so i finally took the dive....
I have a '99 Thumb 5 NT that had the stock MEC pups and pre...always a classy sound, never sounded BAD exactly....but I always felt like I wanted something just a little better.
Sort of the same tone, but with all the good parts pulled to the fore a little more.
so....enter Basslines AJJ-1's and Aguilar OPB-3...
SO MUCH better.
I do have to say that the total swapout of the MEC setup takes a bit of the original personality away, but I find (after two rehearsals and one gig) that what it's replaced with is far more usable, and far more versatile. The highs are way, way better (who puts their treble point at 10k?? nothing but twinkle past that high...the Aguilar is at 6.5k I believe, and much more usable), the lows are clearer, tighter, and more flexible. The MEC bass freq is 100hz, which adds bass but also a lot of muddy mids. I could never add more than a little before, because it would just cloud the sound, but now it's more a question of how much 40hz nutz do I want? Extreme amounts of - clean - raw power here. I'm not kidding. The midrange is also more flexible, as I have the 800/400hz switchable as a push/pull, with the default being 800hz like on the MECs (though I may reverse that). BTW the OPB-3 is VERY responsive - the boost means f-ing Boost, and the cut is also quite severe if you want it to be. A wide range of dB cut/boost equates to sensitive knobs. Small adjustment = noticeable difference = wide variety of tones available. The Duncan pickups are also very nice. It's a little hard to tell how much of the new sound they are providing, but having played the OBP-3 on other basses, I'd say opposed to Bartolini they are tighter and more neutral. More wood than warm (I love Barts, by the way - I totally dig those warm mids). In fact, they are VERY woody sounding, precisely what I had hoped to draw out of the existing sound of the bass. The Duncans are also even on all notes, no dead frequencies. 
Overall, the bass sounds much, much better. Louder ( 
), clearer (this bass+Ashdown+Bergantino=hifi vintage heaven), punchier (NOW it slaps...hell, now it slaps me back), yet still undeniably a Thumb bass personality.
As a side note, let me mention that I have a Vol/Vol stack where the Vol/Blend used to be.... From what I understand, the V/V is the more pure way to go, as far as getting the best buffering on each pickup. However, in this particular model of bass, I think perhaps the variability of tone is best realized with the original Vol/Blend configuration, as a result of the very close spacing of the two pickups. I think instead of thinking Jazz bass Vol/Vol tone approach, one should perhaps think of a Thumb as having a super MusicMan pickup, with the coils spread farther apart, and the Blend knob replacing the coil tap switch. I just don't get that Jazz bass tone variability by blending the volume knobs as noticeably as I expected, so I think going ahead and letting the blend knob do the work might the true-er approach for the Thumb bass vibe.
All this is the final result of a few years' lusting and worrying about a pickup upgrade. I would like to say that if any of you are in Portland, OR, give Chance Walte at Fearless Guitars a try. He's new-ish in town, and has got a good thing going for us bass players. Very knowledgeable with a taste for the Good Stuff and an understanding for the Tone Quest. My favorite: highly personalized service. I had him perform the installation, after much playing of the store's basses with various pickup/preamp configs. I for one am totally down with supporting a fledgling high-end shop in my local area.
Thanks for reading, y'all. Hope this helps anybody who might be considering/pondering/squirming over the same upgrade.
I have a '99 Thumb 5 NT that had the stock MEC pups and pre...always a classy sound, never sounded BAD exactly....but I always felt like I wanted something just a little better.
Sort of the same tone, but with all the good parts pulled to the fore a little more. so....enter Basslines AJJ-1's and Aguilar OPB-3...
SO MUCH better.
I do have to say that the total swapout of the MEC setup takes a bit of the original personality away, but I find (after two rehearsals and one gig) that what it's replaced with is far more usable, and far more versatile. The highs are way, way better (who puts their treble point at 10k?? nothing but twinkle past that high...the Aguilar is at 6.5k I believe, and much more usable), the lows are clearer, tighter, and more flexible. The MEC bass freq is 100hz, which adds bass but also a lot of muddy mids. I could never add more than a little before, because it would just cloud the sound, but now it's more a question of how much 40hz nutz do I want? Extreme amounts of - clean - raw power here. I'm not kidding. The midrange is also more flexible, as I have the 800/400hz switchable as a push/pull, with the default being 800hz like on the MECs (though I may reverse that). BTW the OPB-3 is VERY responsive - the boost means f-ing Boost, and the cut is also quite severe if you want it to be. A wide range of dB cut/boost equates to sensitive knobs. Small adjustment = noticeable difference = wide variety of tones available. The Duncan pickups are also very nice. It's a little hard to tell how much of the new sound they are providing, but having played the OBP-3 on other basses, I'd say opposed to Bartolini they are tighter and more neutral. More wood than warm (I love Barts, by the way - I totally dig those warm mids). In fact, they are VERY woody sounding, precisely what I had hoped to draw out of the existing sound of the bass. The Duncans are also even on all notes, no dead frequencies. Overall, the bass sounds much, much better. Louder ( ), clearer (this bass+Ashdown+Bergantino=hifi vintage heaven), punchier (NOW it slaps...hell, now it slaps me back), yet still undeniably a Thumb bass personality.As a side note, let me mention that I have a Vol/Vol stack where the Vol/Blend used to be.... From what I understand, the V/V is the more pure way to go, as far as getting the best buffering on each pickup. However, in this particular model of bass, I think perhaps the variability of tone is best realized with the original Vol/Blend configuration, as a result of the very close spacing of the two pickups. I think instead of thinking Jazz bass Vol/Vol tone approach, one should perhaps think of a Thumb as having a super MusicMan pickup, with the coils spread farther apart, and the Blend knob replacing the coil tap switch. I just don't get that Jazz bass tone variability by blending the volume knobs as noticeably as I expected, so I think going ahead and letting the blend knob do the work might the true-er approach for the Thumb bass vibe.
All this is the final result of a few years' lusting and worrying about a pickup upgrade. I would like to say that if any of you are in Portland, OR, give Chance Walte at Fearless Guitars a try. He's new-ish in town, and has got a good thing going for us bass players. Very knowledgeable with a taste for the Good Stuff and an understanding for the Tone Quest. My favorite: highly personalized service. I had him perform the installation, after much playing of the store's basses with various pickup/preamp configs. I for one am totally down with supporting a fledgling high-end shop in my local area.
Thanks for reading, y'all. Hope this helps anybody who might be considering/pondering/squirming over the same upgrade.
