The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: MARICOPAA on May 14, 2008, 11:49:55 AM

Title: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: MARICOPAA on May 14, 2008, 11:49:55 AM
These started appearing a about a week or two ago on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chrome-Neck-Pickup-for-Gibson-EB-0-3-Bass-Guitar-30k_W0QQitemZ350060187779QQihZ022QQcategoryZ22670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

One comes up...sells...another comes up. The 30K ohms is what has me interested. Also...the construction looks fairly accurate.

Never having seen under the hood of a newer Epiphone look-a-like neck pickup from an Epi EB-O or Epi Rivoli II...I'm curious if that's what these are?

Does anyone have the output of an Epi version of this pickup? Is it 30K ohms (plus/minus).

Lastly, does the construction of the Epi pickup look the same as the one in this auction?

All I've ever heard is that while they look similar to a Mudbucker, the Epiphone neck pickups just don't have the same characteristics. Some folks like that and some don't. Maybe someone can post a picture of the Epi pickup and output for comparison?


Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: shadowcastaz on May 14, 2008, 12:14:47 PM
It looks like one i just got to put in an eb3 carcass I have. There are some posts about it on http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1627&highlight=artec    have not heard it yet tho.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 14, 2008, 02:29:50 PM
Yep, that's the same Artec pickup we discussed at Jules' place awhile back, just from a different seller. And it's definitely not the same pickup as the current or any recent Epis.

IIRC the Epi also is a sidewinder but the output is way lower and it sounds nothing like a vintage mudbucker.

The Artec at least ought to sound close.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Chris P. on May 14, 2008, 02:32:11 PM
Bart from Belgium has recently joined us. He has an Artec in his reissue Rivoli. I believe he's very happy and he posted somewhere here.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: doombass on May 14, 2008, 02:32:26 PM
I'm pretty sure those are Artec pickups. I have one but I have'nt tried it yet. They have about the same sound as the original though. Listen here:http://www.lindersson.se/BASS/jazz_mudbucker.htm (http://www.lindersson.se/BASS/jazz_mudbucker.htm) Epi's have less output and oompf and are wound to approx 1.2 k (probably use thick wire).
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Chris P. on May 14, 2008, 02:41:34 PM
Bart (not Bart!) aka 'Farmie' wrote this in the 'Epiphone Rivoli' thread:

I have an artec pickup EBC4 since a few days in my 90's epi rivoli. What a change!
I NEVER had a bass that can go this deep !!!
The switch is a nice feature with this pickup.
The only thing that surprised me is that the pole piece alignment was not so accurate.
Strange: I thought the Artec EBC4-CR was made for this bass?
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 14, 2008, 02:47:40 PM
Right, I had forgotten that. The post is here (http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=449.msg6757#msg6757).
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: ramone57 on May 14, 2008, 07:08:56 PM
I measured the epi dudbucker from my '95 rivoli awhile back and it was nowhere near 30k.  iirc it was closer to 10k, maybe a bit less.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 14, 2008, 08:53:06 PM
whats the string spacing on these pups?
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 15, 2008, 01:05:39 AM
poke around this site for a bit:

http://artecsound.com/
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: gweimer on May 15, 2008, 02:13:45 AM
That's why I got a real Gibson bucker to put in my EB-1.  In a month or so, it's going off to Jason Lollar for rewinding.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 15, 2008, 09:02:36 AM
Quote from: old puppy on May 15, 2008, 01:05:39 AM
poke around this site for a bit:

http://artecsound.com/

Interesting. There's a nice wiring diagram "book" in .pdf  in the magnetic pickup section.

It's not immediately obvious but if you click on the "pickups for guitar factory" and then click on the number 30 up at the top, you get several "metal 4 bass pickups" including this one and a Gretsch style.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Chris P. on May 15, 2008, 09:28:46 AM
That page was posted here already one. I like the Gretsch style pick ups too!
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 15, 2008, 05:13:36 PM
from the sound clips on jule's site it sounds pretty close and it is more than we had available a year ago in repopped mudbucker pups!

from what i've been able to glean it looks like it has a bit wider string spacing than a mudbucker (1.093" eyeballing the tape) and these are listed as 2 1/16" or 2.0625 (believing the seller's eyeballing). thats close to a DS2 Dark Star spacing.

those chrome thingy's look kind of narrow though with their 43 and 45 mm spacing. it would be interesting to hear some sound clips from them.

whats the spacing on an LP basses pups?
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 15, 2008, 06:13:58 PM
Maybe farmie or shadowcastaz can measure the Artec exactly for you.

