This is by far my favourite. I find Stingrays to have that insane crispy/zingy thing that I don't care for. This Darkstar totally fixes all that for me. Wow! Will have to keep this in mind, despite the cost...
Stingrays don't always sound the best (fingerstyle) on their own, but that edge on each note is what helps them cut through the mix and be super defined and punchy (Flea, RATM, etc)
Out of all the pickups this one visually fits this bass better than the rest, with that tort guard and color combo. Looks unique and old school. I dig it!
I am liking this pickup but wish your setup had a passive option just to hear it that way. For some reason I feel these pickups should be played in a passive bass. I am liking how full it sounds without getting muddy. Great video series and keep it up.
I'm confused with the tone character, but in a good way. I hear a hint of P with punch and beef of MM and a dash of J burp. Thought the tone will be very vintage-y, but it still shows the articulation and good amount of brightness like a modern pickups. nice vid!
Now I want to hear one of the Turner single coil pickups after hearing the tone from this one. Madness, throwing the Bi-Sonic in there. I love madness.
I had a very rare Lākland 44-76 Deluxe (their version of a Stingray) in 35” scale… so a 45-76??? Anyways, it came to me with a Darkstar and a Bartolini preamp. I didn’t care for the sound at all and sold the Darkstar, replacing it with a SD Stingray pickup. But, I’m a big fan of the pickup in other applications and it sounds good on this clip.
Sweet! I remember playing a Hammond Dark Star equipped 4-76 at a Lākland gathering at their old shop back in 2007(?). Definitely not Stingray tone, but oh so good! For snicks and (expensive) grins, set up a Ray 34 HH with two BS-DS. 😁
“Hmmm…has anybody seen that big itchy blanket that grandma made???” Novak BS-DS…”I was trying to warm up the sound of this stingray bass, so I wrapped it around this guy’s amp!” “Did it work??” Novak…”it didn’t, NOT work” I thought it looked cool. I’m not sure which pick up I like best but it was an awesome series. Cheers
I came here from a search for the Novak BS-DS pickup. I just purchased a G. Gould bass with two of these pickups, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what those pickups sound like (the one or two videos on UA-cam of that particular bass are not all that helpful). the Gould is passive with coil tap functionality, but this video gives me more of an idea of what the bass will sound like. And from the sound of it, I think I'm going to like it! Can't wait for UPS...
I quite like it. If I was looking for a MM pickup replacement I'd probably be disappointed because the tone is very different ("dipprnt"? 😛) indeed, but it's right up my alley: punchy in the lows, super smooth in the highs. Next on: try their B90 pickup in that same position 😀
Sounds fantastic!! I’m really liking this pickup. I want to put this pickup in a 50’s style bass. What spacing would you use? Thanks for the video Lobster!!
So far this and the Turner pickup are my favorites. I really love the pick tone on both voices, as well as the mids-boosted tone. Do you know if the Novak BiSonics have A2 magnets? I know the Guild version does and, judging by the softer attack/vintage tone of this pickup, I assume this one does as well.
Great video. Now, just for more BS DS drama, what do you think about rewiring this setup for coil tapping and see what the difference, if any would be? Would it be too trebly; too zingy? We may never know without a test platform . . .
Muddy as hell. I bet it's got its resonant frequency very low. Not my cup of cake, definitely. Whatever though, thank you for this excellent series of pickup reviews Lobster, have a good one :)
No, I just popped it onto the pickguard (had to screw into the guard/body) and the existing cavity was deep enough to fit it. This pickup sits on top of the pickguard as opposed to how the other pickups attach.
It's NOT a Stingray pickup, that's for sure. It ain't a slapper either. I think it would work much better in the P-Bass position, played through a distrorted tube amp.
Not my favorite so far, but I think this pickup demonstrates more of the actual characteristic of the stingray bass(materials and build) rather than a coloring by the pickup.
This is by far my favourite. I find Stingrays to have that insane crispy/zingy thing that I don't care for. This Darkstar totally fixes all that for me. Wow! Will have to keep this in mind, despite the cost...
100% I feel the same way with stingray basses. This is the best sounding stingray I’ve heard, maybe because it sounds least like an actual ray haha
Stingrays don't always sound the best (fingerstyle) on their own, but that edge on each note is what helps them cut through the mix and be super defined and punchy (Flea, RATM, etc)
I know what you mean. I too have never been a fan of the Stingray sound. Just not my flavor. But this Novack pickup turns it around.
Out of all the pickups this one visually fits this bass better than the rest, with that tort guard and color combo. Looks unique and old school. I dig it!
That just looks so weird, I love it!
Peace, stay safe and have a great weekend everyone.
I am liking this pickup but wish your setup had a passive option just to hear it that way. For some reason I feel these pickups should be played in a passive bass. I am liking how full it sounds without getting muddy. Great video series and keep it up.
Regarding coils, Curtis Novak is a living legend. Very, very nice surprise demonstrating the BS-DS Bisonic on a Ray-4-Sub. Kudos, Lobster.
This pickup sounds killer in this bass. Both voices. Wow.
I am shocked how much this pickup still got the classic Stingray to my ears. On the Stingray, the pickup location rules everything else.
Motown Stingray Bass 😍😍 Thank you for share this awesome Bass Tone...🤗
I'm confused with the tone character, but in a good way.
I hear a hint of P with punch and beef of MM and a dash of J burp.
Thought the tone will be very vintage-y, but it still shows the articulation and good amount of brightness like a modern pickups.
nice vid!
