Why the common hate for MEC Pickups & preamps here?

[somebrains]

I have a picture in an album somewhere unless one of the kids took it where I'm playing it on stage and another in the hotel room "warming up" with some Makers Mark. I'll look for them cause I know the one in the hotel room clearly shows the pickup. I'm curious now as well. When I find, I'll post it. She's unforgettable... Flame maple top with gold hardware...and tone as smooth as butter with a little burp on it. ONLY Wick I didn't do squat to. Dude offered me double what I paid for it at a time when the local shop had my '05 Limited Edition MM on sale...happened what he offered pretty well covered the other one enough I didn't have to move to the couch (totally would have though, lol), sold it. Still have MM, but regret letting the FNA go.

I really liked the old FNA, didn't care for the new one.
I ended up turning my $$5 into one with a preamp swap, then put SD alnicos in bc ceramic clank and severe mid scoop didn't sound good when mixing in single coil.

I played a PNUT 3 with all SD in it that made me do the SD pickup swap. Those come with a ceramic SD MM and it sounds way better than MEC. Alnico was an adjustment for taste.

 

[Rnr..........4]

Maybe depends on what make Warwick the MECs are on. I have a German made Corvette $$. Thing sounds just as growly and thick like the Spector with tone pump. Only difference is a more natural sound and a much better neck (think Ibanez) with that awesome Swamp Ash wood. Active/Passive switch and plenty of varieties with the selector to switch from single to both coils.

The NS2A I have is heavy (maple) and the sound isn't all that great with the passive pickups I have in it. No tone pump tho but I tried a Spector Euro out for a little bit and found the sound too sterile. Something with the MECs and Warwick construction give it a great wood sound. Hey, that's even their tag line. The Sound of Wood.

Aside from that I think the MECs are killer and would take them over a Spector tone pump anyday. Even read that Rex Brown of Pantera moved over to Warwick.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

Back from the graveyard here...

MEC Active Pickups are great
MEC Passive Pickups are "so so"
MEC Electronics and preamp are crap

That's all you guys need to know.

I have MEC active pickups paired with Audere 4 Band Classic preamp.

There's no way I'll ever change that, while they're working fine. Sounds absolutely fantastic. If broke or stolen, I would probably run to assembly same setup again

And for my taste, Aguilar OBP-"X" preamps are "meh"... No modulation, too ballsy and lacks transparency compared to the Audere.

 

[Rnr..........4]

Back from the graveyard here...

MEC Active Pickups are great
MEC Passive Pickups are "so so"
MEC Electronics and preamp are crap

That's all you guys need to know.

I have MEC active pickups paired with Audere 4 Band Classic preamp.

There's no way I'll ever change that, while they're working fine. Sounds absolutely fantastic. If broke or stolen, I would probably run to assembly same setup again

And for my taste, Aguilar OBP-"X" preamps are "meh"... No modulation, too ballsy and lacks transparency compared to the Audere.

I almost never use the active mode on the Warwick I have. I always pull the switch and leave in passive. Sounds pretty good to me?

 

[HowieD72]

Thread resurrection!

I love the MEC preamps & pickups in my 1994 & 1995 Warwick Fortress Masterman basses. The best! Wouldn't replace them with anything. Period. Warwick growl all day, everyday

 

[HowieD72]

MEC pickups with a different preamp usually works well. I'm a huge Warwick fanatic and have tried several pickups and preamp configurations. From what I've found, MEC pickups always sound good with an Aguilar preamp or Bartolini preamp. EMG preamp sounds good but it's not as alive as these other two. Bartolini and Delano pickups also work very well with Warwick basses. MEC pickups are great in my opinion but the MEC preamps are meh.

That's good to hear! I'm installing some 1994 MEC Passive Dynamic Correction Single Coil P pickups from a Fortress One into my parts p-bass and mating it with a Bartolini HR-2.2AP/918 2-Band NTBT Preamp. I'm looking forward to it!

 

[Stefan Verbeeck]

That's good to hear! I'm installing some 1994 MEC Passive Dynamic Correction Single Coil P pickups from a Fortress One into my parts p-bass and mating it with a Bartolini HR-2.2AP/918 2-Band NTBT Preamp. I'm looking forward to it!

Curious how this turned out!


Warwick now also sells affordable passive mec branded "rockbass" without the "dynamic correction". I wonder if it's the same.

 

[HowieD72]

Curious how this turned out!


Warwick now also sells affordable passive mec branded "rockbass" without the "dynamic correction". I wonder if it's the same.

I forgot all about this.

Well what i recall, It didn't end up sounding very good at all. Quite low output and not a good sound. I was quite surprised and disappointed. The MEC pickup came out the next day.