Has anyone ever put a guitar pickup in a bass?

[kbit]

Eh? Did it sound cool?

I love playing bass, but I feel like some of my favorite fuzzes sound way better on guitar. I'm thinking a guitar pickup in bass might give me the best of both worlds.

[Achtane]

I've heard some guitar pickups are better for this, but I think it'd just sound like a thin wuss bass toan
If you get a Dano neck and do the BassVI thing, that might be a better compromise...

[fever606]

i think the old musicmaster basses used the same pickup as the guitars... my friend has a late 70s musicmaster bass that he only uses for recording fuzz bass...

[Gone Fission]

i think the old musicmaster basses used the same pickup as the guitars... my friend has a late 70s musicmaster bass that he only uses for recording fuzz bass...

Yep. The Musicmaster and Bronco basses have six pole pieces. Seems to work okay, though the low end is leaner than on the similar Mustang. A lot of folks will replace the stock guitar pickup in the Squier Broncos with dual-rail guitar pickups, or I've even seen people use Lace Sensors, probably for low noise. Duncan does some proper four pole pickups for the '51 P bass that will fit if you want a more correct bass pickup without routing.

[kbit]

I've heard some guitar pickups are better for this, but I think it'd just sound like a thin wuss bass toan
If you get a Dano neck and do the BassVI thing, that might be a better compromise...

TOO MANY STRINGS, SON.

[masked elwood]

the dimarzio X2N is a great pickup for bass.
it's the only guitar pickup i've actually tried in a bass (other than the stock musicmaster).

[Achtane]

I've heard some guitar pickups are better for this, but I think it'd just sound like a thin wuss bass toan
If you get a Dano neck and do the BassVI thing, that might be a better compromise...

TOO MANY STRINGS, SON.

WHAT ABOUT TEENY TINY ITTY BITTY LITTLE WUSS BASS STRINGS THEN
CIRCLE K STRINGS COULD HOOK YOU UP YKNOW

[Mudfuzz]

I haz tried a few diff guitpickups like buckers and such... my only thang is they now as punch most of the time... on the other hand I wish there was a guitar pickup that sounded like a RIC bass bridge pickup!

[bigchiefbc]

I haz tried a few diff guitpickups like buckers and such... my only thang is they now as punch most of the time... on the other hand I wish there was a guitar pickup that sounded like a RIC bass bridge pickup!

I wish I could put a Ric bridge pickup in every fucking piece of equipment I own. It is the most beastly thing ever.

[greyscales]

I've never played around with guitar pickups, but currently my Jag bass has out of phase pickups that sound a lot more like a guitar. Works great with looping; you can play bass riffs with normal tone, then switch to out of phase for faux-guitar parts. It behaves a lot better with sensitive pedals. The problem is you lose a lot of bass and some volume.

So you might want to check that option out. You could always put the phase on a switch.

[darthbatman]

scott at birdsong guitars uses two Lace guitar p-ups for his basses, single coil neck and bucker bridge.. but i think he rewires em a bit. sounds delish thru fuzz

[kbit]

I've heard some guitar pickups are better for this, but I think it'd just sound like a thin wuss bass toan
If you get a Dano neck and do the BassVI thing, that might be a better compromise...

TOO MANY STRINGS, SON.

WHAT ABOUT TEENY TINY ITTY BITTY LITTLE WUSS BASS STRINGS THEN
CIRCLE K STRINGS COULD HOOK YOU UP YKNOW

Ehh. Maybe. Right now I'm thinking of throwing a humbucker in the neck of a Sterling SUB. Possibly.

I haz tried a few diff guitpickups like buckers and such... my only thang is they now as punch most of the time... on the other hand I wish there was a guitar pickup that sounded like a RIC bass bridge pickup!

STOP MAKING ME WANT THINGS I CAN'T HAVE EVEN MORE.

[Chankgeez]

Pretty sure the original Danelectro used the same spec lipstick pickups in both their guitars and basses.

[theavondon]

Pretty sure the original Danelectro used the same spec lipstick pickups in both their guitars and basses.

aaaaaaaaand, the current ones too, pretty sure

[McSpunckle]

I put a couple of guitar pickups in a bass before. A Dimarzio Pro Track in the neck (like Ric or Tele bass neck, not J neck), and an X2N at the bridge of a P bass. They really didn't sound different than you'd expect from pickups, guitar or bass. Bass pickups tend to be wound a bit hotter, which makes the pickup louder and darker, but otherwise there's not a ton of difference.

Some fuzzes just aren't as fun with bass as guitar, and vice versa. Maybe try detuning or using lighter strings to get rid of of the "attack"? Bass strings are longer and thicker (har har) than guitar strings when you're playing the same note, after all. Or flatwounds.