Now I want to hear one of the Turner single coil pickups after hearing the tone from this one.
Madness, throwing the Bi-Sonic in there. I love madness.
This isn't the last time you've seen Turner pickups on the channel :)
@@LowEndLobster looking forward to it :)
I had a very rare Lākland 44-76 Deluxe (their version of a Stingray) in 35” scale… so a 45-76??? Anyways, it came to me with a Darkstar and a Bartolini preamp. I didn’t care for the sound at all and sold the Darkstar, replacing it with a SD Stingray pickup. But, I’m a big fan of the pickup in other applications and it sounds good on this clip.
Awesome vintage sound, love it! 😍
Sweet! I remember playing a Hammond Dark Star equipped 4-76 at a Lākland gathering at their old shop back in 2007(?). Definitely not Stingray tone, but oh so good!
For snicks and (expensive) grins, set up a Ray 34 HH with two BS-DS. 😁
“Hmmm…has anybody seen that big itchy blanket that grandma made???”
Novak BS-DS…”I was trying to warm up the sound of this stingray bass, so I wrapped it around this guy’s amp!”
“Did it work??”
Novak…”it didn’t, NOT work”
I thought it looked cool.
I’m not sure which pick up I like best but it was an awesome series. Cheers
So far so his is my favorite too. Definitely looks cool but has a warm satisfying tone. Really cool mod!
First time a stingray produced a tone that didn’t make me throw up
I like the dark-ish, mellow tone a lot.
The Stingray tone was lost a bit but it sounds nice. It's like if a Stingray and a Thunderbird had a son...
I picked up one of those as a demo. I have it in the P position on my precision. Super fun.
I came here from a search for the Novak BS-DS pickup. I just purchased a G. Gould bass with two of these pickups, so I'm trying to get a better idea of what those pickups sound like (the one or two videos on UA-cam of that particular bass are not all that helpful). the Gould is passive with coil tap functionality, but this video gives me more of an idea of what the bass will sound like. And from the sound of it, I think I'm going to like it! Can't wait for UPS...
It is an honor to watch channels with less than 50k subscribers. Thank you, honest and frank guy.
I quite like it. If I was looking for a MM pickup replacement I'd probably be disappointed because the tone is very different ("dipprnt"? 😛) indeed, but it's right up my alley: punchy in the lows, super smooth in the highs.
Next on: try their B90 pickup in that same position 😀
i honestly really like the idea of a single coil sound option like the short scales but this pickup sounds a little muddy
Sounds fantastic!! I’m really liking this pickup.
I want to put this pickup in a 50’s style bass. What spacing would you use?
Thanks for the video Lobster!!
Really nice tones; almost "mixed" (as in a mix) by comparison to stock. And it looks cool! Kinda like a mudbucker.
I actually also tried to get a crazy mudbucker in here too.... but the pickup was too tall :(.
If you have a mudbucker - I believe Curtis offers a conversion option to a BS-DS.
Is it possible to talking about light weight neck replacement? My understanding is those with graphite truss rods.
Definitely the most unique of them all...I really like the tone. Thanks Lobster!🦞'):
So far this and the Turner pickup are my favorites. I really love the pick tone on both voices, as well as the mids-boosted tone. Do you know if the Novak BiSonics have A2 magnets? I know the Guild version does and, judging by the softer attack/vintage tone of this pickup, I assume this one does as well.
Great video. Now, just for more BS DS drama, what do you think about rewiring this setup for coil tapping and see what the difference, if any would be? Would it be too trebly; too zingy? We may never know without a test platform . . .
Thinking about putting one if these I’m my hollow body.
Would love a EMG MM in this comparison. Just for good measure.
Sounds great
There is something slightly jazz bass in the tone of this configuration.
My kind of mod... now get another one and throw them both into an HH Stingray! You'll be in Ric territory ;-)
Muddy as hell. I bet it's got its resonant frequency very low. Not my cup of cake, definitely. Whatever though, thank you for this excellent series of pickup reviews Lobster, have a good one :)
Love voice 1 but think that voice 2 sounds a bit thin
Hi, does the bisonic pickup needs extra routing in the body?
No, I just popped it onto the pickguard (had to screw into the guard/body) and the existing cavity was deep enough to fit it. This pickup sits on top of the pickguard as opposed to how the other pickups attach.
Love it. U Are dr. Strangeray
It's NOT a Stingray pickup, that's for sure. It ain't a slapper either. I think it would work much better in the P-Bass position, played through a distrorted tube amp.
A lot of guessing but: voice 2 + fretless + nylon wounds 🤤🤤🤤
So what's voice 1 and voice 2? Which one is BS and which is DS?
I don't know considering I wired it for series parallel and not the true BS/DS wiring like they intended. This was just for fun lol
@@LowEndLobster Thanks for answering! I really like voice 1.
Not my favorite so far, but I think this pickup demonstrates more of the actual characteristic of the stingray bass(materials and build) rather than a coloring by the pickup.
The Novak has such beefy low end. I like it. Nice mod 🦞!
I'M BILL DIPPERLY!
The Novak sounds really beefy
Sounds good but it completely removes what makes a Stingray sound so unique and different from other basses.
Stock pick up all day long. If you don't want a Stingray tone for whatever reason, use a different bass!
Haha . I thought 💭 with the lobster 🦞 hand I have seen everything on this channel . But this pickup in a stingray have enlightened me;-)