EMG 40P5 and 40J or some other combination?

[iiipopes]

My main gig bass has good mids. So I have a 40CS in the neck to solidify the lows and a 40JX in the bridge to get better highs, wired with an ABX, then to an EXB, then to a MV, then to a MT to temper new strings until they settle in and the new string zing goes away. If you have a bass that is more neutral or has an inherent mid-dip, YMMV.

 

[kyral210]

I recently picked up a Schecter Stilleto Studio 5 and they come stock with EMG HZ's which I find kind of odd sounding. They have this thin sound with a weird honky type of mid range. Not my style at all. The bass I've played for awhile is a Mark Hoppus Fender P Bass and I love that sound if that gives any clarity to what I'm going for. I don't mind if it's not exactly the same because I want this instrument to have it's own special quality. I play heavy shoegaze with lots of distortion and fuzz at times as well.
So... emg 40p5 and 40j, 40p5 40p5 combo, or something else I am missing like a 40p5 40dc setup?
Help on this would be very appreciated!!!!

In my Schecter I run Seymour Duncan blackouts; I love them and it’s worth checking out. Also, I used to run 40P5 and 40J, probably the best combination I tried, and I tried EVERY EMG 40 pickup.

However, if you’re unhappy with your tone look at your speaker, then your preamp, then your pickups. If your speaker sucks then no pickups will make you sound good.

 

[Snert]

I also suggest that you check out 40TW which is a switchable DC & J pickup.

CS + J. From the EMG website.

The humbucker mode is our popular CS (ceramic steel) dual-coil for a big, aggressive sound with a pronounced mid-range. A push/pull volume (or tone) pot allows you to change from the rich clarity of a J pickup sound to the fatness of the CS humbucker.

 

[Jo Ke]

I started looking at Seymour Duncans because those are who made the pickups that are in my Mark Hoppus P bass, namely the Quarter Pound SPB-3's. But they don't make them in a soapbar shape. Seeing about getting some custom made from their shop.

 

[Jo Ke]

In my Schecter I run Seymour Duncan blackouts; I love them and it’s worth checking out. Also, I used to run 40P5 and 40J, probably the best combination I tried, and I tried EVERY EMG 40 pickup.

However, if you’re unhappy with your tone look at your speaker, then your preamp, then your pickups. If your speaker sucks then no pickups will make you sound good.

I watched all your youtube videos testing all those out. That's crazy you are still running the Blackouts. What did you like about those over the EMG P/J combo?

 

[Zazie Moondust]

I thought the 35TW was CS + JCS?

Honestly their pickups can be kind of confusing reading the specs. I am trying to figure out which ones have the widest frequency range to pair with a filter based preamp and some of the numbers are weird, according to the manual the non X versions of the DC and CS have much higher resonance peaks than the X versions or the TWs. The regular DC has even higher resonance peak than the J.

But that doesn't sound right or make much sense.

 

[kyral210]

I watched all your youtube videos testing all those out. That's crazy you are still running the Blackouts. What did you like about those over the EMG P/J combo?

That was many years ago, and frankly I was bad at bass back then.

Why is it crazy kept the blackouts? I kept them because

• You have to stop at some point
• I stopped playing live so chasing time lost meaning
• When I installed the blackouts and hit one note my visceral reaction was THATS the sound I’ve been looking for! It was exactly what I had in my heart and had never found before.

Now, I main a thunderbird with passive pickups and Darkglass preamp. That bass is so versatile I can go between vintage jazz to modern metal in 30 seconds.

 

[Jo Ke]

That was many years ago, and frankly I was bad at bass back then.

Why is it crazy kept the blackouts? I kept them because

• You have to stop at some point
• I stopped playing live so chasing time lost meaning
• When I installed the blackouts and hit one note my visceral reaction was THATS the sound I’ve been looking for! It was exactly what I had in my heart and had never found before.

Now, I main a thunderbird with passive pickups and Darkglass preamp. That bass is so versatile I can go between vintage jazz to modern metal in 30 seconds.

I didn't mean crazy.. I actually know nothing about the Blackouts so I have nothing bad or good to say about them. I'm glad you found something that felt right to you!

 

[kyral210]

Worth checking out. I could make a demo as there is very little out there where you can hear them, but my heart isn’t in it. To me, they’re a more growly version of EMGs in a much better way

 

[markanini]

If you like to solo or favor the neck pickup then 40J in the neck. Otherwise dual DC are the best combo IMO.