Choosing a P pickup to go with a J Quarterpounder, Suggestions

[markdavid]

Hi,

I am looking into swapping the P pickup in my p bass special. I have a P / J set of SD Quarterpounders at the moment but would like a pickup that emphasizes the lows and has rolled off highs so that I can use the P pickup to get a fat bassy tone and use the J pickup to dial in the treble when needed. Any suggestions? Im thinking the Seymour Duncan SPB-2 Hot at the moment

[Shoewreck]

I love your idea. Another good option may be Dimarzio's dual-rail P's, but their high impedance may cause a mismatch thus loss of volume with both pickups maxed.

[markdavid]

Originally Posted by Shoewreck

I love your idea. Another good option may be Dimarzio's dual-rail P's, but their high impedance may cause a mismatch thus loss of volume with both pickups maxed.

Thanks for the feedback. I was looking at doing this as I always seem to have the tone control turned right down on my bass so I figured it may be an idea to get a really bassy p/up like the SPB-2 Hot and keep the bridge Quarter pounder to dial in the treble

[GreyBeard]

Great idea. One of the best sounding basses I ever had stolen was a Hagstrom that I had put a Gibson mud bucker at the neck with the stock single coil at the bridge. Great sound.

[mcm]

The sb2's are no joke if you want thick, dense tone. They are not for eveyone, but they sit in the mix great.

[Nedmundo]

I think the SPB-2 Hot is exactly what you need. It's a thick, fat tone with more bass and low mids than a regular Precision pickup, and rolled off treble. I think the Quarter Pounder has deeper lows, but it also has more highs and lacks that low-mid hump of the Hot.

[timmy5strings]

Originally Posted by Shoewreck

high impedance may cause a mismatch thus loss of volume with both pickups maxed.

How do you fix this ? I have a p bass special with a SBJ (?) and a 62 fender p bass pickup that does the same thing. Do I need to switch to a Fender Jazz pu to match the p bass to stop the volume loss?

[DavePlaysBass]

There are multiple factors. You have resistance, inductance, output level, and how these characteristics interact with the other pickup. Hotter pickups tend to have higher impedance. This will somewhat balance a lower output pickup with lower impedance.

But the best thing to do is learn from someone else's experience or experiment until you find what you like. A J pup will probably reduce the volume of most P pups given the nature of things.