P Bass Pickups on a 5 string...

[mando.player]

I've got a 5 string on pre-order from JBovier. I'm pretty pumped to be getting a solid body to compliment my hollow EM5. The Jbovier mandos come stock with P Bass pickups. My best guess estimate is that the strings will fall directly between the pole pieces. I'd assume that the middle strings would be fine as they're surrounded by a pole piece on each side. I'm curious on how the well the outside strings C and E will get picked up though.

Has anyone out there played a 5 string with P Bass pickups? Or if anyone with pickup experience wants to weigh in, have at it. Either way, it'll be a long wait until November.

[thistle3585]

That is assuming they have pole pieces. It depends on the pickup and how it is designed. This topic has been discussed a lot. Usually, split bass pickups are designed to be mounted off center so that they cover two strings. If they have rails in them then the rails are usually located off center within the pickup so what ends up happening is that the rail doesn't fully cover all the strings hence the common complaint with Mandobirds on having a weak E string. Also, split bass pickups tend to be 8 ohm pickups when you separate them then they become 4 ohm pickups which further affects the quality of tone. I think your best bet is to ask Jeff about the electronics package.

[mandroid]

Hope they fit something suitable for a 5 string, Strat style with Rail pole that the coil is wound around would be better ..

Poles on a P bass are made to be on either side of the single bass string , passing over both when the string is vibrating.

Read here that they will offer blank scratch-plates outlines cut on the tooling that makes the one that gets installed , a boon for pickup swapping experimenters .

[mando.player]

Just thought I would give this topic a bump with an update from Jeff at JBovier. After asking him about this potential problem, he set about investigating it right away. We sent emails back and forth discussion various options and he was very open to any suggestions that I offered. Always a good sign of customer service! Anyhow, Jeff sent me an email this morning and gave permission to post it to the board.

Jeff Cowherd:
A true set of P-bass pickups is designed to be (1) "humbucker" with a
resistance value which equals the total of both together (EX: 10k-ohms
total). Each independent pickup in the set has different magnetic properties
to allow them to cancel "hum" when wired together. Cutting apart a 10k
"pair" would essentially give you (2) different 5k "single-coil" pickups.

It was this principle that I used in designing the NEW "JB-53" pickups that
will be featured on ALL JBovier E-mando models.

The “JB-53” "Neck" & "Bridge" (each different) pickups will be rated at 6k
each. They will have a wider internal "rail" that extends almost to the
edges of a standard sized P-bass pickup COVER. This allows all 5 strings to
be picked up without the need to install an "oversized" guitar pickup on a
mandolin body. Since there will be no "poles", there will be no issues with
strings lining up or losing output during string bending techniques. The
"JB-53"s work through the 3-way switch as "single-coils" in neck & bridge
switch positions, and then the two become a “humbucker” in the center switch
position. The tone of this center position can be catered to the players
taste by raising or lowering the independent pickups.

As you know, there was much discussion about the need for dual pickups on an
E-mando, since the pickups are so close together…

Honestly this pickup configuration works even better than I planned.
Now that I’ve heard (and am performing with) this configuration, I wouldn’t
have it any other way. JBovier E-mandos sound so good and have so many tonal
choices, they make single pickup E-mandos sound dull and lifeless.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Was that a little macho swagger there at the end?
It's about time! We need emando players with some swagger!

Rock on Cowherd!
Daniel

[mando.player]

Nothing wrong with having confidence in your product

If I just didn't drop my emando money on a trumpet for my son, I'd be on the pre-order list. These look like a great value in the sub-$1000 emando market. If they take off, there might be a market for pre-wired pickguards. The output jack is on the pickguard, so swapping them out shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

Of course the proof will be in the pudding and I can't wait to see the reviews when these come to market in a few months.