Hi - I am in the though process of ordering my first Status. I know what I want, I'm going for a S3 headless but I'm in a quandary about pickups.
Do I spend the extra cash on the Tri-Max pick ups.
I know it,s probably down to taste but I stay in Scotland and do not have access to try out. I may just nip down the 600 miles to Colchester.
Any advice will be much appreciated.

As far as I know the Tri-max pickups come hand in hand with the paramatrix pre amp. Someone correct me if I am wrong. What kind of tone are you looking for? I have ordinary soap bars in my S3 and they give me exactly the tone I want.

You could always give Mrs. Green a call and speak to her about it.

The price list shows that it is possible to have the TriMax pickups + paramatrix EQ (as Bassbus says), but there is also an option for "Status soap-bar pickups with 2-way, single / twin coil-tap switching".

In the "Stock Basses" page, in the "Vintage J" section there is a red, J style bass with: "Status Bi-Max pickups with single / twin coil switching" pickups.

If you are looking for coil taps, but don't want/need the extra controls for parametric EQ, this might be an interesting option.

I have an S2 Classic with the standard soap-bar pickups and standard semi-parametric EQ and will say that this arrangement has always been more than flexible enough for me. Personally, if I were buying a new bass, I would consider adding the coil-tap option, but I would probably find the parametric EQ a bit much for me.

It is definitely worth giving Status a call. Maybe if you try the paramatrix you'll find you can't live without it; I dare say that a trip to Colchester would be rewarding in any case.

Cheers,
Paul

I own both Paramatrix and S2 classic basses. IMO, the S2 classic setup with the 303 board wins for me! The soap bar pickups sound great for any style of music, and the mid cut/boost switch works perfect for live situations. I love cutting the mids when I'm slapping and when I need a cutting finger sound I just switch to the middle setting, fast and easy!

i ended up going down to Colchester on Monday to order my bass but ended up not putting in an order.
Instead I bought the first bass I picked up. Love at first sight.
S3 headless 5 string 303 set up.

It was a fantastic day and was make to feel very welcome.

Thanks for the help guys.

Thanks
Kenny:):):)

Lol, All of us that have ever been to the factory know this! It's almost like a proper day excursion in a big boys sweet shop! They are lovely aren't they? (Rob & Dawn)