Another "Which P Pickup?" Thread ....

[harlon]

SD Quarter Pound SPB-3
SD Vintage SPB-1
Antiquity II
62 Fender Re-Issue


Experience with any of these for better or worse? I want an old school, vintage tone - classic rock, funk, but also some Contemporary Christian and country from time to time. I'd also like it to sit well in a mix.


Thanks!

[fremenblue]

This looks like a bass version of Sesame Street's time-honored "One of These Things is Not Like the Other".

For starters, from what you've said you want I'd pass on the Quarter Pounders. I tried them in my P--replaced the Vintage '62 pup, in fact--and really it did nothing for me. I have liked the Dimarzio Willpower Middle pickups much better for a hot pickup. For vintage I like the Fender '62 pup.

[62bass]

I disagree about the Quarter Pounders. I have one in my late 70s P bass which replaced a DiMarzio. I get a great vintage sound. It sit very well "in the mix". Of course, I use flatwound strings and play to get that sound. It also sounds better to me than the stock Fender that was in the bass originally. It'll also sound modern, whatever that is, depending on strings and playing technique.

The Antiquities sound great too, but are expensive. I've tried the '62 and it was pretty good, but it wasn't in my bass so I don't know what it's really capable of sounding like.

You'll get so many different opinions that you'll just get thoroughly confused. Mine is just one of them. Go out and play a whole bunch of basses with P pickups and see if anything sounds good to you, or better than what you have now.

[GobBass]

Don't forget about the DiMarzio DP127....Very nice sustain with lots of P-Punch.

[cmhgreg]

I've got 62 Reissues on my Highway 1 P, and I've got SD 1/4 Pounders that came stock on an Ibanez P/J (RKB900). I like both pickups, but they are quite different.

The 62's sound pretty traditional (old school, whatever you want to call it). They are a nice upgrade from the MIM pups that came on the Highway 1. They seem to be hotter, the lows seem deeper and more defined, and the highs are smooth.

The 1/4 Pounders have very high output for a passive pup. They seem punchier than the 62's, a little more on the hi-fi side of things tone-wise and maybe a little more versatile than the 62's when it comes to doing things like slap (which I don't, so take that fwiw).

Both have lots of punch, but I would describe the 62's as warm and punchy with some thump, and I would describe the SD's as punch with some bite. I like them both. They are both good solid choices. Hope that helps.