Classic Bass Series pickups have a versatile voice for many musical genres, so the MV5CBC is one of Bartolini's most popular MusicMan® upgrades.
Classic Bass series upgrade pickups make you sound better, so you play better. They have a rich, deep voice with lots of high-end clarity and warmth. When you dig in, they are responsive and growly. When you pull back, they are clear and sweet. And they’ll take any slapping and popping you want to give them. The Classic Bass series is popular with progressive, jazz, gospel, and metal musicians where articulation is critical. Without sacrificing low-end, Classic Bass pickups are sweat-proof and won’t crackle and thud when you touch them or hit them with the strings.
If you play a wide variety of music, you know you need some pro-level pickups, but you don’t want to do a big upgrade project, Classic Bass pickups are a great choice. They are passive and will work with your current electronics in most basses.
Size:
4.38" [111.8mm] Long
1.92" [49mm] Wide
Bartolini MV5CBC wiring diagram
Coil Structure:
Dual Parallel Humbucking
Cable Type:
4-Conductor Cable with shield and bare drain
Magnetic Circuit:
2 types of precision CNC milled carbon steel, brass, and copper powered by ceramic (ferrite) magnets projected for focused aperture
Neck coil South and Bridge coil North
MV5CBC Coil Specs
Bartolini’s MM4CBC feels a bit more modern than the traditional MM pickups. The MM4CBC has a nice warm low end, and brighter highs. The slight mid scoop is very sonically pleasing. Wiring in parallel, one can really hear the snap in the top end.
Note: The pickup used for the below video is the MM4CBC, a 4 string pickup. The 5 string sizes/shapes will sound similar, but not exact as they will use a longer magnet. Bartolini is engineering them to sound as close to each other as possible.
Put on a good set of headphones and check out the audio demo below to hear it for yourself.
As always, keep in mind that these are generalizations. Your experience could be different depending on many factors.