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Upgrades for a Mike Dirnt MIM P bass...

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NickUK01

Jul 18, 2012
15
0
#1
Hey guys,

Picked up a used Mike Dirnt P bass, lovely, currently with a tech waiting to get fully set up and serviced etc... already thinking about upgrades for it, it already has the Badass II bridge so I don't need to worry about that. I am waiting for my Hipshot Xtender to arrive for it too.

So i wanted to know if you guys think it's worth upgrading the other tuning machines to hipshots or if they are much better than the stock fender ones? Also, if it's worth getting seymour duncan quarter pound pick ups for it? I've never used them myself so don't have any experience with them, heard good things...but again, what do you guys think about them as far as taking out the stock pick ups?

Thanks!
 
#2
NickUK01 said:
Hey guys,

Picked up a used Mike Dirnt P bass, lovely, currently with a tech waiting to get fully set up and serviced etc... already thinking about upgrades for it, it already has the Badass II bridge so I don't need to worry about that. I am waiting for my Hipshot Xtender to arrive for it too.

So i wanted to know if you guys think it's worth upgrading the other tuning machines to hipshots or if they are much better than the stock fender ones? Also, if it's worth getting seymour duncan quarter pound pick ups for it? I've never used them myself so don't have any experience with them, heard good things...but again, what do you guys think about them as far as taking out the stock pick ups?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've owned two MIM Mike Dirnt Sig basses. They are great as is and require no "upgrades"... unless you just want to buy some presents for your bass.

I thought the stock "Custom Shop '59 Precision Pickup" sounded great. The only reason to change would be if you want a different sound.

The "Vintage '70s Fender® Stamped Open Gear Tuning Machines" work great.

I was tempted by a nice used Vintage White Dirnt Sig today... but I'm trying to control my GAS.

Enjoy your Dirnt :bassist:

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#3
Yes: the Custom '59 split pickup works very well and has, matching the ash body, a sound of his own... Powerful and cuttin'... I play downtuned thrash metal, but I can confess I succeded in getting a veritable slap sound with the combination ash body+'59 split pickup

The Hipshot you need for those machineheads is the BT2 bass extender. So again keep stock ones on.
Yes... With the BadAssII already onboard you got one the very best topload bridges there're and a thing maybe "missing" on a bass like that is the lack of a stringthru body option.
But what I'd upgrade (just because I'm more a Billy Sheehan fan than a Mike Dirnt's) it's a Fender WideRange chrome cover split neckpickup. Something you'd probably find on a Modern Player Telebass, or on a Squier Vintage Modified Tele Precision
Problem being that it's almost impossible to find it in regular shops, so as closest alternative stays a DiMarzio ModelOne, not so faithfully vintage as an original Seth Lover's WideRange.

Cheers,
Wallace
 
#4
Unless the hipshot tuners are lighter weight, Id keep stock ones on. Wait and see how you like the stock pup before changing it. Add stacked 2band preamp like the Basslines blackout preamp. The stock pups would prob work fine with the preamp and benefit from its little tone teak. Plus the added versatility for sound sculpting. .
 

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