Anybody Added a Magnetic Pup to Ibanez SRH500?

[Obrienp]

Hi All,

I have been gassing after the New Ibanez Affirma but can’t afford one and I am not sure my stubby fingers could manage the wider string spacing. However, I love the idea of having both a piezo and magnetic pickup in one lightweight bass. It would be ideal for the 50-70s cover band I am playing in: no more bass changes;  one bass all night.

it happens I have an Ibanez SRH 500 aerium, which I love. It is light weight, comfortable to play and makes a passable upright bass tone through the AeroSilk piezo bridge. Could I turn it onto an Affirma substitute by a adding a magnetic pup? Has anybody tried this? What was your experience and did it sound OK afterwards?

i was thinking of adding a split precision pickup, like a Bartolini and possibly a preamp, although I might just leave it passive. I imagine there would need to be quite a lot of routing out the centre block to accommodate the precision pickup. Would this compromise the stability of the bass and is the centre block wide enough to match the width of the pup? There seems to be plenty of space in the cavity for additional controls and preamp. I could either add a separate output socket or blend into the existing socket. The blended idea could add quite a few different tones, so worth a try but is this a wiring challenge?

i guess the final question is: will this mod affect the resale value? Will I end up with a worthless bass?

Thoughts and experiences would be very welcome.

[Obrienp]

Reviving this topic in the hope that I might get some views and advice this time.

I have since obtained an Affirma, which is a great bass but does not really replace the Aerium as an acoustic sounding instrument. I was hoping it would provide me with a one-stop bass for gigs but it is not quite there. Also arthritis in my left thumb is making it difficult to play a long scale, although I seem to be able to manage the SRH 500 (Aerium). I feel the Aerium with the addition of a magnetic pickup, either with a separate jack socket, or wired into the original would be my ultimate Swiss Army knife bass for the kind of music my band plays; at least until the arthritis forces me to play short scale only. I am thinking  of a P Bass pickup, like a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder, with its own passive volume and tone controls.

Some questions to you knowledgeable folks are:

1. If I fit a split P Bass pickup with vol and tone controls, it will be non-reversable, will this reduce the resale value of the Aerium dramatically?

2. Can anybody foresee any technical issues with doing this modification?

3. Would I be better off looking at fitting something like the Lace Ultra Slim (if I can find one), which would not require routing holes in the top? Would the Lace give me the kind of proper electric bass sound, or is it designed to sound acoustic?

what does the panel think?

[PaulThePlug]

Can the Vol and Tone not be fitted in to a seperate box? on the floor Vol pedal with an extra tone pot added? or little box on the strap, like am EHX headphone amp? - save making holes till ya sure.

Room to tape a cheap chinese P Pickup or similar under the strings? just for a try?

Sounds like the EDA900 set up of Mag n Piezo.

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[Obrienp]

2 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Can the Vol and Tone not be fitted in to a seperate box? on the floor Vol pedal with an extra tone pot added? or little box on the strap, like am EHX headphone amp? - save making holes till ya sure.

Room to tape a cheap chinese P Pickup or similar under the strings? just for a try?

Sounds like the EDA900 set up of Mag n Piezo.

 

I could certainly try off board controls but I don’t think there is enough clearance between the top and strings to slide a P pickup underneath. That is why I was thinking of the Lace. I am open to any suggestions of (cheaper) alternative slim mag pickups.