The pickups from the recently discontinued LP standard are blade pickups, so no there's no spacing issue. They're standard Gibson guitar-size humbuckers.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 15, 2008, 09:11:13 PM
now that's interesting to know about the blades. i picked up four wound blade bobbins last year on a whim because they were so cheap at the time.

God must smile on idiots like me
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: doombass on May 16, 2008, 12:18:49 AM
Quote from: old puppy on May 15, 2008, 05:13:36 PM
from the sound clips on jule's site it sounds pretty close and it is more than we had available a year ago in repopped mudbucker pups!

from what i've been able to glean it looks like it has a bit wider string spacing than a mudbucker (1.093" eyeballing the tape) and these are listed as 2 1/16" or 2.0625 (believing the seller's eyeballing). thats close to a DS2 Dark Star spacing.

those chrome thingy's look kind of narrow though with their 43 and 45 mm spacing. it would be interesting to hear some sound clips from them.

whats the spacing on an LP basses pups?

I measured my Artec and it's about 17.5 mm string to string spacing compared to a Mudbucker about 16 mm.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 16, 2008, 12:42:48 AM
17.5 mm X 3 = 2.06 inches thats cool!

i unceremoniously typed 1.093" instead of 1.93" for the mudbucker measurement earlier (again eyeballing the tape)

Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Johnny Crab on May 16, 2008, 05:18:09 PM
I got four Aztec's(two mudbucker type and two of the ones that look like Brice T-Bird pickups with chrome plating) but haven't had time to install any yet. They do toss out some lows as I hooked test leads to each one(hooked to an amp) and held it over the 20th fret area of a working bass.

I KNOW this is the Gibson area....but.....it is CHROME !! !! !!
Here's the first mudbucker project(checking pole spacing) which copies what I did to a 1960's P-bass in the early 1970's:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Johnny_Crab/RPJ_HB02fxd.jpg)
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: godofthunder on May 16, 2008, 05:21:29 PM
 That is a cool mod ! Is that bass a SX ? And if it is did I sell it to you ?
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 16, 2008, 07:31:36 PM
Sure looks like the Artec polepieces are set up for Fender spacing. But do they work on a Gibson without noticeable dropoff from the misalignment? If they do, then there's no problem.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: clankenstein on May 17, 2008, 02:16:34 AM
arrrgh thats so wrong, it should be gibson spacing!you could always do what i did with my allparts mudbucker type pickup and remove the  polepiece bolts and put a square section metal bar on top of the existing drilled one.instant blade pickup.i liked what it did to my one.however the holes in the chrome cover would still be off...
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 17, 2008, 11:21:42 AM
Quote from: tubehead on May 17, 2008, 02:16:34 AM
arrrgh thats so wrong, it should be gibson spacing!you could always do what i did with my allparts mudbucker type pickup and remove the  polepiece bolts and put a square section metal bar on top of the existing drilled one.instant blade pickup.i liked what it did to my one.however the holes in the chrome cover would still be off...

As Fonzy might have said: Bingoamundo!!

Holes might look cool ifffin ya milled them open to show the bar? Appearances are almost everything and it would give the Photon Torpedo's a wider aligned spread on a narrower string spacing!
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: Dave W on May 17, 2008, 04:51:06 PM
Quote from: old puppy on May 17, 2008, 11:21:42 AM
As Fonzy might have said: Bingoamundo!!

Holes might look cool ifffin ya milled them open to show the bar? Appearances are almost everything and it would give the Photon Torpedo's a wider aligned spread on a narrower string spacing!

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but on the Artec mudbucker copy (as on the original) the center bar that holds the polepiece screws is not a magnet. Opening up the cover to expose it wouldn't change the magnetic field.
Title: Re: What's Up With These 'Mudbucker-like' Pickups?
Post by: sniper on May 29, 2008, 10:14:49 PM
i was thinking bout putting a bar pup under a bucker cover and milling the holes into a slot to show the bar. one could mount it in epoxy (yuck) or maybe some windshield/electrical silicon (ackempucky) so as not to show any additional screws.

maybe a body mount with the bucker cover and a trim ring covering the whole deal.