Best P Bass pickup of all time?

[darkstorm]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

The thing is, if a DiMarzio is causing distortion, than any other P bass pickup will cause distortion. The DiMarzio is not louder than other P bass pickups, but it is brighter.

Since the issue comes up when the tone control is rolled off, it's because of the low end. Any other P bass pickup will produce the same amount of low end.

Just take a screw driver and turn the screws on the coil under the E and A string clockwise to lower it a bit. Make it lower under the E than the A string, and then try it out.

And then learn to adjust the amp so it wont clip. That usually means turning down the input gain or volume control, and maybe reducing the bass a little.

Great answer. Also when I was trying out amps. If I didnt take my own bass, I'd look for the hottest output bass the store had and use it. If the amps preamp and limiter/compressor couldnt handle it without farting out on low E string I wouldnt concider the amp any further.

Dimarzio model P remains a fave P pup for me along with the upper end no exposed coil peice bc rich bdsm P pups from NJ & NT series, and emg P pups.

[hensonbass]

Originally Posted by spaz21387

my favorite vintage pickups are nordstrand np4.

I just replaced the stock pickup in my 2011 American Special P bass with a NP4. I'm really impressed how much smoother sounding it is. No clank sounds here, even with the tone knob all the way up. I use a Aguilar Tone Hammer as a DI for my gig and have found that I don't need to engage the EQ anymore to 'fix' the tone.

[WillieB]

favorite pbass pups: Seymour Duncan Antiquity II

[ghiadub]

Fender 62

[DrumsAndBass]

I agree with Nedmundo about the G&L MFD split coil. It has enough output across the spectrum that you may even EQ some of it down. Those G&L split coils can be bought separately but few people know about them. And most of the time it's difficult to find a bass that has them just to try out. It's a drop in replacement for all of the pickup brands that have copied Leo Fender's pickup design. It's odd that G&L basses in general don't get much attention these days.

[thrashingbass]

I hope the OP solves his problem soon. My own recommendation for a vintage P will also be the Lollar. I do have the vintage style Delano PC4 AL and it sounds incredibly amazing as well (vintage tone with excellent clarity, but nothing too modern, or
"hifi" sounding).

[ThrashMaster]

Originally Posted by 4bassguitar

if i send you the bass do you want to set it up? New Orleans does not have a good guitar tech

baloney. In the whole city? A city that loves music?

[Mojo-Man]

It depends if it's wound right.
There is some luck, or mojo, involved.
I heard old 60's fender pickups that were great.
Fralin, Lollar, Duncan, are very good.
One of my basses has a pickup hand wound by Dave Allen from Nashville. They sound great.
If you find a super nice one, then you scored.

[jschwalls]

Tried a D.Allen pickup this weekend at the Nashville Amp Expo.

I was blown away... I couldn't believe how much growl it has and the tightest lowend I've ever heard from any P-Bass pickup.

I bought one instantly for my Attitude bass... and am about to install it.

I am having a custom bass made by Bluesman Vintage guitars and am having him load it with a D.Allen as well.. I was originally putting a Nordstrand in the bass. but.. this pup blew the doors off of that.

I recommend you guys check them out.. I NEVER thought i would change the pup in my beloved Yamaha until now.

[DaveAceofBass]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

That's your amp. Pickups don't distort. Try turning down the gain and increase the master volume if you have one, or plug the bass into the active input and turn up the volume.

Also, as I mentioned before. Lower the pickup farther away from the strings and it will have less output. That will stop your amp from clipping. And since it happens when the tone control is all the way off, try turning down the bass on the amp. Your amp sounds slightly underpowered. What kind is it?

You might also notice that the real vintage tone has a lot of top end, as in those clips. These days people think it's all lows and no highs, but that's a misconception.

It's not the pickups. Pickups cant distort. Those are hot pickups, but they are wound exactly like a real P bass. Same wire, same number f turns. The difference is they use ceramic magnets and steel poles.

Just lower the pickup under the bass strings a little. Trust me, I've been doing this for a long time.

Pickups can't distort...but there can be a poor wiring job that's causing static. Check the wiring.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by DaveAceofBass

Pickups can't distort...but there can be a poor wiring job that's causing static. Check the wiring.

Right. But that's not distortion.

[faulknersj]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

That IS the tone of a P bass. Listen to the old records. When you hit the strings hard you get that sound.

Try lowering the pickup under the bass strings a little.

Here's some vintage Motown isolated bass tracks to show that fart tone:

Motown Mix

It's like fart city!

Awesome clips! I love how you can hear the bleed from Jamersons headphones on 'Lets get It On.' The producer must have had a mic on the cab. My 73' jazz with flats and a foam mute can really nail that tone. thanks for sharing!

[faulknersj]

Originally Posted by jschwalls

Tried a D.Allen pickup this weekend at the Nashville Amp Expo.

I was blown away... I couldn't believe how much growl it has and the tightest lowend I've ever heard from any P-Bass pickup.

I bought one instantly for my Attitude bass... and am about to install it.

I am having a custom bass made by Bluesman Vintage guitars and am having him load it with a D.Allen as well.. I was originally putting a Nordstrand in the bass. but.. this pup blew the doors off of that.

I recommend you guys check them out.. I NEVER thought i would change the pup in my beloved Yamaha until now.

Here is a vid of the David Allen Pickups. Thanks for the tip man! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxKrihpfGPM

[Deedubs]

Originally Posted by Ric5

My favorite is the Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder.

+1

[faulknersj]

Did anyone listen to this? Seriously people...I had never heard of David Allen pickups until earlier in this thread and this video has me gassing for these pups hard.

This guy is a killer player and this is a fantastic demo video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxKrihpfGPM

[Beefpatrol]

The OP said that rolling off the tone knob doesn't change how it sounds. My guess is that you have a dirty/worn out/excessively inexpensive tone pot. I have a bass that does the same thing sometimes. The pot effectively switches between whatever resistance it would normally provide and open circuit and back at roughly the fundamental frequency of whatever note I am playing. Sounds very distorted. Cranking the tone knob back and forth a bunch of times improves it slightly for a while. I guess I should just replace it.

[Laurent]

I had the same issue on a 62 P Bass US Reissue. Unless the volume was on full the tone did not work. David at Napa Valley Guitar checked it out and told me that the bass had a wiring issue that could only have happened at the factory. That was exactly right since I bought the bass new and received it directly from Sweetwater, NIB.

Since the wring issue has been fixed, the tonal range has really improved.

[salcott]

I like the Fralin a lot. Next would be Seymour's 1/4 Pounder.

[seanm]

The best P bass pickup is the '62 reissue, 70s pickup, and the 1/4 pounder.

Seriously, I have them all and they are all great in their own way!

[Bart Lee]

Long story (sorry). I was looking at Am Std P basses over Memorial Day weekend. Found a nice one that the neck felt better than all the others. GAS took over and I walked out with it at a great discount. I had wanted a 2012, but took this 2011 and the shop ordered a '12 and told me I could pick between them.

I knew the '11 was a keeper but went in to check the '12 when it came in. Didn't like the neck and kept the first one. But the tone on the '12 was way different. Way better. Warmer, more vintage sound. I know the pickups changed to "Fender Custom Shop" pups. Really like them. Tried to buy some but not available yet. Only FCS Jazz pups. My question: are these custom shop pickups anything like the '62s? Or are they something completely different?