Seymour Duncan Alnico on a Tony Levin 5 string OLP

[Leo Dale]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/olp-tony-levin-signature-5-string-bass

I've had this bass for several years now (in orange finish though), so it's already a bit used but I was thinking of putting a seymour duncan alnico humbucker on it to make it closer to a stingray and see basically if it's still got something original to offer. Is this the best choice or are there even better alternatives? Is this even worth it?

 

[Lesfunk]

I put a ceramic Duncan along with the Duncan ray pre amp in my SUB and it kills

 

[two fingers]

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!!

This is a copout answer. But only you can decide if it's "worth it".

For me, if it plays good and mostly sounds good, I don't care how cheap it is or whether others like it. I'll dump some money in it to get it to sound the way I want it to.

I'm no expert on MM pickup choices so I'll leave that part to others.

 

[Slater]

I think the SD pickup would be a nice improvement. However, is the pickup available with the cover that has the old style mounting "ears"? If not, you may have to make some modifications.

 

[Zoobiedood]

That is an awesome bass. I am not sure of how the pickup is mounted (I can't tell from the picture). You can see the measurements on the MM-style pickup we make here.

 

[The Expendable Clay]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/olp-tony-levin-signature-5-string-bass

I've had this bass for several years now (in orange finish though), so it's already a bit used but I was thinking of putting a seymour duncan alnico humbucker on it to make it closer to a stingray and see basically if it's still got something original to offer. Is this the best choice or are there even better alternatives? Is this even worth it?

This is a picture of my OLP. It is not the Tony Levin version and there may be a slight difference in string spacing. The Seymour Duncan SMB-5A is made for the actual musicman string spacing and pickup route. Despite the slight offset from the magnets, I don't experience any difference in sustain or volume. Just wanted to show you what a Duncan might look like.

By the way. It sounds way better for my liking. I also really like the ceramic pickup they make, but it's a little honkier.

 

[Slater]

This is a picture of my OLP. It is not the Tony Levin version and there may be a slight difference in string spacing. The Seymour Duncan SMB-5A is made for the actual musicman string spacing and pickup route. Despite the slight offset from the magnets, I don't experience any difference in sustain or volume. Just wanted to show you what a Duncan might look like.

By the way. It sounds way better for my liking. I also really like the ceramic pickup they make, but it's a little honkier.

Did you have to expand the pickup route in the body, or just cut the pickguard opening?

 

[The Expendable Clay]

Did you have to expand the pickup route in the body, or just cut the pickguard opening?

I just cut the pickguard opening. The body route is just slightly big enough to allow extra space.

 

[somebrains]

Try an SD preamp with it, highly underappreciated.
You see them here $50-75.
Just get rid of the blend and voila, it's the MM preamp.

 

[The Expendable Clay]

Did you have to expand the pickup route in the body, or just cut the pickguard opening?

check it out with no pickguard

 

[LUpton]

Nordstrand MM 5.2 or 5.4 OLP models fit perfectly, exposed mount ears, string spacing, and all. They sound great paired with an original-style MM 2 band pre.

 

[somebrains]

Do a search, there are TB members that found Alnico MM pickups tend to sound all the same.
4-conductor is best bc you can experiment with single.
Series/parallel is a must, you get more out of preamps when you can go for power or harmonic depth.

 

[The Expendable Clay]

I really wanted to try Nordy. Either 5.4 or Bigman. But I only paid $150 for the bass and didn't want to spend more than that on a pickup.

 

[somebrains]

When in doubt either of the SD MM's + a cheapie SD preamp works.