thinking about changing pickups

[scjbass92]

ive got a 5 string peavey grind, with the passive humbucker pickups,had this bass for about 3 years, and from day one i havent been happy with the sound and output, im really considering upgrading to some active pickups , preferbly the bartolini soapbars, or the norstrand pickups, i guess my question(s) are is it worth it, and is it possible to actually do this and how much would a luthier charge me to do the installation
thanks in adavance

 

[scjbass92]

bump

 

[JimmyM]

Unfortunately, that's a question only you will be able to answer once you do it. There are times I changed a pickup where it was great, other times not so much.

 

[scjbass92]

What if i just changed the preamp, to an active preamp and just see if i like that sound after that.

 

[gidbass]

It may help if you identify a sound you are after, then i think you may get more contribution to your thread...

Pick up selection and tone is very personal (to me at least) so you may have to experiment a bit.

Good Luck!

 

[scjbass92]

so it wouldnt be a siimple task to get this done(im not a luthier so some of my statements may sound dumb)

 

[JimmyM]

It's never a simple task to perform surgery on a bass until you get good at it. Easier than actual surgery, but you have to be good at soldering and de-soldering. I'm not so I only do the simplest of soldering jobs. I replaced a pickup in my new Precision last week with a pre-wired volume and tone pot, a very simple job, and it still took me two hours from start to finish. But it's fun, and it's always a good idea to learn how to solder, so you could also view it as a learning opportunity.

 

[subdude67]

before you change your pups, have you tried different strings, amps/cabs etc? in other words, are you sure it is the pickups that you don't like?
are you otherwise happy with the bass?