Loudest passive pickup?

[HowieD72]

Dimarzio Relentless

 

[Nedmundo]

G&Ls split MFD for sure. Even more output than the MFD humbucker.

I've used both, and the MFD split-coil definitely has huge output that is comparable to the MFD humbucker. I'm not sure which has more, but they're both extremely hot. Even the M-series MFD humbuckers, which are underwound by 12% relative to the L-series humbuckers, have massive full-range output.

For split-coils, DiMarzio's Model P is also very hot, though not quite to MFD levels.

 

[ChristoMephisto]

Real surprised that Novak Bisonics haven't been mentioned yet, single coil with two large magnets wound up to 12k

 

[PNW Tony]

having owned numerous G&Ls with the MFD bucker I can say for sure it has tons of output. That being said a few months back I put a Dimarzio Relentless in a P bass and it was actually obnoxiously loud. Like ridiculously high output.

Other than the loudness, how did you like it? The sound? I've got that pickup for my MIM P bass and haven't done the installation yet.

 

[tindrum]

Other than the loudness, how did you like it? The sound? I've got that pickup for my MIM P bass and haven't done the installation yet.

Tone wise it was good. Really big, bold sound. If I was still gigging I would have kept. Definitely a supportive pickup to put you up in a mix. I switched really to get a more relaxed, vintage tone.

 

[58kites]

This bass has a Dimarzio X2N-B under the pickguard up by the heel of the neck.
It sounds good and has plenty of output.
This is the Yamaha Attitude Custom from 1991.

 

[58kites]

The Attitude LTD I had a Dimarzio X2N-B humbucker up by the neck heel. My Attitude Custom here has the same thing only it's slealth-mode with no cut piece that looks like a cover, just a regular looking pickguard. It also has piezo pickups in the bridge saddles.
Dimarzio still sells the X2N-B if you want the sound of the original Attitude LTD.

 

[96tbird]

The output of any particular pup is moot if your strings are outside or too far from the magnetic flux of the pickup. The tone can suffer greatly as you get further away. You might decide on one and find that once it’s that low, it might not even make a useable signal and or tone. Money wasted, plus you hacked your body up.

Then, is your body even thick enough to put a pup under the PG?

I wouldn’t be hacking into my bass body until I had fully tested the setup on a test rig. It sure Would be fun to build a test rig and experiment with it if you had a selection of pickups to play with though.

 

[58kites]

The Dimarzio X2N-B under the pickguard in my Yamaha is sitting well below the pickguard, not close at all.
It sounds great.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

The highest output pup I have played is the G & L MFD humbucker, by a wide margin.

Agreed! The gain is almost ridiculous.