Has anyone had any experience with these yet? I was hunting around for a pair of decent & inexpensive passive soapbars for a project & I've liked other Seymour Duncan I've tried but haven't been able to find any opinions on these. Thanks for any opinion/descriptions!
+1 With the number of basses out there factory loaded with the HZ, I'm really surprised this pickup hasn't been discussed more. Those basses would be a lot more attractive if we knew there was a good non-EMG replacement option.
I have a couple sets in stock but unfortunetly haven't put them in anything yet to give them a try out. Hopefully soon ...
I'm also really curious about a set of the SSB5 to replace the mightymite pickups in my Conklin GT5. Warmoth sell the sets really cheap, about the same as a single EMG. Pity they're not 4 wire.
I'm also be interested in an answer to this, I'm currently using EMG HZs and find them a little bland.
I'm bringing this topic back from the dead as opposed to starting a new one...has anyone here used the Seymour Duncan SSB-4? I'm currently deciding between that, a bartolini, and an EMG35DC. Looking for a nice growl and some low end from the pickups
I'll give it a go. I had a set of SSB-5s in a Warmoth Gecko for a long time. I replaced them for Nordie DCs, but I'm actually putting the SSBs back into a new body cause I missed them... So, the basic tone is punchy and tight. It was a little reminiscent of a Stingray, with maybe a little more pronounced mid range. Very nice growl, and well balanced sound. The lows are deep, but not overpowering. They sound like a ceramic pickup vs. the more open sound of Alnico magnets. They are clear and present in the high end, but certainly not as open as a single coil. Overall, I really like them and would consider pairing them with a preamp for more versatility. They can benefit from a slight boost around 3kHz. BTW - I sold the Nordies and the walnut Gecko body to rebuild the bass with an Alder body and the SSBs. After listening back to some sessions with the SSBs, it was a really nice supportive, organic, yet modern tone.
Thanks that helps a lot! I was thinking of pairing it with the Seymour Duncans STC-3 preamp. That preamp comes in active and passive versions...so would you recommend the active?
+1 Spot on. Sounds the same to my ears. A little less high end then what you're describing even with a pre but the bass itself is really, really warm sounding acoustically and I have no idea how old the strings were when I bought it a few months ago nor what kind.
I just put them in a Dean Edge Fretless I wanted to turn into a passive bass. Everything is great about them. Excellent tone, punch and, above all, sustain.
