is it really worth it?

[D-A-Bm-G]

heres the deal: i have a yamaha rbx350 bass, I am planning to upgrade it a little bit by swapping in better PJ pups. leaning more into bartolinis.

do you really think it will make a huge difference sound wise? or its just a waste of time/money effort and i should just go with a better quality bass? I have heard that the kind of wood used for the bass plays a lot of factor with the sound, and frankly speaking I am not that knowledgable about these kind of things.

your opinion will be greatly appreciated.

 

[alanchia]

ever try it with a pre-amp or amp emulator or tone shaper?

what kind of tone are you expecting from the upgrade?

 

[cool-beans]

What's lacking in the stock pick-ups?

 

[Resetti]

here are some easier and less expensive thigns to try first:

1) change the strings to a differnt type, different brand. the tone of the bass will change.

2) instead of swapping out, which is an involved task, why not buy a pedal pre-amp/tone shaper and just plug your bass output into that and tweak?

who knows, these cheaper and easier alternatives may do it for you.

 

[D-A-Bm-G]

I want my bass to produce a broader range of sound. i like to have more warmth and bottom end. I feel that the stock pups are too "middy".

the things is I am more of a bass-cable-amp kind of guy. I am trying to get the best sound possible with minimal add ons. I know I can just save and buy a better guitar, but i really like the overall feel of this yamaha.

Yeah, I know, I am weird.

 

[Morlock]

try to replace the pre-amps first Aguilar should be your candidate

 

[alanchia]

I want my bass to produce a broader range of sound. i like to have more warmth and bottom end. I feel that the stock pups are too "middy".

Have you tried the BB414? Do you like the tone?

 

[Morlock]

Have you tried the BB414? Do you like the tone?

yeah correct, the yamaha bb414 is a pj config. definitely you should try that first.

 

[huckie]

go for warwick!!! hehehe

 

[b33r]

try nickel wound strings, if you aren't already using them.

 

[shinobi]

the entire construction of the guitar contributes to the tone. the electronics, hardware, and the guitar itself. we won't know whether any mod in particular will achieve its desired tone for 2 reasons

1. we don't know your 'desired tone'
2. we don't know the manner and extent at which the mod will change the tone

it's like mixing a cocktail. if you swap a liqueur for another, who knows what the result will be? you know the difference in taste between a triple sec and an amaretto, for example, but does it necessarily change the drink in the way in which you imagine?

now you can change the pickups, but u need to know if its a matter of the kind of pickups being used in that arrangement, or the arrangement of pickups itself. if you're going for a dub/reggae tone, a single coil at the bridge is not gonna be counter productive no matter what pickup you change it to.

the best way is to experiment. you will hit and miss. that is part and parcel of this hobby. some guys will swear by certain gear, and yet spend their entire lives wondering what's missing from their tone. a dozen spoons cannot replace a knife. you can put lipstick on a pig, but... you get the idea.

as for the variables apart from the bass itself, of course you can get a preamp or equalizer or what some ppl for some reason call 'tone shaper' (if an effect doesnt shape the tone then its not an 'effect' anymore, is it?), which could be either or both. i don't know what rig you are using, but supposing you are using a half decent amp, would tweaking the eq or gain get you closer to the tone you want?

 

[Morlock]

honestly, just get another bass... sell your rbx and get a used fender active jazz or Ibanez SR (the one with bartolinis)... you wont be sorry

as for modifying your bass, it is very risky, it can be very good or would make it worse so if it was me I'd rather get a new bass. but if budget is not a concern then modifying your bass could be a good idea. 1 it is educational, 2 it is good fun

 

[D-A-Bm-G]

hi guys, reviving my old thread. i continued with the pup swap but only the bridge pups at the moment. changed the J ones (bridge pups)to bartolinis (the deep sounding ones) and I am contented with the improvement the new pups gave me. it now has more depth than the stock pups. the problem now is that TYMC doesnt have stocks of the bart P pups for 4 string, they only have the 5 string model. they told me that actually it is of the same size and the pups will work even thou it is for 5 strings. should i go on wtih the bart pups even thou my bass is a 4string? or is there any good alternatives that is readily available than can give the warmth that I am looking for? (the depth part is is already covered by the bridge barts).

TIA!

 

[jbarks]

As long as it fits and you don't have to do any body routing. Carving out an RBX350 is not the best use of your $. And a neck pickup will be deeper and warmer than the bridge pickup, all things considered.

 

[FourSling]

Granted u're a bass-cable-amp dude, but maybe an EQ pedal or a sansamp? - could introduce more options and pump that low end? It's one more cable before the amp Plus if it don't work out, you can always put it up for sale and still play your Yam without it havng to go for pickup surgery