PU Swaps

[fronobulax]

I'm way off in fantasy land.

I can make a case that I have too many basses relative to how much playing I do and how much storage space I have. I have a strong emotional attachment to the JS but a strong preference for the sound of the Starfire. There is a lot of evidence that what is driving the sound is the Bisonic and not the semi-hollow body.

Just supposing I came across a pair of Bisonics and decided to swap them into the JS. Would I get the sound I expect or pretty close? (Yeah, I know that is pretty subjective but...) Am I correct that the swap is reversible? I seem to recall that replacing a humbucker with a Bisonic requires a couple of holes to be drilled but they would be covered up by the humbucker's mounting ring. Are the existing pots and wiring going to be OK or will I have to swap pots as well. I presume if there was a Bisonic in the neck position I would want to just disable the tone switch, correct? (It's not clear that the suck switch in a Bisonic Starfire is the same circuit as in a JS and either way, most Bisonic owners have disabled it and gotten "better" sound).

Suppose I only get one Bisonic but go ahead anyway. Do I put it in the neck or bridge position? Same question about wiring and controls.

Just thinking out loud but don't worry - pulling the Bisonic out of my Starfire is not on the table.

Thanks.

 

[twocorgis]

Well, this must be a fantasy, because BiSonics of any flavor, be it original or Dark Star, are pretty much unobtanium, right? I'm glad I didn't hold my breath waiting for a pair of Dark Stars for my DA Starfire; I'd have been dead a long time now. :shock: :lol:

Getting back to your question though, Dark Stars seem to go really well in solid body basses, don't you think?

 

[fronobulax]

Fantasy triggered by this, but the bottom line (snicker, snicker) is that if I do the swap for Bisonics or Dark Stars, I'm willing to pay a premium and that might pry some out of the woodwork. Still just speculating and gathering information.

 

[twocorgis]

Fantasy triggered by this, but the bottom line (snicker, snicker) is that if I do the swap for Bisonics or Dark Stars, I'm willing to pay a premium and that might pry some out of the woodwork. Still just speculating and gathering information.

I saw that (and shuddered a LOT). I know that the seller claims that the electronics are fine, but that claim is dubious at best with me judging by the condition of everything else. "Ridden hard and put away wet" comes to mind. 8)

At least there's a return policy in place, but I guess I'm just to cheap (and poor right at the moment) to bite on this one just for the pups.

 

[bassmyf]

I don`t think you could wrong with that swap, Frono. Tonewise, think " Live Dead" era Phil Lesh w/ his BiSoniced Gibson EB-3.

 

[mgod]

Live Dead is an unmodified Starfire. Phil uses his EB3 on Skullfuck, but it's modified further than just pick-up changes.

Beyond that, I'm not going to opine here because Frono already knows what I think.

 

[fronobulax]

Live Dead is an unmodified Starfire. Phil uses his EB3 on Skullfuck, but it's modified further than just pick-up changes.

Beyond that, I'm not going to opine here because Frono already knows what I think.

But given the state of my memory knowing your opinion and remembering it are two different things. The first recollection would be that you consider almost anything an upgrade to a Guild Humbucker :wink:

 

[mgod]

:wink:

 

[bassmyf]

Live Dead is an unmodified Starfire. Phil uses his EB3 on Skullfuck, but it's modified further than just pick-up changes.

Beyond that, I'm not going to opine here because Frono already knows what I think.

Doh. I knew that, Dan. Another case of the fingers moving before the brain. .

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Speaking of pickup swaps, is it crazy to buy a bass just to take out the Dark Star pickup and put it in one of my Starfires? It's a $1200 Fender Mustang I'm looking at here. If I did it, I would buy an original mustang pickup and put that back in the bass before re-selling. Bad idea? Should I wait for an unattached DS-1 to show up on the market?

 

[fronobulax]

Speaking of pickup swaps, is it crazy to buy a bass just to take out the Dark Star pickup and put it in one of my Starfires? It's a $1200 Fender Mustang I'm looking at here. If I did it, I would buy an original mustang pickup and put that back in the bass before re-selling. Bad idea? Should I wait for an unattached DS-1 to show up on the market?

What's the Mustang worth after the swap? Do the math. That tells you how much a Dark Star is worth to you. Fred would get $200. Since they are scarce $300-$400 suggests being impatient is worth $100-$200 to you and so on. I think we're going to see Dark Stars routinely go for above $400 and Bisonics above $500 in the near future because lots of folks are getting impatient.

However, one way to read this thread is that Dark Stars or something similar might soon be available.

 

[twocorgis]

What's the Mustang worth after the swap? Do the math. That tells you how much a Dark Star is worth to you. Fred would get $200. Since they are scarce $300-$400 suggests being impatient is worth $100-$200 to you and so on. I think we're going to see Dark Stars routinely go for above $400 and Bisonics above $500 in the near future because lots of folks are getting impatient.

However, one way to read this thread is that Dark Stars or something similar might soon be available.

That's certainly what I'm hoping! (tap tap tap...)

 

[bassmanpatsfan18]

Thanks for the advice, Frono. I decided to pass on the Mustang. I think I'm patient enough to wait for a bassless DS-1 to pop up on the used market or for something exciting to happen in Dark Star land.

 

[fronobulax]

Thanks for the advice, Frono. I decided to pass on the Mustang. I think I'm patient enough to wait for a bassless DS-1 to pop up on the used market or for something exciting to happen in Dark Star land.

Advice I got. Good advice? Not so much, but you're welcome. I've been thinking along the same lines except that my timing and finances just got set back several weeks/months, which certainly helps with "patiently waiting for a Dark Star".