that's probably the best way barring a hole for a third pot.
if you can find a concentric with two linear pots you'd have better control shading the volume between the two pickups.
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replacement bridge pickup on G&L sb2
- Thread starter shaboda
- Start date
if you can find a concentric with two linear pots you'd have better control shading the volume between the two pickups.
The concentric Volumes + Tone mod is fairly common on SB-2s (or some folks do a Master Volume, J Volume, Tone). I did the concentric volumes on my old SB-2 and was quite happy with it. I used 2 linear 500K pots for the volumes and a 500K Log pot for the Tone. To do it my way you would have to buy a CTS concentric pot and two CTS linear pots separately and swap in the two rings from the linear pots though as nobody makes Linear concentric pots AFAIK.
If you don't want to mod the concentric pot (which is quite easy), I'd suggest picking up a readily available 500K/250K CTS concentric and using one of the current pots for the other Volume control (so you'd have a Volume/ Tone stack with the 500K for the Tone and a separate 250K for the second Volume). As mentioned above, the Linear taper pots will blend the pickups easier, and using 500K pots will make up for the added impedance of the third pot (so you can still get close to the stock sound- if you were to keep 250K Volumes and add a Tone control, your tone would be darker at all settings than the stock SB-2).
I wanted to give everyone an update
I order a nordtsrand dual coil in the sb2 bridge pickup housing.
Took to my tech today.
Will give you all a review soon!!
I order a nordtsrand dual coil in the sb2 bridge pickup housing.
Took to my tech today.
Will give you all a review soon!!
Nordstrand Dual Coil in SB2 Bridge PU housing..
Direct drop in...
gonna wire it volume, and blend knob wired in series...
I will keep you all posted.
Interested to see how this works out. I have been thinking about swapping for something a little more transparent sounding. I was thinking about grabbing a quarter pounder p/j set a friend has and trying that out.
FWIW, I tried a custom-sized Nordstrand Fat Stack (that didn't require routing) and it was a total failure. Didn't work together at all with the split-coil MFD.
That doesn't surprise me much! There are few PJs that really sound great with both pickups on IMO and putting another hot stand-alone pickup in parallel with one of those beastly P pickups would likely just darken that beautiful clarity and grind that make those bases special. I'd only see doing that mod if you want to put in a pickup selector to choose either/or
Well anything is better than that bridge pick up now in my honest opinion. For me that is the weak part of that bass. But everyone has their own opinions. And own personal taste. So we'll see what happens
The bridge pickup on that bass on its own is quite weak, but this allows it to act more like a tone control for the neck pickup. Understandably if you are looking for more of a typical J bridge pickup tone from it soloed you will be sorely disappointed! I learned to appreciate the unique shaping it gave to the P pickup (though I did also add a Tone control to my old SB-2- wish I had kept it!!). I think the Nordstrand looks like a great option for someone looking for a better standalone bridge pickup
Certainly more-so than the stock pickup! And rarely does the output of the J in a PJ setup match volumes with the neck pickup. I've had several G&L MFD P pups in various P and PJ basses and the best match J-wise I ever found that sounded halfway decent was indeed another ceramic pickup (Dimarzio Model J). I think the only ceramics Nordstrand offers are blade pickups, but they are one of the few pickup winders I know of who will make custom pickups on odd bobbins or custom covers like this at a relatively affordable price
I actually talked with them before ordering on how it would be wound, and what I wanted to achieve for my goal tone wise. I will know soon
This is good stuff to know as I'm a huge fan of G&L's MFD's. I have actually had the P in a P-bass body and it worked great. Shaboda, if I may ask did you ever get dimensions of that G&L bridge pickup ? I was thinking of routing for the full SB2 set in a body I have.
Sorry I havent posted.. been busy as all hell lately. the pickup is in, it sounds beefier than the stock, and best part is no hum.. however, their dimensions were off slightly.. the length was a little short, and the width was a hair too wide for the cavity.. so, I had it professionally routed ever so slightly to get it installed.. so, really the only issue there, is the little bit of space on either side of the pickup. I will get some video soon.. and some pics. It sounds good by itself, but I have yet to try it at a practice yet, or a show, to really test it... so my opinion is still up in the air. In hindsight, had i known I would have had to get it routed anyway, I would have just got an MFD pickup and had it put in.. and i still might go that way possibly. Updates soon.
"I would have just got an MFD pickup and had it put in"
That is what I am currently considering. Im thinking of replacing the bridge pickup with an L-2000 pickup, however, the L2k isn't as wide as the SB-2 so there would be gaps on the ends.
That is what I am currently considering. Im thinking of replacing the bridge pickup with an L-2000 pickup, however, the L2k isn't as wide as the SB-2 so there would be gaps on the ends.
Are the new SB-2 bridge pickups single or split coil? Also wondering what the dimensions are? Need a pickup to fit in a BC sized rout. Thanx Yallz. p
