Is this MM style pickup wired in series? Can I change that?

[Paolo85]

Hi all. So I have this bass with a MM type pickup at the bridge which I wish was a bit brighter, had a bit more clarity. I really don't knob much about pickups, I wonder if it is possible to tell from just a few pictures if it is wired in series or parallel, and whether this could be changed by a non expert with good will. My guess would be that it is wired in series, and maybe if it was parallel I would lose some mids but a more stingray-esque sound (at least that's how I understand it). There is just one cable coming out of the pickups which brings two wires to the pickup-blend pot. The white wire goes to the lug, the yellow to the side of the pot. The bass is active with 2 band preamp (the stacked knobs) also a (good) J pickup at the neck. I have no idea how the preamp fits into the picture in terms of wires

Thanks!

 

 

 

[Doctor J]

If there are only two conductors in the wire coming out of the pickup then you're not going to be able to do anything about changing the inherent sound of the pickup, since it is sealed with epoxy. Whether it is wired in series or parallel is entombed in plastic, essentially, and unchangeable.

 

An issue with this kind of MM-J setup is when you set the EQ so the MM has the brightness you need, the single coil J is just too bright. They work better when both pickups are humbuckers. Can you get a tone you like from the MM if you focus on the MM alone, with the EQ?

[Paolo85]

39 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

If there are only two conductors in the wire coming out of the pickup then you're not going to be able to do anything about changing the inherent sound of the pickup, since it is sealed with epoxy. Whether it is wired in series or parallel is entombed in plastic, essentially, and unchangeable.

 

An issue with this kind of MM-J setup is when you set the EQ so the MM has the brightness you need, the single coil J is just too bright. They work better when both pickups are humbuckers. Can you get a tone you like from the MM if you focus on the MM alone, with the EQ?

Thanks! Yes it's exactly how you say. Basically I either EQ for the bridge or for the neck. I see the bridge as a nice-to-have so I have not made massive efforts to get a great tone out of it in isolation. With preamp flat or treble boosted a bit, it does not remind me of a Stingray much to be honest (though I never owned one). It has a dirty sound which I would see well in some rock contexts. That's why I suspect it may be series.

I always found the bridge pickup in the Js I had too thin for my taste, unless I was trying to pretend to be Jaco.

I was hoping a J-MM would be the best of both worlds. Maybe I failed to appreciate how well the JJ work together. Still, I have hopes that a different MM, in parallel could do the trick! Maybe I'll change the pickup one day!

 

[Doctor J]

I'm going to go the other way. I like the fat mids of the MM so I'm going to source a split-coil J pickup instead. I find I use the MM pickup more so will keep that as is.

[Paolo85]

3 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

I'm going to go the other way. I like the fat mids of the MM so I'm going to source a split-coil J pickup instead. I find I use the MM pickup more so will keep that as is.

May I ask out of pure curiosity what is the J-MM bass you are working on?

[Baloney Balderdash]

How do I wire my brain to being better at multitasking, if possible? : 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Doctor J]

20 hours ago, Paolo85 said:

May I ask out of pure curiosity what is the J-MM bass you are working on?

It's Godlyke Disciple with Barts in it. I just love the MM sound it makes so am biased towards not messing with that. I just need the appropriate Bart J to show up on ebay at the appropriate price 😁

 

[Paolo85]

Just wanted to report that all is sorted after... changing strings. I have replaced the D'Addario ProSteels with less middy DR HiBeams 45-100 and it is a perfect match! I love the bass and I even find myself playing a lot with 75% bridge and 25% neck, instead of 50-50 or bending toward the neck as before.

That was a relatively cheap fix😁