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'51 Precision Bass with 2 pickups?

-=DanAtkinson=-

-=DanAtkinson=-

Feb 26, 2008
2,457
125
50
Atlanta, GA
#1
Just wondering if anyone has made one of these with dual pickups. I did some Googling and couldn't find anything.

I was considering giving it a try, but I'm not sure how it would sound. I have little experience with these pickups. I know they are single-coil, but I don't know how they differ from Jazz pickups sonically.

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#3
Polepiece spacing...the bridge pickup won't line up.

You might be able to get away with it if you use a 51 style pickup with larger polepieces, like a Duncan 1/4 Pounder... BUT.... you'd need to get them custom wound to get RWRP

The other option would be to decrease the space between the bridge/neck pickups...you'd have to measure the pole piece spacing and split the difference. Still wouldn't be RWRP though...if that's what you are looking for.


I've thought a LOT about doing this, and for a LONG time.... :)
 
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#5
Dark Horse said:
BUT.... you'd need to get them custom wound to get RWRP

Still wouldn't be RWRP though...if that's what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

Who says it has to be RWRP?
Single-coil P basses have the single coil hum to begin with, so if you are playing one, you should be used to it.
If you can get one that will humcancel when both pickups are at equal volumes, that would be nice, but the traditional sound and the bridge pickup soloed sound will still hum as usual.
 
#6
Many players had a '51 P or a pre-'72 Telecaster that were modded with bridge pickups. Chris Squire (check out "Lucky Seven" from his solo album "Fish Out Of Water"), Jimmy Bain used one with Rainbow, Charlie Tumahai used one with Be-Bop Deluxe etc.

There's a good photo Bain's bridge-PU -equipped Tele-P in the inner gatefold of Rainbow's "On Stage" and it seems he had used another Tele/'51 P pickup.
 
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#8
IMO some kind of RWRP hum cancelling effect would be important - IME hum from 1 pickup is usually not too bad, but I certainly wouldn't want to double it. (Especially when I could be canceling.)

Since you're already custom routing, wouldn't a second SCPB pickup be RWRP if you oriented it 180º from the first? (Assuming both are from the same source, same spec.) But if you put them real close together, that's like a standard 2-coil humbucker with some gaudy routing.

Getting a wider bridge SCPB custom-built would be the most vintage-correct approach from an aesthetic standpoint. (The Js or Big Singles I've seen by the bridge looks out of place to me.) That could be spendy, though.

For a more practical approach that would be electronically pretty close to 2 SCPBs, I've been mulling over Aero's Type 4A J pickups (single coils w/ 1/4" single poles).
 
#14
koobie said:
Glenn, are you doing this for dubby tones? How close to the neck are planning on placing the additional pickup?
Click to expand...

It'll be a single coil and have a surround very similar to those on the Epi Rumblekat, which will be a nice thumb rest. The pickup route will be around 3/8" - 1/2" from the neck pocket; pretty close to the neck, but not too close to compromise the wood left between the two. It'll get a Fender Big Block control plate with a series/parallel switch.
 
#15
line6man said:
Who says it has to be RWRP?
Single-coil P basses have the single coil hum to begin with, so if you are playing one, you should be used to it.
If you can get one that will humcancel when both pickups are at equal volumes, that would be nice, but the traditional sound and the bridge pickup soloed sound will still hum as usual.
Click to expand...

Nobody said it "had to be RWRP", including me. I simply said that IF you wanted it to be, you'd need to get them wound.

No more, no less.
 
#16
Jefenator said:
Since you're already custom routing, wouldn't a second SCPB pickup be RWRP if you oriented it 180º from the first? (Assuming both are from the same source, same spec.) But if you put them real close together, that's like a standard 2-coil humbucker with some gaudy routing.
Click to expand...

No, cos the windings will still be clockwise (or anti).. Ha ha you could try flipping it upside down! THAT would work! ;)
 
#17
This RW/RP business isn't a big deal to remedy. These are single coils without grounded baseplates and/or covers.

If you have two pickups, both south up and both wound ccw, you don't "need" to get a special pickup wound that's north up and wound cw.

1) Send one to a pickup guy and have him reverse the polarity of the magnets. It's cheap and easy.

2) When you get it back, simply install it with the black lead (ground) to hot and the white lead (hot) to ground.

That will put you in RW/RP City where the water's clean and the air is fresh.
 
#19
I've seen a pic of a Fender Custom Shop '51 P Bass with a bridge pickup, master built by Mark Kendrick.

4084855878_12972e5ba4.jpg


I originally saw this on ozbassforum: Invalid Link Removed

Pretty damn cool looking, especially with the matching headstock!
 
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