I am the proud owner of a Lake Placid blue Brice Douglas 5 string bass. This is my first 5 string and my first bass with Jazz style pickups. I am impressed with the quality and the price is incredible but the noise from the single coil pickups is driving me crazy. What pickups would you recommend? How much should I spend on pickups when the whole bass only cost $200? Can pickups for a 4 string work in a 5 string? I'm a bit confused about this last question since I can see the 5 exposed pole pieces but not all pickups look the same. Maybe I need an introductory lesson on the different kinds of Jazz pickups.
well...i think that pickups are a matter of taste in sound. some like EMG some thinks it's too bright, some like Bartolini and some think it's too mellow. most 4 string pickups for jazz won't fit to a 5 string jazz routing hole. i think you should go to a local store and try some basses with different pickups and see what suits your taste best, because there is also the passive\active issue. what's your budget ? that's another issue that effects everything. anyway good luck !!
I forgot to mention that this bass is a "project" bass and not my main bass. I wanted something to experiment on without spending a lot of money. I've always wondered what goes on under the pick guard. I also want to keep things simple (at least for now) so I want passive pickups. To keep things cheap, I probably need to go used. So, I'll change my question. What brand and model of passive, hum-canceling pickups are available for 5 string bass that are inexpensive or readily available on the used market?
Chardin, You are favoring one of the pickups over the other to get that buzz, correct? I was using both Volumes at 100% on mine (swamp ash model) and I had no problems with 60 cycle hum...only noticed it when I favored the bridge or neck. I've since hardwired my pickups in series turning my jazz tones to a mix of "P" and "MM" tones. You might consider installing a push pull pot to go from parallel to series before you spend money on new pickups. Going from parallel to series will of course give you more tonal variety and might do the "trick" for you tone wise. -Bazz-
Bazz, Yes, I get hum when I don't have both pickups at equal levels. I would like to experiment with different blends or even soloing each pickup. One thing I want to do is shield the control cavity and pickguard. I'm thinking that will help a lot but I need to find time to tinker. Back on topic... Does anyone know what brand of pickup will fit in the Brice Douglas 5 without modifications?
that's the inherent problem with single coil pickups in any kind of bass whether high end or low end....when favoring one pickup over the other there will always be some 60 cycle hum. But shielding will help...but probably not totally get rid of it. Good luck, -Bazz-
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