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Changing pickups - actual improvement or hooey?

#181
luciens said:
Perhaps, but like I said, that's a lot further down the list of temptations for things to try for me, below different strings and electronics. For example, I'm nearly 100% certain that simply switching to a set of roundwounds and pounding them hard, pouring lots of sweat on them, for at least a month, would velvet/thicken/pop up my Jaco far more than trying to find that pickup in my TF and swapping it in there. That's based on my experience with a dead set of flats vs a dead set of rounds on my basses over the last several decades I've been playing. A pickup swap is an expensive high risk gamble with a low probability of really making a pleasing, if audible at all, difference, but a simple string change is much less risky, with a much better known result for far less money.

IOW, I think guys run out of options besides swapping pickups a lot less quickly then they think they do. I think a PU swap should be closer to the last resort to get a good sound out of a unsatisfying bass than the first resort.
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I agree in principle, but damn, some of these pickups in off the rack basses just suck out loud.
 
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#185
I wouldn't preemptively change out a pickup unless I know the currently installed one is not to my liking at all or is not in my master plan for the bass. For example, my Squier CV 70s Jazz V has perfectly usable and good sounding alnicos in it. However, I intended to throw some EMGs and BTS in it to make it work better for me as a live instrument. Played the stock pickups and harness for a week to get to know them, then out they went.
I also don't like to change out pickups for something that's only marginally (at best) different. Swapping those Squier Alnicos for a set of name brand single coils would only really just cost me money.
 
#187
I swapped the stock pickups in my PRS Kingfisher with Nordstram Big Splits. It totally transformed the instrument (no noise, higher output, more sonic variation).
Kingfisher.jpg
 
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#188
Gothic said:
I've seen many, MANY posts about people buying a new bass and wanting to change the pickup before even playing it. And while I will defend everyone's right to do whatever the hell they want with their money, I find it... well, I'll be polite and say, rash.

There are many people also that swear by their pickup change. Example:
"I got a p-bass and putting in the GZR made it a dream"
And I've also seen other people change pickups and get jack. Sure, it may sound different but is it really better*?
(*totally subjective, yes, hence this thread)

Personally, I honestly can't decide whether this is all just us convincing ourselves that we made the right choice or if there's a significant enough difference to really warrant the money spent.

Not saying there isn't a difference, mind you. BUT, with many of us sending the signal through a lot of tone shaping tech before it actually becomes sound, does the pickup really matter that much or does it just become a marginally significant part of the whole equation?

I've always advocated that, on an electric instrument, the pickups/electronics are the major factors that shape the tone (as opposed to body/neck/fretboard woods as well as hardware). So I'm not saying they're nothing.
What I'm asking is, have you seen that big of a difference between different pickups, AFTER going through preamps and EQ's and all that? Would you be able to effectively change something in your sound through the aforementioned (amp, EQ etc.) without changing the pickup?
I mean, how much can you screw up a pickup in a precision, for example?

And by the way, I'm mainly talking about the pickups themselves, presently. Not the circuitry involved. Which is my next point. Perhaps a change in that area (say 500k pots instead of 250k) would be enough?

Discuss.
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I have five 5 string Fender Basses. When they were purchased(all brand new) pickup replacement or any other modifications were not a consideration.

As time passed and all went through the rotation(my band gigs a minimum of 3 times a week) I found things I wanted to fix. Of the two Precision Basses I own only one had issues that invoked both string and pickup changes. This bass was finished yesterday and the results are everything I hoped. The clank is gone and the sound is now full and rich.

Now I have 3 Jazz Basses. These all sound great when both pickup are set evenly volume wise. Once volume is set differently pickup wise(one pickup set louder than the other) they all suffered from the dreaded 60 cycle hum. I have replaced the pickups in one of these Jazz Basses so far. Seymour Duncan Apollos went in and the work was also completed yesterday. Again the results are worth writing on TalkBass about. Hum is gone. I can solo or mix my pickup as desired. Two more Jazz basses to go. One set of split coil Delano Jazz bass Pickups arrived yesterday. A new set of Fralin split coil Jazz Bass pickups are due by Monday. Both will hit the shop Tuesday.

There is still one Precision bass left.

It will not be getting any modifications. The other P-Bass that did get pickups had issues. And Delano pickups and a string change fixed it. The other P-Bass is just perfect. Strange how these things work out.
 
#189
In a cheaper instrument that is 1 of the first places they cut corners is the electronics.The next time your at a music store and can compare a variety of basses at different price points and compare the tone,sound etc.That ought to give you some idea.Like some people have said on here though it is not an absolute.Check on this site and others of players that have the same bass as you and what their experiences were when they changed pickups,pots etc.
 
#190
I’ve played guitar for many years, and basses for a few, and I’ve changed pickups countless times, thinking I needed an “upgrade”. Even with lower end instruments (MIM Precision, G&L Tribute), the result was not worth it, and in most cases I couldn’t really tell the difference. Maybe I have bad ears.

I try to remind myself of that, because I still get that itch.
 
#193
luciens said:
Again I would ask why?

L
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Sorry L, didn't see you had re-iterated the question till now.

OK...well my 09 AmStd P is a fantastic player, but if I wanted a big mid scoop, I wouldn't have bought a P. That pickup, with all due respect to those who like that 08-12 AmStd P pickup, is terrible. And while the V-Mods are an improvement, they still don't have a sound I like, and I wouldn't want to have to jump through hoops trying to get a sound out of a pickup I just don't think is very good.

Not that I'll be getting a new P, but just the same...and lower priced basses often have even worse pickups, though occasionally I get pleasantly surprised. My 09 Dano Longhorn sounds great stock. So did the two SX basses I had for a little while. And while the ceramic P pickup that came with my sweet-feeling el cheapo Yamaha BB235 was pretty good, it just a little bit polite and I wanted a P pickup that sounded more like a vintage pickup, so I replaced it.
 
#195
I have a 2017 Fender American Professional p-bass and love the feel and tone. It has the "infamous" V-Mod pickups, which some swear are an abomination and must be replaced. I read those posts and wonder, "Gee, is my sense of hearing impaired? I'm digging the sound of these V-Mods! Good smooth, clean response. Balanced. I love the way they record straight to the board. Never been so happy with bass tone. Etc. etc. I used to be a "replacer," always doing the mods. After reading this thread, I'm sticking with what the bass has already. I did change the strings to TI flats and gave the bass a very careful setup. Otherwise I can see ZERO reason to change the pickups!
 
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#196
I set it up (big thing) a CV Squier 60s Precision, and added Chromes. The stock pickups in combination with those strings was stellar. The D'Addario rounds (I believe) that came with it did it no favours.
I got a closet-queen 2000 MiM Precision, set it up (big thing), and added Fender NPS (NOS!)7250ML strings, and the sound with the stock pickups was great. The right strings, and a good set up makes a HUGE difference.
Then I got SansAmp RPM and realised where the good sound was really coming from.
Find the right string, and the right preamp/amp, and pickups come a distant third as an upgrade.
I've had basses with less-than-great pickups, so I know they're out there, but it's not always the first thing to go.
 
#198
Here is my experience on the bass that I changed the pickups. I purchased an Ibanez 555bb and it came with EMG 40hz pickups. I could not get a good sound out of it. It sounded terrible. I remember playing Bartolini pickups in the 80s so I purchased a set (I did listen to their sound bites online to see which one I wanted) and installed it - M45CBC. Now the bass is the best sounding bass in my collection. I have basses that are more expensive and this one sounds the best by far. So, yeah I think it was an actual and huge improvement.
 

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