How about this idea?

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 3:44 pm

I have a Hohner 5 string that I have been playing for quite a while. I had this idea today, that maybe a little nuts but let's see what you think.

How about I get the Bartolini Rick pickups and put em on my Hohner? Wire it like a Rick and see what I get? It's a neck through but not maple and the fretboard's not lacquered(or whatever they did to it)so I may lose sustain, but what do you think it would sound like?.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 4:05 pm

A Hohner with Barts?

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:08 pm

I am just talking about using a third party Rick pickup to use on my Hohner instead of the EMG Jazz actives. And that is Hohner not Hofner, in case you think I meant Hofner...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:02 pm

I am not sure what a honer 5 string looks like or sounds like ... I am not a fan of the Bart replacement pickups ... but I do like the barts on the alembic basses ... it is fun to have an experimental bass that you can try different pickups on ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:05 pm

Barts are great pickps but I don't know if the Rick replacements sound like real RIC made pickups. Properly installed Barts will always sound good. Will it be the sound you are looking for? I don't know. My jazz has a set of older Bartolinis and they sure do sound sweet.

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:22 am

Is your Hohner one of those Steinberger copies?

I do know the difference between Hohner and Hofner!

Besides, when did Hofner start making 5 string basses?

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:51 am

Ok, wasn't sure, and no it has a headstock. It's called the PRO V. Did Seymour Duncan make Rick replacements? I would think the replacements must be somewhat close in sound to the original? Or is it my bad? I also have a 4 string Hohner fretless with Jazz pickups also. They have an ok sound but I can't stand the hum from the single coil. For anyone interested, Hohner's basses seem to come out of the good Korean factory as they are all a cut above the other Korean basses I have played.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:31 am

I love Seymour Duncan pickups ... they have made a lot of really good pickups through the years ... but the Seymour Duncan Ric replacement pickups truly suck ... the reason some people like them is that upon installation the bass cut capacitor is removed and now their old 4001 has more volume and bottom ...

put 4004 hb1 pickups in the hohner ... then it will kick butt ...

Also Rick pickups can cover a string spacing of 1 7/8 to 2 1/4" depending on the model ... so if you have a bass with strings spaced 2 3/4" above the pickup and you use a Ric pickup then the B and G strings will be weaker than the 3 middle strings ... I find that I can get a maximum of 2 3/8" spacing at the bridge and still have all 5 strings sound good when using 4003 or 4004 pickups ...

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:41 am

I will measure the spacing tonite but it is narrow. I don't like the wide 5's like the Yamaha BB series. It feels like I'm on the Interstate, when I want to be on a 2 lane!

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:23 am

I like the HB idea. It looks like they go for 89 bucks new.