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Another P pickup review thread

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Apr 14, 2011
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Kirkland, WA
#1
A few weeks ago I was disappointed with the pickups in my 2011 Hwy One P-bass, so I embarked on a mission to find a replacement. Not really liking the comparison clips I found, I decided I had to do my own comparison. So I ordered a bunch of pickups.

Some are on back-order, but at least the first batch of pickups has arrived, so it's time to begin the project!

Pickups
Here is the first set of pickups I will be sampling:
  • DiMarzio Area P (DP250)
  • DiMarzio Model P (DP122)
  • DiMarzio Split P (DP127)
  • EMG GZR P
  • Seymour Duncan Antiquity II "60s Pride" P
full?d=1422214755.jpg

There are some additional pickups on order from Seymour Duncan, Bill Lawrence, and Aguilar. However, I have plenty on my plate to get started.

Test Bass
I decided to spare my Hwy One P for the time being from my tampering, so the test platform will instead be a 1994 Mexican Precision with upgraded shielding and pots:
full?d=1422214686.jpg

Right now it has 4 month old Rotosound Swing Bass 66 steels, and I'm thinking that these may stay on during the review, as I don't want "new string zing" to get in the way of the comparison, and the review will be dragging on for several weeks.

Preamp
I have a few preamp options:
  • Direct into Focusrite Sapphire Pro 40 interface
  • DI out from Gallien-Krueger 700RB-II or MB800 amp
  • DI from Eden WTDI preamp pedal
  • DI from MXR M80 preamp pedal
I will probably record a sample with each and see what people think, and stick with that for the duration. Regardless of which one is chosen, the technique will likely be to dial in as much clean gain as possible without clipping the input signal. I will report what gain settings were used with each pickup so it should be clear which ones have "hotter" output.

While it could be interesting to use a completely "flat" input signal, this isn't how most people actually play their instruments, so it wouldn't be very realistic, IMO. I will probably try recording a few different instruments through the preamp with different EQ settings until I find a few settings that seem to work well with the music clips, and then I'll use those exact settings for each pickup review.

Music
The plan is to record a few different clips from a few genres, both with and without backing music so each pickup can be heard solo and in a mix. This will be the most difficult part of the review for me, as I don't have ready access to a bunch of backing tracks, and I'm not a professional player. I am certainly open to some suggestions, but the most important part here is to record some clips that let the pickups shine, where my playing doesn't get in the way and just stays consistent from review to review. :)

Timeline
I expect it will take some time to get the "test parameters" nailed down before I actually start the reviewing. Sorry if you clicked on the thread expecting to hear some sound clips right away. :)

Please remember, this is just a hobby for me; I have a life and a full-time job, so I apologize in advance if the reviews are progressing too slowly. I expect to do these reviews at the rate of perhaps one every week or two.

Suggestions
Since I'm going to the trouble of recording sample clips, I want this to be as helpful as possible. So please let me know if you have any suggestions (about anything: technique, recording settings, mistakes, etc) and I'll see what I can do to accommodate them.

Thanks!
 
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#4
If you play with fingers and pick, tone up tone off and tone where you like it best, you'll be covering a lot more ground. The only other thing I could think of would be to use flats as well as rounds, but that would be a bit of a PITA.
 
#11
I own 3 of the 5 pickups listed here, so I will be following this thread closely.
That soldering iron will get HOT!!!

Clips are always interesting but I find listening notes and impressions equally as important. You can't hear how a pickup responds to the touch of the player, only the musician can feel that. So having a narrative is really key. Also there are so many parameters than can change the tone of a recording that a written commentary speaks more to me. Call me old school if you will.
 
#12
Laurent said:
I own 3 of the 5 pickups listed here, so I will be following this thread closely.
That soldering iron will get HOT!!!

Clips are always interesting but I find listening notes and impressions equally as important. You can't hear how a pickup responds to the touch of the player, only the musician can feel that. So having a narrative is really key. Also there are so many parameters than can change the tone of a recording that a written commentary speaks more to me. Call me old school if you will.
Click to expand...
Also helps because unless you are using super awesome recording equipment, a lot of character of the sound can be lost. Thus the players ear is your best bet.
 
#16
I too have tried many P pups, over 30 years.Here is what I found.Fender late 50's p pickups , some Fender re issues included (and are available)are hands down, the best..They have it all.The Fender 62's are too bass heavy.Dimarzio P 122, too loud, too much of every thing.pass, Emg, artificial, too polite and clean,pass.Barts are low-mid, I'll call them dark, but decent.The Wilde P, excellent, punch and phat.SD Antiquity and the Lindy Frahlin about a tie.Still prefer the early Fender.Both okay, but pricey.And here is curve ball.I got a Jag Squier for parts a few years ago, and threw those cheap P pups into a customers P bass , just to get it going.We were floored at how good that sucker sounded.I told him if he ever wanted to part with the bass or pups, call me.Go figure.These are what I have had in my hands to evaluate.Depends on the neck and body wood ect..I prefer the stock threaded bridge, more TONE.Hi mass bridges do not transmit wood tone.I know there are others,forgot.my 2 cents
 
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#20
Laurent said:
I have not tested the split P DiMarzio but I have owned the other 4 pickups at one point. Anything in particular you guys want to know?
Click to expand...

Yes, I put area j's in my jazz and luvluvluv them, So naturally I'm curious about the area p myself and was just hoping for some opinions on how it compares to some of the more expensive options, I like a p pickup with an airy high end and balanced mids, I searched and there's very little info on that particular pickup.
 

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