fretmeister Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 (edited) After all the wondering about getting a more P type sound from my Sandberg I'm going to go in the opposite direction.. I'm going to put a set of EMG J pickups in it. Always loved Bobby Vega's J tone. Just Vol / Vol / Tone. No active EQ, at least for the moment and we'll see what happens. The stock pickups are good, but not exciting to me, if that makes any sense. I did gig the Berg a couple of times to make sure my brain wasn't just arsing about, but that feeling remains. Updates to follow when I've done the deed! Edited March 16, 2020 by fretmeister 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 They are in. At the moment the battery is under the plate as really helpfully my soldering iron has stopped working. So I stuck with the solder-less system and socket so the battery just about fits in the cavity now that there are only 3 pots. I'll get it connected to the existing battery box when I get a new iron. Or when the battery runs out in about 18 months! Sounds - seems to be quite a lot louder and clearer. The bridge pickup soloed is much better than the Black Label pickup. Sounds more like a single coil and with the tone backed off a bit, really beefy for a bridge position. Slap is amazing. Not really tried neck only yet as I like to hear that in a mix for more P bass type tones with a different EQ. Just used my Helix patches at the moment. Will try it through my real amps / cabs over the next few days. Nice to have smooth pickup tops for ramp use again too. A thought though - USA product with Imperial system stuff is a real faff when trying to marry up with mounting Metric things such as the screw threaded socket mounting plate! Get with the programme USA! You people are just about the only imperial users left. Get over it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ '65 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Cool, glad it’s gone well. Any pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 (edited) Here you go I went for some Darkglass inspired knobs as they are lighter weight than the heavy alloy ones that came with the bass. When I get the battery box hooked up I may well have the socket mounted on the plate so the empty hole isn't an issue. I am seriously loving this upgrade. The EMGs are a huge improvement on the Black Label buckers. I do need a chance to properly balance the pickup heights. At the moment the neck pickup is a bit loud so it needs to be lowered a smidge. That can wait until after the food excess of the next few days though. Edited December 24, 2019 by fretmeister 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ '65 Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Wow that’s a slick look! Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Aye - good work and a merry Xmas to you both. If you do fancy moving on the Black labels - gimme a nudge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Cuzzie said: Aye - good work and a merry Xmas to you both. If you do fancy moving on the Black labels - gimme a nudge! @Cuzzie Make me an offer. I see they are nearly £200 a set, new! 😲 https://www.rockinger.com/fr/parts/micros-et-accessoires-micros/micros-basse/sandberg/831/sandberg-t4-black-label-pickups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Good choice. I've just put some EMG Js in the LAG Collection bass that I found on eBay and as you describe they have a nice clear tone to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 Thread bump time. I am loving the EMGs but I also fancy the ability to do EQ changes from the bass when I'm on a tight stage. With that in mind I've now got an EMG BQC system to fit in it. Vol / Balance / Stacked Bass & Treble / Stacked Mid and Freq. Now it definitely needs the battery box being wired up to make room in the cavity. As my iron isn't working and I don't have any shrink wrap I'll be dropping it off to my favourite tech over the weekend. And as there are only 2 wires that need soldering - the rest is all solderless - he will laugh at me for not doing it myself. The stacked knobs supplied by EMG are a bit naff looking, but at the same time they are really light weight so that helps my obsession too! I'll have to play tomorrow's rehearsal within something else while it is getting done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 16, 2020 Author Share Posted March 16, 2020 EQ system now fitted. Vol / Balance / Mids & Freq / Treble & Bass Used it in anger on Saturday at rehearsal. Very happy. Far better for my taste than the original Black Label pickups and EQ, especially with the semi-para mid control. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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