Here is the basic experiment. I played and recorded an open E note on the bass before and after the pickup change. The gain settings were unchanged. No digital trickery. Same strings, action and pickup height. The only things that are different are the Squier pups and Fender ‘62s (and new pots, wires, and cap).
So here is the waveform from the Squier pickup (blue) vs the ’62 Custom Fender (green). I used to do a lot of NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) experiments in the days before complete automation. Without getting all quantum physics on y’all, let me say that there is a thing called a Free Induction Decay (FID) in an NMR experiment. The nuclear spin decay data look very much like sound decay waveforms. A skilled person can tell a lot by looking at the overall shape of an FID before it is transformed using a Fourier Transform that takes the time axis and converts it into the frequency domain. Same is true for a sound file. A trained person can see the “purity” of a signal, whether it is a pure frequency or more complex. You can also see if there are significant phasing and decay problems.
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All Geeking-Out aside, I can clearly see that the waveforms are different. The blues has better sustain, but is lacking a symmetric decay pattern. The green is more symmetric and has a decent decay profile.
I then ran the same signals through a FFT and frequency analysis. Sure enough, the Fender has a much better defined set of harmonics and overtones. Much more sensitive and accurate. The Squier, not so much. Now a lot of the more complex signal in both are at pretty low levels (<-60Db). Still, it is the little things that our brains perceive as major sound differences. I will not pretend that I can look at a frequency analysis and tell you how it sounds. When people say they can, I call “Bullschzit”. However, you can tell a lot and see actual differences.
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What does it sound like? Well the Squier sounds more distorted and has a weird ring to it. Ever hit a high tension steel cable with a stick? You will hear something that sounds like an old Star Wars or BSG phaser “phwew” twang. I hear that in the Squier pickup and it is absent in the Fender.
Conclusion: The $130 dollar upgrade made the bass sound better. Especially when it is being recorded direct. As I said in my first post, the Squier pups sounded pretty ok through a loud amp, but I was unhappy when recording and mixing. Well-worth the expense to me.
