Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

[Bassminder]

Hi All,
new to the forum, i have a question about the Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Humbucking Bass Pickup.
I am modding a Squier Bronco bass and would like to put a pickup with no magnetic pole pieces but just magnetic bars, so that i dont have to bother about string spacing.
I am ready to enlarge the wood to put in a larger pickup but i am not sure if the SSB-4 is actually a humbucker with covered pole pieces or if it has straight bars (blades) that cover all the space of the strings. On the SD site there is no clear statement about the SSB-4 being a pole pieces or a blade pickup.
I wrote to the customer support of Seymour Duncan but had no reply at the moment.
Does anybody have any clues?
Thanks!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

Welcome to the forum!

I believe these are humbuckers wired in parallel, but these are pickups I have actually never used. The low DCR leads me to believe that they are humbuckers in parallel. My initial guess as far as the poles go is that it has poles, not blades, but I would be interested to know what customer service comes back with. Let me know what you find out.

 

[Bassminder]

Re: Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

Welcome to the forum!

I believe these are humbuckers wired in parallel, but these are pickups I have actually never used. The low DCR leads me to believe that they are humbuckers in parallel. My initial guess as far as the poles go is that it has poles, not blades, but I would be interested to know what customer service comes back with. Let me know what you find out.

I had no reply from the customer service as yet. I am a bit disappointed since I appreciate Seymour Duncan pickups (I am very satisfied with the SPB-2 I have on my MIM Precision bass).
Anyway, they say it is a direct replacement of the EMG-35 HZ, which is a blade pickup. I am really interested in testing the SSB-4 because, according to the rare info I could find on the web, it is warmer than the EMG-35 HZ and with more output than the Bartolini. Also, I think a straight blade pickup would give a really well balanced tone and output on all four strings. The Bronco could be a good starting test, I rely on short scale bass due to shoulder issues, and I would like to have something as close as possible to the old school P-tone with the SSB-4 pickup.
Hope somebody will drop some advice!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

when they say direct replacement they mean size and mounting, not necessarily construction. i kinda think they have pole piece but i dont know for sure

 

[Bassminder]

Re: Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

Finally I got a reply from customer service!
It is a BLADE pickup, no worries about string spacing! I will buy this pickup and will bring my Bronco to a luthier for proper shielding and installation.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Bass Pickup

Wow, I learned something today! I thought it would have been poles. Good luck on your project, and post some pics when it is done!