Vintage pickups on basswood ?

[jsa0100]

Is it a bad idea to put vintage pickups on a 62're mij with basswood ?
Since the real 62 came with alder, going for stock us pickups
or Samarium cobalt is a lot smarter since i want get the vintage sound with basswood anyway.

[McSpunckle]

Nah, it should be fine.


It won't be as bright as an alder or ash body, but it would sound fine, IMO.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by jsa0100

Is it a bad idea to put vintage pickups on a 62're mij with basswood ?
Since the real 62 came with alder, going for stock us pickups
or Samarium cobalt is a lot smarter since i want get the vintage sound with basswood anyway.

I've heard a number of basswood bodied basses that sound fine and as vintage as you like with the right pickups and strings.

That whole tone wood thing is quite a bit of nonsense in my opinion. It gets passed on from one person to another as the gospel. We're talking about a solid plank of wood almost 1 3/4" thick with a bass, not a finely shaped top, back and sides like an arched top guitar.

Pickups, strings, setup and playing style have much more effect on sound than the difference between basswood and so called tone woods like alder and ash.

That's just my opinion based on over 45 years of playing bass. It's not always popular, but I don't care much about popularity.

I say, put whatever pickups you like the sound of on your bass. Sometimes there will be a marked improvement in sound but sometimes you'll be disappointed, even after reading all the reviews on a pickup and deciding "that's the one for me".

[jsa0100]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Sometimes there will be a marked improvement in sound but sometimes you'll be disappointed, even after reading all the reviews on a pickup and deciding "that's the one for me".

One of the reason i want to upgrade, is that everyone says
that these are well made basses but that the pickup sucks.
But the be honest i think they sound fine, but still i am going to try.

[62bass]

They don't really suck, at least not the ones I've tried. If you want to really blow the bank account you could try the Seymour Duncan Antiquity II. If you decide to sell the bass later, take the SD out and use it for another project, or sell it to recoup some of your cost.

Others will recommend their favourite pickups. Many of them are good too.

Another low cost, but high quality pickup worth considering is the Bill Lawrence P 46. About $60 direct from Bill himself.