scottiwkt
01-21-2008, 07:56 PM
Just got done installing this on my Highway One P Bass. OMG this is the best sounding P pickup I've ever heard! I wanted a pickup that was not too hot and not too weak; something that will sit perfectly in the mix no matter what style I need to play. I decided on the Fralin mainly due to the pickup samples on the Lakland site. With flats or rounds, from jazz to rock, this one sounded perfect in every scenario.
After hearing it in my bass, I'm just blown away by how good it sounds. I just pulled a Fender Original 62 pickup out and expected it to be a subtle, slight difference, but it is a huge difference. The lows and overtones are much more controlled. I can hear the wood even better than with the Fender vintage style pickup. The highs are so sweet with the mids very well voiced especially with TI flats. My GF in the other room, thought I was playing a different bass that she hadn't heard yet. I carefully set the pickup height so I get a strong fundamental, but if I dig in a little, there is cool aggressive edge to the tone that sounds like it would blend really well with guitars.
I don't think you can find a more versatile P pickup than this. Run straight into the board either live or recorded, it's gonna be dead on. Any EQ from that point on is just icing. Is it perfect for everything? No, I still like the punch of a SD 1/4 lb for hard rock and metal, but for everything else this is a winner. Not saying it won't do heavier stuff just fine, it will, just my preference would be round wounds with a 1/4lb pickup.
So, with this bass covering 90% of the my musical territory, I can now set about putting together a beater with rounds and the 1/4 lb'r. Most of my rock gigs in the past have a much higher potential of theft than others I do. So, it makes sense to build a beater $100-$200 bass that I use just for heavier shows. The Highway One will go with me for everything else.
The only thing better than this might be a 5% overwind. I would love to hear one for reference, but I just didn't want to wait to have the pickup custom wound.
-s
After hearing it in my bass, I'm just blown away by how good it sounds. I just pulled a Fender Original 62 pickup out and expected it to be a subtle, slight difference, but it is a huge difference. The lows and overtones are much more controlled. I can hear the wood even better than with the Fender vintage style pickup. The highs are so sweet with the mids very well voiced especially with TI flats. My GF in the other room, thought I was playing a different bass that she hadn't heard yet. I carefully set the pickup height so I get a strong fundamental, but if I dig in a little, there is cool aggressive edge to the tone that sounds like it would blend really well with guitars.
I don't think you can find a more versatile P pickup than this. Run straight into the board either live or recorded, it's gonna be dead on. Any EQ from that point on is just icing. Is it perfect for everything? No, I still like the punch of a SD 1/4 lb for hard rock and metal, but for everything else this is a winner. Not saying it won't do heavier stuff just fine, it will, just my preference would be round wounds with a 1/4lb pickup.
So, with this bass covering 90% of the my musical territory, I can now set about putting together a beater with rounds and the 1/4 lb'r. Most of my rock gigs in the past have a much higher potential of theft than others I do. So, it makes sense to build a beater $100-$200 bass that I use just for heavier shows. The Highway One will go with me for everything else.
The only thing better than this might be a 5% overwind. I would love to hear one for reference, but I just didn't want to wait to have the pickup custom wound.
-s