• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

aggressive p style pickups?

J

jjhardy

Mar 11, 2007
137
1
#1
im playing a MIM fender p bass, and i like the tone i get out of it with my distortions/amp, but i can't help but wonder if an improved pickup would be worthwhile. the bass is downtuned and im interested in having a really aggressive doom sound (exg: i cant stop listening to Nostos Algos by Thrones). the seymour duncan spb-3 has seemed like a good choice by looking at it. however, i have heard from many that for heavier music that amps will make a far greater impact on tone that pickups, and that the seymour duncan would not be fully worth the money. any of you guys have some input?

also, i've thought to myself about how fun it might be putting another pickup (p or otherwise) between the original one and the bridge. how expensive would this be to have done in a shop?
 
#5
jjhardy said:
im playing a MIM fender p bass, and i like the tone i get out of it with my distortions/amp, but i can't help but wonder if an improved pickup would be worthwhile. the bass is downtuned and im interested in having a really aggressive doom sound (exg: i cant stop listening to Nostos Algos by Thrones). the seymour duncan spb-3 has seemed like a good choice by looking at it. however, i have heard from many that for heavier music that amps will make a far greater impact on tone that pickups, and that the seymour duncan would not be fully worth the money. any of you guys have some input?

also, i've thought to myself about how fun it might be putting another pickup (p or otherwise) between the original one and the bridge. how expensive would this be to have done in a shop?
Click to expand...
...I dunno, that quarter pounder SD puts out has some serious balls. I got it in my single coil p and it growls like a monster on pretty much any amp I play it through.
 
#12
That's the tough thing with pickups. It can be a total crapshoot.

In my '78 P, the QP's just pound with growl. I have a '95 AmStd P that has SD Hots which have similar lows to the QP's with less highs and more mids-they sound fat and warm, but aren't aggressive. The hot high end leads to the QP's aggressiveness IMO.

Also, put fresh rounds on the bass and dig right in and you can get into anyone's face.
 
#15
I think people have problems with the QP's when they put them in Fenders and expect them to sound like Fender pups only fuller. This is not their tone. Thundering lows, piercing highs combine for a very aggresive borderline harsh sound. For me it works great. For others, not so much. They are about as far away from the stock Fender tone as you can get IMO anyway. Tamed with a nice tube amp they crush.

I have them in a Fender Jazz bass now in a P/J configuration. The P solo'd passively is very thick. I mix in the J to round out and open up the sound a bit. Originally they were in a Soundgear, but I like them better in the Jazz bass.
 
#16
i still say Dimarzio...
as far as the emg's go... yes they seem to sound slightly compressed in the mids, but if i had ten that i wanted all to sound EXACTLY the same regardless of woods or construction i'd go with EMG's. they seem to take over the instrument the most of any p/u as if you could string up a piece of plywood with them and it would sound just like the pbass you have w/ emg (hehe, not really this is an exageration)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back