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"Burpy" (EDIT: “subtle growl?”) PU suggestions for the ole P Bass

#21
NKBassman said:
Hmmm. I'm not the be-all end-all defacto source of knowledge on P Bass pickups, but right now I can tell you that I'm really liking the Nordstrand NP4a I have in my Highway One P bass. On the whole it has a nice classic P bass tone, but I find it has a nice pleasant and present midrange. Not overly hot and/or muddy like some, and not too fat or hollow sounding. I find it offers a nice balanced approach to a slightly different kind of P bass sound.

The word "burp" is typically used to describe Jazz bass bridge pickups. I don't know that I'd say the NP4a is overly burpy, but I wouldn't describe it as particularly growly (a la Dimarzio Model P), not overly hot, not muddy, not particularly fat/phat, and not a true vintage voiced pickup either. It's got its own thing going on which is subtle, but very nice.
Click to expand...
Ditto on the NP4a. Only thing with more mids is the CND. But, it won't fit in your bass.
 
#22
Lower your pickup height to start. You might be surprised.
That said, the 63..64? Fender pickup will definitely help you get this sound. I've not seen it mentioned but it feels like that pickup has less winds and less magnetism than others and has a nice, somewhat compact and smooth sound (especially in the mids) which will be similar to lowering the height of your current pickups and also to the nickel strings you are using as well.

You sir, do not like strong magnets. And indeed they do provide a spiky, rough sound.
 
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#23
Compression is helpful here, definitely. I have a combo with a built in compressor and that tone just falls out of it. :)

@JeezyMcNuggles
do you have a DAW? If not, there are some good ones for free or nearly free, and interfaces can be gotten pretty cheaply. Even if you never record music, it can be helpful to record yourself with effects to see what they can do.

My recent P PU acquisition is underwound, and set lower in the body than the previous PU.
I recommend you lower your PUs to start, and maybe look at underwound PUs.

Here's a few to start with if you want to go that way: Underwound P Bass Pickups
 
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