Hello all, I registered for these forums because I e-mailed a week ago and haven't gotten a response yet from customer support. I am looking to resurrect an old bass with better pickups and pre-amp and need advice. I have a 6-string fretless Steve Bailey Aria Pro II Avante bass. Mine was purchased very early, before they started coming installed with the Fundamental Fretless System and Basslines pups. The single coil pickups I have are lifeless and the whole system is notoriously noisy (high-end buzz comes through the amp).
Meanwhile the bass itself is phenomenal - through floods and moves the neck has not budged a millimeter in 20 years and it still feels great, so I would like the sound to match. When I see YouTube videos of people playing this bass with Duncans, it sounds fantastic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHww_wctaE
So, here's what I've found so far: the Basslines soapbar pickups are wider than the single-coils, but according to this press release from 1997 there was a retrofit: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/press-releases/basslines_and_s/
I also see this ASB2-6 system in the store: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bass/soapbars/6string/asb2asb_2band_s/
My questions: Is this newer system superior to the older Fundamental Fretless, and in what way? The newer pickups are also soapbars, so would the same retrofit work for my bass? If not, what is a recommended set of pickups for the older Aria Pro IIs? If the 1997 system is my best bet, how do I find/order them? I found threads where people were installing Fundamental Fretless as recently as 2008 so this can't be hopeless, but I really don't know where to begin... - Thanks!
Just for fun, here's a Soundcloud clip of the last time I recorded with the bass in question, back in the late 90s:
Meanwhile the bass itself is phenomenal - through floods and moves the neck has not budged a millimeter in 20 years and it still feels great, so I would like the sound to match. When I see YouTube videos of people playing this bass with Duncans, it sounds fantastic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHww_wctaE
So, here's what I've found so far: the Basslines soapbar pickups are wider than the single-coils, but according to this press release from 1997 there was a retrofit: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/press-releases/basslines_and_s/
I also see this ASB2-6 system in the store: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bass/soapbars/6string/asb2asb_2band_s/
My questions: Is this newer system superior to the older Fundamental Fretless, and in what way? The newer pickups are also soapbars, so would the same retrofit work for my bass? If not, what is a recommended set of pickups for the older Aria Pro IIs? If the 1997 system is my best bet, how do I find/order them? I found threads where people were installing Fundamental Fretless as recently as 2008 so this can't be hopeless, but I really don't know where to begin... - Thanks!
Just for fun, here's a Soundcloud clip of the last time I recorded with the bass in question, back in the late 90s:
