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Fender Pure Vintage '60 Precision Bass Pickup

L

lazyyy

Mar 16, 2020
6
4
#1
Hallo,
Do you guys have any experiences with these particular P-bass pickups?
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There seems to be an awful little information and reviews of these around the internet, so any experiences would be welcomed. How's sound quality, tone profile?

For background info, I bought used MIM Precision '08 about 10 years ago with Quarter Pounds installed and now I can finally say that they're not my type of pickups at all. Too hot, too beefy, too scooped. So I started looking for moderately priced, more vintage styled pickups. Basically I'm looking for quite balanced, articulate tone. Not too hot, not too bassy that it sounds muddy but not too trebly that it sounds tinny, with good mid response as well. Just to have a nice all around basic Precision tone that sits well in the mix in a traditional rock band, live and studio.

Fender's Pure Vintage '62 AKA Original's had great reviews but seems that it's getting discontinued? At least at my local music stores and on most European music web stores it seems to be out of stock. So then these PV'60 pickups caught my eye. Are they adequate alternative for the Original?

Of course around the same price range there's also the Fender CS'62. EMG GZR and SPB-1 that I'm also considering but I'd really like to know more about these PV'60 pickups.
 
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#2
I dont see them on retailers much anymore, but the DiMarzio Area P (sometimes sold in the "Area PJ" bundle) is a fantastic precision pickup. Not hot and aggressive like the Model P, but still has plenty of output and great P-bass character. I had the Fender Originals in my P-bass and found them to be way too muddy for flatwounds.

The Area P gave a lot more clarity, crispness, and still had plenty of oomph as well. The Area P sounds REALLY good with flats and a pick. You get a classic, snappy tone like you heard on some of the 60s session basses. Can't speak from experience on the newer DiMarzio offerings, but I hear the CS '62 is kind of overpriced and that the GZR are pretty hot. SPB-1 might be what you're looking for too, could also look into some of the SD Antiquities that are still floating around.
 
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#4
KevInDaBassment said:
I dont see them on retailers much anymore, but the DiMarzio Area P (sometimes sold in the "Area PJ" bundle) is a fantastic precision pickup. Not hot and aggressive like the Model P, but still has plenty of output and great P-bass character. I had the Fender Originals in my P-bass and found them to be way too muddy for flatwounds.

The Area P gave a lot more clarity, crispness, and still had plenty of oomph as well. The Area P sounds REALLY good with flats and a pick. You get a classic, snappy tone like you heard on some of the 60s session basses. Can't speak from experience on the newer DiMarzio offerings, but I hear the CS '62 is kind of overpriced and that the GZR are pretty hot. SPB-1 might be what you're looking for too, could also look into some of the SD Antiquities that are still floating around.
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Thanks, I've been completely overlooking the DiMarzios, but I might as well check them out too.
Yeah, after checking quite a lot GZR demos I'm also leaning towards that they might be a bit too hot for my taste. SPB-1 seems to be all around fine basic vintage pickup. Sounds pretty good to my ears and it has great reviews.

matti777 said:
I don't know anything about the PV60 but another pickup that fits the bill IMHO is the Aguilar 4P60.
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Thanks for the recommendation. They seem to be at the top end of my budget range but I'll check them out too.
Around in the same price category there's also the Lindy Fralin's that seem to have almost nothing but rave reviews. They also sound quite beefy but still delicate enough.

In the end I'm probably satisfied enough in almost any vintage spec pickup but I guess I'm falling into rabbit hole... lmao



Back on the subject, the only Youtube demo I managed to find about PV60 was this Fender's own video. They sound good enough to my ears but it would always be better to hear some demos and reviews from someone else than the manufacturer itself lol.
So if anyone has any experiences with these, I would love to hear about it.
 
#5
PV 60 pickups are used in the newer American Vintage 2 P bass. It replaced the American Original that had the PV63. Look up reviews of the newer American vintage, it will have them. There are a few videos comparing the American Original to the Vintage 2 that will give you an Idea of the change. When watching, keep in mind that the PV63 is similar to the EMG GZR, for comparison. PV 60 and 63 are both warmer sounding with the 63 having reduced highs. I have the PV63 in two basses, and love them, but muddy with the tone down. Sounds like Fralin standard wind or SPB-1 would get you where you want to be.
 
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#6
The Fender Pure Vintage 60's P will fit the bill. It's a good sounding pickup that is balanced and very musical. It does not have the heavy bass the PV 63 has or the searing crisp mid highs the Custom Shop 62 has. For about the same amount of money, you might want to look at the Arcane Experience 62 or the Lollar regular wound. Both of them will sound a bit more vintage than the PV60.
 
