Combining a Nordstrand MM Quad Coil with a Big SplitMan

[d_g]

Hi all

looking for some advice as I haven’t had any luck with a reply from Nordstrand through their form!

I’m building a Stingray HH type bass but hoping to get closer to the sound of a Classic Sabre with the 16 Pole Neck pickup.

I’m thinking of Combining a Nordstrand MM Quad Coil with a Big SplitMan in the neck position. The neck pickup will also be slightly further from the neck than a normal stingray HH.

I’ll have a diver switch wired like a Sabre.

Is there any reason these pickups might not work nicely together?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sikamikanico]

One concern I’d have is that the BigSplitMan may overpower the MM Quad. It would depend a lot on how you intend to wire them and use them.

 

[d_g]

One concern I’d have is that the BigSplitMan may overpower the MM Quad. It would depend a lot on how you intend to wire them and use them.

What makes you think the split might overpower it? Is it a fundamentally louder pickup?

As mentioned, I’m wiring like a classic Sabre, see below.

thanks

 

[sikamikanico]

Ok, that’s clearer now… when I looked it up I saw a pickup selector switch and a phase switch…

among those settings, some may work better than others. I’m not sure how different the pickups are, but MM pickups are usually relatively weak (designed for a preamp) and big splits are kinda like beefy J pickups. Maybe they’d pair well, maybe not.

I mean, at some point you just gotta try…worst case scenario, you replace one or the other, but that can get expensive…

or maybe ping folks at Nordstrand here, like @SoniaMara … they should be able to advise

 

[d_g]

Thanks for your help. I’ve heard back from them now, looks like it’s best to combine two of the same so will do some reach to see which trade off is best! Thanks

 

[micguy]

When combining pickups, one thing that a lot of folks don't understand is that, when mixed, the "hotter" pickup seldom "overpowers" the weaker pickup - indeed, hotter pickups are usually higher in impedance; when both pickups are on, the contribution to the overall sound is often in favor of the "weaker" pickup - the lower impedance (goes with the turns squared) overcomes the output level difference (goes with the number of turns). The challenge with different pickups comes from soloing one or the other - there, the hotter pickup is not loaded by the other one, and it is hotter.

I have several basses that combine a hotter bridge pickup with a "less hot" neck pickup. In my case, this works quite well, because I never operate a bridge pickup alone (I like my basses to have bass, and a bridge pickup doesn't do that well).