Aguilar AG 5P-60 (CL) review

Hi Talkbass,

The winter holidays were good to me this year and I got a new pickup for my 5 string Lakland. The stock Hanson pickup had gone bad and I thought it would be a nice opportunity to try a different pickup. I was interested in the Aguilar 60's pickups and I had yet to hear the AG 5P-60, as the only samples online were of the 4 string version. I have been predictably satisfied with the pickup as it has been in the bass since Christmas.

I feel the pickup gives that nice hollow grind that is so desirable in the 60's p pickups. It is wonderfully responsive to my TI flats and allows a great deal of precision in my playing. In a band context with 2 Marshall's and a heavy hitting drummer, I sat perfectly in the mix and never felt like I needed to force my playing. These dynamics are exactly what I look for in a p pickup and the Aguilar produces all of them very well.

Compared to the Hanson I had on previously (when it was working), I find the Aguilar has a bit more focus with sweetly rounded highs and lows. It really doesn't offend in any frequency range and drives tube breakup nicely. That said, it still has a nice character to it that lets it sit in a mix and not disappear as soon as the guitars crank up.

Be sure to check out the specs of the pickups as I needed to order the CL version to fit the bass. Although this version is supposed to be for 17.5-18.5 spacing, it has no trouble picking up all strings with my 19mm spacing.

Feel free to post if you'd like any other info on the pickup.

 

Thanks! I didn't know that Aguilar made a dual coil jazz pickup. Glad you're happy with yours.
There really is something about TI flats. They pair so nicely with passive pups.

 

Yes, it's one of 30 Lakland LOG basses: http://www.laklandowners.com/forum/content.php?142-The-LOG-Bass-is-a-go!

It is basically a Skyline 5 string P but kinda nice knowing there are only 29 others out there. It is my main player.