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Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

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  • #16
    Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

    Originally posted by Mincer View Post
    On the TalkBass forum, people are just as obsessive as we are...and they are talking about bass, forcrissakes....
    And why not?

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    • #17
      Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

      Thinking about changing the stock pups on my Jackson 5 string...

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      • #18
        Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

        ^^^ Me too. Are you going active or passive?

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        • #19
          Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

          Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
          I didn't notice 'til just now, that the Model J's have the adjustable poles. That appears to be unusual in bass pups. You play bass a helluva lot more than me. How important, in practice, do you find that feature to be?
          It may depend on the pickup, but if the Model J’s poles didn’t adjust, my A and D would be quieter than the E and G. The Model J is a split coil (two coils sitting end to end, like if a P pickup wasn’t overlapping), so that may have something to do with it.

          On a P it’s not a big deal, since you can adjust each half of the pickup independently.
          “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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          • #20
            Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

            I have a Squier J Bass that I'd love to put Apollos in. I think it uses 2 neck pickups, though- the sizes of these are exact, unlike USA models.
            Administrator of the SDUGF

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            • #21
              Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

              I'd really like to go with the AJJ-1 set, paired with the STC-3A preamp. I bet that would be a sweet combo, but it would cost more than the bass. Part of the reason for going with the AJJ-1 set is that it's one of the few Duncan sets with hidden pole pieces. That's what my Tobias has now, and I'd like to retain that look.

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              • #22
                Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                ^^^ Me too. Are you going active or passive?
                It's already active, so I'm looking for something that's just a direct swap.

                Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

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                • #23
                  Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                  My buddies that play bass don’t talk about upgrades in terms of pickups and stuff, unless a specific instrument just has a really bad tone. Then absolutely they will upgrade. For some reason lots of them seem to upgrade hardware at the drop of a hat though. Those Bad-Ass Bridges, and saddles, tuners and stuff seem to be big preference choices.


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                  • #24
                    Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                    Originally posted by mojosman View Post
                    For some reason lots of them seem to upgrade hardware at the drop of a hat though. Those Bad-Ass Bridges, and saddles, tuners and stuff seem to be big preference choices.
                    Some think a really heavy bridge sounds better. Some think that’s crap. The tuner thing is always getting really light ones. With that long of a neck, any weight reduction on the headstock is great, even if the bass balances well to begin with. I put Sperzels on my Warwick. I don’t remember the exact weight, but 4 Sperzels weighed the same as 3 of the stock tuners. It’s a heavy bass, but even that little change made it feel a lot lighter.
                    “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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                    • #25
                      Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                      Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                      I have a Squier J Bass that I'd love to put Apollos in. I think it uses 2 neck pickups, though- the sizes of these are exact, unlike USA models.
                      My old Epi Toby bass was like that, but I think they were both bridge units, I forget exactly. I just routed it for a P and threw QPs in there.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                        Yes. Case in point, me in 1976 with my ‘73 Rickenbacker 4001. I changed the bridge pickup for a Hi-A mini humbucker. Hi-A was the original name of Bartolini. I changed the neck pickup for a Carvin APH-4N humbucker. I also had series parallel switches for each pickup. A switch to put both pickups in series. A phase switch. A 6-position Varitone midrange filter, and a Hi-A “Chip” preamp with active bass and treble controls. Oh, and a master volume. lol

                        Later I installed a DiMarzio Model P between the two pickups.

                        This continued with every instrument I owned. I had a ‘74 P bass with an added P pickup at the bridge. I replaced the stock pickups with a DiMarzio.

                        I replaced the stock J pickups in my ‘87 Ibanez SR-885LE with EMG Js.

                        The list is longer than this. lol. I also did a lot of crazy wiring and modified pickups.

                        This eventually lead to me designing my own pickups and bases.

                        Now all my guitars and basses have my own pickups.




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                        • #27
                          Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                          That Ric has a heckuva lot of knobs on it for a bass. My kinda wiring.

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                          • #28
                            Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                            Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                            That Ric has a heckuva lot of knobs on it for a bass. My kinda wiring.
                            My band mates called it the “Space Bass”

                            I’ve gotten simpler with wiring these days.



                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                            • #29
                              Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                              Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                              That Ric has a heckuva lot of knobs on it for a bass. My kinda wiring.
                              I don't like a lot of knobs and absolutely hate switches on basses, so on two of my basses I went the other way.

                              For my '76 Rick 4001S I replaced the pickups with SDs for Rick and had a blend knob installed to replace the switch. Maricela had them make a custom chrome cover for the bridge pickup. Tony Dudzik (Pickguardian) created the new pickguard and a plate to go around the bridge pickup.

                              Click image for larger version

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                              For my '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special, I replaced the stock pickups with Hot for Neck and Hot for bridge, got rid of the (IMO) useless TBX switch and had that replaced with a blend. Those basses had no pickguard at all, which I grew to dislike. I drew what I wanted on Kraft paper, sent it to Tony and he made a pickguard and matching backplate. (The body isn't a standard size; no stock pickguards would fit.)

                              Click image for larger version

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                              It was only after that that I learned about S-P switches; that's become my default.
                              '69 Fender Mustang bass
                              '69 Gibson EB-1
                              '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
                              '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
                              '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
                              '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
                              '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
                              '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

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                              • #30
                                Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                                Is that a mini-hum in that Ric? Which one?

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