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#8
Here's some data I've been accumulating comparing the different Fender Precision pickups. As you can see, other than the Pure Vintage '63, there's not a lot of difference between the resistance of the pickups. My guess is the first five on the chart are all going to sound very similar. I've had the opportunity to compare the Pino Palladino with the Pure Vintage '60, and they sound very much alike.

ResistanceWireMagnetHenriesPart Number
Pure Vintage '62 10.5KEnamelAlnico 55.90992046000Beveled
Fender Original10.5KEnamelAlnico 56.40992046000Beveled
Pure Vintage '6010.4KFormvarAlnico 50992387000Beveled
Custom Shop '6210.5KEnamelAlnico 55.90992214000Non-Beveled
Vintage '62 Relic - Pino Palladino
(59-62 P-Bass Relic)		10.62KEnamelAlnico 57709768200Non-Beveled
Pure Vintage '6312KEnamelAlnico 57.00992241000Non-Beveled
 
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#9
Captain Ray said:
PV 60 pickups are used in the newer American Vintage 2 P bass. It replaced the American Original that had the PV63. Look up reviews of the newer American vintage, it will have them. There are a few videos comparing the American Original to the Vintage 2 that will give you an Idea of the change. When watching, keep in mind that the PV63 is similar to the EMG GZR, for comparison. PV 60 and 63 are both warmer sounding with the 63 having reduced highs. I have the PV63 in two basses, and love them, but muddy with the tone down. Sounds like Fralin standard wind or SPB-1 would get you where you want to be.
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Thank you, I didn't realize that AV2'60 had those pickups. I checked out some demos in Youtube and to my ears it doesn't sound quite as bassy as PV63 but it's a shame they all seem to be using the stock roundwounds, as I am more interested in flatwounds.

Laurent said:
The Fender Pure Vintage 60's P will fit the bill. It's a good sounding pickup that is balanced and very musical. It does not have the heavy bass the PV 63 has or the searing crisp mid highs the Custom Shop 62 has. For about the same amount of money, you might want to look at the Arcane Experience 62 or the Lollar regular wound. Both of them will sound a bit more vintage than the PV60.
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Thank you for the insight. How would you describe the tone in the terms of bass, middle and treble, are they all balanced to you ears?
Lollars or Fralins really seem to be quite safe bet if I extend my budget a little bit. I'll have to check out the Arcanes too.

dmk said:
Here's some data I've been accumulating comparing the different Fender Precision pickups. As you can see, other than the Pure Vintage '63, there's not a lot of difference between the resistance of the pickups. My guess is the first five on the chart are all going to sound very similar. I've had the opportunity to compare the Pino Palladino with the Pure Vintage '60, and they sound very much alike.

ResistanceWireMagnetHenriesPart Number
Pure Vintage '62 10.5KEnamelAlnico 55.90992046000Beveled
Fender Original10.5KEnamelAlnico 56.40992046000Beveled
Pure Vintage '6010.4KFormvarAlnico 50992387000Beveled
Custom Shop '6210.5KEnamelAlnico 55.90992214000Non-Beveled
Vintage '62 Relic - Pino Palladino
(59-62 P-Bass Relic)		10.62KEnamelAlnico 57709768200Non-Beveled
Pure Vintage '6312KEnamelAlnico 57.00992241000Non-Beveled
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Wow thank you, that is really useful table.

If the Original/PV62 is really getting discontinued, as I've understood, I wonder if these PV60's are thought to be its replacement. Would love to hear side by side demos of those.

I know Fender pickups weren't known for their consistency in the 60',s but for a customer this is really quite confusing to have several pickups that are marketed for having a "true 60's sound" lol. Would help a lot to provide more extensive info about their tone profiles and what kinds of music and players they're best suited for etc.
 
#10
lazyyy said:
Thank you, I didn't realize that AV2'60 had those pickups. I checked out some demos in Youtube and to my ears it doesn't sound quite as bassy as PV63 but it's a shame they all seem to be using the stock roundwounds, as I am more interested in flatwounds.


Thank you for the insight. How would you describe the tone in the terms of bass, middle and treble, are they all balanced to you ears?
Lollars or Fralins really seem to be quite safe bet if I extend my budget a little bit. I'll have to check out the Arcanes too.


Wow thank you, that is really useful table.

If the Original/PV62 is really getting discontinued, as I've understood, I wonder if these PV60's are thought to be its replacement. Would love to hear side by side demos of those.

I know Fender pickups weren't known for their consistency in the 60',s but for a customer this is really quite confusing to have several pickups that are marketed for having a "true 60's sound" lol. Would help a lot to provide more extensive info about their tone profiles and what kinds of music and players they're best suited for etc.
Click to expand...

I too also want to know whether the PV60s are a successor to.

I really liked a video of the Original 62 pickups with flats and was disappointed they're no longer being made. But if the PV60 is its spiritual successor then hope is back.

