Nordstrand Zen Blade - Parallel Wiring Soapbar Bass Pickups Demo

Note: The pickup used for this video is the Zen Blade 5, a 5 string pickup. The below 4, 5, & 6 string sizes/shapes will sound similar, but not exact as they will use different length magnets. Nordstrand Audio is engineering them to sound as close to each other as possible.

Learn more and purchase Zen Blade Soapbar Bass Pickups at:

4 String:
https://fatbasstone.com/products/nord...

5 String:
https://fatbasstone.com/products/nord...

6 String:
https://fatbasstone.com/products/nord...

::: Please Read :::
Do yourself a favor - Listen with a decent set of headphones to get the best listen to the audio tracks in the video. Your phone or computer’s speakers are poor, they neuter bass frequencies and are a true compromise in this situation. Youtube applies compression to all videos, and this does affect the audio quality, unfortunately.

Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - Funk (Both Pickups)
00:35 - Funk (Neck Pickup)
00:56 - Funk (Bridge Pickup)
01:17 - Slap (Both Pickups)
01:41 - Slap (Neck Pickup)
02:06 - Slap (Bridge Pickup)
02:30 - Open Strings (Both Pickups)
02:40 - Open Strings (Neck Pickup)
02:49 - Open Strings (Bridge Pickup)
02:59 - Major Scale (Both Pickups)
03:08 - Major Scale (Neck Pickup)
03:19 - Major Scale (Bridge Pickup)
03:29 - Soul (Both Pickups)
03:54 - Soul (Neck Pickup)
04:19- Soul (Bridge Pickup)
04:44 - Rock (Both Pickups)
05:12 - Rock (Neck Pickup)
05:41 - Rock (Bridge Pickup)
06:09 - Outro

::: Our general feelings about the Parallel - Zen Blade Bass Soapbar Pickups :::
This pickup has a great deal of evenness. A polite, non aggressive pickup that has excellent clarity up top without being too bright. Players have mentioned how excellent this pickup is as a platform for a preamp, because of its clarity and evenness - we agree. Our pickups tester’s favorite parallel-wired pickup.

As always, keep in mind that these are generalizations. Your experience could be different depending on many factors.

::: Talent: Andrew Dow (Bassist/Composer for the demo tracks) :::
Check his work out at the following links:IG - https://bit.ly/41m9F7w
Facebook - https://bit.ly/3MWa2kU
Bandcamp - https://bit.ly/3olNM9K

::: Gear :::
Bass: Ibanez SR305ESVM
Strings: D’Addario NYXL
Electronics: total bypass so there is no influence of the active preamp that came OEM on the bass
Audio Interface: Scarlett
Audio Recording Software: Logic Pro X
In Logic Pro X, we used an amp modeler, the ’60s Combo’, which is intended to emulate an Ampeg B-15. There is a slight bit of compression and a high pass filter at 40 Hz. For continuity and evaluation purposes, these settings are applied across all of our demo videos.

FatBassTone:
At fatbasstone.com, we sell parts to take a bass you already love or are building to the next level. A simple upgrade to your bass's components, like your pickups, bridge  or preamp, can make a world of difference.  We have the right Bass Guitar Parts to help you get WORLD CLASS TONE…pickups, preamps, bridges, tuners, pedals, knobs, strings, amps and more.

Brian Ristola of Fat Bass Tone, LLC wrote and performed the intro/outro.