BEEFY TONE

I was wondering that too... More specifically, which pickups would combine well to make a good, matched P-J set? I like the sound of both P & J on full. (think Fender Hot Rod P) I know many people think putting new pickups on a cheap bass is a dumb idea, but...
#1. I'm not going to sell my Ibanez anyway.
#2. When I get another bass, I'll have a backup bass with good tone.

 

Seymour Duncan quarter pounders

 

What does "beefy" mean???

Sorry but I can't find that word in my little English-Portuguese dictionary...

 

hehe, thanks slipknot!

 

For a P pickup, I recommend the Seymour Duncan Hot for P Bass. It has a lot of mids and has a "punk" sound. Do not get the Quarter Pounders! They have scooped mids, and are NOT good for punk. I got them because everyone told me they were, but I have to disagree. They are better suited to funk and slapping than punk.

For a J, I would recommend Bartolinis. Bartolinis have a very smooth, jazzy sound to them and are very bassy. They just have an output thats a little bit lower than normal, so theyll be a little bit quieter than you might expect.

 

The "beefiest" pickups I have used are EMG's. The EMG-P is thunderous, with a smooth, clean top end. In fact, I have to cut the bass if I'm using an EMG-P equipped bass in any room that tends toward boominess. The EMG-J isn't overly harsh and compliments the P nicely. One advantage the EMG P-J set has over mixing and matching various pups is that the volume levels are pretty evenly matched. So if you roll the J off and turn up the P, you're not suddenly a lot louder, which can happen with some setups.

 

if i may suggest an alternative to new pickups... get a sansamp BDDI.

 

I would not suggest getting different pups, they wont be matched, and will not sound good, unless you get *very* lucky.

I think EMG makes a matched P/J set, Ive heard some good stuff about them, might want to look into that.

 

yeah man. actually, forget my last post.

EMG makes awesome pups, I completely forgot. You should look into an EMG P/J set.

 

How odd that I find myself in a simmilar P/J dillema. I think those EMGs sound mighty tastey, but, what would be a good passive pre-amp to compliment them?

 

Sorry Brendan, but did you want a preamp, or passive controls? The stock EMG pots (passive) work pretty well, but EMG also makes various active circuits you can use. I haven't tried them; my EMG experience is limited to the passive controls.

 

my bad. Passive controls.

 

Just kidding. EMG actives want 25k Ohm pots. The simplest thing is just to use EMG pots, which I think are pretty nice. They operate smoothly and have a nice taper. They aren't overly expensive, either. They even sell some prewired pot assemblies.

 

I think the quarter pounders were a good suggestion.

I think your best bet would be to try, maybe a new bass? Something like a Fender P/j and just throw the quarter pounders in there, along with one of SD's "warmer" pups.