So I've been playing my BTB675 for about a year now, and lately I've decided that [while I still love the bass itself, how well it plays, its natural tone, etc.] I'm no longer happy with its pickups (Bartolini MK-2's) and/or its preamp, and I'm interested in upgrading to something that will better suit my tonal interests and my rig, which I'll get into below:
My setup right now is a Gallien Krueger 700RB-ii head, Carvin BR410 cab. My only pedal is the Fulltone GT-500, which I use for Boost/"Distortion", but I'll eventually be adding to that (probably another OD pedal for some more variety and maybe a SansAmp bass driver, as I like the combination from running it with OD).
I play a lot of hard rock, prog and thrash metal, I'm mostly a fingerstyle player, I use Nickel Roundwounds and I would say I have anywhere from a medium to medium-hard touch/playing-style. There are many different tonal varieties I like, and I'm not necessarily trying to "emulate" or copy any of my favorite players tones. I don't expect that all of my sonic interests will be fulfilled simply by replacing pickups, but I need some ideas/food for thought. Ideally, I'm going for pickups that will sound a little more aggressive/gritty, will give me a good sound out of the low-B string, and will distort well with good low-end retention (I don't use a lot of dirt/OD in my signal, as I'm not looking for true "fuzz" or anything that messy sounding). If I can't have it all at the same time haha that's okay... I'm just looking for some advice. I've read a little bit about some different companies like Nordstrand, EMG, other Bartolini models, etc. And I've watched tons of demos online, but it's really tough to get a sense of what each pickup sounds like listening to it on a different bass -> running through a different signal chain -> through a different amp/mixer... blah, it gets kind of overwhelming that way. Not to mention, I'm wondering if when I do replace the pickups, I should just scrap the active-EQ and make my bass passive, but maybe that's another questions for another day...
Any comments are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My setup right now is a Gallien Krueger 700RB-ii head, Carvin BR410 cab. My only pedal is the Fulltone GT-500, which I use for Boost/"Distortion", but I'll eventually be adding to that (probably another OD pedal for some more variety and maybe a SansAmp bass driver, as I like the combination from running it with OD).
I play a lot of hard rock, prog and thrash metal, I'm mostly a fingerstyle player, I use Nickel Roundwounds and I would say I have anywhere from a medium to medium-hard touch/playing-style. There are many different tonal varieties I like, and I'm not necessarily trying to "emulate" or copy any of my favorite players tones. I don't expect that all of my sonic interests will be fulfilled simply by replacing pickups, but I need some ideas/food for thought. Ideally, I'm going for pickups that will sound a little more aggressive/gritty, will give me a good sound out of the low-B string, and will distort well with good low-end retention (I don't use a lot of dirt/OD in my signal, as I'm not looking for true "fuzz" or anything that messy sounding). If I can't have it all at the same time haha that's okay... I'm just looking for some advice. I've read a little bit about some different companies like Nordstrand, EMG, other Bartolini models, etc. And I've watched tons of demos online, but it's really tough to get a sense of what each pickup sounds like listening to it on a different bass -> running through a different signal chain -> through a different amp/mixer... blah, it gets kind of overwhelming that way. Not to mention, I'm wondering if when I do replace the pickups, I should just scrap the active-EQ and make my bass passive, but maybe that's another questions for another day...
Any comments are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
You will find the Big Singles and Fatstacks on some Premium basses, like Ibanez SR & BTB Premium Series. The Dual Coils are mostly found on a Prestige bass, since they are pricey, but worth every dollar 
