Is there a BIG difference between Fender 62' pickup and Fender MIA P?

open_space · #1 09-22-2006, 04:48 AM

Hi guys,

I have been thinking about swapping pickup in my '96 Fender MIA P.

I think that the stock pickup sounds OK, but I think that I need something more vintage. I am looking for a classic P sound and I suspect that my MIA sounds a bit too modern. It might be good for punk or hard rock, because it really has strong mids but I play more laid back music (think Coldplay, Doves, Death Cab For Cutie, etc.) and I think that it's too much for me.

Has anyone actually compared MIA P to Fender 62 pup? Because they advertise it as more vintage, which I guess means that mids wont' be that agressive but I think it will aslo have more highs. I am not sure and there is no way I can hear the pickup before I buy it, so if anyone had experience with this, please help me out.

I have also considered Seymour Vintage P and Nordstrand P.

Thanks

Nedmundo · #2 09-22-2006, 08:17 AM

I don't think there's a huge difference, but it's discernible. I played a new Am. Ser. P alongside one of the 60th Anniv. models with the vintage pickup a couple of months ago, and I do think the vintage pickup has more high end, with maybe less fatness down low, but perhaps more clarity in the low range. I think it has lower output too, which is to be expected with a vintage pickup. They both sounded great.

I don't really think the stock MIA pickup is modern, but a subtle evolution of the vintage pickups. It's a classic P-bass tone, for sure. I think of modern as more full range (less mids emphasis) with high output, like the Quarter Pounder, EMG's, etc.

IMO, if you want to change at all, you'd reap greater benefits by spending extra for a Lindy Fralin (my choice) or Nordstrand. If you want it a little gritty, go Fralin, and if you want it smoother, go Nordstrand.

open_space · #3 09-22-2006, 08:41 AM

Will there be such a huge difference between Nordstrand and Fender pup? I keep reading great reviews on Nordstrands but are they worth the extra $$$? They cost twice as much as Fender '62 reissue lists for. Are they worth it?

blipndub · #4 10-03-2006, 02:58 PM

A lot of people really like the Nordy's. I found them too bottom heavy and without enough clarity or subtly for my playing style.

pickles · #5 10-04-2006, 07:51 AM

Yes, there is a significant difference. The mid-90s MIA pickup is wound considerably hotter, so it has more lows, more output, and less extended highs. It is a lot like a Duncan SPB-2. The vintage pickup sounds thinner and more detailed. Fralin and Duncan Antiquity are both 60's style pickups, and are a notch above Fender in quality.

Nedmundo · #6 10-04-2006, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

Yes, there is a significant difference. The mid-90s MIA pickup is wound considerably hotter, so it has more lows, more output, and less extended highs. It is a lot like a Duncan SPB-2. The vintage pickup sounds thinner and more detailed. Fralin and Duncan Antiquity are both 60's style pickups, and are a notch above Fender in quality.

This is interesting. I had a mid-'90s MIJ P-bass whose pickup was very hot, and closely resembled a Duncan SPB-2, so I wonder if it was essentially the same. (It was so close that when I installed an SPB-2 in my 2004 MIA, I sold the MIJ.)

When did the MIA pickup change to sound more like a vintage pickup? I still think the vintage is more detailed sounding than the current Am. Ser., but it seems like a less dramatic difference than what you describe.

pickles · #7 10-04-2006, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nedmundo

This is interesting. I had a mid-'90s MIJ P-bass whose pickup was very hot, and closely resembled a Duncan SPB-2, so I wonder if it was essentially the same. (It was so close that when I installed an SPB-2 in my 2004 MIA, I sold the MIJ.)

When did the MIA pickup change to sound more like a vintage pickup? I still think the vintage is more detailed sounding than the current Am. Ser., but it seems like a less dramatic difference than what you describe.

Between 94 and 98 (and probably a little later), Fender made a great basic MIA bass. Just great. I regularly kick myself for selling my 95, thinking they would keep making them the same, so what was the risk of selling? I played a 98 one time that was even better. The new ones are different in many ways ... they have cheaper hardware and a different pickup with that silly "S1" switch ... still a pretty nice bass but not on the same level they were in the mid to late 90s.

Now Ive got a 96 USA reissue that I loaded an SPB-2 into, and its a fantastic bass, but I do miss than nice B neck on the 95 I had.

Nedmundo · #8 10-04-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

Between 94 and 98 (and probably a little later), Fender made a great basic MIA bass. Just great. I regularly kick myself for selling my 95, thinking they would keep making them the same, so what was the risk of selling? I played a 98 one time that was even better. The new ones are different in many ways ... they have cheaper hardware and a different pickup with that silly "S1" switch ... still a pretty nice bass but not on the same level they were in the mid to late 90s.

Now Ive got a 96 USA reissue that I loaded an SPB-2 into, and its a fantastic bass, but I do miss than nice B neck on the 95 I had.

Yeah, I've kicked myself for selling that MIJ '94, which sounded darned near perfect. Woody, resonant, punchy -- just awesome -- and I miss it when it's time to record. I vastly prefer the feel of my MIA 2004 though, and now that it has a Fralin it's amazing too, especially with flats. But I still want a rosewood fretboard P-bass, so maybe I'll watch for the mid to late '90s models. You're not the only one who's expressed the view that those were prime years for P-basses.

pickles · #9 10-04-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nedmundo

Yeah, I've kicked myself for selling that MIJ '94, which sounded darned near perfect. Woody, resonant, punchy -- just awesome -- and I miss it when it's time to record. I vastly prefer the feel of my MIA 2004 though, and now that it has a Fralin it's amazing too, especially with flats. But I still want a rosewood fretboard P-bass, so maybe I'll watch for the mid to late '90s models. You're not the only one who's expressed the view that those were prime years for P-basses.

Its not that the new ones aren't nice, just seems like its back to "play 5 and pick the best one", where for a while there it seemed they were all good.

matt11 · #10 10-04-2006, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nedmundo

Yeah, I've kicked myself for selling that MIJ '94, which sounded darned near perfect. Woody, resonant, punchy -- just awesome -- and I miss it when it's time to record. I vastly prefer the feel of my MIA 2004 though, and now that it has a Fralin it's amazing too, especially with flats. But I still want a rosewood fretboard P-bass, so maybe I'll watch for the mid to late '90s models. You're not the only one who's expressed the view that those were prime years for P-basses.

I laughed when I read your post. I recently had the pickups and pots on my '94 MIJ P-bass replaced--thought I wanted a growlier sound. What a mistake! I hate the way my bass sounds now. After two months of playing it with SD Hot for P-bass pickups and dimarzio pots I am putting my old Fender pickups and pots back in. My old pickups are hotter than the SDs, have more tonal range, and just sound beautifully rich and yes, "woody" and yet defined, all the time. The Fender pots were a bit scratchy at times--ten years of getting banged around--but I can't get my old silver knobs on the dimarzio pots, and I loved the look of the silver pots and black pickguard on a clear-finish body. Live and learn I guess. Can't wait to play my bass once I've got it all fixed up. Hope you one day find another.