Ibanez SR500... different sound - new pickup or preamp?

Revv0

Hi all,

I've been using an Ibanez SR500 for years but never been satisfied with the tone, especially the bridge pickup. I was wondering whether I should change the pickups or the preamp. I haven't altered the bass (or any bass) before now...

 

It currently has the fake Bartolini Mk1's installed, and the stock preamp. I have found someone selling a Bartolini MK2-4R bridge pickup for £25 but can't find anything about it online. I emailed Bartolini and they thought it might have a bit of an impact, since the Mk1 is a split-coil and the Mk2 is a dual coil humbucker. However the Mk2 is 10mm shorter than the Mk1 so not sure how that would affect things...

The other option is to leave the pickups but change the preamp. I like the look of the Aguilar OBP3TK, but not sure I'd have the technical know-how to install it. From the pictures it looks like there are only 3 knobs, but currently the bass has 5 (other two being volume and pickup blend). Does anyone know how straightforward it would be to install in the SR500?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Funkfingers

Does your bass have an EQ Bypass switch (or push/pull pot)? If so, bypass the onboard EQ and play without it for a good while.

Is the basic Bart MK1 sound something with which you could live? Do the pickups only sound acceptable when enhanced by the EQ?

fretmeister

Can you take a photo of the preamp?

Some Ibby preamps have options….

Revv0

The bass doesn't have an EQ bypass. I haven't been able to get them to sound good regardless of what I do with the EQ.

The bass currently has the Bartolini (Cort) Mk1 pups. It's already had a good setup and have tried many different strings, but never liked the sound of the instrument.

I don't suppose anyone could recommend one of these? Don't think I'd get on well with the Blade as I feel I'd be hitting it with the string and get that undesired 'tapping' sound 

https://nordstrandaudio.com/collections/4-string-soapbar-bass-pickups

Funkfingers

Bartolini MK1 pickups are very much the economy model. I have never cared for their sound but I know others who like them. 

Somebody local to me is very taken with the Nordstrand NP4A in his Fender Am Pro Precision. I was allowed a quick go. I could happily have gone on stage with that bass.

The nearest equivalent in the BC format are the Big Rig and Fat Stack. Expensive but worth it.

Dave_Mc

Funkfingers said:

Bartolini MK1 pickups are very much the economy model. I have never cared for their sound but I know others who like them. 

Just out of interest, how economy are they? Are they like Duncan Designed, for example?

Funkfingers

Bartolini MK1 and MK2 pickups are manufactured "offshore", partly to minimise costs. They are strictly for OEM customers such as Ibanez, Cort, Lakland et cerera.

The concensus is that the MK1 and 2 models lack the professional polish of the US-made pickups. Some players complain of weak, "clanky" tone. Others complain of string to string level imbalance. The latter could be due to a mismatch with the fingerboard radius.

Bartolini is aware of the deficiencies of the offshore pickups. Their response was to develop the MK4 as an upgrade.

There are YouTube videos demonstrating the difference between MK1 and MK4 or 5 in Cort and Ibanez host instruments.

Dave_Mc

Funkfingers said:

Bartolini MK1 and MK2 pickups are manufactured "offshore", partly to minimise costs. They are strictly for OEM customers such as Ibanez, Cort, Lakland et cerera.

The concensus is that the MK1 and 2 models lack the professional polish of the US-made pickups. Some players complain of weak, "clanky" tone. Others complain of string to string level imbalance. The latter could be due to a mismatch with the fingerboard radius.

Bartolini is aware of the deficiencies of the offshore pickups. Their response was to develop the MK4 as an upgrade.

There are YouTube videos demonstrating the difference between MK1 and MK4 or 5 in Cort and Ibanez host instruments.

Brilliant, thanks (Would you believe it, I didn't think of Youtube!  )

Is the MK4 offshore as well? I first started to suspect the MK1 wasn't the "real thing" when it wasn't on the Bartolini website. I think Nordstrand is kind of similar in that respect, they have a few more budget options on cheaper(ish) basses too, and I don't think they're mentioned on their website either.

I think they could be more upfront about it. I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, and thought I knew all of the tricks to watch out for, and I nearly fell for it!

Funkfingers

The usual tell-tale of offshore (Korean) Bartolini pickups is a small logo in the corner of cover rather than a large one, right across the top.

The MK4 is part of the CBC series. I conclude that it is made in USA. The retail price supports this notion.

Dave_Mc

Funkfingers said:

The usual tell-tale of offshore (Korean) Bartolini pickups is a small logo in the corner of cover rather than a large one, right across the top.

The MK4 is part of the CBC series. I conclude that it is made in USA. The retail price supports this notion.

Brilliant, that logo thing is exactly what I need!  Thanks again (and sorry for derailing the thread @Revv0 )

PAL

Try a bass graphic equalizer then you can always change the sound of your bass !