TBird Pup in a P Bass ?!?!

[wooj]

hello all,
i'm currently going thru the dreaded pickup debate
for my Fender P
i'm playing a set of Nordstrand NP4s
but i'm not exactly happy
a friend has a 90's Gibson TBird that i've played
and i'm liking the tone from the big soapbar pickups it has
has anyone ever put a set of Gibson TBird pickups in a P ???
i know there are a million pickup options for P basses
and everyone has their favorite
and i know this topic has been beaten to a pulp for the last 30 years but i'm still struggling
i'm looking for a really warm, fat, tight sound from low to high
but nothing brittle or biting
i'm playing flats and an alt-country type / indie rock style
thanks my friends !!!

[iiipopes]

I have not used a T-bird pickup, but on my custom fanned fret P-style bass I have narrowed the string spacing at the bridge to use a Rickenbacker HB-1. Does it sound like a Rick? No, it sounds like a P-bass with more drive.

The pickup will not change the inherent character of the bass. It will only bring out certain aspects of it, depending on the pickup. If you're wanting more drive, instead of routing out the bass, try a SD quarter-pounder or a DiMarzio Split-P.

I only went with the HB-1 because I wanted narrower string spacing at the bridge but no offset of a traditional P pickup due to the fanning.

[Corey Y]

There's a few threads about this already. Lull makes a Precision style bass with TBird pickup(s). Plenty of people have thrown a soapbar PU in place of their split single coil or added one in the bridge position, so clearly some people are pleased with it. There's plenty of good options out there. Seymour Duncan, EMG and such and there are starting to be some vintage repros of the 60's TB pickup as well. You could always buy a new (or used) pickguard, have someone do any necessary routing for installing the new pickup and if you don't like it, just slap the old one back on.

I agree with what was said above though. Slapping in a new pickup won't make a Precision sound like a Thunderbird, it will just make it a slightly different sounding Precision. So it may be worth just trying out different split coil pickups first or just trying out a Thunderbird, if that's where your eyes (ears) are wandering.

[Ric5]

[BZadlo]

I've done this.
I found the tone to be a bit more refined than a typical T-Bird.
I would make sure that you're into the Gibson sound first. I could never get typical split P tones out of it once it had the T-Bird pickup in.
The only reason I don't still have this instrument is that I got a Lull T-Bass.
In my opinion, the Lull pickups are far more versatile (flatter and more clarity) than the 90's Gibson version.

[TrevorOfDoom]

not quite on point, but similar:
Mel Schacher of Grand Funk Railroad threw a Gibson Mudbucker into the neck position of his Jazz, and that thing sounded massive!

at the end of the day, it's your bass. do what you will.

[Showdown]

At the Super Bowl half time show in 2010 (2009 season) Pino Palladino played a P type bass with Thunderbird pickups with The Who.

[wooj]

thanks for the input friends
i guess i was just curious to know if anyone had ever
tried that pickup in a pbass and what the outcome was
i love the pbass, the way it plays and looks and feels
i guess i'll just carry on trying some different pickups
to see if i can find a sound i'm looking for
thanks again !