also had that same dead sound. It's like there's a 1-2KHz brick-wall rolloff and nothing whatsoever past that frequency gets out of it even when I plug in through a direct box to the PA. It sounds like the strings are a million years old even when they are new. Slap has no bite at all and the midrange is dull while the bass is muddy but not deep. I don't see how Yamaha managed to get such consistently bad sound across the spectrum. You'd think at some point the deficits would cancel each other and result in a flattish broadband response with some character but no?

I've tried the swappy bass thingy with the instructor and the difference in sound is night and day. I've also tried plugging in an Ibanez BTB to my PA and it sounds amazing. It's definitely the cheap beginner pickups and minimalist controls trashing the sound. The action is good, professionally set up slightly high to make my sloppy technique sound a little better, less buzzy and more slappy.

I don't want to spend a lot on a four string bass. I want a 5 string so I can play more modern/jazz songs without altering the bass line. I'm thinking the best course is to upgrade the pickups with something that has more treble/bandwidth while I shop for a 5 string. My skills don't merit a super high quality 4 string bass so I'll likely keep it and I'll be spending most of my money and time on the 5 string once I've figured out which one fits my smallish hands with bent fingers.

So now it's time to decide on pickups. I'd like to hit the sweet spot between cost and sound, with a mind toward budget. It's bang for buck here. I'm mostly playing rock to maintain my chops but I was learning jazz in the lessons and doing sort of okay, then I got busy with the house and then the pandemic hit. I'll resume jazz once my instructor comes out of hiding. He's got health issues and he's terrified of the pandemic but he's a working musician and a great teacher plus now he's sort of a mentor and friend too. I wouldn't have anyone else.

How do I choose pickups? I'm thinking that the classic Fender P-J sound might be a good compromise. They have a solid bright sound that works for slap, rock, or jazz so it's versatile. Are stock Fender pickups going to fit, and would someone sell them at a reasonable price? Or should I go with a retrofit vendor to save money?

I'm pretty sure the potentiometers are drop-in replacements. I asked for aftermarket because the originals were so cheap and failed completely. I don't think the music store messed up the job. They seem competent. If the bass instructor thought there was a problem with the repair he would have dug into it himself. He's very hands-on. I didn't notice any change in sound with the repair except that the full range of control started working again.