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Duff McKagan's pickups...

dave120

dave120

Jun 27, 2005
1,119
13
Central Florida
#1
Well I decided that I'm going to try something a little different with one of my basses. I went to a show last night and there was a Led Zeppelin tribute band and a Guns N Roses tribute band playing. The GNR bass player was using a normal MIA P bass, rather than a Fender Jazz Special like Duff always used (and still uses). His tone was pretty close to what the bass in GNR really sounded like so I'm going to use of of my P basses to try and get that unique sound.

After doing some searches on this forum and online in general, the only info I can find is that Duff uses SD Hot Stack pickups, which are only available for a Jazz pickup. Since he always uses P/J configurations on his Aerodyne and Fender Jazz Specials, what does he use in the P position? I assume it's a SD as well, but is it more likely a Hot for P bass or a Quarter Pounder?

I already have a GK amp which I can make sound like the 800RB with a couple adjustments, so mainly I just need to find the right pickup to stick in there and it should work pretty well for a different sound to mess around with.
 
#3
ebladeboi123 said:
Best thing i can tell you is- Buy both, install each, see what's better. Put the other one you don't like on another bass or throw it up on the bay. You've just got to expiriment (imo) with pickups sometimes. And right now it seems as though you're in that stage.
Click to expand...

Yeah that could be true...I already have a Hot for P bass in my Washburn CB-150. Although I haven't played that one through an amp in so long and the strings on it are pretty dead. It's the same wood combo as a Fender P too so it should be able to sound pretty close. I may have to throw some new strings on there and try it. THanks!
 
#4
This is slightly off point, but I had a DiMarzio Model P in a 2004 MIA P-bass for awhile, and even without the J at the bridge it got pretty close to Duff's tone on some of the Appetite stuff. It has lots of grind and growl, and IMO thus sounded a little like a P/J bass.

I wanted more vintage warmth along with my high output, so I swapped it out for a Seymour Duncan Hot for P-bass. I haven't rehearsed or gigged with it yet, but so far I like it, because it is warmer and smoother than the DiMarzio. So overall I prefer the SD, but for Duff's tone I'd want the DiMarzio.
 

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