Mixing pickup brands

[AndyG]

I'm pretty sure guitar players do this all the time, but I'm looking for bass player input.

I've got a "leftover" Nordstrand J neck pickup and a Bartolini J bridge pickup that I'm thinking about using for a fretless build.

Aesthetics aside, has anyone else mixed pickups from different manufacturers on the same instrument?

 

[dmraco]

All the time.  I frequently will mix Duncan and DiMarzio on a guitar

 

[line6man]

The brand doesn't have much to do with anything, other than making sure that single coils end up in RWRP pairs.

I've done it a number of times.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I've done it on 2 basses.  A Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder P-Bass pickup with a Carvin MM style pickup, and Fender P-Bass pickup with another Carvin MM style pickup. 

For a J-Bass, many times both pickups are the same DC resistance and magnet type.  The differences being the size and RWRP if a true single coil set.  The differences in sound are solely because of where they're located.  If using 2 brands where specs are different, they should sound drastically different than the same pickup in a different spot.  There also lies the possibility of phase issues, but those are easily enough fixed.

 

[AndyG]

Both the Nordstrand and the Bart are the split-coil, hum-cancelling variety, so I don't think there will be any issues ...

They both have very different tones, which is exciting and concerning ... because on my Deluxe 5, I use the J/J combo (both Nords) about 90% of the time ... only on specific songs will I go to a single pickup.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Being hum canceling, they're technically humbuckers.  Even those can be electrically out of phase.  That's easily enough fixed by swapping leads.  Magnetically, not so much.  For some reason, the Quarter Pound P is out of phase with every pickup I've shared it with, and it's hum cancelling.

 

[greywolf]

My latest build uses a Bartolini Soapbar humbucker in the neck and a TV Jones Thunderblade for the bridge .. I like it