Q-tuners neodymiun pickups, anyone?

[Bassus Sanguinis]

My old hobbyhorse bass really needs better pickups. The electronics - already once replaced - seems just shot, and/ or the pups seem plain bad I guess anything but the originals sounds better, really, but why not something nice for a replacement, right?

Q-tuners BL-4, sweet shit or a cyber hype futurismo extravaganza?

BL-4-Red.jpg (58.68 KiB) Viewed 1232 times

http://www.q-tuner.com/intro.shtml So does anybody have any experience with this stuff? Is it really the hot shit as claimed? They seem to be neodymium pickups and I have to admit the futuristic looks kind of appeal to me, in a rather childish way, should look good with my headless V-bass.

While the Q-tuners BL4 costs the hefty 150 $US, so does the TV Jones pickups and the rest of the sweet shit, right? I'm probably fine with the Seymour Duncan as a budget solution (especially the Music Man replacements have been my weapon of choice for a decade now), but still. And then there's the Rickenbacker pups, of course. Might consider TV Jones (Thundertron) or Gretsch (Filtertron), too,

[metalmariachi]

I keep looking at those.

I am very tempted to get a set even though my instinct says they will be very modern sounding compared to Alnicos.
They are sexy as hell.

MM

[one bad monkey]

I've read a lot of interesting things about them. I know Skip at Knuckle Guitarworks uses them on his Quakes, because they help him hit those sub bass notes he's known for (low F#, 39" scale and other mad scientist-like things). The YouTube vids that compare them sound good, so they'd definitely be worth a shot.

[Jero]

Yea, I'm interested in these too. My TR could use new pups, but the routing is a weird size. I could prob fit the jazz style ones but there would be a gap on the sides.

[Gearmond]

aside from being pricey and (from the demo and other places) being a bit on the bright side... a lot of a bit, they seem to let the wood speak more than non-schnazzy pickups.

friggin love the harmonics they get, and i'm considering them as well

[Bassus Sanguinis]

aside from being pricey and (from the demo and other places) being a bit on the bright side... a lot of a bit, they seem to let the wood speak more than non-schnazzy pickups.

friggin love the harmonics they get, and i'm considering them as well

Seems like that yeah, and I'll handle bright all right since I'm substituting the guitar parts by basses (that's a dope down tuning for metalz, don't You say ).

Wish it wasn't for the money but I'm just having second thoughts because I think I might actually use, for the tail pup (originally a really crappy j-pup), a Rickenbacker treble pup or a Music Man humbucker which both are pretty bright. I'd get either of them - used- for 50€ from a buddy. With that price I'd be able to replace the both pups AND get new pots AND drink myself funny as fuck while doing it.

For the neck pup (originally a really crappy p-pup to match the j.pup)... just missed a Rickenbacker original neck pup in the Bay, and, well, I can't make my mind now. Murky dark or über clean lows? EB3 / Bartolini soapbar / a vintage bong To fit in the replacements I'll have to go all lumberjack with the body anyhow...

surely a manly figure, portrayed as one

lumberjack.jpg (25.5 KiB) Viewed 1137 times

[Gearmond]

yeesh, that IS a dilemma.

i'm having the lumberjack issue with my Univox. the pickups feedback like crazy (i can use the bridge as a microphone, literally) and apparently at that point, wax potting them won't do much. but they're one of those wonky MIJ pickups that aren't quite mini humbuckers and aren't quite P-90.

i hope minis would fit with some minimal reworking, because they're probably the closest to what the pickups are.

[Jero]

My problem with expensive pups is this: I feel like I'll dish out all this money, put them in, and there won't be a great difference. Not one that justifies the extra bill. I don't know. I have changed crappy stock pups to various GFS ones and there's certainly a difference there...maybe the same will happen from the GFS to something "nicer."

i'm having the lumberjack issue with my Univox. the pickups feedback like crazy (i can use the bridge as a microphone, literally) and apparently at that point, wax potting them won't do much. but they're one of those wonky MIJ pickups that aren't quite mini humbuckers and aren't quite P-90.
i hope minis would fit with some minimal reworking, because they're probably the closest to what the pickups are.

What univox do you have? If you're going to get rid of the pickups let me know.

[Gearmond]

My problem with expensive pups is this: I feel like I'll dish out all this money, put them in, and there won't be a great difference. Not one that justifies the extra bill. I don't know. I have changed crappy stock pups to various GFS ones and there's certainly a difference there...maybe the same will happen from the GFS to something "nicer."

i'm having the lumberjack issue with my Univox. the pickups feedback like crazy (i can use the bridge as a microphone, literally) and apparently at that point, wax potting them won't do much. but they're one of those wonky MIJ pickups that aren't quite mini humbuckers and aren't quite P-90.
i hope minis would fit with some minimal reworking, because they're probably the closest to what the pickups are.

What univox do you have? If you're going to get rid of the pickups let me know.

its in the guitar thread. its a 70-72-ish custom.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

the thing is, it's DAMN rare and hard to organise actual A-B pickup testing, isn't it? I used to rant with my friend about buying a random bass body and neck, fit in all a Ps and a Js and a humbucker... but we couldn't choose which brands Ps and Js etc. since we noted a Seymour Duncan quarterpunder replacements doesn't sound ANYTHING a genuine Fender vintage P from 70's sounds, nor did the 80's Rickenbacker pups with the Seymour duncan nor with the Bartolini replacements.

[one bad monkey]

since we noted a Seymour Duncan quarterpunder replacements doesn't sound ANYTHING a genuine Fender vintage P from 70's sounds

Of course not. Those things were never meant to. The SD Antiquity Series, however, sounds pretty good. Not going to be exact, but a really nice modern alternative.

You gotta remember that overall, the instrument tone is ultimately the sum of its parts. Like a luthier told me years ago when I wanted to put EMGs into a no-name jazz bass, "What you're going to have is $200 pickups into a $50 bass, and it's going to sound like that." Especially with the Q-Tuners, it's going to accentuate everything that your instrument has and doesn't have.

[Derelict78]

http://curtisnovak.com/pickups_bass.shtml
These look cool

[Bassus Sanguinis]

since we noted a Seymour Duncan quarterpunder replacements doesn't sound ANYTHING a genuine Fender vintage P from 70's sounds

Of course not. Those things were never meant to. The SD Antiquity Series, however, sounds pretty good. Not going to be exact, but a really nice modern alternative.

You gotta remember that overall, the instrument tone is ultimately the sum of its parts. Like a luthier told me years ago when I wanted to put EMGs into a no-name jazz bass, "What you're going to have is $200 pickups into a $50 bass, and it's going to sound like that." Especially with the Q-Tuners, it's going to accentuate everything that your instrument has and doesn't have.

Yep,this was yet another reason why I decided to keep to under 100 $US pups since it's only my main instruments stunt double. It plays ok and it's got a pretty good neck (trhough body, maple, a tad sloped but working), decent tuners (steinberger licensed), and, well, that's about it. The body is supposedly alder, so, real wood - wow -, which is a nice thing for a cheap licensed copy of a name brand instrument.

I sure however it will benefit from changing the pick ups to Rickenbacker and Gretsc pups. Also, I'll try changing the pots, and work the configurations anew, I guess that will do it.