Hi-fi sounding passive P pickup?

[Chrisk-K]

I love the EMG active P. But I don't want to rout the body of my MIA P.

Is there a passive pickup that sounds relatively hi-fi? I have a Fender '62 pickup in that bass and it sounds too traditional.

[kotzman]

Basslines. Excellent tone all around.

[m.oreilly]

villex

[Chrisk-K]

I actually had a Duncan QP in that bass before switching to the '62. Although it offered better high-end responses, I wouldn't call it hi-fi sounding.

[tubby.twins]

I recommend the Delano "PC 4 HE". It sounds almost nothing like a traditional neck pickup. Lots of upper midrange clarity.

[knucklehead G]

Originally Posted by tubby.twins

I recommend the Delano "PC 4 HE". It sounds almost nothing like a traditional neck pickup. Lots of upper midrange clarity.

+1. I played with the same one. Literally, tubby sent me his.

[line6man]

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

+1. I played with the same one. Literally, tubby sent me his.

+2

The Delano was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the thread title.
Where are those clips you recorded, Tubby?

[Chrisk-K]

I recommend the Delano "PC 4 HE".

Bestbassgear sells it for $121. Not too bad, price-wise. I'll search for audio clips.

[line6man]

Originally Posted by Chrisk-K

Bestbassgear sells it for $121. Not too bad, price-wise. I'll search for audio clips.

Actually, $121 is about as high as production model P pickups get.

[markanini]

Villex or Lawrence respond with a very clear voice but those not the only options.

[Gort]

Bartolini 8SU.

[JulienJeff]

one more vote for the delano.

[fullrangebass]

Villlex will give you that tone and much more

[thebisch]

Why would you have to route the body for EMGs? With the supplied EMG mini pots, there should be plenty of room for a battery in the factory control route.

[tubby.twins]

I recorded some clips of my Delano "PC 5 HE" (same model for 5-string) but I'm not very happy with them. I'd like to record some new clips when I get home. It'll be a few days, at least.

Villex is also nice. The P pickup costs $154 new. However, if the P pickup sounds anything like the "classic" soapbars that I've tried, it would still sound a bit more traditional and balanced than the Delano. The Villex has a more natural, neutral sounding midrange, and it probably tracks the fundamentals with a bit more authority than the Delano. But if you want brightness and "hi-fi" clarity, I would go with the Delano.

[Chrisk-K]

Why would you have to route the body for EMGs? With the supplied EMG mini pots, there should be plenty of room for a battery in the factory control route.

I just wouldn't want to take off the pickguard & strings to change the battery every 4 months.

[line6man]

Originally Posted by Chrisk-K

I just wouldn't want to take off the pickguard & strings to change the battery every 4 months.

You should be able to get a hell of a lot longer than 4 months from a battery.

IIRC, EMGs draw something like 85uA. A single 9V should last you a long time.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by line6man

You should be able to get a hell of a lot longer than 4 months from a battery.

IIRC, EMGs draw something like 85uA. A single 9V should last you a long time.

Their old catalog says 80µA for the P. Back when I used EMGs the battery would last at least 9 months. I used to check them when I changed the strings.

They sound better on 18 volts though, which is hard to fit in a P bass without routing. If you are going to rout, install a battery box.

If you are going to go active, get the Basslines Pro-Active APB-1. I used to have the old P/J set with the DIP switches, which the Pro-Actives are based on, and they sound much nicer than the EMGs. They were more like Alembic pickups, with that great silky smooth high end and a nice solid low end. The EMG P is wired in parallel, so the mids are on the thin side.

[korybaugus]

Joe Barden...

[m.oreilly]

villex is anything but 'vintage' sounding. granted, delano is quite hi-fi, but if going totally passive, the villex, coupled it's tone/mid control would really shine