Recommendations on pickups please!

[ForbiddenWytch]

Hello!

Im looking for recommendations on a set of pickups for one of my basses. Before I do, I’ve tried out a lot of different EMG bass pick ups in it and I’m really not an active pick up fan and I I have a passive preamp bypass on the volume push/pull so I’d rather no active pickups were recommended.

I mainly play metal and am in a death metal band but I also play a lot of doom / stoner rock stuff so I’d like recommendations on pickups that are articulate but really punchy with plenty of low end. A “precision” type coil configuration would be a big bonus but the pickup needs to be EMG40 / 5 string 4 inch soap bar size. The bass it’s self is a 4 string but the pick up cavities are routed for 5 string EMG 40 size cases. Dumb, I know but the basses feel amazing to play so I have 3 of them but want totally different pickups in each.

I have a set of Nordstrand Big Stacks in one of my basses and really like them but want something different in this bass so it sounds different to that. They will be getting used with an EMG BQC double stack on board preamp as well so I can do some tone shaping with that but I still want them to sound great in passive mode for if I’m using certain fuzz pedals or just want a passive sound.

The other reason I don’t want active pickups is because it’s got a jazz bass style series/parallel push/pull on the 2nd volume which would cause problems. 
I have a bass which is getting a set of Fishman Mike Inez Legacy pickups sometime so that covers the “active” sound for me.

Price wise, I’m not rich and there is a pandemic on so I’d say £200 a set would be the rough budget but consider that a flexible budget. Thanks in advance!

Picture below. Bass on the left getting the new pickups and the 5 string in the centre will be getting the Fishman Mike Inez set. Bass on the right has the Nordstrand Big Stacks & EMG BQC.

[Skybone]

Instead of spending on pickups, why not try "rethinking" your EQ?

The styles of music you describe tend to have a tendency to use the mid "scoop" style EQ, loads of bass, no mids, and loads of treble (which without the mids, tends to get lost, especially when combined with downtuned guitars using the same EQ).

Your issue is more that the guitars are EQ'd in a similar fashion, and you're all "competing" for sonic space. The addition of distortion and/or fuzz will also be robbing you of bottom end clout.

Try having a mid-heavy EQ, as this will enable your sound to cut through the wall of guitars. Try using less gain and more volume on your amp, and also turn the distortion / fuzz control down. If your distortion / fuzz pedal has a "mix" control, enabling you to mix your "wet" & "dry" signals, turn it so that you get more "dry" signal through.

What will be more effective in the mix is a mildly overdriven sound, rather than a full on distortion.

[ForbiddenWytch]

8 hours ago, Skybone said:

Instead of spending on pickups, why not try "rethinking" your EQ?

The styles of music you describe tend to have a tendency to use the mid "scoop" style EQ, loads of bass, no mids, and loads of treble (which without the mids, tends to get lost, especially when combined with downtuned guitars using the same EQ).

Your issue is more that the guitars are EQ'd in a similar fashion, and you're all "competing" for sonic space. The addition of distortion and/or fuzz will also be robbing you of bottom end clout.

Try having a mid-heavy EQ, as this will enable your sound to cut through the wall of guitars. Try using less gain and more volume on your amp, and also turn the distortion / fuzz control down. If your distortion / fuzz pedal has a "mix" control, enabling you to mix your "wet" & "dry" signals, turn it so that you get more "dry" signal through.

What will be more effective in the mix is a mildly overdriven sound, rather than a full on distortion.

Hey man, the stock pickups are notoriously weak in these basses. Very low output and its considerably noticeable when up against the Nordstrand loaded bass.

Thanks for the tips on wet/dry, EQ etc but that’s all stuff I already know and apply to my pedal set up. I’ve run these pickups through EQ analysers and found them to be a lot weaker too. I’ve played these basses for 12 years as well so when comparing, I can notice a huge difference between them and it’s not a good difference.

[itu]

EMG has a P pickups in soapbar casings. Just check their pages.

I do agree with @Skybone
 that it might be feasible to check the eq. A HPF might also be in order to clear the sound and give more boost to the limited lower end.

Weak output is easily fixed with a simple booster. They are not limited to g-word players.

[ForbiddenWytch]

32 minutes ago, itu said:

EMG has a P pickups in soapbar casings. Just check their pages.

I do agree with @Skybone
 that it might be feasible to check the eq. A HPF might also be in order to clear the sound and give more boost to the limited lower end.

Weak output is easily fixed with a simple booster. They are not limited to g-word players.

One of the first lines in the top post was "I've tried a lot of EMG pickups" and that I don't want active pickups thanks dude.

Weak pickups are a bigger problem to me than fixing it with pedals. I'd prefer the basses to sound as good as possible before having to do any pedal tweaking. A good recording can only start with a good signal.

[Doddy]

I know you said that you've tried a lot of EMG pickups, but have you tried their HZ series? They are passive pickups, and should have similar housing to their active series.

The basses are Toby Pro's aren't they?  I'd be very tempted to try Bartolini pickups and preamp in them because that's what Michael Tobias used to put in his top line instruments.

[itu]

12 hours ago, ForbiddenWytch said:

Weak pickups are a bigger problem to me than fixing it with pedals.

Can you describe this a bit more. Is this about amp or pedals or the bass? I do not understand the issue, yet.

When you fit the level of the signal, the receiving unit, be it a desk or amp, there are adjustments that you can tweak freely. Some basses have weaker output and some amps not so sensitive input. It is OK to turn the input gain until the channel is "full". What the pot position is, is not important. Same applies with effects. Sure you know this.

Do you see overwound pickups a possibility if you are after high output? Lindy Fralin or similar could be your choice. Also adjusting pickups as high as possible gives bigger signal.

[Skybone]

When you say "the pickups are notoriously weak", what are you talking about here?

Weak as in relative to the music you're playing?

Or weak as in a low impedance figure (under 7-8k ohms)?

Definitely lower impedance than the Nordstrand's?

I would say that many players have made big noises with low output pickups, and maybe you just need to EQ your non-Nordstrand loaded basses differently to the Nordstrand loaded one.

 

[horrorshowbass]

Sounds like a job for a b7k/steve harris or GED2112 pedal