Another Precision Pickup Thread

[slobake]

Eight years ago I bought a MIM 50's Precision. I was very happy with that bass for a number of years. Our sound guy complained about the tone but worked with him to EQ it as well as we could. He was a very persnickety sound guy so I didn't take him too seriously.
At one point I changed from flats to D'addario half rounds to get a little more usable tone.
About a year ago I bought an American Standard Precision and that has been my go to bass. I love the hardware and tone on that bass. It can be heard a lot better over the band without more volume.
When I do a head to head with the MIM 50's and the Am Std the 50's sounds like fuzzy mush to me now. I don't think anything has changed with the bass but I do think my ears have changed. I like everything else about the bass.
I have upgraded the tone pots, jack and cap to CTS, Switchcraft and Orange drop on the MIM. I didn't expect a lot of tone change from this but it was my first soldering job and I enjoyed doing it.
The bass tone has gotten a little better but as I expected I want to change out the pickups. But what do I install to keep the vintage tone and sit better in the mix? Is the tone on my existing pickups what I should expect from vintage style pickups?
These Fender pickups look like a good deal. I think they are the same pickups in my Am Std. If possible I would like to keep the vintage style tone but get more clarity from my bass. I would like to have two different sounding basses. $63.00 seems like a pretty good deal.
Amazon.com: Fender Precision Bass Pickups - Original Vintage Design: Musical Instruments
%3AFender
I'm thinking I would be a lot happier with Lindy Fralins. I can keep looking for some used Fralins or lay down the extra eighty bucks for a new set.

Amazon.com: Lindy Fralin P Bass Stock pickup: Musical Instruments

What do you say Talkbass?

 

[FingerDub]

Eight years ago I bought a MIM 50's Precision. I was very happy with that bass for a number of years. Our sound guy complained about the tone but worked with him to EQ it as well as we could. He was a very persnickety sound guy so I didn't take him too seriously.
At one point I changed from flats to D'addario half rounds to get a little more usable tone.
About a year ago I bought an American Standard Precision and that has been my go to bass. I love the hardware and tone on that bass. It can be heard a lot better over the band without more volume.
When I do a head to head with the MIM 50's and the Am Std the 50's sounds like fuzzy mush to me now. I don't think anything has changed with the bass but I do think my ears have changed. I like everything else about the bass.
I have upgraded the tone pots, jack and cap to CTS, Switchcraft and Orange drop on the MIM. I didn't expect a lot of tone change from this but it was my first soldering job and I enjoyed doing it.
The bass tone has gotten a little better but as I expected I want to change out the pickups. But what do I install to keep the vintage tone and sit better in the mix? Is the tone on my existing pickups what I should expect from vintage style pickups?
These Fender pickups look like a good deal. I think they are the same pickups in my Am Std. If possible I would like to keep the vintage style tone but get more clarity from my bass. I would like to have two different sounding basses. $63.00 seems like a pretty good deal.
Amazon.com: Fender Precision Bass Pickups - Original Vintage Design: Musical Instruments
%3AFender
I'm thinking I would be a lot happier with Lindy Fralins. I can keep looking for some used Fralins or lay down the extra eighty bucks for a new set.

Amazon.com: Lindy Fralin P Bass Stock pickup: Musical Instruments

What do you say Talkbass?

I had an American Standard P Bass and I thought the stock pickup was terrible, so it's probably not your ears. I replaced mine with a Geezer and I love it, a year later and I'm still not bored of the tone sounds super clean, clear, vintage, growley when you want it to be, pretty much everything you want in a precision pickup.

If I didn't have a Geezer, I'd probably gravitate towards a Model P, almost like a geezer but more well-rounded.

 

[slobake]

I had an American Standard P Bass and I thought the stock pickup was terrible, so it's probably not your ears. I replaced mine with a Geezer and I love it, a year later and I'm still not bored of the tone sounds super clean, clear, vintage, growley when you want it to be, pretty much everything you want in a precision pickup.

If I didn't have a Geezer, I'd probably gravitate towards a Model P, almost like a geezer but more well-rounded.

What year was your Am Std? I tried and older one and liked everything about the bass except the meh tone. The MIA P-bass I have is a 2014 and I really like the tone, of course I used the like the tone on my MIM too, so that could change.
What is a Model P?

 

[FingerDub]

What year was your Am Std? I tried and older one and liked everything about the bass except the meh tone. The MIA P-bass I have is a 2014 and I really like the tone, of course I used the like the tone on my MIM too, so that could change.
What is a Model P?

2010.
Model P from DiMarzio, and not very expensive either. I think the extra 30 for the geezer, is a good idea especially considering the easy solderless installation.

 

[slobake]

2010.
Model P from DiMarzio, and not very expensive either. I think the extra 30 for the geezer, is a good idea especially considering the easy solderless installation.

Thanks I will check out both pickups. I have heard a lot about the Geezers here lately.
I think Fender changed the Pickups on the Am Std in 2012.

