ATK 101

     Not many bassists are aware of the ATK's existance and of the few who are, many don't quite understand just how remarkable it really is. Despite the remarks that it is basically just a copy of a particular bass, or that it's voice is limited because it only has one pickup or that the selector switch doesn't really change the bass' sound, the ATK has one of the most ingenious pickups to ever hit the market. Yes it is only one pickup but unlike any other be it a j-bass single coil, a p-bass humbucking single or even the StingRay's dual coil humbucker, the ATK's three coil humbucker is a marvel in design and execution. The pickup has three modes of operation... "traditional", "bright" and "attack". Each mode activates two coils so that the pickup is always humbucking but there's a difference. The traditional and bright modes activate an outer coil as well as the center coil which is essentially a single coil pickup but without any poles to pick up the string's vibration. Essentially it allows the outer coil to act as a single coil pickup but with the noise canceling properties of a humbucker due to the centrally located "dummy" coil. Here's how the three coils work:

     The traditional mode activates two of the three coils, the "dummy" coil (blue) in the center and the coil closest to the neck (red) but also engages a high cut filter to attenuate the highs a little.

     The bright mode activates two of the three coils, the "dummy" coil (blue) in the center and the coil closest to the neck (red) just as with the traditional mode but no filter is incorporated.

     The attack mode activates the two outer coils (red) both of which have poles to pick up the string's vibrations and still enable humbucking functionality.

     As a result of creatively using three coils in one pickup unit and having such a wide spread between the two outer coils, the ATK has it's own unique voices and a level of versatility unmatched by any other single pickup bass ever manufactured. Check out the ATK sound samples on Ibanez's Site.

ATK Tip

     I love my ATK700 and it's many voices but I felt that the tone of the bass when in either the traditional or bright modes needed a little midrange punch to add an edge to the full, round tone. When in either of the single coil modes, the coil that is activated is the one closest to the neck which falls directly under one of the 3rd harmonics. Since the single pickup unit is symmetrical you can remove it's 4 mounting screws and rotate the pickup 180� and remount it without any cavity modifications. Essentially, the coil that is now activated during the traditional and bright modes is closer to the bridge and between the 3rd and 4th harmonics. It's a slight but noticable change that you may enjoy, I sure do.