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Fender Pbass pickups - what’s the difference?
- Thread starter BigAndyA
- Start date
Pickups do make a difference, but if the difference is worth it is down to you.
Squire
Mexican Player
USA
Custom Shop
More specifically: 62 Custom Shop vs 63 Pure Vintage
Personally, I don’t think pickups matter enough to stress over. Type (e.g., p bass vs jazz vs humbucker) makes infinitely more impact than adjusting specs.
Squire
Mexican Player
USA
Custom Shop
More specifically: 62 Custom Shop vs 63 Pure Vintage
Personally, I don’t think pickups matter enough to stress over. Type (e.g., p bass vs jazz vs humbucker) makes infinitely more impact than adjusting specs.
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Pure Vintage ‘63’s are nice.....got those installed on this pj....love them!
Do swap pickups. Then come to the realisation that pickups of the same "technology" and similar winding count sound very similar to each other, with minimal variation.
Those three pickups are all Alnico split coils with "regular" winding counts.
If you want a pickup to sound different, it should have a different construction (eg. blades instead of polepieces) and/or different materials (eg. ceramic magnets instead of Alnico magnets - which usually lead to a different construction anyway) and/or different winding counts (eg. significantly overwound pickups such as the SPB-2).
Those three pickups are all Alnico split coils with "regular" winding counts.
If you want a pickup to sound different, it should have a different construction (eg. blades instead of polepieces) and/or different materials (eg. ceramic magnets instead of Alnico magnets - which usually lead to a different construction anyway) and/or different winding counts (eg. significantly overwound pickups such as the SPB-2).
Very little!
About the only difference would be the ohm rating. I'm not sure but I seem to remember that the Pure Vintage '63s have a higher ohm rating than the others.
Generally speaking............................
Lower ohms = definition, clarity.
Higher ohms = higher output, beefier sound.
You should do a Google Search on the ohm ratings of these Fender P pickups and make your decision.
Over the years, here on TalkBass, the 3 most popular P pickups have been the EMG Geezers. Fender Original. Seymour Duncan SPB-1.
Seymour Duncan can be easily removed with polishing compound.
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My2022 Am Pro II P bass came with V-Mods (modern sounding) with I disliked. I replaced with Frailin Vintage (old school tone) and there is a big difference... more clarity, punch and warmth.
I just put Dimarzio Relentless J in my bass and they made quite a difference for the better.I would think the Relentless P bass pickup would do the same for you.
Not too familiar with the Fender offerings but my two Pbasses sport an EMG GZR and a Nordstrand NP4V, and they both sound awesome.
I did this very swap with V-Mod II pups from a recent AM Pro II 5-string and found the same improvements.
I’ve also got Relentless J’s.
I think they’re incredible sounding.
As for a P pick up, using a Delano.
Always had a soft spot for the Fender Original pbass pickup until I tried the Lindy Fralin stock wind pickup.
One thing that never gets mentioned, which is kind of surprising given how open /mid forward the Fralins sound with the tone at zero, which this video really highlight :
Fralin recommends their pickups be used with a 0.022uF tone cap.
Until very recently, the EMG Geezer Butler pickups (which as we all know, come with a complete vol / tone / output socket harness) had a tone cap value of 0.022uF, which caused enough people to complain, and swap it out for a 0.047uF cap, that EMG have now revised the circuit, and it now has the 47 as stock.
Unless the person in the linked video had also switched the cap from a 47, to a 22, when they switched in the Fralin, it's crazy to imagine it sounding even brighter, and clearer than that, with the tone at zero.
Hopefully there are some videos out there demo-ing the Fralin with both cap values.
This !...and
I chose the pv63's , when installed they sounded great but not exactly like all the sound demo videos, b-cause every bass, fingers, strings, room , amp, cab etc adds to the tone...so just pick one and you will be pleased anyways
Lollar and Fralin sound better than almost any one out there. IMHO
The new PV 60’s are in the current AVRI II basses. They sound fantastic.
There are sound differences, but all of those will give you what you described.
I have a general preference for Syemour Duncan SPB-1’s, they deliver some really nice lower frequency harmonics when I’m hitting the open E string hard, and they’re inexpensive compared to any of the Fender replacement options, but having said that I also like the VMod II in the Professional II, for different reasons. A bit mushier in low frequency notes, but overall very adaptable and versatile.
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Biiiig +1.
I have Lollars on my P bass and J bass. Classic wonderful tone. Jason Lollar knows what he is doing! (IMO)
