Norris Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Hi While I'm slowly mangling some chunks of wood in my first build, I'm also thinking about my next build which will be a 5-string bass (low B rather than high C). I usually play slightly more gritty/growly basses (Gibson Thunderbird / Ric 4003) but have recently really got into my Squier Precision (actually a 4-string P/J "P-Bass Special") that I upgraded with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, and am loving the sound. I have been looking at possibly using Bartolini quad coil pickups such as the xxM55C-T. This seems a pretty versatile pickup that could be wired as a single, humbucker, single-P or reverse-P. However it's a pretty darned expensive item, not very common on this side of the pond, so would probably need to come from the US and therefore be subject to import duty as well! Plus, I was thinking of sticking a pair of them in, using the classic Precision & Stingray bridge positions. Has anybody used the quad coils? Does it sound like a Precision when wired in that configuration? Would it sound like my Thunderbird wired as a 'bucker? But the main question is... are they worth the money or would I be better off just sticking to standard P-style pickups? Or can you suggest a similarly versatile 5-string pickup that could give me a range of sounds that includes a good "P"? Thanks in advance, Norris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I personally haven't. I'm of the opinion that pickups which are overly versatile tend to lack a defining character of their own in any of their sounds. MM pickups are about as good as that gets I think. I played with the idea of trying an EMG TW pickup several times, but having one core tone with others bolted on is a little meh. I guess you just have to try them out. Not simple in this case, so I would do some digging for objective opinions. I'd say that it is likely the quad won't sound specifically like any of them. I'd be very surprised if it did! I would expect that a little supporting circuitry could help to better model specific tones (this is the area that @Cycfi is far more qualified to comment on that I) but as a simple pickup, doubtful. What kind of money are we looking at here? "I've gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted December 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 17 hours ago, Prostheta said: What kind of money are we looking at here? "I've gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like" Over £250 each (here in the UK) - more than my whole Squier P-Bass cost, including the P/J pickup upgrades "That's one M-F good shake" Maybe I'll just go for a P and a MM bridge. I am liking the P tone at the moment, and generally prefer to go passive. I just wondered if anyone had used them and whether they were worth the extra expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 At that price, they better be damn good. At that money you're easily talking Delanos or other higher-end gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 I can't say I have used a MM and P combination. I guess this is based off a more beefy P and double Jazz kind of idea? MM pickups are a different beast to dual coil Js, so they'll work differently with a P. The contrast between a MM and a double J is quite large, however it might well work happily with a P since they are both quite expansive in the lower register and present in the upper end. Difficult to say other than from experience with them individually. I do think that having a parallel/series switch for the P would help offer a wider palette of individual pickup tones to craft better combinative tones. A lot of this comes from subjective opinion though. I've never had amazing experiences with pickups that have several tonal options. They tend to do one really well and have a few less usable options....ultimately you end up sticking with the one from force of habit. My main gigging bass many years back ended up gutted and made more flexible; I still ended up using a core combination of tones that meant I'd have been best simplifying the circuit. I guess that without trying them out you can't tell. You need to suck it and see at some point....I am pretty conservative when it comes to millions of tones in one instrument. That's just me, man. I mean, look at the SB-1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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