Another Precision Pickup Thread

[Arvin]

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

In my limited experience and understanding, in the 60's, Fender slightly goosed the output on P-bass pickups, so they ended up a tiny bit louder, but also more smooth across the spectrum: slightly richer mids, and a little less full in the bass and treble. But then, they also weren't wound to very tight tolerances, so there was a lot of variability from pickup to pickup. But both are definitely more P-bass than anything else.

 

[40Hz]

The Aguilar AG-4P-60 and the Klein 1962 Epic are to my ears the best compromise between a vintage PBass tone and increased clarity. I think of them almost as a really good '60s sound sans some of the cruft you find in the actual period pickups. The Klein shoots for being more a sonic reproduction of the real deal. The Aguilar shoots for that same tone, but with enhancements to make it better than the original. The Klein is a little more vintagey (is that a word?) and the Aguilar just a tiny hint cleaner and more modern.

I like them both. But if definite clarity and full spectrum is what you're after, check out a P-46 from Wilde. Once of the least expensive but best sounding PB pickups out there IMO.

 

[Coughdrops]

A million and one choices, most of them good. Three that I like that are affordable: Fender Original (or 62) - great classic p bass tone; SPB1 - great classic tone and agree that they are a little drier, woodier sounding; Lollars - my personal fav, they are smooth and have a little spongy give to the notes.

 

[bassdude51]

I don't know if there is much difference between so called "vintage replacement P pickups", IMHO.

Here on Talk Bass, favorites are Fender Original P Pickups, Seymour Duncan SPB-1, EMG Geezer, Lindy Fralin, Nordstrand NP4 and NP4v, Fender Custom Shop '62 and there are more. Now, I've tried about 4 different ones of these and blind folded, I can't say I or anyone else can really tell much difference.

One P Pickup that I've tried and found it to be different in a nice way is the Rio Grande Vintage P. It has some really nice definition and clarity that the ones up above don't have.

About the Nordstrand..............I read a very fantastic explanation about his vintage pickups. He uses a computer program to scatter wind his pickups. This means that all of this pickup are scattered wound pretty much exactly the same. Meaning each pickup is gonna be identical to all the others. Pretty cool!

Other pickup makers who scatter wind by hand, well each one of their pickups are different.

I don't wanna knock anybody who winds pickups but does Seymour Duncan or Lindy Fralin or whoever REALLY personally wind each and everyone of their pickups? Of course not! What's in a name?

Final word...............IMHO, strings are about the biggest factor in a bass guitar's sound.

 

[slobake]

Changed my mind and ordered a set of Muy Grande pickups. I will report how they work out

 

[Fragile Thunder]

I like them both. But if definite clarity and full spectrum is what you're after, check out a P-46 from Wilde. Once of the least expensive but best sounding PB pickups out there IMO.

I put a Wilde P-46 in my parts Precision and it's really great. The punch they give along with my GK head gives me a tone I love.

 

[Yahboy]

Squier Classic vibe 60's pbass pickup sound great too.

 

[MobileHolmes]

In my limited experience and understanding, in the 60's, Fender slightly goosed the output on P-bass pickups, so they ended up a tiny bit louder, but also more smooth across the spectrum: slightly richer mids, and a little less full in the bass and treble. But then, they also weren't wound to very tight tolerances, so there was a lot of variability from pickup to pickup. But both are definitely more P-bass than anything else.

That last bit is really important. Vintage pickups are all over the map from unit to unit. They just weren't built to very tight tolerances. Heck, one of the famous les Pauls (Peter Green's?) was unique because the pickups were installed wrong

 

[Gaolee]

This is a timely thread. I have been agonizing over what kind of pickups to put in a bass I'm going to be assembling in the new year. It's essentially a Precision shaped like a Thunderbird because I want a Precision sound but get along better with Thunderbird ergos. Go figure on that one. I'm considering all kinds of things, from Fender '62s to Alumatones to Joe Barden rails. I'm leaning a little toward Alumitones for pure orneriness reasons, but I'm concerned they might not have the punchy midrange that a P should have. And, I'm absolutely sure they won't sound anything like the RW P I have that wears dead Sadowsky flats. That bass is perfect in its thumpiness, so whatever the build turns into will be different. Anyway, keep on with the discussion. Thanks for the information.

