Any love for Schaller pickups?

Alanko · November 28, 2016, 01:31:55 PM

I kitted out my Jazz bass with Schaller JBX pickups, partly because they were cheaper than Dimarzio Model Js and also because I could buy them in the UK. I've just purchased a set of NOS '80s PBX pickups to put in my P bass.

On the surface these seem like straight up Dimarzio clones. Were they licensed copies, and do people that have spent more time with both feel there are major differences in tone between them?

I've seen Schaller Bassbuckers on a few instruments on this forum and, from what I recall reading elsewhere, these weren't simply Model G clones but their own entity?

godofthunder · November 29, 2016, 05:16:31 AM

I had Schaller Bassbucker in the parts box for years, never installed it in anything lol. They were cool because they had interchangeable covers, stock was cream I have a NOS chrome cover for one. I have never tried their version of the P pickup, hmmmmmmm I think I have one of those lying around as well. From conversations I remember the Schallers don't have as gritty a sound.

66Atlas · November 29, 2016, 06:08:23 AM

I have a Schaller bassbucker in a vintage aluminum neck Kramer. It's a little less aggressive sounding to me than the similar Dimarzio but not terribly different.

gearHed289 · November 29, 2016, 11:18:07 AM

My aluminum neck Kramer came with creme-colored Schaller P/J pups. I could get a very convincing P bass sound out of it, as well as a good Stanley Clarke Alembic tone, and a sort of Ric/Jazz hybrid tone. Totally passive, 2 vol, 2 tone, selector switch, and a series/parallel switch for each pup. No complaints

Alanko · November 29, 2016, 01:57:11 PM

All good to hear! The seller on Ebay had a bassbucker for sale as well.

Were they licensed designs from Dimarzio and, if so, why did Dimarzio and Schaller come to this arrangement? Why did Kramer use a German manufacturer over a US one?

Dave W · November 29, 2016, 10:45:30 PM

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the Schallers were licensed from Dimarzio (or vice versa) but I've never read of any evidence. Could be that Schaller just copied the designs. Could also be that the innards aren't identical.

gearHed289 · November 30, 2016, 09:42:38 AM

Kramer was using DiMarzios just prior to the Schaller stuff. Badass bridges as well. The "DMZ" series. Then the pickups and bridges became Schallers for the "Stagemaster" series that I have. I'm thinking they worked out some kind of deal that helped the bottom line. Also, the tuners for both series were Schaller.

I just remembered I briefly had a Kawai bass with a graphite neck that came with Schaller everything. Gorgeous bass with a MM-ish 3+1 headstock. But they molded the necks with ZERO relief and there was major buzz on the first few frets. I got full store credit toward a Guild Pilot. The Kawai was pretty thin sounding anyway for whatever reason.

Alanko · December 03, 2016, 04:14:32 PM

My Schallers were most likely delivered to my place of work yesterday, but we celebrated it as a public holiday!

I guess I get them on Monday now, and I can report further then.

The pickup is going in my Mike Dirnt bass. At the same time I'm replacing the bridge with one of Fender's Badass II replicas. The bass will have had one fitted originally, but by the time it came to me there was a Gotoh 201 fitted.