Carvin Alnico Humbucker for Sr5??

[Bobbo 77]

Hey Y'all,
Been wanting to put an Alnico Humbucking pick-up in my Sr5. Does anybody know if the Carvin would be a direct replacement? They have a narrow spaced pick-up, (4.6 L x 1.9 W), and I was hoping somebody had some input on these pick-ups.

Bobbo 77"

 

[Oldtoe]

I once had a Carvin LB75 with the MM-style pickup. Briefly.

Those pickups suck. Very low output and crappy sound.

 

[bovinehost]

You had a Carvin?

Man, I don't even KNOW you.

















Special note to Carvin owners: This is humor and is not intended as an actual slam on actual Carvin owners.

 

[adouglas]

Special note to Carvin owners: This is humor and is not intended as an actual slam on actual Carvin owners.

Re the crappy sound... Surely a whole lot has to do with the preamp? Carvin preamps aren't the greatest...that's why I yanked the stock unit out of mine and replaced it with an Aguilar. Rhetorical question: do you think that if you put a gen-u-wine MM pickup in a Carvin with the stock Carvin preamp it'd sound like a MM? I don't think so...but I don't know for sure. I'm not an electronics expert.

All I know is what I found. FWIW replacing the preamp made a big, big difference in the sound of my fretted Carvin.

Also FWIW, my fretless Carvin has the P-series electronics, (J neck pickup, MM-style bridge pickup, piezo, different preamp circuit than regular stock, 18 volt). I get compliments on the tone of this bass all the time. But that doesn't mean squat...I've never directly compared it to a MM. I only know that people like it.

YMMV, IMHO, etc. etc. Please don't hate me for owning Carvins. I'm here on the EBMM forum because I've bought a Bongo and am selling one of them.

 

[Oldtoe]

You had a Carvin?

Man, I don't even KNOW you.

Well, it was pretty and cheap.

Like my ex-wife. Lesson learned.

 

[Psycho Ward]

It's ok adouglas, I've never owned a Carvin but I've got a wall full of other basses only because I didn't buy an EBMM first.

It's sort of like sowing wild oats, of course in my case my wild oats have turned into shredded wheat…

 

[bovinehost]

Please don't hate me for owning Carvins. I'm here on the EBMM forum because I've bought a Bongo and am selling one of them.

Hey, apparently some of my BEST FRIENDS owned Carvins.*














*"Not that there's anything wrong with that." -- J. Seinfeld

 

[bdgotoh]

A Carvin is NOT a direct replacement for an SR5 pickup. The stock EB pickup is a three-coil assembly with a dummy coil so you get no hum in the single-coil position. The Carvin is just a double coil and likely lower output, I really doubt it'll make you happy.

 

[73jbass]

If you want an alnico replacement,try the S.D. Basslines 3 coil version. If you like the tone of the original Stingray,then get the Basslines pickup. Every SR5 I owned had one on it. I have one on one of my Sterlings also. I just love them! there are several other makers the have alnico versions of the MM pickup. do your research before you spend your money.

 

[Musicman Nut]

Hey Y'all,
Been wanting to put an Alnico Humbucking pick-up in my Sr5. Does anybody know if the Carvin would be a direct replacement? They have a narrow spaced pick-up, (4.6 L x 1.9 W), and I was hoping somebody had some input on these pick-ups.

Bobbo 77"

STINGRAY 5 GUYS, LET ME HELP YOU OUT AND SAVE YOU HEAD ACHE AND MONEY.

Your pickup is a Ceramic Magnet pickup, when you put a Alnico in it's place yes it will work.

WILL IT SUCK answer is 100% Yes.

The preamp has been changed from the early stingrays when the pickups we're Alnico,

When they went to a Ceramic Magnets the preamp was changed a bit to acommadate the new Ceramic Pickup.

I did all the testing years ago. It was a night mare. You'll have to moddify the preamp in order to make this work,

And No Please don't email me for the Mod because i won't share what we had to do to the Preamp.

The end result was, you want alnico, buy a very early Stingray 5 Alnico Stingray.
I've spent 20 years testing all sorts of things and this is why today i still say Ernie Ball Has Mastered The Stingray world.

Buy them and Play the hell out of them. You own the best Bass on the market and it's this way right out of the Case.
Dave Jeffrey

 

[Big Poppa]

Thanks Dave

I just played an artists brand x with a sd basslines an a demeter preamp. It wouldnt make it out of our factory. Sorry boys but the SD was ****ty to my ears and we were unimpressed with the demeter preamp. We looked closer at it and it sure resembled a out of the book national semiconductor scematic. THere is nothing wrong with that , but there was no voo doo that was for sure.

I like Jim Demeter and respect his work and his wine!, but this was a miss in my book.
It was for the artist too because he is trying to get onboard here.

 

[adouglas]

I did all the testing years ago.

Excellent post, Dave. Nothing like real experience instead of hearsay. This is why forums like this are truly valuable IMHO.

Not that there's anything wrong with the occasional warped photograph.

 

[coldtrain]

Ain't nothin like the real thing

I have to concur on the SD pup that I tried in a store, it just didn't have *it*.

I even made the folly of trying a Nordstrand replacement in my SR4. That lasted about a day before I put the stock pup back in. It may sound great in a different bass with a different pre, but it in the stock SR, it just didn't have the balls.

Anyway, back to topic for Bobbo 77 -- If you really want that alnico pup in a 5er, I'd say pick up a SUB5, or has already been mentioned, grab an older SR5...

/Fabio

 

[Bobbo 77]

Thank's Amigo's

Fellow E.B. user's,
Thank's for the valuable input. Also, thank you Musicman Nut for the info about the pick up's and pre, never thought it would be voiced specially for a Ceramic P.U. I just heard from Carvin, and they ARE NOT a drop in pick up anyway's.

Bobbo 77'

 

[Golem]

Hey Y'all,
Been wanting to put an Alnico Humbucking pick-up in my Sr5. Does anybody know if the Carvin would be a direct replacement? They have a narrow spaced pick-up, (4.6 L x 1.9 W), and I was hoping somebody had some input on these pick-ups. Bobbo 77"

PUs are not hugely expensive, especially for a single PU bass. Why
not go the difference for a predictable product, like the BassLines?

I've got BassLines in a Ray 4FL and at the neck in an early Sabre.
Tone is big and deep, but with a more "tamed" top end than a MM
original PU. No need to take it at my word. There are users all over
the place and you can check online for reviews.

Just curious what leads you to the Carvin?