 

[slobake]

I originally ordered some vintage style Fender pickups. It was a good price and they are good pickups. But i cancelled the order. I already have a bass with that Fender tone that I like so why have two?
The muy grandes were almost twice the price but I hope they sound different from the Fenders and I hope they are butt kicking pickups.
I think they will be, besides I really like the name. Marketing people must love me.

 

[Gaolee]

I'm leaning pretty hard toward Alumitones for their pure weirdness and my pathological aversion to being normal. So, there's some marketing stuff for you. But, I don't know if they will be thumpy enough. I already have Thunderbirds for the angry piano thing. The silly part is that I'll probably put ashtrays over the pickup and bridge, making the weirdness factor irrelevant. But there you go.

 

[miles'tone]

I'm leaning pretty hard toward Alumitones for their pure weirdness and my pathological aversion to being normal. So, there's some marketing stuff for you. But, I don't know if they will be thumpy enough. I already have Thunderbirds for the angry piano thing. The silly part is that I'll probably put ashtrays over the pickup and bridge, making the weirdness factor irrelevant. But there you go.

Talking about being a sucker for marketing - I've never fancied a Thunderbird before, but now I know they sound like an "Angry Piano" I want two!

 

[Gaolee]

Talking about being a sucker for marketing - I've never fancied a Thunderbird before, but now I know they sound like an "Angry Piano" I want two!

You either get along with Thunderbird ergos or you don't. But, the angry piano is about the only way to describe what they sound like sometimes. I was playing one along with a real piano that was getting pounded on, and the Thunderbird sounded like the pianist's left hand, only with more growl. I don't know how else to describe it without getting into color and taste weirdness that makes no sense to anyone but me.

 

[spiritbass]

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?

+1 on the SPB-1. JohnK recommended it for a medium-scale P he worked over for me. Excellent, IMO.

 

[spiritbass]

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.

Bonus points for the 'chili analogy'. I have a pot waiting at home for dinner tonight. Now I'm getting hungry - please pass that SBP-1...

 

[jallenbass]

I don't know if there is much difference between so called "vintage replacement P pickups", IMHO.

Here on Talk Bass, favorites are Fender Original P Pickups, Seymour Duncan SPB-1, EMG Geezer, Lindy Fralin, Nordstrand NP4 and NP4v, Fender Custom Shop '62 and there are more. Now, I've tried about 4 different ones of these and blind folded, I can't say I or anyone else can really tell much difference.

I agree that played by themselves at home I get along with just about any of the aftermarket Precision pickups. When I play them in a band it becomes clear what my preferences are. Some I can hear pitch and articulation clearly and others I can't.

Final word...............IMHO, strings are about the biggest factor in a bass guitar's sound.

This and in combination with different pickups can really change how your bass sounds and functions in a band.

 

[slobake]

Is there a functional purpose for pickup covers? Will it cause problems if I install pickups on my P-bass without the covers?

 

[DavidEdenAria]

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.

THIS exactly...hathe SPB2

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.

This.....SPB2 Hot P was muddy......SPB1 is great and really close to my friends 64 P bass...and the bass is my lowly USA late 80's Peavey Fury with Fender 9050 flats.

Close enough for me anyway.....the Fury does sound different but the clarity out of the SPB1 Vintage P pickup is there in spades thru a variety of amps.

I couldn't get the SPB2 to sound right thru any amp unless I rolled the bass volume back....I thought about trying a 1000k pot to try to open the tone up some if I use the SPB2 again

 

[Arvin]

Is there a functional purpose for pickup covers? Will it cause problems if I install pickups on my P-bass without the covers?

If you're referring to the black plastic covers that fit over the coils, yes. You definitely want to install them with the covers on, or it will leave the coil wires exposed. Those wires are delicate, and if they're disturbed, they could break easily. You don't want that.

If, on the other hand, you're referring to the chrome covers that fit over the strings and cover the pickup area on some basses, those are optional.

 

[jallenbass]

I couldn't get the SPB2 to sound right thru any amp unless I rolled the bass volume back

You have to keep them very low (away from the strings).