Best Soapbar Pickups?

[Clarky72]

I’m building a new bass, Warmoth jazz parts and I want 2 soapbars. What I’m longing for is something that sounds as great as my Yamaha BB1024X in a jazz body. I love the punchy, full,  bassy and zingy sound of my BB.

As I’m using a Warmoth body it has to conform to EMG 35 or Bartloini BC size routing, so I have the choice of those two or Aguilar, Norstrand or Delano soapbars.

Anyone have any experience across these and opinions? Big sounding PJ punch from 2 soapbars...

[Cuzzie]

Look at Hauessel as well, very fine pick ups

Joe Barden pick up

Ulyate Tic Tac new range

Edited February 4, 2018 by Cuzzie

[Hellzero]

Christoph Dolf from Bassculture in Germany can make you almost whatever you want.

The EMG catalogue has every type of sound in that housing, but you'll have to like their linear sound.

To date, the Nordstrand Fat Stack (FS4 in EMG 35 housing) is certainly what you're looking for : http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Nordstrand_Pickups_Signature.html

Avoid side by side humbuckers as you will loose the clarity and punch you are looking for.

[Paulhauser]

EMG has a P/J set in the 35 housing, I have this in one of my Spectors and sounds great, I love it. 

Also the EMG 35TWX is a great pickup, the coil tap function gives it some variety and it is nice, round sounding pickup.

[Clarky72]

23 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Christoph Dolf from Bassculture in Germany can make you almost whatever you want.

The EMG catalogue has every type of sound in that housing, but you'll have to like their linear sound.

To date, the Nordstrand Fat Stack (FS4 in EMG 35 housing) is certainly what you're looking for : http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Nordstrand_Pickups_Signature.html

Avoid side by side humbuckers as you will loose the clarity and punch you are looking for.

That's interesting. I was looking at the Nordstrand Big Split and Big Single as the possible ones to use, but you think the Fat Stack instead of the Big Split?

https://nordstrandaudio.com/collections/4-string-soapbar-bass-pickups/products/big-split-4
 

[BigRedX]

Soapbars in the bass world are a bit of a misnomer since, unlike guitar soapbars that are nearly always P90 style fat single coil pickups, they tell you nothing about the actual pickup contained within the housing, just the size of the housing itself.

Therefore depending on the size of the soapbar housing the pickup contained within can be anything from a J-style single coil to a MM style humbucker and any variation between that will fit.

If you want a PJ type sound then buy soapbars that contain a P and J style pickup inside.

Edited February 5, 2018 by BigRedX

[Hellzero]

42 minutes ago, Clarky72 said:

That's interesting. I was looking at the Nordstrand Big Split and Big Single as the possible ones to use, but you think the Fat Stack instead of the Big Split?

https://nordstrandaudio.com/collections/4-string-soapbar-bass-pickups/products/big-split-4
 

With this design, meaning split humbucking coils, you'll get a tone closer to the typical P-Bass sound, but you'll loose the punch of the single coil. And this is what you get. To me, if you accept to mix two "types" of pickups, you can put a Fat Stack in bridge position and a Big Split in neck position, so you'll get hum free P/J on steroids configuration and still the opportunity to have a real single coil sound when splitting the Fat Stack.

If you can deal with the single coils hum, then give a try to the Big Blade or the Big Single of course (they are very close soundwise, the Big Blade being asier to fit as you don't have to care about strings spacing). In fact, I always prefer the single coil sound, but sometimes you need to cancel the noise, so humbuckers are mandatory (EMG's are all humbuckers except for some of the HZ series).

The Nordstrand are terrific pickups and their single coils are awesome (my prefered pickups when it comes to single coil).

There's another possibility, that's the dummy coil system, but apart from Alembic and Leduc, and at a time the Audere dummy self preamp, I know nobody using this and it's sad as you get the best of both worlds : a real single coil sound without the noise as it's a hum cancelling system...

[Clarky72]

So the Yammy has a mix of Alnico V at the neck and Ceramic at the bridge. Maybe I need to try and match that in order to replicate the tone?

 

• Pickups Neck: Split Blade (Alnico V), Bridge: Single Blade (Ceramic)

[TheGreek]

Martin Herrick can also build you whatever you want. Small cottage industry set up, reasonably/competitively priced and is customer focussed, based in Wales - he built the invisible 4 single pups in my Psilos bass - great job too. Don't know why you wouldn't use him.

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/297405-herrick-8-coil-mm-pickup/

https://www.herrickpickups.com/

[NickA]

dont know if they are "the best" but certainly the most flexible ... if you can't make your mind up!

http://www.simscustom.com/pickups/

clever idea.

IMHO Wal pickups are the best soapbars, but you can't buy them without the bass ... tho I see mr herrick makes something very similar.

[Hellzero]

9 hours ago, NickA said:

dont know if they are "the best" but certainly the most flexible ... if you can't make your mind up!

http://www.simscustom.com/pickups/

clever idea.

IMHO Wal pickups are the best soapbars, but you can't buy them without the bass ... tho I see mr herrick makes something very similar.

A pickup is supposed to be as accurately as possible transmitting the signal, which side by side humbucking (phase cancelling due to the two picking points) soapbars don't do and certainly not the Wal pickups with their 8 coils per pickup (for 4 strings basses). You might like the sound of it, for sure (as I do), but saying it's the best soapbar is some kind of heresy.

Furthermore, the OP is looking for a P/J set in soapbar housing (EMG 35 or Bartolini BC)...

[NickA]

Depends on whether BEST means: "I like the sound best" or "most accurately creates a voltage proportional to string position".  you can't accurately reproduce the "sound" of an electric bass as until you put pickups in, it makes the sound of one hand clapping.

I agree with the harmonics thing tho.  Are two soapbars ever going to sound like a PJ set? (the sims pickups aside, which can be made into J's, PJ's or "H" Soapbars by flicking a switch); something with coil taps would do it maybe; though the effect would be more JJ than PJ.

NB: I like both the sound of my Wal and the sound of my Warwick (with the bridge soapbar pickup coil-tapped into a single) - so even that definition of "best" is a toughie ;¬)

[lemmywinks]

4 hours ago, NickA said:

I agree with the harmonics thing tho.  Are two soapbars ever going to sound like a PJ set? (the sims pickups aside, which can be made into J's, PJ's or "H" Soapbars by flicking a switch); something with coil taps would do it maybe; though the effect would be more JJ than PJ.

 

Bart MKI pickups are a P/J set in a soapbar shape, Nordstrand do the Big Single / Big Split which is their take on a P and J pickup in the soapbar format, also I seem to remember Westone basses having a P pickup in that style. Wouldn't surprise me if there were tons more out there.

 

Like BigRedX says there's no such thing as a soapbar pickup, just a soapbar shaped one. When they're a sealed unit with no exposed pole pieces who knows what's under there, I'm not taking a Dremel to any of mine though!