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Has anyone ever used the mustang bass pickups for guitar? How did they work out? I know the poles won't match up but it would be a cheap alternative to buying expensive Novak pickups. Might do a cheap xii/custom project soon.

Poles don't line up = SOUNDS BAD MAN

theshadowofseattle wrote:Poles don't line up = SOUNDS BAD MAN

A few of my JBs arent F spaced and they sound really good haha.

This is one of the applications where the pole mismatch will jump out at you, it'll be muffley or muddy but not terribly so (you'll still get all strings picked up). Less noticable on a 12-string I guess but still, the difference between F-spaced and not (which mainly affects the E strings) is far less noticable than stuff like this.
Btw, a fuckload of import Fender/Squier are closer to non F-spacing (and some newer Gibsons were F-spaced...)
Just because you have a guitar that says "Fender" on the headstock doesn't mean the strings are "F-spaced" at the bridge. The Floyd Rose is one bridge that invariably requires a trembucker across designs I think.

I swear I saw blade mustang bass pickups before.

I've heard P bass pickups in a guitar before, sonds kool. IMO pole spacing doesn't have as much of an impact on sound as most people say. Lindy Fralin even once told me the same thing when I called to ask about P bass pickups. So in other words, no personal experience, but if it's that much cheaper, I say go for it!

theshadowofseattle wrote:Poles don't line up = SOUNDS BAD MAN

It looks bad, but not really. Every Rickenbacker 4003 with toaster pickups has six poles under the cover. Every Musicmaster Bass has six poles under the cover. The poles don't detect the strings. They just establish a magnetic field. As long as your strings are within the field, you should be fine. The reason why F-spaced vs. Gibson-spaced does matter to some degree is because with a Gibson-spaced pickup in a Floyd or Fender bridge design, the outer strings are dangerously close to the edge of the Gibson-spaced pickup, but even then it's not that big a deal.

honeyiscool wrote:

theshadowofseattle wrote:Poles don't line up = SOUNDS BAD MAN

It looks bad, but not really. Every Rickenbacker 4003 with toaster pickups has six poles under the cover. Every Musicmaster Bass has six poles under the cover. The poles don't detect the strings. They just establish a magnetic field. As long as your strings are within the field, you should be fine. The reason why F-spaced vs. Gibson-spaced does matter to some degree is because with a Gibson-spaced pickup in a Floyd or Fender bridge design, the outer strings are dangerously close to the edge of the Gibson-spaced pickup, but even then it's not that big a deal.

This is what I thought. Since absolutely NONE of the poles line up on my Jag-Stang and it still sounds good.

Just find duplex pickups..

Punkacc9 wrote:I swear I saw blade mustang bass pickups before.

I haven't, but I've seen blade Precision bass pickups, I think Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio (can't remember which, but if you look it up you'll probably find it). Those were double humbucking blades.

I think I've seen single blade too, maybe Bill Lawrence or Bartolini, don't remember.