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I'm flabbergasted by my new bass!
- Thread starter shadven
- Start date
So, Q's for all you pre 57 P aficionados: what is up with gigging that one single coil pickup? I presume they sound more or less like the neck pickup on a J solo'd? I get the part about the bigger neck etc etc. I have played a lot of P's in my day. Also, since they just have the one single coil pickup, they must be pretty noisy with some stage lighting situations. I am curious how many of you replace that original pickup with a humbucking version; or do most of you just live with the issues?
I've always thought the basses looked cool; but, mainly figured they weren't very practical.
I've always thought the basses looked cool; but, mainly figured they weren't very practical.
Mine came to me with a non-original SCPB pickup, so I had NO hesitation exchanging it for a dual-coil Seymour Duncan version.
Warning, I am about to go off the deep-end:
My new bass is a very old bass, it's a 1952 Fender Precision. I have been after a 1951-1954 P for a very long time, and I finally got one last week.
Right off the bat, the bass felt very good, and played like butter... very easy to play with low action, actually a bit lower than my normal set-up. The bass looks incredible it is top loaded with mojo. The intonation is great and the sound level between strings was dead on (often single coils with two saddle bridges are hard to dial in volume between strings).
I feel a certain antiquity vibe, an old story emanating from this bass... it's been places, and it commands a certain amount of respect or sensibility when played.
Tonight I played my first gig with my pre-CBS '62. I am blown away, no bass ever felt so good to me. It is so solid and effortless to play. Its providencece makes me want to play my best out of respect for this instrument. It is something truly special. No bass has ever done this to me before. I am flabbergasted
- Jun 6, 2012
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- Disclosures
- I don't wait 30 minutes after eating, to go swimming.
I'm twitterpated that you'd be flabbergasted!I'm flabbergasted that the word, "flabbergasted," is still in circulation.
Still waiting for pics
but I think we've lost OP (he is playing
)
it's just that feeling: You can not explain where the mojo comes from, it's just there.
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
but I think we've lost OP (he is playing)A 51 all original I played replacing the bassplayer in a ZZ Top coverband.
the guy who was in hospital after an accident was "friendly" enough to tell me
that my bass was firewood and the gig had to be played with his "stuff" only
On stage it felt like Dusty was looking over my shoulder telling me:
Just be cool, the bass will do the rest (cheap sunglasses
it's just that
feeling: You can not explain where the mojo comes from, it's just there.may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
I don't see any dual coil replacements for that foot print on the SD site. Is that a pickup that is no longer made?
(Edit: Nevermind. I think I found them in the SD Custom Shop section. '51 P Bass Stack?)
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It;s a 19
It's a 1952. There are a bunch of pics in the Pre-CBS club.1. No pics, no bass
2. is it a 52 or a 62?
I'm all for mojo; but, I've had too many single coil experiences on big stages to repeat that mistake again.Still waiting for pics
it's just that
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
I don't have the real deal, but do have a '55 copy I built running a single coil. The first thing I noticed about the single coil was how focused and punchy it is with flat wounds. I put a Prima guitars overwound custom in my build, and it really cuts the mix well. I'm not sure how mine would relate to a original stock single coil, but I'm very happy with the way it sits in a mix. Kind of the difference between a tele and a strat. Both are cool, but the tele cuts and has that presence. I've been pretty lucky and haven't dealt with a lot of noise, but I could see that being an issue in some clubs I play.
Edit to say with the single pole per string, the attack is very sensitive and you can't bang on the strings the same way as a dual pole setup. The nuances of your fingers and how you strike the note is much more transparent, and you will have a lot more control over your attack once you get used to it.
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Thanks. Yeah, stages with neon or halogen lighting can be death with single coils. As more stages convert to LED's the problem is becoming less of an issue.
rep' room with neon lights is even worse!
you can only hope that your guitarist plays a vintage Strat,
so you have the same problem
all kind of strange radiosounds (russian folkmusic included
) comming from your amp! (between feedbacks)these were the days
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)asss
I believe that's correct. I went looking for the box, I remember it being in an S-D case and packaging, but I can't find it now.
Another option is to run a noise gate as our guitar brothers do. I don't play it out a lot, and out of the clubs I play, there are probably three that could cause issues. I think there are only a few stages that have old school house lighting, but those are set up on a dedicated circuit. We run led lights so that isn't the issue it once was. If you just roll a little treble off and turn down during quiet sections of songs or between songs (aka manual noise gate). You would be suprised on how much noise you can get away with in a mix.
Thanx for that
she' s a sweet little thing!
Spied a little thing and I followed her all night
In a funky fine levis and her sweater's kind of tight
She had a west coast strut that was sweet as molases
But what really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
Okay, here we go. My 1952 (12/9/52).
she' s a sweet little thing!
Spied a little thing and I followed her all night
In a funky fine levis and her sweater's kind of tight
She had a west coast strut that was sweet as molases
But what really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
I've never had any issues with a single coil. I mostly play a 1968 Fender telecaster bass with its original SC pickup, and my backup is a '68 Telecaster bass. The only time I ever hear a hum is if I am cranked up standing very close to the front of my amp, and that is only on rare occasions. The pickup are bright and punchy as hell. I think they sound best with flats, but I have used round wounds too.
Bar none, the single coil records better than any bass in my arsenal. I did a session recently and I brought a 1965 P, 1964 Hofner 500/1 and my 1969 Telecaster Bass. The engineer insisted I recorded all tracks with the 1969 Tele. It just sounded so good and easy to get a great sound out of a pick and fingers.
Are you new to TB? Don't you realize how terrible these vintage basses are? Just ask anyone that's never owned or played one; they post in every thread! I'll trade you a Squier Affinity for it.
Congrats on the new bass.
Congrats on the new bass.
