MIM p-bass make over

[powellmacaque]

So I kinda customized my p-bass (my first real bass) and not on purpose... Right about now, it went from a stock 1995 Sunburst p-bass, to one with a tiger-striped pickguard, and it's now defretted with wood filler for fretlines... It's also strung with Fender Tapewound strings...

I'm really trying to get a deep, low-end rumble (I play a lot of reggae), but the bass is missing just a little bit of definition and bite. What could I change (bridge, strings, pickups, etc) to get an overall better quality low end, without being muddy?

I was thinking of getting Seymour Duncans with a Badass Bridge, but I'm not sure if that would change anything. Any suggestions are welcome...

[311fan]

I play reggae also. I use a Fender P and a EBMM Sabre. Both are strung with ernie ball regular slinky's.

The P sounds awesome with the tone turned all the way down. Its got a huge low end with clarity and definition.

You can here the Precision here: www.myspace.com/lifeontitan

[jasper383]

You have the right bass for rumble.
The bridge makes a tiny contribution to the sound of a bass, imo. Look elsewhere.
You have the right strings for rumble.
The pickup is where I would look. I would recommend the Dimarzio Model P pickup for higher, more defined output, without it being Hi-fi.

[AcousticChris]

I replaced the stock pup with a DiMarzio split p on my MIM p-bass and it seems to rumble just fine to me. I also replaced the stock bridge with a Hipshot A style (chrome/brass) with good results.

I would do the pup first though and then decide about the bridge.

[powellmacaque]

yea I really need to replace the bridge anyway... one of the springs broke, and luckily i work at a hardware store and replaced it, but its not an exact fit... thanks for all the advice guys...

i have actually been considering the split-p for almost a year now, but i have never talked to anybody who's played one, and it's incredibly hard to find at music stores (both guitar centers around me don't carry them, i havent checked sam ash), so i figured since it's not widely used, it might not be good, could somebody who has/played one tell me how much they like it?

also, this is somewhat of a dumb question, but since I took the frets out, i've had to raise my action a lot higher than i've wanted to to avoid buzz (the bass had fret buzz even when it was fretted).. how can i set it up to where theres no buzz, but i want less tension and lower action... right now it feels like i'm playing a stand-up bass...

[AcousticChris]

I didn't realize the split-p pup was that hard to find. Got mine on e-bay.

I've been playing it for a few months now and really like the wide frequency response. You can always filter out what you don't want with good electronics but it's hard to put in what's not there to begin with.

I did a drop-in install but you can wire each half independently if you want 2 channel effects. Should work well since each half is a humbucker.

Don't have any experience with actives. I know some people swear by them. I know others who swear at them. You may want to talk with both camps.