Nordstrand big single vs aguilar dcb vs bartolini bh2

#2
One of those has to be SR600E, with BH2s on it. I'm happy with the Big Singles on my SR2600. Have you thought about the SR600E, which has Big Breaks? They're split coil and therefore humbucking. Here's a YouTube head-to-head between Big Singles and BH2s on the same bass.
 
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#3
themickster said:
One of those has to be SR600E, with BH2s on it. I'm happy with the Big Singles on my SR2600. Have you thought about the SR600E, which has Big Breaks? They're split coil and therefore humbucking. Here's a YouTube head-to-head between Big Singles and BH2s on the same bass.
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Actually not the one with bartolini is a iron label btb
 
#8
Ill just erite the names of the basses,
BTB1835 with aguilar dcb and SR1355B with nordstrand big single. Bnow the scale length wont make much of a diffrence for me ive played both 34 and 35 5 strings​
 
#11
This is a weird way to put it, but this is my experience with these pickups:

Bartolinis: Polite to the point of not really having a personality, but they tend to work well in a mix of you're only concerned about lows/low mids coming through.

Aguilars: kinda similar to the Bart description above, but polite with a personality. Ags sound like they're grooving already when you hit the first note.

Nordstands: Open. The top end is all there, so the personality of your bass and your strings are going to come through. They take EQ really well because the frequencies are so well represented.

Every bass I've had with Barts I immediately tried to replace them. I've got one bass with DCBs and I'm still getting to know them; they sound good, but they're a bit of a strange choice for that bass (Zon 8-string). But I have swapped pickups in several of my basses for Nordstrands. I've got Big Singles in what's essentially a 35" jazz bass and they sound rad in that thing. I also put in a Nordstrand 2-band preamp and a passive tone, so I have great control over the sound.

But to give you a vibe for who I am, all of my basses are active, and all have roundwound strings, with nary a pickguard in sight. In other words, I prefer modern/hifi sounds from my basses. Your goals may be different.
 
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#12
Jefus said:
This is a weird way to put it, but this is my experience with these pickups:

Bartolinis: Polite to the point of not really having a personality, but they tend to work well in a mix of you're only concerned about lows/low mids coming through.

Aguilars: kinda similar to the Bart description above, but polite with a personality. Ags sound like they're grooving already when you hit the first note.

Nordstands: Open. The top end is all there, so the personality of your bass and your strings are going to come through. They take EQ really well because the frequencies are so well represented.

Every bass I've had with Barts I immediately tried to replace them. I've got one bass with DCBs and I'm still getting to know them; they sound good, but they're a bit of a strange choice for that bass (Zon 8-string). But I have swapped pickups in several of my basses for Nordstrands. I've got Big Singles in what's essentially a 35" jazz bass and they sound rad in that thing. I also put in a Nordstrand 2-band preamp and a passive tone, so I have great control over the sound.

But to give you a vibe for who I am, all of my basses are active, and all have roundwound strings, with nary a pickguard in sight. In other words, I prefer modern/hifi sounds from my basses. Your goals may be different.
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Which do you think is more aggressive the nord or augilar, i play metal mostly, sometimes jazz fusion or other stuff but the ibanez prramp is quite versatile if they havnt changed it since 2017
 
#13
shalev98732 said:
Which do you think is more aggressive the nord or augilar, i play metal mostly, sometimes jazz fusion or other stuff but the ibanez prramp is quite versatile if they havnt changed it since 2017
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Nordstrands, for sure. The Big Singles aren't necessarily "aggressive", but they'll let more of the sound out.

If you want aggressive, the Nordstrand Big Blades (especially the warm and wooly variety) work VERY well; they're my go-to for pickup replacements. Pair them with a Darkglass Tone Capsule and you'll no longer be wanting for "aggression". :thumbsup:
 
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#14
Jefus said:
Nordstrands, for sure. The Big Singles aren't necessarily "aggressive", but they'll let more of the sound out.