 
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#11
Thanks for bumping thread haha. I made a decision to order now the Pure Vintage 60's pickups. Unfortunately I cannot give a honest comparison to the Originals since I've never used them but maybe I can record a quick demo at some point over the summer once I've installed them and gotten used to them so maybe you'll get some sort of picture how they sound with flats and how they compare to Originals.
I figured that if the pickups have gotten praise on the American Vintage II basses maybe they'll sound decent on my Mexican P as well lol. At least I'm sure they will be a move to the right direction from the quarter pounds and if I'm still dissatisfied after a couple years I can upgrade again to Fralins or Lollars.

I have to say that it's quite frustrating that Fenders been selling Originals for some 20 years and I saw them on the store only last autumn but now just when I thought of pulling the trigger it seems they have silently been just discontinued. And meanwhile they've introduced this new pickup in the same price category but without any info if they relate to the Originals. Well, let's see :D
 
#12
lazyyy said:
Thanks for bumping thread haha. I made a decision to order now the Pure Vintage 60's pickups. Unfortunately I cannot give a honest comparison to the Originals since I've never used them but maybe I can record a quick demo at some point over the summer once I've installed them and gotten used to them so maybe you'll get some sort of picture how they sound with flats and how they compare to Originals.
I figured that if the pickups have gotten praise on the American Vintage II basses maybe they'll sound decent on my Mexican P as well lol. At least I'm sure they will be a move to the right direction from the quarter pounds and if I'm still dissatisfied after a couple years I can upgrade again to Fralins or Lollars.

I have to say that it's quite frustrating that Fenders been selling Originals for some 20 years and I saw them on the store only last autumn but now just when I thought of pulling the trigger it seems they have silently been just discontinued. And meanwhile they've introduced this new pickup in the same price category but without any info if they relate to the Originals. Well, let's see :D
Click to expand...
So what do you think of them? I have an AV 2 that had the PV 60's in it and did like the tone in general, but I also had a set of EMG GZR's free so I put those in instead. I have a long history with the GZRs so that's why the change, but it really sounds good with Labellas. So many factors, but I believe I turned the tone knob down with the PV's and now keep it fully open with the GZR's that I like in my ears. The GZR's just "speak" and have a mid bump that's nice in a mix. For fun I may remove the GZR pots and replace them with the vintage harness that came with the PV 60's (0.1 tone cap) someday......
 
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#15
epoxo57 said:
So what do you think of them? I have an AV 2 that had the PV 60's in it and did like the tone in general, but I also had a set of EMG GZR's free so I put those in instead. I have a long history with the GZRs so that's why the change, but it really sounds good with Labellas. So many factors, but I believe I turned the tone knob down with the PV's and now keep it fully open with the GZR's that I like in my ears. The GZR's just "speak" and have a mid bump that's nice in a mix. For fun I may remove the GZR pots and replace them with the vintage harness that came with the PV 60's (0.1 tone cap) someday......
Click to expand...
Sorry for late reply, I've been really busy lately so I haven't installed them yet and probably won't until early July but I'll try to tell the first impressions when I get round to it :)

GZR's seem to be getting nothing but praise from folks. I would love to try them out some day.
 
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#16
So earlier this month I finally got to install these pickups and during last few weeks I've been getting used to them by myself.
Sadly I still haven't played in a band setting so I can't say how well they sit in in that enviroment but the first impressions are quite good. Nothing special, to be honest, but I think they sound more mid-focused and balanced compared to QP's, which is what I was aiming for. But I'll have to try them with my old and reliable amp when I get to it to get a fair comparison.

Anyway, I managed to record a quick demo with SSL 2 mkII, straight into input, with the interfaces hi pass filter but no additional EQ or effects.
I play the same thing with tone off, tone at about 50% and then tone at 100%, first with fingers (0:00-0:57) and then with a pick (0:57-1:55). And finally with palm muting :) (1:56-)
Personally I like the most when the tone is at about 50-75% territory but as I said, my opinion might change when I get to play it with amp and with band.
Anyway, here's the sound clip, sorry for sloppy playing :)

 
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#17
Nice tone and punch IMO.

I usually prefer the pure vintage 63 but in a bar with a band, the pure vintage 60 cuts in the mix a tad better according to the tests I performed so far.

Can't decide which one I prefer, I think I love both equally as the 60 is punchier while the 63 has more bass oomph.
 
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#20
I have a PV 60 installed in my Squier Sonic P. Compared to my '99 Am Std and '82 JV Precisions, this pickup is brighter and a bit more articulate, especially compared to the one in the Am Std. It has a good amount of high mids presence. It pairs very well with warmer sounding strings (NPS rounds in particular).
 

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