Does a pickup swap would make a REAL difference?

[booch29]

Hi folks,
So i have a bas that i really love! It plays like a beast (effortlessly) and got the funk!! But the tone is not all there, i wonder will a pickup swap would make a noticeable difference ( speaking in general...)?? I would love to make this bass my go to as it is so alive and has a very good potential...
The particular bass is a Japanese Aria Pro ii precise bass ( a p bass copy) from 1977, and at the moment wears a Dimarzio model p.

Thx.

 

[SteveCS]

Hi folks,
So i have a bas that i really love! It plays like a beast (effortlessly) and got the funk!! But the tone is not all there, i wonder will a pickup swap would make a noticeable difference ( speaking in general...)?? I would love to make this bass my go to as it is so alive and has a very good potential...
The particular bass is a Japanese Aria Pro ii precise bass ( a p bass copy) from 1977, and at the moment wears a Dimarzio model p.

Thx.

For what it is worth (and it can get expensive), IME you will probably get more discernable mileage out of trying different strings than swapping the pickup. Stainless rounds, nickel rounds, Chromes, tapes and true flats in a range of gauges will all bring more radical differences in tone/voice than from one split-coil P pickup to the next.

 

[AK Bass Guy]

To directly answer your question, different pickups can have different tonalities.
Different types of magnets, different winding lengths, active or passive.

Now on to some free or cheaper things to try before replacing pickups.
Different strings, different plucking position like closer to the bridge or closer to the neck, some EQ and/compression.

 

[Sid the Kid]

After strings I'd suggest a simple outboard preamp like the Sadowsky SBP2 preamp. It might just give you what you're looking for and will be cheaper and less intrusive than a pickup swap.

 

[Wasnex]

Different pickups can have an impact on tone. I think changing the preamp would make more of a difference. But it depends on how the current preamp is voiced and how the replacement preamp is voiced. If they are both flat and transparent, the difference could be very small.

I have a Daion Power Mark XB. This bass is basically a passive PJ. Last year the original single coil J pickup went dead. I ordered a new Lindy Fralin PJ set. The biggest difference is the Fralin J pickup is a humbucking split coil . I do think the new pickups sound a bit more refined. This is not necessarily better, just different.

 

[58kites]

If a Dimarzio Model P pickup is not doing it for you then you should try different strings. The Model P is a great sounding pickup.

 

[Ritter667]

If a Dimarzio Model P pickup is not doing it for you then you should try different strings. The Model P is a great sounding pickup.

If you happen to like the tone it produces, yes.

I do, very much, and no doubt it is one of the greatest P pickups out there, but it's not exactly a traditional vintage P pickup tone, and personally I do prefer the EMG Geezer P.

To OP, yes it make a difference, how big a difference very much depends on what bass and which pickups specifically we are talking about, and not least your personal taste and expectations.

 

[DigitalMan]

Also, don't sleep on pickup height. Sometimes closer isn't always better. A screwdriver and half and hour of futzing around might or might not make a noticeable difference.

 

[chris_b]

In 1990 I swapped out my Fender Precision pickups for Barts. The difference, and improvement, was huge.

These days I have a Cort Jazz which sounds OK but nothing special. I didn't want to spend double what I paid for the bass on replacement pickups, so I bought a Sadowsky EQ pedal instead. The Cort now has a usable tone.

When I bought my Mike Lull PJ5, 14 years ago, it sounded good, but when I put a set of TI flats on it came alive.

Three ways of improving your tone.

 

[chris_b]

My preference would be to buy a better bass. One that sounds right without having to make any changes.

 

[klattman]

I've done many pickup upgrades, but the biggest difference is when I go from single coils to noiseless. Ahhh the silence.

 

[Gino t]

Hard to say, what kind of signal chain are you using, esp. preamp/channel strip / compressor, what kind of amp/speaker, or it's a silent stage/in the box situation?

How does it sound unplugged? That's the key, if it sounds plinky or has dead spot unplugged, can't turn pig ear into a silk purse or s.t. like that. I would try cheaper alternatives, strings and then a good tech will have tricks like shim neck joint and 3 string string tree for more breakover angle. New pickups/onboard preamp/pedals , you're going into a $$ rabbit hole that might give a big improvement or not

 

[58kites]

If you happen to like the tone it produces, yes.

I do, very much, and no doubt it is one of the greatest P pickups out there, but it's not exactly a traditional vintage P pickup tone, and personally I do prefer the EMG Geezer P.

To OP, yes it make a difference, how big a difference very much depends on what bass and which pickups specifically we are talking about, and not least your personal taste and expectations.

I have an EMG Geezer P on two of my basses currently and prefer them to a number of other P pickups. The Dimarzio Model P still ranks high on my preferred list. If something didn't sound good on a bass with either, I would be looking at strings first and my amp second before looking at other pickups. I think you can get whatever a P Bass will do with either pickup.

 

[J Wilson]

Yes.

More than anything else on the instrument, the pickups make it . . . . or break it. The catch with Precision Bass pickups? There's so many choices !

 

[Bass1447]

I found my strings long, long ago. I found my bass long before that. And I found my pickups a little over a decade ago. I have drawer full of pickups that I tried finding my way to here. All things considered the sum of the whole is where you will find the sound.

 

[-Stingray]

Strings first bro.

 

[tpaul]

Yes, changing the pickup will make a difference.

Before you go there, try different strings and adjust the pickup height. Also that DiMarzio has individually adjustable pole pieces, to balance the volume across the strings.

 

[micguy]

While different pickups can make a difference, the difference they make is a complete crapshoot - some pickups swaps (you CANNOT call it an upgrade unless it makes a discernable positive difference) sound better, some sound worse, and a lot of them will sound pretty much the same. Unless you have prior experience, you have no way of knowing which way it will go. It's a $100 (sometimes more) crapshoot.

Strings cost less, and you can have a pretty good idea of which way it will go sonically, at least in a gross sense. Flats are the dullest, then half rounds, then pressure wounds, then nickel rounds, and finally stainless rounds will be the brightest. Once you find what kind of strings you like, you can search among brands and models if you want, but those differences will be considerably more subtle than flats vs rounds.

 

[scrubhelmet]

Hi folks,
So i have a bas that i really love! It plays like a beast (effortlessly) and got the funk!! But the tone is not all there, i wonder will a pickup swap would make a noticeable difference ( speaking in general...)?? I would love to make this bass my go to as it is so alive and has a very good potential...
The particular bass is a Japanese Aria Pro ii precise bass ( a p bass copy) from 1977, and at the moment wears a Dimarzio model p.

Thx.

I wonder why you said the tone is not there. You have good pickups.

If changing the strings don't do it for you, then maybe you need a bass with a different pickup configuration. Have you checked the sound of other basses such as jazz bass or Stingray bass?

 

[Pings Bass]

I've never changed pickups on a bass, because I've never had a bass that had pickups I couldn't get usable tone out of. I think this is true of virtually all decent modern basses.

Many other factors are more important to tone, starting with technique. And while you and maybe a band mate might notice a difference between two pickups, it's almost certain nobody in the audience will notice or care.