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Gnarliest P pickups (also NBD)

playsthespace

playsthespace

Aug 11, 2009
28
384
#1
hello all,

Serial talkbass lurker here, (just saw I’ve been here for 10 years!) thought I’d pick your collective brains before I pull the trigger on some pickups for my new Player Series P.

First, I want to echo some of the other great reviews I’ve read here and elsewhere about these basses. The fit and finish are really stellar, and for a bass that retails under $700 it’s even more impressive. The neck feels great, and if I didn’t know the MIM tells, I’d guess it was MIA, and I’ve played a few US made P’s over the years that I didn’t like as much as this one. Anyway, there’s plenty out there to read/YouTube about them already. Stringthrough wrote a great post about his, and reading it was the last push I needed order mine.

All that said, I’m not in love with the pickup. I bought this bass specifically for a punk band I’m in with a bunch of other guys that are too old to be in punk bands, and I’m looking to get as aggressive a tone as possible out of it. I’m leaning pretty strongly towards the Geezers, but wanted to see if you all had any other options to check out first. I’ve always been more of a “big, fat, smooth” kinda guy when it comes to my tone so I’m a little out of my wheelhouse. I tend to like my mids, so my preference is nothing too scooped, but I’m open to any suggestions.

Thanks!
 
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#5
JRA said:
NBD pics?
Click to expand...

C3C55850-1D24-469D-8C81-C9C67B1D9A2E.jpeg


I’ve always bought subdued/classic colors (white, black, burst, etc) and I was looking for loud and obnoxious this time. When I saw fender put this hideous green out I had to have one
 
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#8
Killed_by_Death said:
Change all the pots for 500k Ohm first, those EMG pickups are far from aggressive.
Fender uses 250k Ohm pots, which clips to top off the timbre.
Click to expand...

that’s a good first step! even more punk would be wiring direct to output! (And even brighter!)

In terms of actual pickup choices, I think two standard responses are DiMarzio model p and Duncan quarter pounders, which may work well and not cost too much (also easy to find used). I would also suggest Wilde p46, it’s a very full sounding yet bright and aggressive pickup (if you want it to be) and for me it does what I thought the DiMarzio should do (but imo, ime doesn’t - I found it too dark sounding; I have limited experience with Duncans). Wilde is very affordable and they have a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]going on right now for $58 (no affiliation, just a happy customer).

aside from pickups and electronics, setup and strings are key too, and of course technique...
 
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#9
Depends on factors like punk era, band mix, available sonic space and personal taste. Dimarzio Model P or Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound SPB3. Both are excellent for punk and fit the term gnarly but are different approaches.

It’s hard to go wrong with either but I’m a fan of an SD + Ampeg (or simulated) combo.
 
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#10
Lobster11 said:
I recently was looking for a new pickup to replace a traditional Fender P, and also wanted something a gnarly, nasty tone inspired by Julie Slick:



I wrote about it here:

Lakland P4 "Neopunch" P-bass pickup
Click to expand...


Thanks!

There’s a head to head between the Geezers and the Neo Punch’s on YouTube and the Lakeland’s sound better to my ear. Hadn’t thought to check them out before, but they’re the front runners now.
 
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#17
invalidprotocol said:
Depends on factors like punk era, band mix, available sonic space and personal taste. Dimarzio Model P or Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound SPB3. Both are excellent for punk and fit the term gnarly but are different approaches.

It’s hard to go wrong with either but I’m a fan of an SD + Ampeg (or simulated) combo.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys. I’ve heard some demos, but I don’t have much experience with the dimarzio’s. I’ll look into them a little more.

I’ve just never been impressed with the quarter pounders. Can’t put my finger on what I don’t like but I bought a bass with them a few years ago and pulled them out almost immediately. Something with the low end maybe? They sound kind of loose to me, if that makes sense.

I am, however, a huge fan of the Duncan Antiquity II’s. I’ve got sets in both my other P’s, including the one I’ve been using in the punk band for the last few years (plus an Emerson wiring kit.) It sounds great, and I’m almost tempted to do that set up again. I just don’t want to get locked into a brand and miss out on something better. Since this bass is going to do something pretty specific I can get a little more wild than I would on a bass that I need to cover a classic country gig or something
 
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#18
playsthespace said:
Thanks guys. I’ve heard some demos, but I don’t have much experience with the dimarzio’s. I’ll look into them a little more.
Click to expand...
If gnarly is what you want, then the Dimarzio Model P (and Dimarzio Will Power) will deliver in spades. They've got a really hot output, and an aggressive, hairy/raspy midrange, and a tight but present/pleasant bottom end. When played with a pick and the tone wide open they'll get downright mean, but if you switch to fingerstyle and play softly they really clean up, so it's not all one trick pony. They can be quite versatile with varied right hand attack.

Certainly will be very different than Antiquity 2's.
 
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