BKP noob bass pickup enquiries

[izy]

Hi guys, i'm new to the forum and i was just thinking about replacing the pickups on my Tobias 5-string fretless bass. right now i've got the stocks in, but they aren't the kinda tone i perticulary want (or look) and also as its fretless it can get a bit flabby on the b string, especially when i use light gauge strings. so i was wondering about BKP bass pickups, as i know they have been made before, but aren't neccessarily part of the product line. realy in the bridge i'm looking for  a phat warm bassy kinda sound, realy big and "shake the room" like tone, but i still want it to realy articulate the notes i'm playing (so that if i play a b, you hear a b, not just a load of muddy bass frequencies) and not at all muddy, but i do want to blend in with the guitar sound (the attitude i have to the role of the bass is it is like the "extra frequency" of the guitar, so it becomes part of the guitars tone and beefs it up, hence why i need a warm sound) so something like the bass equivilent of a warpig would be pretty much perfect (that kind of look as well) but not too much output, i need a nice smooth tone.



and for the neck, quite different, i would like a nice woody, natural, organic, almost acoustic tone. quite trebly but resonant and with lots of sustain, and maybe a kinda bassy overtone (but i don't want it to drown out the note). i'm a big fan of eastern sounds (such as indian and oriental instuments) so realy i want something that will turn the bass into an exotic sounding instrument, such as a sitar or a chinese lap guitar, and as my bass is fretless i can get those kinda styles down, i'm just looking for  a tone that will get me there, i'm not neccessarily looking for a sitar-replicator pickup, but something with that natural acoustic sound. sustain is crucial, as with high notes on a fretless, even with a through-neck, they don't last long.

but my main question is, would this be possible for you guys at BKP to do, and if so, how much am i looking to fork out?

 heres a couple of pictures of my bass incase your wondering:




ps. i'm not a lefty, its just my camera takes pics in reverse like a mirror and there is no way for me to revert it back.

thanks guys!

[38thBeatle]

Hi and welcome to the forum. As far as I know, BKP do P and Jazz pickups only. Are those in your bass active? If not, there might be a way that Tim could rewind them.

[izy]

they may be, but i doubt it. there is a battery compatment but i think its for the preamp, and not the pickups (judged by the position and the manner of it, i have to unscrew a plate at the back to reach it) i'll probs take it down the gtr shop to get it looked at professionally, but as i say, i'm 85% sure theyre passives.

& thanks for the welcome 38th!

[38thBeatle]

If they are passive then I'd suggest having a word with Tim to see if he could do something for you witha rewind. In the meantime, do you have eq on your amp/ I hope this is not sounding patronising (- I don't mean it that way but I don't know how experienced you are) but eq can cure a lot of ills. If you have already gone down that route, feel free to tell me to shut up.

[WezV]

i would go for the p or j bass pickups and fit them into wooden covers that fill the old pickup routes - but thats me :P

[38thBeatle]

Now that is a good idea.

[izy]

lol, dw mate, you don't sound patronising at all.
i have experimented alot with the controls on my bass and on my amp (which isn't perticularly good, its s tiny little roland cube, but i'm going to platform 1 music colledge next year which have some luvly ashdown stacks, so a bass amp isn't an issue at the moment) and i have found kind of "my" sound in it, the problem is finding a sound that is warm and bassy but not muddy, and well defined. right now my sound kinda "washes" over me, especially on the lower notes, which isn't good for playing fast-ass galloping thrash! but it is livable, its not a massively dire situation, i mean right now the pickups i have do the job, but i'm a bit of a perfectionist so i'm just looking to nail my sound, rather than find a cure for an unbearable problem.

i'll try and get my bass to the shop and get it looked at, then i'll see if i can get in contact with tim about whether new pickups  are possible, or about a rewind. i would prefer new pickups, as a warpig like thing with distressed casing would look KICKASS in that bass, but no biggy if not. thanks for the help man!

[TwilightOdyssey]

Sorry, can't help you with your problem, but ... why are the pics reversed?! PDT_008

[izy]

lol, theyre reversed coz my camera is weird, i use the built in isight off my macbook, and it takes pics like a mirror for some reason, plus i can't reverse it back, even on photobucket.

[izy]

WezV said:
 would go for the p or j bass pickups and fit them into wooden covers that fill the old pickup routes - but thats me

that sounds kool, but what do you mean? do you mean j/p pickups in different housing, or the pickups routed into a block of wood that in turn slots into the original routes. by "covers" i assume you mean the first one, and that is a kickass idea! nice one man. sawi if i sound a bit moronic about the whole "pickups in a block of wood" thing but i had to be sure. in that case, do any of you guys know if there is a difference between a music-man humbucker bass pickup  and a p bass pickup. i know theyre both humbuckers, but i'm just wondering if theryre will be a distinguished difference, after all, bladed and pole piece humbuckers sound different. and if there is, do you think tim could do a music man in the apropriate housing?

[PhilKing]

The MM humbucker has 2 full coils (on a 4 string bass it covers the E-G, on a 5 string B-G), then P-Bass has a split coil, on a 4 string it is E-A and D-G, I think the 5 string is B-A, D-G.

[izy]

nice one man! what does this mean tonewise?

[WezV]

WezV said:
 would go for the p or j bass pickups and fit them into wooden covers that fill the old pickup routes - but thats me

that sounds kool, but what do you mean? do you mean j/p pickups in different housing, or the pickups routed into a block of wood that in turn slots into the original routes.

either really.  i prefer complete covers rather than a surround.

here is one of mine with a bartolini soapbar inside.  

 it is made from a block of swamp ash with 1/8" walnut top

thats not that easy to do though!!

The easiest way to solve your problem is probably to get some scratchplate material and make your self some rectangles slighty bigger than the pickups you have now and then make a hole in the middle that fts a p/j bass pickup and four screw holes in the corners and you will have an impromtue pickup surround.

the thing to check first is the actual dimensions of the pickup cavity (you old pickup) compared to the new pickup, although you can increase the size of the cavity if needs be

[izy]

WOW man, that bass looks damn sexy!
i dunno man, the wooden pickup cover is a nice idea and would
look good in my bass, i don't think it would suit it that much, as realy if your going for wooden pickups you need the kinda "all wood" look, like in your bass you have wooden covered knobs as well.it would still look fine but i would personally prefer something like a distressed or camo kinda finish, but still man, i think a p/j pickup in different housing would do the trick!

[Ol]

(Moved bass pickup thread to a new thread as although related, is more suitable as a separate topic)
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9334