Pickup for a fretless P bass.

[Lunatic_Pandora]

Hi!

I'm looking to achieve an "uprighty" tone from my fretless Precission bass (passive). I play mostly jazz with it and I use Labella Flatwounds.

Which pickup would you recommend?

Thank you.

[elwaupo]

A humcker version would be a nice pickup for a fretless bass. Flat wounds are the way to go. The fender pickup is a good pickup for your needs, bet I've had good luck with Dimarzios. You might wat to try a good tube amp, as they will produce a nice rich fat sound for your needs. Bass processors are always an option too. I've been using Digitech BP8 for years, and it has lots of different tone versions that might suit your needs.

[PilbaraBass]

for a great "uprighty tone" take most any p-pickup and blend it via a buffered preamp with a piezo bridge pickup system like a graphtech...

[fullrangebass]

My vote goes to Villex pickups. They have full balanced organic sound, with huge lows. With the use of the mid-control (not a mere mid-cut) and the tone control fully couner-clockwise, the pickup can get close to the tone of the "upright". In fact I have ordered pickups from Villex to retrofit with Villex pickups a great fretless of mine

www.villex.com

[Lunatic_Pandora]

Originally Posted by elwaupo

A humcker version would be a nice pickup for a fretless bass. Flat wounds are the way to go. The fender pickup is a good pickup for your needs, bet I've had good luck with Dimarzios. You might wat to try a good tube amp, as they will produce a nice rich fat sound for your needs. Bass processors are always an option too. I've been using Digitech BP8 for years, and it has lots of different tone versions that might suit your needs.

Hi!
Yeah, I've tried the Fender '57 Reissue and is a great, full sounding pickup...
And about DiMarzio I had one DP146 Will Power intalled on a MiA Fender and...wow! what a sound!

[Lunatic_Pandora]

Originally Posted by PilbaraBass

for a great "uprighty tone" take most any p-pickup and blend it via a buffered preamp with a piezo bridge pickup system like a graphtech...

Yeah, it would be very apropiate but too expensive...

[Lunatic_Pandora]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

My vote goes to Villex pickups. They have full balanced organic sound, with huge lows. With the use of the mid-control (not a mere mid-cut) and the tone control fully couner-clockwise, the pickup can get close to the tone of the "upright". In fact I have ordered pickups from Villex to retrofit with Villex pickups a great fretless of mine

www.villex.com

I didn't know this brand...
Mid-control on a passive bass?

[fullrangebass]

Originally Posted by Lunatic_Pandora

I didn't know this brand...
Mid-control on a passive bass?

Yes, it is passive. The Villex mid-control is an integral part of the circuit and it "morphs" the tone of the pickup, unlike cutting mids or highs, allowing for a palette of tones out of the pickup. Every other pickup has one tone. Villex pickup(s) have a multitude of tones out of one pickup (or combination of Villex pickups)

[Lunatic_Pandora]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

Yes, it is passive. The Villex mid-control is an integral part of the circuit and it "morphs" the tone of the pickup, unlike cutting mids or highs, allowing for a palette of tones out of the pickup. Every other pickup has one tone. Villex pickup(s) have a multitude of tones out of one pickup (or combination of Villex pickups)

That's trully interesting.
It means that if I close (counter-clockwise) the tone trying to find the upright sound I still can find different sounds with that mid-control?

[fullrangebass]

It's very simply put, but yes