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The Mike Lull Club Part 4

#4,602
dwellers said:
Yep, very. The gent that sold it to me is going to check with Fralin to see if they are his. Did he make something other than the current lineup? If I go with something else I was considering the Fralin split coils or the Bartolini B-Axis. Ever try those?
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Those look like Fralins, the central poles being rounded over and raised but the outer poles being flat topped and nearly flush to the bobbin is typical for Fralins, as is the black coil tape.
I had a set of B-axis Barts years ago and they were lower output and a little tame compared to the Fralin splitcoils but still sounded good. I've had a lot of Barts over the years and their closed cover splitcoil pickups are completely hum free. The B-axis set I had picked up some noise, I'm guessing due to the exposed polepieces, but I don't really know for sure.

If you're happy with how the bass sounds right now but want less hum when soloing one pickup, the Fralin splitcoils should be great. But there are lots of other Jazz splitcoil brands out there. Also great but a little different sounding are the Nordstrand splitcoils, NJ4SE, NJ4V, and if you don't mind them looking different than standard Jazz pickups, the 51J4S pickups. Those last sound really full and meaty.
 
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#4,603
T McClure said:
There's a Lull PJ430 for sale, and I have a question for those more familiar with Lull builds. I will have to opportunity to try it out when I fly out there in the near future, but there's one oddity about it.

The listing says, "This one has a factory defect: holes were drilled in the body for string-through, but it was also equipped with a top-load bridge."

View attachment 7311443
View attachment 7311445

I don't see the holes from this close up photo of the bridge.

Do you think the description is correct that Lull made a mistake and still sold it this way? Or did someone later change the bridge out to one covering the holes?
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You could ask the seller to remove the strings from the bridge and take another pic. The holes for string through on that bass should be right under where the ball ends are, if the work was done at the Lull shop. It's standard for the P430 to have string through and those ferrules look like they are stock and in the normal location. The stock Hipshot A bridge used for the P430 allows for both string through and top load. Here's a couple of pics from a recent P430 that show the strings through the body and the ferrules on the back.
 

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#4,605
bdgotoh said:
Those look like Fralins, the central poles being rounded over and raised but the outer poles being flat topped and nearly flush to the bobbin is typical for Fralins, as is the black coil tape.
I had a set of B-axis Barts years ago and they were lower output and a little tame compared to the Fralin splitcoils but still sounded good. I've had a lot of Barts over the years and their closed cover splitcoil pickups are completely hum free. The B-axis set I had picked up some noise, I'm guessing due to the exposed polepieces, but I don't really know for sure.

If you're happy with how the bass sounds right now but want less hum when soloing one pickup, the Fralin splitcoils should be great. But there are lots of other Jazz splitcoil brands out there. Also great but a little different sounding are the Nordstrand splitcoils, NJ4SE, NJ4V, and if you don't mind them looking different than standard Jazz pickups, the 51J4S pickups. Those last sound really full and meaty.
Click to expand...
I do like the sound of the Fralins that are on it but the hum, while not horrible, does make me tend to keep the pickup blend centered most of the time. The seller agreed to give me a good deal on the Fralin splitcoils so I'll probably go that way. Fewer visible pole pieces too as compared to the Barts. :) Not that looks matter (oh really...who am I kidding?).
 
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#4,619
I really love the two Lulls I have: a P4 and a V4. I'm thinking of maybe ordering a new bass direct from Spencer. I've thought about a pj bass, but I really like the warmer tones of the IMA4 especially with the pbass character in the neck pup. I don't really care for some of the other unique IMA4 features such as the reverse headstock, colors, relicking, etc, which is why I'm considering a custom build. I'd probably lean more towards a V4-style bass with the T-Bird pups in 60s position. At least, that's my thinking at the moment. Does anyone know what the body is on the IMA4? Is it the M4V, V4, or it's own body shape? I'm thinking more about tone than anything else, but I'm curious about the body, if anyone knows?
 
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#4,620
75Ric said:
I really love the two Lulls I have: a P4 and a V4. I'm thinking of maybe ordering a new bass direct from Spencer. I've thought about a pj bass, but I really like the warmer tones of the IMA4 especially with the pbass character in the neck pup. I don't really care for some of the other unique IMA4 features such as the reverse headstock, colors, relicking, etc, which is why I'm considering a custom build. I'd probably lean more towards a V4-style bass with the T-Bird pups in 60s position. At least, that's my thinking at the moment. Does anyone know what the body is on the IMA4? Is it the M4V, V4, or it's own body shape? I'm thinking more about tone than anything else, but I'm curious about the body, if anyone knows?
Click to expand...
My IMA4 is a full-size J body (V4)…
IMG_2565.jpeg

(IMA4 vs M4V)
 
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