Pickups & electronics
We predominantly build custom basses tailored to the wishes and requirements of each customer. In this, we are, of course, not alone. However, our approach to our pickups and electronics differs somewhat from that of the average custom guitar or bass company, in that we do not offer our customers the option to choose just any make or model of pickup or electronics. Instead, we only offer makes and models we have selected ourselves.
Our philosophy is that a bass is more than just the sum of its parts. It is very much about how the components and construction complement one another. To use a cooking analogy, you can have the best sausage, the best cake and the best wine, but if you put them all together in one dish, you will probably not like what you taste. The same principle applies to the components comprising a musical instrument. We have experimented extensively over the years, which has brought us to the construction and components we use today. We know our components and materials through and through, and know exactly how they interact with each other.
Armed with this knowledge, we can predict the outcome and shape the sound of each bass, custom-tailored to the specific needs of each customer. We could not guarantee this if we used just any available make or model of pickup or electronics.
Bassbars
These are our favorite pickups, and are custom made to our specifications by Harry Haeussel. The powerful magnets provide a fat, warm, but crystal-clear tone that spans the full sonic spectrum – from tight, articulate, lows to sparkling highs. With these pickups, you never need to worry about not being able to cut through the mix!
The BassBars each have four coils, which means they are silent both in the “single coil” and “humbucking” positions. Consequently, they are a favorite of many studio engineers!
Rampbar
Our RampbarXL pickup is basically two BassBars built into one large cover that functions as a ramp.
The advantage of the RampbarXL when compared to a piece of wood between the pickups is that you have a much larger even surface area to play over. You do not need to stay in one position, and you are free to move your plucking hand more towards the bridge or neck for subtle tonal differences.
If you prefer an old-fashioned ramp between two pickups, that’s also possible!
Three-way pickup selector
Our BassBars and RampbarXLs are controlled by three-way pickup selectors that allow the pickups to be used in parallel, series or single-coil mode. Each pickup has three different sounds. This means that with a pair you have nine different, usable sound variations when the blend is positioned in the middle. Add the blend and a tone control and you get more sound variations than some active basses with a built-in preamp!
Jazz
For bassists who are seeking a more traditional tone, we offer our Jazz Bass pickups, which, like our BassBars, are built for us by Harry Haeussel. For these pickups, Harry employs a special winding technique called “random and loose”. This process is designed to imitate hand-winding, with the crucial difference that the windings can be replicated exactly each time. Harry builds these pickups using Alnico 5 magnets and vintage 42 gauge wire. The pickups are submerged in a vacuum wax bath, which produces an authentic tone resembling that of the famous pickups of the sixties – in other words, open highs, punchy lows and present mids.
We also offer a side-by-side humbucker version of our Jazz Bass pickup. It is basically the same pickup as our standard version, but with two humbucking coils per pickup for a silent, noise-free signal.
Slanted jazz
We also offer a slanted version of our Jazz Bass pickups, in which the magnets are positioned diagonally in the housing. The placement of the magnets makes the pickups “read” a wider area of the strings, giving them a broader frequency range with more bottom end and more overtones. This is the best choice of pickup if you are looking for a “Jazz Bass on steroids” type of sound.
Electronics
All Adamovic basses are designed as acoustic instruments to sound great in passive mode. Active electronics can be added to give a wider range of tonal possibilities. We offer two different preamps: Noll and Glockenklang.
The Glockenklang is a very natural-sounding preamp. It does not affect the natural sound of the bass. The boost and cut functions for the bass, mids and treble are very usable in all positions. Its most distinctive feature is its treble pot, whose frequency is less harsh than that of many other preamps. Consequently, boosting the treble will “sweeten” your tone as opposed making it “sparkle”. Cutting the treble makes the bass sound very natural, and in passive mode the treble pot operates as a passive tone control (for vintage high-end roll-off). This is a very subtle natural sounding preamp.
Like the Glockenklang, the Noll does not affect the natural sound of the bass. However, it has a more aggressive character when compared to the Glockenklang. The boost and cut for the bass and mids are more radical, while the treble frequency is more modern-sounding and better suited to slap.