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Basslines pup for MM Sterling

J

Johnebass

Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Messages
14
Location
Bristol UK
Hi,
New member so please be gentle!!

Can anyone help?

I have come across a Seymour Duncan Basslines SMB-4 pup which i want to put into my Musicman Sterling. The Seymour duncan website only gives wiring details for the Stingray which differs from the Stering because of the 3 way selector switch.

Can I use this pickup and if so does anyone have wiring details or know where I can obtain them?

Oh by the way I intend to change the pup only NOT the electronics.

Cheers all.
John
 
I had a similar dilemma when i put a bart in my sterling. Does the basslines have red,black,green,white and a shield wire? If so, i can tell you how to wire it up. :D
 
Yes, I just checked it those colour match ok.

Presumably I will only be able to select Parallel & Series with this pickup.

Do you think that this is a worthwhile upgrade?

Thanks

John
 
Many people on this forum are die-hards and will say that you shouldnt mess with it and thats its perfect in stock form. The question of it being a worthwhile modification is solely dependent on you. Swap em out. See if you like the seymour. but make sure to keep the stocker around. only attempt to get rid of it if you honestly think the duncan is better, but make sure your 100%. thats what id say.
 
hold ups!!.... i checked out the SD site and their regular bassline pickups are not for sterlings. BUT... they do have new ones in stock that they just started making for sterlings and stingray 5's that have 3 coils

heres what i read off their site

* Now available for custom orders, Three-Coil Music Man® Bass Replacement
New from the Basslines Custom Shop, an Alnico 5 replacement pickup for post 1996 Sterling® and Stingray 5 basses with a three-coil pickup system. Your Music Man plays great. Now make it sound great! Includes detailed wiring diagrams with Custom Shop modification secrets.
 
hold ups!!.... i checked out the SD site and their regular bassline pickups are not for sterlings.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter though, a normal pickup will still work fine, you just won't be able to use the single coil mode hum-free.

Ok, with my bart i wired it exactly how the original was wired up but i took the black wire to ground (where the sheild wire is). This lets me switch between series/parallel. Single coil works but it's really quiet and besides, it will get loads of hum anyway and i never used single coil mode in the first place.

The soldering points on my sterling preamp board are labelled, it has an R for where the red wire goes, a B for where the black goes e.t.c. If yours is like that too then just wire up the pickup as per the lablelling but with the black wire going to ground. This worked for my bart, i'd assume that the wires are the same in the SD :D
 
Johnebass said:
Yes, I just checked it those colour match ok.

Presumably I will only be able to select Parallel & Series with this pickup.

Do you think that this is a worthwhile upgrade?

Thanks

John
Click to expand...
If you're going to be downgraded to a a two selector switch instead of three, then I wouldn't do it. the quality of EB's pup is top notch -- so I wouldn't lose any of the features you already have.
 
cgworkman said:
If you're going to be downgraded to a a two selector switch instead of three, then I wouldn't do it. the quality of EB's pup is top notch -- so I wouldn't lose any of the features you already have.
Click to expand...
+1


BTW - My MusicMan plays great AND sounds great!

(Sorry - couldn't resist!)
 
Without malice I will say, SD should support their replacement pickups. I figure they do to some extent. Maybe not the support we see here. :)

I also without malice will say, I don't expect you to get help from too many here with such a question. However I have seen a couple here that understand enough to advise with some real knowledge.

Maybe they will advise.


tk
 
i was considering putting Seymour Duncan pick-ups on my Sterling, but then i realised, it's a Musicman bass, and i want the musicman sound!! Keep your original Musicman pick-ups :D
 
roballanson said:
Stick with the original - there is a reason it is there
__________________
BASS: trans purple Stingray 4 with Status graphite neck and a Candy Red Stingray 5

RIG: Ashdown AMB 575wts 2x10 and a Hartke 4x10 cab
Click to expand...

Very sound advice ;)
 
My advice would be to speak to repairer/luthier experienced with installing MM bassline pups. Ask your local SD distributors if your not sure who to speak to (rather than make a dozen phone calls). Its not worth mucking around with yourself if your unsure, it doesnt cost much to get installed.

your always going to have 2 sides of the fence on this issue, it just depends what kind of sound you want, that is really all its about. the basslines pup opens up the aggressive punchy nature and makes alot more colourful tone. I like a tone with alot of personality so I dont regret putting it in one bit. for those that prefer a vintage / classic funky bass sound though, this pup might not be very useful.

cheers
 
With your whopping 20 posts - how would you know anyhow??
Click to expand...

That's just a pathetic thing to say,i'm sorry.

I joined the forums last november (if you bothered to look) and have been reading the forums since then. I'd also been reading the forums for quite some time prior to joining. So what if i don't *reply* to every single thread, it doesn't make me any less informed does it?
 
aw man, dude even if you have been here since november, many of us have been here for years and we have seen our share of topics being posted times and times over.. like myself, i've been here since 2003 and i dont have half the posts of some of the guys here who have been here a year less then me, but we all have seen our share of repeated topics, and your posts number is decieving
 
Key part of cg's message was overlooked, which was simply to "Chill-out".

A lot of stuff is bound to be a repeat for some, brand new for others.

There's no harm done - it's all good... :)
 
Hein said:
That's just a pathetic thing to say,i'm sorry.

I joined the forums last november (if you bothered to look) and have been reading the forums since then. I'd also been reading the forums for quite some time prior to joining. So what if i don't *reply* to every single thread, it doesn't make me any less informed does it?
Click to expand...

You being informed or not wasn't my point. New members, such as your self, tend to ask the same questions we all asked when we were newbies. Most of us here try to patiently answer their questions and hope for the best. We try to show them that the MM pup is the way to go. If they choose otherwise, that's their right. Screaming at them isn't the answer. Thus my point, chill out.



shaver said:
aw man, dude even if you have been here since november, many of us have been here for years and we have seen our share of topics being posted times and times over.. like myself, i've been here since 2003 and i dont have half the posts of some of the guys here who have been here a year less then me, but we all have seen our share of repeated topics, and your posts number is decieving
Click to expand...

Very true.



adelucia said:
Key part of cg's message was overlooked, which was simply to "Chill-out".

A lot of stuff is bound to be a repeat for some, brand new for others.

There's no harm done - it's all good... :)
Click to expand...

Exactly. Thank you.



Now let's all bring it down a notch before we get this thread closed...

Do you hear that?!

That's Lord Bongo coming! Run!!
 
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