benh

Quick mockup - I'm a bit unsure now, as the B and G strings are quite close to the edge. Is it worth saving a bit of time and money if they aren't aligned properly? Hmm...

Somewhere between 17mm and 17.5mm at the pickups - have asked the eBay seller if they wouldn't mind measuring the pole pieces. Will see what happens

I'd throw Cort into the mix. Even at the cheaper end of their ranges I don't think I've ever played a dud.

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Given that there are plenty of Js and Ps in the wild, where there is less than perfect alignment over the pole pieces with indiscernible output differences, I reckon you’ll be pretty safe.

True enough.

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

18mm String Spacing is at the bridge? Gonna be less running over the bridge pup, and less again over a neck pup...

How wide are ya strings at the point they go over the pup position?

Good point, will measure!

31 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Actually , as you mention Nordy Big Splits, they have twin staggered poles, so i expect that the small discrepancy of 1.5mm  string spacing isnt going to affect things

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Might be worth a punt. Or could end up being an expensive mistake!

9 minutes ago, fleabag said:

If you buy pickups that have bar magnets instead of pole piece magnets, it wont be a problem at all

Very true. Unfortunately these are pole pieces. Me trying to be a skinflint buying second hand instead of new!

Dumb question I know. But how much would it actually affect how the pickup works? FYI I ask this as there is a set of pickups on eBay I've been looking at (Nordstrand Big Splits) which are the correct dimensions, but incorrect string spacing on the pole pieces.

7 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Look what arrived yesterday - My long-awaited Spector Forte 4 in Trans Black Satin. It is a custom order that is modelled on a NS 4. It comes with 2 EMG 35DCX humbucker pickups, 3 knobs (volume, blend, stacked bass and treble), and the HAZ 18V preamp. It differs from a NS 4 by having swamp ash wings, no fancy tops, no high gloss finish and no inlays. It is pretty much a no-frills version of the NS 4. As I do not own and have never played a NS 4, I do not know how close it comes to the original. However, what I do know is that the sound is huge (sorry, neighbours 😉 and it nicely complements my other Spector basses. Big shout-out to Mark and Ash at Bass Direct for making it happen!

 

Lovely, happy NBD! That grain is wonderful.

3 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I have a big blade in a box upstairs which I have yet to use!

Just need someone with a set they can sell me 🙂 

Just found this thread! In a similar situation with my Cort A5 (same pickup/preamp). 

That colour/finish... Oof! (In a good way 🙂)

On 04/05/2020 at 16:05, Teebs said:

The build took about 3 weeks, I made a lot of pink torpedo-ups, learned a lot, but thoroughly enjoyed building this bass, and it sounds like a 'proper' P-bass - the supplied strings are a bit crap, but functional (I'm going to replace them with Roto 66s).

As mentioned by others, I might change the hardware at some point, but not just yet.

The kit cost £85 plus £15 delivery from Thomann; the paint cost cost around £40 (it might have been less if I hadn't been so cack-handed!), transfer paper £5, copper tape £7, finishing compound £10.

I already had the lemon oil for the fretbord and carnuba wax for polishing, and the Schaller strap lock pins, so that saved about 50 pence!

One tip that I think I picked up from the Build Diaries threads was to coat the screws in candle wax to make it easier to screw them in - it works! Some of the reviews of this kit said that people were snapping screws - I managed to not break any - so thanks for the tip BCers

So, the finished item:

@Bridgehouse - the Aria on the left was the one I stripped the poly (dark brown tint) and polished with beeswax and carnuba. It has a lovely tactile satin finish

Thank you for reading my build thread  

Fantastic colour! Been eyeing up one of those HB kits myself

Just to add some more into the mix, quite liking the look/sound of the Big Blades/Zen Blades from Nordstrand too, anyone here tried any? Comparisons to Big Singles/Splits?

Just now, Woodinblack said:

I ordered my last nordy pickup through bestbassgear in the states, was cheaper and came in a week.

Will check them out, thanks! Bass Direct have a 19mm spacing set in stock, however my bridge is 18mm spacing so not ideal. I wonder whether it would make much difference with the offset pole pieces being wider than a standard single pole piece. Will have a look on bestbassgear in any case 🙂

Nothing's ever simple!

