neilray Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Hello . Recently bought an Ibanez SR single cut 5 string as a backup and am really happy with it and it plays nicely . It’s got Bartolini soap bars at the moment but I’ve noticed that some of the SR basses have nordstrand pickups as standard . Any body think that the bass would benefit from the upgrade to Nordstrand ? Have read great things about them and while I’m happy enough with the Bartolini pups , a buddy of mine has an SR with Nordstrand pups and it seems to have a bit more presence and bite than mine . Thanks in advance peeps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) I would say it's worth the upgrade, question is will they fit, and is it more worthwhile to just trade it in for a different Ibanez bass that already has them? Edited June 5, 2019 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilray Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Hi Danny boy yeah that’s a good point but I love the neck on the Ibanez and , though it’s not that important , I got it for a steal and it looks fab IMO . I’ve also got an East system that I bought for a project that never happened and it’s also 5 pots with mid freq select plus a passive tone . It would fit in the cavity of the Ibanez easily . Could be worth fitting the East and a couple of Nordstrand pickups . I’ll enquire about the size of the pickups . I’ll keep you posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I don’t know which Bartolini’s you have installed, but many come with the licences MK1s. If it’s these, you can definitely upgrade to better Bartolinis, assuming you can’t find Nords that fit. I’ve changed pickups on a few basses, and I’ve always been happy. However, it is definitely much more of a pain to try than other gear upgrades - do your research first. If your current bass feels right, and you’ve heard the pickups in other basses - then it may be worth the upgrade. But remember, the tone difference could be attributed to many other factors, even something simple like strings. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I did exactly what you're asking to a Lâkland, the difference is night & day even with the original pre-amp. I went for Big Singles for the super jazz sound & it worked, it's now strung with flats & still sounds amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilray Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 Hi Danny boy yeah that’s a good point but I love the neck on the Ibanez and , though it’s not that important , I got it for a steal and it looks fab IMO . I’ve also got an East system that I bought for a project that never happened and it’s also 5 pots with mid freq select plus a passive tone . It would fit in the cavity of the Ibanez easily . Could be worth fitting the East and a couple of Nordstrand pickups . I’ll enquire about the size of the pickups . I’ll keep you posted hi . Yes that was my thinking .while Bartolini are great pickups , they can sometimes lack a little character and power in my opinion . Nordstrand Big singles would be my choice too . Same size casing so should fit nicely . I’ll try them with the existing preamp and maybe see how that goes . I have a Lakland too - a DJ 4 . I also had a skyline 5501 which had Barts .while it played fantastically well , I did lack a certain something sound wise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNESWORLD Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Not Wising to hijack the thread,but has anyone changed the pups in a Ibanez 805 fanfret with BH1 pups to the Bart H6 series. If so what are your thoughts. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilray Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 Hi mate I think your bass is essentially the same as mine save for the fanned frets and singlecut shape of mine . What’s your thoughts on the original barts ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNESWORLD Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Hi I love the bass,the neck is probably much like yours and very comfortable. The pups imho are quite muddy and have a relatively low output compared to my less expensive Sire 5 string v3 2nd gen.I know it sounds like I am berating my own bass but it is a lovely instrument.As the Bh1 pups on my bass as far as I know can only be replace like for like size wise with the new range of H6 Barts this is why I posed the question. Other pups would fit into the routed cavity but after a lot of research no other manufacturer makes a direct replacement as far as I can see.The option I considered was to replace the pup with a chosen brand and get a pair of wooden custom pup covers made to fill the existing cavity. Alternatively get the pup cavity re routed to fit a chosen pup set. Choice of pickups with custom covers will probably be my chosen path along with an East pre amp. I know there are cheaper options as suggested above(change the bass) but as the saying goes. This is my bass ,there are many like it, but this one is special, because this one is mine. Sorry for Paraphrasing. Just a note, my bass with BH1 pups is the first version the newer SRF version had BH2 different pups and different size, which I think can be replaced with EMG's Nord's etc although. As far as I am aware all the Barts in the Ibanez basses are made under license and are not oem. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dov65 Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 Barts are made to Ibanez spec, i dunno how to add web links but go to Barts home page and stick ibanez in search engine theres info about them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNESWORLD Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 Cheers This is the page for anybody interested. Thanks Dov65 http://contact.bartolini.net/support/solutions/articles/5000587194-ibanez-basses-pickups-and-electronics https://bartolini.net/?s=ibanez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilray Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 Hey thanks for that . I didn’t think my pups were muddy - although I understand what you mean . Mine just sound a little flat and clinical . Though I too love the bass . Easy to play for two hour sets and relatively light . Not tried a Sire yet but saw a lake placid blue 4 string V7 gen 2 that looks great and was £408 - amazing looking for the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNESWORLD Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Muddy may be a little over stating it .One persons muddy is another persons dark. But I would just like a bit more clarity and bite.To much brightness within the sound would be easy to adjust down but trying to get it from something that is not there to start with becomes more difficult.I suppose its all down to how we feel when we play, a lot of what we all search for from the gear we buy gets lost in the mix when we play live, but if we are happy with what we have got we just play better. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilray Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Completely agree . There’s nothing like getting the sound you want to make you play just that little bit better . Like most people I guess , a bass player , more than most others , is likely to suffer when it comes to certain venues . I sometimes cringe when I’m sent details of certain venues I’ve played before as I know them to be a nightmare for bassists . I recently bought an Auralex Gramma V2 and it’s been a revelation to be honest . Using the gramma has made me rethink the pickups upgrade a bit . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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