Another 08 PBass pickup thread

[sigmafloyd]

I've followed the escapades of some peeps replacing their 08 -11 PBass pickup with the GZR pickup or other aftermarket pickups. We setup our practice space differently tonight and I had a better angle to hear my bass....it sounded horrible. It was thin, barky (not in a good way) and just overall very week. For comparison, I plugged in my MIM Jazz bass and the jazz sounded rounder, warmer, smoother than the P. It seems like it should be the other way around. I actually changed strings on the P from rounds to broken in Chromes mid-practice to see if it filled it out but it actually sounded worse. Does that sound like what you guys were experiencing? I know there a million other variables at play, and my amp isn't great. It is an Ampeg B115HP cranked almost all the way up. I love the feel of the P, but it's just not sounding good. The fact that the jazz sounded better kind of makes me want a nicer jazz, but maybe a P pickup replacement and/or an amp upgrade would keep the P in the #1 slot. We tune down to Eb, which didn't help the floppy/week low E. I'm just looking for a strong/full/solid tone.

Thanks for any input!

 

[LoveThatBass]

I like the versatility and tone of a Jazz over a P. I put DR. High Beams SS rounds (smoother than other SS rounds) on the P and flats on the J. The High Beams sounded nice on the P bass.

 

[sigmafloyd]

Thanks for the response, the more I think about it, the more I think the amp is really the culprit. At 220w I just don't think this amp is cutting it for a band setting. I have it maxed, which is why it's probably distorting a bit.

 

[xOriginalNinjax]

I know I've read (and could be incorrect) that when you have an amp driven to full volume, you sacrifice fundamental lows because there isn't the extra juice needed to produce that note.

 

[LoveThatBass]

I know I've read (and could be incorrect) that when you have an amp driven to full volume, you sacrifice fundamental lows because there isn't the extra juice needed to produce that note.

Like sigmafloyd said. He is most likely overdriving the amp. You need an amp that you really do not need to turn it up over 1/2 or 2/3 so you have plenty of Clean Headroom. Also important are the speakers. They need to be able to handle large excursions without "bottoming out" he voice coil. Not only will you get distortion but you can ruin a speaker. Also if an amp is driven into distortion it can burn out the voicecoil if it is too bad (especially with a SS amp) as the signal gets clipped into somewhat of a squarewave

 

[Arvin]

I have a 2011 P. I always thought it sounded great at home, playing solo. In band situations, though, to be heard in the mix I had to a) turn way up, and b) fiddle with EQ a lot (usually boosting mids, as the sound was thin). As an experiment, I swapped the pickup to the EMG Geezer, and all that changed. The first time I went to band practice, I was really surprised at how solid and present I was in the mix -- and at a lower volume than before, and with EQ set flat. The drummer noticed it immediately as well, so it wasn't just self-delusional placebo effect. The Geezer won't come out of that bass.

I get similar results with the Duncan SPB-1; perhaps a bit less mid-accentuated, but still really present, with a great P-bass grind. I have that pickup in a couple of other basses, and I'm really pleased with them.

For me, the stock Fender pickup was "ok," but frustrating to work with. The EMG & Duncan pickups have been awesome. YMMV.