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Jazz and P Bass Pickup Shootout

#26
JayGunn said:
I'm hearing a big difference between alder and ash, maybe 1/10th as much difference between maple and rosewood. Big surprise, based on others' comments about fingerboard sound effects.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. You'll get a lot of requests for adding a sample with Pickup-X. The one I'd like to hear is the Lace Alumitone P pickup. They have a sample on their web site, but it's not a lot of help. But probably the most different-sounding P one could test.
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Agreed, the most drastic change in tone came with the body! That really surprised me.
 
#28
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
Actually, when I posted those clips as blind tests a couple of weeks ago, people had a MUCH easier time telling the fretboard wood apart. Go figure.
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Really? It was a fascinating test you've done there. A massive shock for me was how every pickup for each bass type sounded so similar. I don't hear much variation between any of the P bass pickups.

I think you've converted me into a "if there's a decent s/h pickup on ebay I'll go for that" type of guy whereas before I'd have been really picky looking at different company samples,etc.

Edit: Just re listened, yeah you are right, there is a clear difference in tone based on the fret boards. Looks like my ideal bass has just been changed from a swamp ash/maple board Jazz to a (boring looking) Alder bodied, rosewood necked one! I'll throw any old pickup in there, it doesn't seem to matter! :)
 
#29
Man, P basses sound good no matter what pickup, no matter what strings. ;)

It's interesting, I head much less variation in tone than other pickup comparisons I've heard in the past.

As far as the J pickups go, I don't think anything beats Nordstrands. When it comes to the P though, the majority of the pickups sound pretty similar.
 
#30
I think that the differences in P pickups would show up more with an older set of rounds or flats strung up. A bass with new rounds just sounds like the strings to me.

I've always thought that fingerboard wood made a bigger impact on tone than the other woods, and man, you can really hear it in those clips!
 
#31
Dan I know it seems like every time you post a comparison like this that someone thinks it should have been done differently. I don't want to seem like that kind of guy, but I would love to hear a comparison like this with worn in strings. A comparison with rounds that have lost their initial zing (but aren't dead yet) and some nice dead flats.
 
#32
One questions, Dan.

Did you change the volume between recordings or are they constant regardless of how hot the pickups were?

Secondly, I guess it is not a priority for you as a builder, but for people looking to change their pickups, some recordings of stock pickups would be great as control specimens. Hahaha.

Thanks, its a helpful job you've done.
 
#33
arsie said:
One questions, Dan.

Did you change the volume between recordings or are they constant regardless of how hot the pickups were?

Secondly, I guess it is not a priority for you as a builder, but for people looking to change their pickups, some recordings of stock pickups would be great as control specimens. Hahaha.

Thanks, its a helpful job you've done.
Click to expand...
With Dan's basses there are no "stock" pickups, really. They're whatever he chooses to put in. Which at the moment appears to be nordstrands. So actually we did hear the "stock" pickups when we listened to the the NP4/NJ4SV.

Unless he was using Fender basses for this experiment.
 
#35
KingRazor said:
Dan I know it seems like every time you post a comparison like this that someone thinks it should have been done differently. I don't want to seem like that kind of guy, but I would love to hear a comparison like this with worn in strings. A comparison with rounds that have lost their initial zing (but aren't dead yet) and some nice dead flats.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The only problem is, it would be impossible to break in all the strings the same amount, so accurate comparisons would be difficult.

But yeah, I personally hate the sound of new strings!
 
#38
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
Agreed. The only problem is, it would be impossible to break in all the strings the same amount, so accurate comparisons would be difficult.

But yeah, I personally hate the sound of new strings!
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For the pickups and the woods it'd be possible... :)

Actually I couldn't tell that much of a difference between different fretboard woods...
Pickups and body woods are a different story. (Actually I prefered the GFS pickups over the rest... ;))
 
#40
Dan this is very helpful.As I am a jazz bass player (a mia, road worn and squier vm) I have to say this was really a great audio sequence. My preferences where were ones my ear picked up on strongly the first time I listened to these several were.
rosewood sounded fuller than maple
ghs,hibeams,sunbeams and fender strings sounded deeper and were more my preference
pickups were harder for me to differentiate but should have been easier(?) but the nordstrands sounded a cut above.
thank you thank you thank you ... this is really great. wow
 

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