Bartolini BH2 Bass Pickups

4.5 (2)

1 Review

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Page last updated Apr 04, 2026

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Description

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Designed specifically for discerning bassists, the Bartolini BH2 Bass Pickups offer a powerful combination of tone and versatility to enhance your playing experience. Known for their precise and clear sound, these pickups deliver a dual-coil design that minimizes unwanted noise and interference, ensuring a clean and articulate output. Whether you're playing in a studio or on stage, the BH2 pickups provide a balanced tone with a punchy low-end and smooth mids, making them perfect for a wide range of musical styles from jazz to rock.

The Bartolini BH2 pickups are crafted with high-quality materials, ensuring durability and consistent performance. Their innovative design enhances the dynamic response of your bass, allowing you to explore various tonal possibilities with ease. The pickups are a perfect upgrade for bass players seeking to push their instruments to new sonic heights without compromising on clarity or definition.

Key Features:

Dual-coil design for reduced noise and interference
Balanced tone with punchy low-end and smooth mids
High-quality materials for durability
Enhanced dynamic response
Suitable for a wide range of musical styles

Videos

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Agrajag Guitars

Bartolini BH2 vs Nordstrand Big Singles [bass pickup shootout]

Agrajag Guitars

Ibanez EHB 1005MS / Bartolini BH2 VS Nordstrand Big Split 5 Pickup comparison (NO TALKING)

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Ibanez EHB1000 - Bartolini BH2 - Le mod qui sauve ces micros

Marco Elwray

Reviews

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Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Bartolini BH2 Bass Pickups.

Mods and upgrades

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Rewiring BH2 pickups in parallel can brighten tone without replacing them, significantly altering the sound profile for those dissatisfied with the stock setup.
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Comparisons

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Nordstrand pickups, especially in the SR600 series, offer a clearer and punchier sound compared to the muddier Bartolini BH2s, and are available in Bartolini sizes for easy swaps.
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Switching the onboard preamp mid-selector to 700hz can add growl for aggressive bass tones, a trick recommended by Low End Lobster reviews.
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Features and functionality

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Some users achieve better tone with BH2 pickups by using stainless steel strings and adjusting the amp's EQ, although muddiness may persist.
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BH2 pickups can be extremely hot in active mode, often requiring switching to passive mode for recording to avoid overwhelming producers with high signal levels.
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The active preamp on basses with BH2 pickups provides extensive tone shaping options, allowing for personalized sound adjustments.
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Use cases and applications

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BH2 pickups sound better in rehearsal spaces but may lack clarity at home, with the bridge pickup performing well with guitar VSTs or reverb effects.
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For a bright, punchy sound, set the bass to active, keep mids low, and boost treble, utilizing neck and bridge pickup balance for tone shaping.
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Setup and maintenance

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Adjusting BH2 pickups closer to the strings can enhance brightness, addressing some complaints about their dark tone.
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Fresh strings are crucial for optimal sound, especially in genres like djent, to achieve maximum clarity and punch with BH2 pickups.
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Software and compatibility

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Cory Wong and UADx Century Tube Channel Strip plugins are favored for achieving desired tones with BH2 pickups, especially in passive mode.
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User experience

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One owner found the BH2 pickups in an Ibanez 866SC to be crisp and clear after about 4 hours of use, highlighting the quality sound achievable with these pickups.
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4.5 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 2 Ratings

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1 star

shuteyko

169

3 months ago

Vintage warmth, modern clarity

Bartolini BH2s are a solid, musical upgrade-warm lows, clear highs, no hum, and great dynamic response. They won't grind or scream, but for fingerstyle, vintage thump, or smooth fusion, they're fantastic. Just don't expect a hot output; these are all about feel and finesse.

Roles:

Bassist Composer

Genres:

Jazz Alternative rock Indie rock

Artist usage

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Kevin Otten

Bassist

KNocked Loose

Verified via Premierguitar

Kevin Otten uses Bartolini BH2 Bass Pickups on his Ibanez BTB bass. Initially, the bass featured Aguilar pickups, but he switched to Bartolini for their preferred tone. This information is detailed in the Premier Guitar article, "Rig Rundown: Knocked Loose," by Perry Bean.