If you want aggressive, the Nordstrand Big Blades (especially the warm and wooly variety) work VERY well; they're my go-to for pickup replacements. Pair them with a Darkglass Tone Capsule and you'll no longer be wanting for "aggression". :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
My uncle has an ibanez with a big blade and a big single and it sounded like his ricknbacker might try that combo
 
#15
shalev98732 said:
Which do you think is more aggressive the nord or augilar, i play metal mostly, sometimes jazz fusion or other stuff but the ibanez prramp is quite versatile if they havnt changed it since 2017
Click to expand...

I have clocked plenty of time with both the Big Singles and the DCBs (I know nothing about the Barts).

Both could work in a metal context, depending on the rest of your signal chain and the specific tone you’re looking for.

The Aguilar DCB has the typical dual-coil fatness and smoothness, but with some really good articulation in the upper frequencies. So if your tone goals elicit words like “fat” or “thick” or “full”, these could work. You may need some downstream effects to add some grind to the top end.

The Nordstrand Big Single is essentially the opposite: snarly and aggressive in the treble and upper mids, but a bit shy in the lows. These work better if there is some distance between the bridge and the pickup, like a Rickenbacker or a Thunderbird. The immediacy of the attack is great for aggressive music styles, but you may need something down-chain to fatten up the lows. Also, since they are single coils, they will hum a bit when soloed.
 
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#16
ctmullins said:
I have clocked plenty of time with both the Big Singles and the DCBs (I know nothing about the Barts).

Both could work in a metal context, depending on the rest of your signal chain and the specific tone you’re looking for.

The Aguilar DCB has the typical dual-coil fatness and smoothness, but with some really good articulation in the upper frequencies. So if your tone goals elicit words like “fat” or “thick” or “full”, these could work. You may need some downstream effects to add some grind to the top end.

The Nordstrand Big Single is essentially the opposite: snarly and aggressive in the treble and upper mids, but a bit shy in the lows. These work better if there is some distance between the bridge and the pickup, like a Rickenbacker or a Thunderbird. The immediacy of the attack is great for aggressive music styles, but you may need something down-chain to fatten up the lows. Also, since they are single coils, they will hum a bit when soloed.
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Yeah i dont think i need fat, for frank bello and steve digorgio and d. d. Verni and Juan Alderete style the big single woulf work, maybe fat will work for david ellefson , but then again frank bello and d d verni and juan alderte use jazz and p pickups mostly,
 
#17
I have Big Singles combined with an Audere 4 band pre. Glorious combo. Lows in Low Z mode definitely there. These are definitely aggressive to me but with 4 bands of EQ on tap can be mellowed out if need be but I don’t need that very often.
 
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#18
My experience echoes the above, leading me to suspect Barts and probably DCBs are designed for active circuits to liven up the upper end. Big Singles IMO don’t need anything added, but you can tame them with passive electronics (and technique), which IME brings out the low end. In other words, they don’t lack lows, but upper end is relatively more pronounced…
 
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#19
sikamikanico said:
My experience echoes the above, leading me to suspect Barts and probably DCBs are designed for active circuits to liven up the upper end. Big Singles IMO don’t need anything added, but you can tame them with passive electronics (and technique), which IME brings out the low end. In other words, they don’t lack lows, but upper end is relatively more pronounced…
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It comes with a good active preamp similar to what i use but it has even better mid control which ia what draw me to ibanez, probally the only preamp ill live stock, then again decided on the nordstrand big single
 
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#20
sikamikanico said:
My experience echoes the above, leading me to suspect Barts and probably DCBs are designed for active circuits to liven up the upper end. Big Singles IMO don’t need anything added, but you can tame them with passive electronics (and technique), which IME brings out the low end. In other words, they don’t lack lows, but upper end is relatively more pronounced…
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Big Singles seem to have the lows of a humbucker and the highs of a single
 
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