Fender Precision pickups... blah?

[DavidRavenMoon]

+1
Oh, how I miss XTC!!

Tell me about it! I'm glad Andy is still making music, and he said he might get together with Dave...

But that was a great band. I got to see them during the Go 2 tour with Barry Andrews opening for the Talking Heads!

That was as cool as seeing Gentle Giant opening for Mahavishnu!

Ah, those were the days...

 

[pjmuck]

Tell me about it! I'm glad Andy is still making music, and he said he might get together with Dave...

But that was a great band. I got to see them during the Go 2 tour with Barry Andrews opening for the Talking Heads!

That was as cool as seeing Gentle Giant opening for Mahavishnu!

Ah, those were the days...

Count me in as another huge XTC/Colin Moulding fan. Do you know what tracks Colin specifically played a P on? I know he also used an Epiphone Newport(?) and a Wal, but I've always loved his tones/lines regardless of what bass he was using.

Another favorite P bassist of mine is Bruce Thomas of the Attractions. great lines and great tone, though his tone on Imperial Bedroom's, "Shabby Doll" is a good example of the kind of P tone I don't particularly like.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Count me in as another huge XTC/Colin Moulding fan. Do you know what tracks Colin specifically played a P on? I know he also used an Epiphone Newport(?) and a Wal, but I've always loved his tones/lines regardless of what bass he was using.

Some of the stuff on English Settlement. He uses one in the video for Senses Working Overtime. He also used a Mustang in the early days.

And don't forget the Vox bass he used on the last few albums.

His Epi Newport tone is what made me put a Mudbucker in my Ric!

Another favorite P bassist of mine is Bruce Thomas of the Attractions. great lines and great tone, though his tone on Imperial Bedroom's, "Shabby Doll" is a good example of the kind of P tone I don't particularly like.

Yes! How did I leave him out? I love his playing and his tone on This Year's Model and Armed Forces. More recently he used a Dano bass.

 

[atom1962]

listen to Jamiroquai's 'Runaway'. if you like the bass tone in the verse then you'll love Precision basses (the bass in the chorus is a Stingray btw).

get yourself a Fender '62 reissue pickup (shouldnt be more than 60 dollars new) and a set of flatwounds and it'll become your main bass.

where can i buy these pickups?

 

[therex]

i could best describe it as a 'cardboard' tone. Just cheap-sounding. I play a 2001 Ibanaz Ergodyne, and the tone is so bright and exciting. The Fender, on the other hand, just sounds like a $79 starter bass in comparison.

I use if for practice around the house because the pop and feel is just so good. But when I plug it in, I wince.

i am sure that the problem are your strings

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Here's my opinion about the P-bass. My main gigging bass is a P-bass. They sound like absoulte poop by themselves! I cannot stand it when I just plug in my p-bass and play. But, when you throw it in a mix with a full band, they really shine and sound amazing. My .02 cents.

Peace,
Chris

I've long heard that said by many players: It just sits in the mix perfectly. Outside the mix, it's kinda honky and dull - but in the mix...

 

[jcalo]

The P-bass pickups work well for alot of people. When you get right down to it we all prefer a specific sound. I believe that over time that preference may change. I've played quite a few basses in my 45 years and I always seem to come back to gigging with my P-bass. I would say that if that sound does not please you then it's time to move to another bass guitar. Eventually,you may come to appreciate the sound after gigging with a number of bass guitars.

 

[jcalo]

In addition: Try some DR- low riders (strings) and play/experiment with the EQ on your amp and see how that fits in with the mix.

l

 

[akane2]

I got the '62 reissue pups and i love the tone. I just bought a mesa head and am having trouble eliminating the loud blaring lows while keeping the D and G strings Punchy. I feel like my p bass has a pretty good slap and pop tone though.

 

[spaz21387]

also look into nordstrand pickups the np4 is an amazing p bass pickup. I love my p bass after the nordstrand. I hardly ever pick up my jazz anymore.

 

[Valerus]

also look into nordstrand pickups the np4 is an amazing p bass pickup. I love my p bass after the nordstrand. I hardly ever pick up my jazz anymore.

Oh yeah. I have an NP4 in my passive precision and it sounds pretty awesome. I want to install some Nord's in my Jazz

 

[spaz21387]

I would like some nords in my jazz too but im not going to get them. I want to check out those delanos that have the huge pole pieces they are humbuckers.

 

[Robert Sjea]

+1000!!!! Ray Schulman and Dave Hope from Kansas both played P basses. All of the older great Kansas tunes had Dave Hope's P bass all over them. That is about as far from Jamerson as I can imagine with respects to tone but it was all P bass.

Any idea what type of pickup could come close to dave hope's sound? I have a P-bass and might like trying a different pickup. I play through an Ampeg V4b and would love to approximate that big beautiful bass sound he had. thanks,
bob

 

[KeithPas]

I think that Dave Hope used a completely stock 60's P bass.

 

[Craig_S]

i could best describe it as a 'cardboard' tone. Just cheap-sounding. I play a 2001 Ibanaz Ergodyne, and the tone is so bright and exciting. The Fender, on the other hand, just sounds like a $79 starter bass in comparison.

I use if for practice around the house because the pop and feel is just so good. But when I plug it in, I wince.

Maybe your rig is EQ'd to accommodate the other bass that has a natural mid scoop? try setting your EQ flat to start with, then judge the sound.

 

[walknbluez]

I own a Fender Standard Precision bass.
the feel is great. But the tone is terrible.

am I doing something wrong with the settings, or are the stock pickups just that bad? thanks!

What strings are on them and are they dead? I'd start there.

 

[Rick48195]

Put on some LaBella Deep Talkin Bass Flats, I love mine