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Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

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  • Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

    Been on a huge Les Claypool kick since I saw Primus last week, and I decided to get my Ibanez Mikro Bass out. It's a P/J, two volumes, one tone. 28.65" scale. I have an old 45-105 SIT set on it, with the E 3mm above the 12th fret, and the G a little under 2mm. I've only ever used 45-105, so I'd like to give some lighter strings a shot.

    My bass playing is almost entirely influenced by Les, so that's the idea in my head of a good bass sound. Before the "tone is in the hands" police arrive, I'm aware that no amount of anything is going to make me play like Les. Now that's out of the way, how much of his bass tone is the EMG pickups? It seems as though he's always used them. Would it be worth finding a deal on a used EMG P/J set, or is what I'm hearing largely in his preamp and whatnot?
    “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

  • #2
    Re: Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

    I wouldn't choose that bass to try lighter strings on. The shorter the scale, the thicker the strings have to be, or you run the risk of having floppy strings. I'm guessing the 45-105 strings would work OK, but I wouldn't go lower than that on a short scale bass.
    Originally posted by DrNewcenstein
    To understand the idiot, you must think like an idiot.

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    • #3
      Re: Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

      i dont think les has anything shorter than 32" for his thompson basses and most are longer, up to 36" on at least one of em. im sure the emgs contribute to his sound but there is a lot more going on there too between amps and effects. ive seen him (on youtube) play a michael kelly resonator bass, a rickenbacher (gift from alex lifeson), and all sorts of other things... always sounds like les

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      • #4
        Re: Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

        All I know is when I put ultra light stainless strings on my Jazz V, all of a sudden my slaps sounded like the Larry Graham/Marcus Miller sounds I’ve heard. The medium nickels did not.
        Oh no.....


        Oh Yeah!

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        • #5
          Re: Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

          One of the local guys has this killer, really bright modern funk tone (which sounds awesome in a blues rock setting). I asked him about his setup, and he said 40-90. I'm gonna try a really light set like that on the new 34" bass (see my other thread), and once I switch them out for something else, cut them to fit on the Mikro.
          “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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          • #6
            Re: Setting up my Mikro Bass/ EMG pickups

            Are small scale length strings supposed to be used? In that case why would they go floppy?
            I have a set of 40-120 on my Squier VM Jazz V and they're not floppy at all. And they are more balanced than my 45-130 sets on my LTD and my Yamaha.

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