Passive MM-Type Humbucker Recommendations?

[discreet]

[b]Passive MM-Type Humbucker Recommendations?[/b]

Have been cogitating and deliberating and can't seem to find a definitive thread about the merits or otherwise of MM-style passive humbuckers for bass.

Since I got my vintage twin-pickup Hayman I realise that is more 'the sound' that I seem to be gravitating towards and have been looking at twin-humbucker basses (with some very useful and interesting suggestions from the Basschat Massive - thank you), but I'm thinking laterally now and have a bass which may be suitable for a pup upgrade, which obviously would be fiscally more prudent than buying yet another bass...

...and I don't really want to get involved with active circuits as I've never been a fan of the active sound - though I realise there are many and varied 'active' sounds just as there are many different 'passive' sounds - but however...

Anyone been involved or have any thoughts about this? Am I being unreasonable and/or a bit dense?
It's that big, three-dimensional, roaring two-pickup full-range sound I'm after! Know the one?
I thank you!

Edited April 21, 2014 by discreet

[LukeFRC]

by the time you've bought two pups, and routed out whatever body.... you might as well have gone and found...

a G&L tribute L2000
or
a Peavey T40

[discreet]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1398094200' post='2430345']
by the time you've bought two pups, and routed out whatever body... you might as well have gone and found...
...a G&L tribute L2000 or a Peavey T40.
[/quote]

I thought that too at first, but The Bass Doc is already on board which of course makes the whole thing much more interesting, and not as fiscally challenging as buying another bass - depending on the cost of the pickups, of course.

Edited April 21, 2014 by discreet

[paul_5]

If you want a *significant* amount of bang for your 'buck (sorry, couldn't resist) then I'd plump for GFS kit. If you don't fancy waiting and probably paying import duty, and are still budget conscious then Wilkinson humbuckers are worth a look. I've got a Wilkinson on my Jazz at the moment and it sounds MASSIVE!

[discreet]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1398099511' post='2430467']
...Wilkinson humbuckers are worth a look. I've got a Wilkinson on my Jazz at the moment and it sounds MASSIVE!
[/quote]

I'm very glad indeed you posted that as I was just this very minute on the Bay looking at Wilkinson MWM4s.
They would be economical too - the cost of these plus routing and wiring will be far less than buying another bass. So much so in fact that I think I may go for another spiffy BD pickguard and a replacement bridge. I thank you!

[paul_5]

I may get round to doing some recording over the next couple of nights, I'll do some demos of the MM on its own. Actually the master plan is to have seperate outputs for the J pups and the MM; run one through the fx board then combine them both at the preamp stage...

[discreet]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1398101963' post='2430503']
I'll do some demos of the MM on its own.
[/quote]

That would be extremely useful, thanks.

[lemmywinks]

I have a Seymour Duncan SMB4a as a sole humbucker (bridge position) in one of my Arias, it's wired passively with a series/parallel switch and nails the MM sound, also does a decent J impression too in series. Don't know how it would sound in the neck position as it's a single pickup bass.

[discreet]

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1398109953' post='2430601']
...wired passively with a series/parallel switch and nails the MM sound.
[/quote]

That's what I want to hear - thanks, Steve.