 

[sikamikanico]

Fralins are great, but have perhaps a more modern take on the vintage tone. Maybe more open, with some extra high mids. I like it with flats and nickel rounds, but I sometimes want to try something like SD SPB-1... I'm also liking Model Ps on another bass, and I like them for a more modern rounds tone. Great, inexpensive pups for a little more oomph. SPB is also inexpensive, as is Wilde (Bill Lawrence) P46 which I've heard is similar to Fralins in how clear it sounds.

But in the end, strings and setup do wonders. Perhaps set the current pickup a little lower?

 

[slobake]

Fralins are great, but have perhaps a more modern take on the vintage tone. Maybe more open, with some extra high mids. I like it with flats and nickel rounds, but I sometimes want to try something like SD SPB-1... I'm also liking Model Ps on another bass, and I like them for a more modern rounds tone. Great, inexpensive pups for a little more oomph. SPB is also inexpensive, as is Wilde (Bill Lawrence) P46 which I've heard is similar to Fralins in how clear it sounds.

But in the end, strings and setup do wonders. Perhaps set the current pickup a little lower?

Thanks sikamikanico. I will check out the pickups. My set up is good and pretty low, I have also tried adjusting the pick up height. I will check the specs on what the height should be and make sure that is not the problem.

 

[MovingPitchers]

2010.
Model P from DiMarzio, and not very expensive either. I think the extra 30 for the geezer, is a good idea especially considering the easy solderless installation.

Fender changed their Am. Std pickups in both the P and J in late 2012...the pickups before that change were generally garbage, apparently.

The Custom Shop '62s are amazing. I love them so much

 

[slobake]

Fender changed their Am. Std pickups in both the P and J in late 2012...the pickups before that change were generally garbage, apparently.

The Custom Shop '62s are amazing. I love them so much

Thanks,I think those are the pickups on the Am Std's. Is that true?
Have you tried the Fender Pure Vintage 58 pickup?

 

[MovingPitchers]

Thanks,I think those are the pickups on the Am Std's. Is that true?
Have you tried the Fender Pure Vintage 58 pickup?

I have! I also love the 58...totally forgot about them too! My current P has a 63 AVRI pickup in it. It sounds great too

 

[Plutonium244]

I just put an Aguilar 4P-60 pick-up, Aguilar's take on a vintage Fender '60 pickup, in a 2001 MIM standard Precision. It helped the tone immensely.

 

[slobake]

I have! I also love the 58...totally forgot about them too! My current P has a 63 AVRI pickup in it. It sounds great too

Is there a difference in tone between the 50's style vintage pickups and the 60's style vintage pickups?

 

[buldog5151bass]

My Lull has the Fralin P (their standard pup), and I am very happy with it.

 

[The Chuck]

Another one here with the Pure Vintage 63 in my 2015 Fender ADE P-bass.

Nice thick but sill tight bottom with highs that aren't shrill or harsh at all - and pretty smooth/flat in the middle too- imo.

 

[Arvin]

I'm a fan of the Geezer; it's very much a classic 60's type P bass tone with a bit of mid-forwardness. I upgraded an MIA P with a Geezer a while back, and I was floored by how much better it sat in the mix. The Geezer is not an aggressive, "hot" pickup, but it sure gets heard. I have a friend with a bonafide 1960 P, and after playing my Geezerized bass, he says I essentially have the same instrument as his -- without the hefty price tag (or the really cool shrinking tort guard, but that's another story).

I'm also a big fan of the Duncan SPB-1. It's very similar to the Geezer, but a little softer in the mids. It sounds FANTASTIC with flats, especially with the volume rolled back just a smidge and digging in a bit with my right hand technique. Very "woody" and organic sounding.

I've experimented with some "hot" P-bass pickups, and I'm not a fan. For some they work well, but I think vintage-voiced P basses are hot enough as they are. It's kind of like eating overspiced chili, the other ingredients need room to breathe.

 

[pbass2]

I love the stock Lindy--to me they sound classic, but also very clear, and articulate. They record great. I have them in a Lakland Glaub--I had swapped them out years ago to try something hotter and fatter, and went with some overwound SD custom shop pickups, but I just recently bought a new set of the stock Lindys and put them back in and couldn't be happier.

 

[Arvin]

Another one here with the Pure Vintage 63 in my 2015 Fender ADE P-bass.

Nice thick but sill tight bottom with highs that aren't shrill or harsh at all - and pretty smooth/flat in the middle too- imo.

View attachment 998583

Wow, that's a beauty!

 

[MovingPitchers]

Is there a difference in tone between the 50's style vintage pickups and the 60's style vintage pickups?

Hard to say. The 63 has more mids as well as the Custom Shop 62s. The 58 has more lows to it I think.

 

[miles'tone]

David Allen CS P looks like a winner too:
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Only read impressive things about it on here.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I've got a duncan quarter pounder in my P copy and it sounds great, though on the higher output side of things. I also have a novak waiting to go into a build, but I haven't heard it yet.