help with my tone

[Cloudspine]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

 

[Hillbilly Sam]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

Surprises me too...

I'd recommend you take a look at the G&L sb-1 pickups: I think that might be the sound you're looking for.

On a more "traditional" line, I'd check some Dimarzio P pickups. Also any over-wound pickup should work well for what you're describing as your goal tone (that'd be mote of a 70s P, kinda hotter/ballsier sound).

I was about to say that a maple fretboard would probably help too, but I think it's better not opening that can

 

[Lo-E]

I’ve never found 1/4-pounders to be especially bright sounding. Hot, yes, but not bright.

DiMarzios would definitely get you closer to where you want to be but before you spend the money on new pickups you might try going up in value on your pots. Using 250K now? Try 500K. Already using 500K? Try 1M. That’s a much cheaper way to get more bite than with new pickups.

If you decide you still need to change out the pickups you could try the DiMarzios, which were very popular when the music you’re trying to emulate was recorded. You could also try Wilde P46 which aren’t as hot but are known for their clarity or you might try the Delanos that have the large, single pole pieces.

There’s a huge number of aftermarket P pickups out there with a huge number of tonal characteristics but I would definitely try pots before crawling into that rabbit hole.

Also, stainless steel strings will typically have more bite than nickel but if you really like the feel of nickel, try really bright nickels like D’Addario XL or Dunlop Super Brights.

 

[Whale]

What are the specs on your pots and your capacitor?

 

[Cloudspine]

What are the specs on your pots and your capacitor?

Attached. Thanks all for help and input.

 

[Cloudspine]

Attached. Thanks all for help and input.

I honestly don’t know anything about the electronics of the bass world. The loaded pickguard came off a mim 2003 body, but not sure if it was all original pots

 

[Whale]

Here’s a simple rule of thumb for bass (and guitar) tone pots and capacitors…

When the tone pot is all the way clockwise, the full signal of the pickups comes through. As you turn the pot counter-clockwise, treble frequencies are cut and more bass is allowed through to the output signal.

So with that in mind, if you turn your tone knob fully clockwise and you still don’t like the sound you hear, the issue likely lies with your pickups and/or your amp.

I kind of had the same problem as you except that I needed more clarity and less rumbly bass in my sound due to the acoustics of the venues where I play. While the sound I heard on stage was exactly what I wanted, my notes were actually hitting the audience as one big undefinable blob. It was impossible to discern one note from another.

I did three things to solve the issue. I started using my Jazz Bass instead of my P Bass at those venues, I switched from a 2-15” cabinet to a pair of 2-12” cabinets, and I worked with my sound girl (who I trust implicitly) to get my amp EQ sorted out. Although what I’m hearing on stage is not always what I’d expect it to be, our sound girl tells me that my bass now has clarity and a lot of punch. Whenever I let other bassists sit in for a song or two using my equipment, I hurry to the back of the room and am very very happy with what I’m hearing.

Our sound girl has since taken all of this one step further by snapping a photo of my amp EQ settings for each venue. Often times, the different adjustments are relatively small, but between an outdoor concert and a gig held in a big cavernous room with brick walls the difference settings can be significant.

The moral of this story is to find a damned good sound girl and do everything she tells you. Everything!!

 

[Parzival]

In my old parts P, I put Fender Original P pickups in and it was great.

 

[GIBrat51]

Attached. Thanks all for help and input.

I'll agree with the "Hot, but not bright" description of the Quarter Pounders. And, although the numbers are kinda hard to see? They look to say "250K". So, yeah; I think I'd try some quality - quality - 500K pots before I spent the money on new pickups. Finally? You didn't say what kind of strings you're using, but... may I recommend some new, stainless round wounds? They just might solve the problem - and they're even cheaper than new pots, too...

 

[Kevin Hailey]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

So just use the better bass.