16 minutes ago, ezbass said:

That’s not great ☹️. You could have an entire bass built from makers in that time. However, are you in an all fire rush? It’d be a shame to purchase something in haste that isn’t right, only to end up selling them and buying what you really wanted in the first place. Maybe buy them for Nordy direct, I think they have 18mm in stock.

That's very true. Although, strangely, it works out a fair bit more expensive to order from Nordstrand directly 🤷‍♂️

Another consideration - when making enquiries regarding the Nordy Big Split pickups, the lead time if ordering through Bassdirect is 3 months for an 18mm string spacing set, so I may well end up going with something else...

11 hours ago, ebenezer said:

Yes, I listened to these as well!... they both sound good but to my ears, the driver has a tone more to my liking.

Yeah I thought that too. SBC drivers are P2 size too, plus it would give the option of series/parallel/single switching... whether I need that many options is another matter!

10 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Im getting some delano pickups next week. Prepackaged in a bass, I will see what they are like then!

Please let us know how they are when your bass arrives!

10 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I would also say the barts in the 5005, the american ones are very good.

I know Bass Direct have a pair of MK5s in stock which would be a direct replacement, I'm just a little worried they won't be a great deal different to what I already have, though I'm probably wrong.

Also been looking into the Delano SBC dual or quad coil pickups, they also seem to garner favourable reviews. Although YouTube is never a perfect way of determining exactly what they'll sound like, found this while trawling through and like the sound of both these pickups. Anyone tried these?

3 hours ago, ebenezer said:

I am in the same position as yourself, although my bass is a lakland 5501....same pickups and preamp as the cort. After doing some research, it would appear that the preamp is more of a weak link. One guy installed the mk5's along with the usa bart preamp and ended up putting the cheapo mk1 pickups back in(along with the usa preamp!!)...the mk1's are i think split/reverse P style so with that in mind, fed with a decent pre, could sound good.

I myself are looking towards the john east uni-pre 5....i may change pickups at a later date...we will see!

Anyway, good luck with the mods and let us all know what you think when done.

I certainly will! Although lockdown/furlough has just about wiped out what little disposable income I had, so could be a while. Never thought of searching for what others had done with the 55-01, although I suspect pickup changes may yield different results due to different woods and construction (although they are made in the same factory!)

I had an East preamp in a G&L L2500 I had a number of years ago and was always impressed with the usable tones I could eke out of it.

16 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

 

Re the big splits / big single. I recently got (and am waiting for a replacement for) my ibanez EHB1505 which had big splits. I have big singles in my SR1605 and 2605, and they were my favouritist pickups ever up until that point. I didn't actually realise the 1505 had big splits because they look exactly the same and sound very similar to the singles - ie, not the same, but no more noticable than the difference between sound of the 1605 and 2605 which are both the same pickups.

THe only time I noticed is doing a back to back on sound and noticed that the 2605 was picking up noise from somewhere, most likely monitor noise, I posted on here that it was odd and someone pointed out they were splits rather than singles.

So yes, they sound the same but have no noise.

I would say I never really had an issue with noise in the first place, apart from getting to close to a valve amp that I rarely use, but with all other things being equal (i don't know prices / availablilty) I would pick the splits over the singles, but not be unhappy if I got the singles!

Sounds like the Splits would be the preferred choice for me! Thanks everyone for all the info. Interested to see if anyone has any experience of any other manufacturers, although from what I have read/heard Nordstrands do tick the boxes.

Wonder what a faux P/J would sound like with a Big Single at the bridge and a Big Split at the neck...

Been doing a bit of reading on the Nordy pickups. General consensus seems to be very favourable. I would probably be more tempted by the Big Splits I think. 

Lots of love for Nordstrands it seems! How are the Big Singles for noise when soloing pickups?

As the title suggests! I have a Cort A5 plus, which is lovely to play/look at - however the electronics leave a lot to be desired I feel. It's got Bartolini (licensed - built by Cort in Indonesia) MK1 pickups and preamp stock, which seem to be a bit marmite with people who have used them - I find they sound quite brittle and, for lack of a better word, false in the high frequencies. The lows, although present, sounds quite muddy to my ears - boosting the bass on the preamp just makes this worse.

The obvious choice would be the direct replacement USA Bartolini MK5s, but as there seems to be an abundance of pickups manufactured in the P2 size (virtually identical at 108mm x 32mm), I wondered if anyone else has any experience of replacing these pickups, and what you decided on and why?