X2N's

Why do people here like them so much? I'm not doubting you guys, but they're guitar pickups, and not particularly bassy ones at that.

Because I want to try different things. X2Ns sound like they could fit the bill for the type of pickup I wish were in my basses. So instead of just thinking about it, I want to try and it and make it a reality.

I like the way basses sound through many guitar amps, guitar effects, etc. I like the way guitar pickups respond and I am dissatisfied with a lot of bass pickups, so I'm interested in giving them a try. I think the reasons are not very different from why we like tremolos--they're another tool to create sounds.

Have you ever tried an X2N-equipped guitar? They're brutal pickups, they don't really clean up. The way they drive an amp is pretty sick. With another, more classic bass pickup, you can have one hot channel and one clean channel, or with the 4 conductor wire, you can wire it to coil tap, switch between series/parallel, or all of them. Possibilities that you don't hear of too many people doing. I want to find my voice and if this helps me, cool!

Another thing is that the X2N-7 is voiced differently than the X2N 6 string pickup to better suit the range of 7 string guitars. The pole pieces are also longer from end-to-end than the standard X2N, making them better suited to basses. Bill has modified a bass of his with an X2N-7/Precision combination that he likes a lot.

I've also noticed that I find the shape/size of the X2N to be a very comfortable match for a 4 stringed bass. When you're playing it, it doesn't feel obtrusive, but very comfortable (especially compared to those huge soapbar pickups that used to be in my BTB). I think they look snazzy as well and you can put whatever bezels around them you want to add to the vibe of the instrument. For example, fretsonthenet carries chrome 7 string bezels that I'd love to see around an X2N-7 on myDestroyer

To further clarify and add to what Martin just said, the love affair with them began when my friend John Gallagher of Raven told me that he used an X2N in his Explorer bass. This peaked my curiosity, so I did some research about them. I found out that the X2N is one of, if not the, hottest guitar pickup made right now, and since my motto is "more smoke", it made them all the more appealing. So I shared this with everyone, and I even added that I thought the X2N-7 would be better suited for bass since the width would better cover the range of a bass' string spacing. So a few of the guys here started using them, and what they found was that they work really well on bass. It turns out that the X2N for guitar is modeled exactly the same as the old X2N-B was for bass, and since the X2N-7 is designed for seven-string guitar, it has a lower frequency response that works almost exactly the same as the bass version did.

Clammy from the (excellent) band Exciter used X2N-B pickups along with the occasional Precision pickup in his Moser custom shop basses. He has an Ironbird with dual X2Ns. I've seen him around on TalkBass. I believe his favorite amp is an ancient Marshal Super Bass head.