 

[djmay]

1. TI flats
2. Alembic SF-2 Superfilter setup with one low pass filter and one high pass filter

 

[Citizen Nara]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

Either try to EQ your way around it or find out what pickups are in your #1 bass and install them if you want to.achieve a similar vibe

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

You need to cut your low mids. Quarter pounders are so low mid heavey, that it drowns out everything else in them.

Drop 180-300hz by 4db or so

And up 1k - 1.5k


QPs got it. They just have a lot of heft. Eq some of it out.

 

[Jazz Ad]

If you find your tone too dark, going from 250k to 500k or even 1M pots is a good start.
You'd probably be better off with stock Fender pickups. They sell for next to nothing since people spend their time swapping them.

 

[pepj]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

Hard to tell. I have a preference for a certain type of set up to give me a clean signal response which compliments my technique, imo.
So, this could lend itself to an agreesive punky pick sound if I wanted to play that way. Its really about how well the notes fly out and some set ups or basses are just going to be a million miles away from doing this.
Action and attack affects this...
It may be that this beater bass just doesn't or can't speak well.
I'd set it up or get a good tech to do same before I messed with swapping stuff.

 

[Jay2U]

You're right about the Quarter Pounds, they should produce a modern tone.
I'd first have a have a look at the other components, like capacitor and pots. Also try wiring the pickup straight to the output socket, to determine if it's the pickup.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

My backup/beater P is a parts P that I've assembled and swapped over time.
It is currently a Squier body, Fender Neck, and Quarter Pounder pickups.

The tone, to me, is too vintage sounding: I would call it thumpy, bouncy, it invokes a rubber bandy noise. It basically sounds more in the direction of a Motown bass even with the tone knob up, and I'd prefer something a bit more aggressive - I'm in a band that tries to approximate 80's post punk.

The odd thing is, it has the Quarter Pounders, which I associate with more grindy/aggressive/modern sounding P basses.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can add beef/dirt/tone that cuts through a mix a bit better? Should I be thinking about pickups? Bridge? New body? New bass?

The strings are not that old - let's say less about 20-25 hrs total nickel round wounds.

For reference , my "#1" is an American Professional - and it does this sound better, even with older strings.

Try a new set of strings. EBs die on me almost immediately. Others last longer. Also, might be worth lowering the action a smidge and maybe even the pups.

 

[sikamikanico]

It’s a parts build, so I’d start by checking all of the components are fitting and attached firmly. Yes, a P bass is forgiving, but you’d want to rule out a things like a bad neck joint attachment. As the poster above suggested, go over your setup, tweak pickup height.

Also, check the basic sound the bass produces unplugged, and compare that to your other basses. Does it sound less aggressive? Might be an uphill battle, tho not necessarily impossible…

Next are the strings. I’d try some (hex core) stainless steel strings. DR Lo Rider does it for me, but it takes some trial and error to find the right match for the bass.

then I’d try wire the pickup straight to output, to eliminate loading from pots. This will open up the sound some (louder and brighter). To make it even brighter (tho quieter), wire it in parallel and load it with a small cap. While parallel by itself doesn’t sound aggressive, you can fine-tune the sound by trying a few different caps (likely in 330-3300 pF range). For a demo, see what a Tonestyler does. You can test things using alligator clip leads, they work fine for this…

last is the pickup… a much more expensive trial and error, but Model P might be a good fit. I also have good results with the Wilde P46 - it’s big and clear sounding. Not exactly aggressive, but very versatile and responsive, so it will sound aggressive if you play aggressive. Works well in parallel with loading caps…

 

[lark_z]

Cheapo ceramic pickups will be brighter IMHO. These work well for me, but I have to tweak my EQ to tame it a bit when I switch from the other bass with Alnico. Wilkinson MWPB Vintage Voice Bass Pickup Set for Precision Bass P-Bass | eBay

 

[Lobster11]

Just for giggles, try experimenting with the height of your pickups. You might be surprised at how much of a difference that can make in your tone. Easy to do and doesn't cost a dime.