- Jul 7, 2010
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New to P-Basses! Considering a different pickup...
- Thread starter H13
- Start date
not too many comments about these, but they're the bomb for a P-bass (plenty of lows/highs and fantastic mids), blades:
DiMarzio - Pickups - DP127 Split P Black - Best Bass Gear
Dimarzio DP127-BK 4 String Precision Size Split P Split Coil Pickup - 4 string Split Coil Pbass Pickup
www.bestbassgear.com
This. People are often too quick to blame the pickup if they're not getting the sound they want, but as noted above (and by others) a change in strings will often have a bigger effect on tone, and is an easier and less expensive option. It would be helpful to know what strings OP currently has on the Squier and on the Ibanez; maybe we could suggest some strings that will get him where he wants to be.
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You must not have seen an accurate portrayal of the Geezer Butler Signature PBass pickup. It’s not active & definitely not mid-scooped.
Maybe it was a demo of an older active EMG PBass pickup? The description you gave fits older active EMG PBass pickups very well, but it doesn’t fit the Geezer.
Or, the demo might have been recorded through an amp or interface that was EQ’d with the mids cut drastically. That could mess up a Geezer’s tone…
@FRoss6788 & @JimmyM aren’t leading you astray on their suggestion & comment.
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Old style active EMGs. Underwound for lower lows and higher highs. They need a battery (i.e. are active) but have simple VT controls so none of this gobs-o-knobs VBBMFT controls that give you 100 ways to mess up your tone.
That said, I'm running Bill Lawrence Wilde P46 pickup in my P. It seems to give a bit more clarity than the very nice vintage-style P it replaced.
That said, I'm running Bill Lawrence Wilde P46 pickup in my P. It seems to give a bit more clarity than the very nice vintage-style P it replaced.
I think the only drastic change to your OE Squire pups is going to be the Dimarzio dp122 model P pickups. I have them in both of my main P basses and I love the enhanced low-mids. I’ve tried other pups in these basses like the Geezers, SD hot, old Peavey pups etc… and although the others sound good and well the Dimarzio just altered the tone to where I like the bass on its own to sound and just need to make small adjustments to my amp EQ given the stage or room.
The Fat Bass Tone website [mentioned multiple times already, I see...] has really good comparison videos.
Their clips all use the same P-Bass, and show multiple play styles.
That lets you zero-in on the section that best matches your playing style, then listen to how each pickups changes the tone.
I like to open each demo in a new window, then cue the demo to the same section, then go back and forth until I find a favorite.
NOTE: the levels aren't always the same, and our ears tend to prefer louder sounds, so try to get the volume levels close for an apples-to-apples comparison.
fatbasstone.com
Based on your description, I think the Aguilar DCB or one of the Bartolinis could be contenders...
Their clips all use the same P-Bass, and show multiple play styles.
That lets you zero-in on the section that best matches your playing style, then listen to how each pickups changes the tone.
I like to open each demo in a new window, then cue the demo to the same section, then go back and forth until I find a favorite.
NOTE: the levels aren't always the same, and our ears tend to prefer louder sounds, so try to get the volume levels close for an apples-to-apples comparison.
4 String Precision Bass Pickups
Shop one of the web's deepest collections of in stock P Bass pickup options for 4 and 5 string P Basses—Bartolini, Nordstrand, Delano, Aguilar, EMG, & more.
fatbasstone.com
Based on your description, I think the Aguilar DCB or one of the Bartolinis could be contenders...
Hey @H13 -
I've been knocking around this forum for a few years now. Threads like typically invoke a ton of different opinions. I'm going to throw one more at you that you may not expect. Try the stock pickup with a different capacitor. I'm like you, late to the p-bass party (2019 or so), but now that i'm here Its a pretty good party...
If you're comfortable with a soldering iron, try this:
Ymmv, but I have always found that this method makes the tone roll off more versatile. By versatile, I find that for whatever reason doing it this way allows you to have full open tone as normal, and rolled off tone to that can go all the way to pure mud. Obviously you get everything in between...
If you can get a .047 mF Orange Drop tone cap and some Gavitt Wire (the kind with the push-back wire jacket) locally, It'll cost you just a couple bucks. Maybe you'll find that the stock Squire pickup is just fine, just needing a little help and you got out of this for minimarl investment.
If it does come to a pickup replacement, I've had the Fralins mentioned as well as Bartolini Both are great! Just so you know, those come in"flavors" if you will. Fralin pickups can be over or under-wound which gives them different tonal characteristics. Bartolini pickups come in similar varieties that range from very dark to very bright (modern?) sounding. The standard-wound Fralin would be, in my opinion, very fender-like, but a clearer, you might even say "better" version (conmparing to a typical Squire grade pickup, not adressing custom shop or any other Fender variety). The Bart would kinda be it's own thing. Complex clear low/low mid. It's voicing is not really comparable to anything but other Barts. People tend to love/not love Barts, ironically, both for the same reason...
FWIW, I've been struggling with a pickup for my medium scale P for a while. I found this:
Delano PC4 HE/M2 4 String Precision Bass® Pickup
It soulds really great, It can be growly as you like. It takes to low eq settings on my amp very well, but also cleans righ up if you want less beef...
I'm probably describing this wrong, but to me it feels like a more Bartolini-Like Fralin . I'm keeping it, for me it's just what the Dr. odered. - If youre so inclined, check out sound samples on the internet. It's hard to jusdge a pickup that way, but I think it's still better than just reading a description, ordering an hoping. The Fat Bass Tone People try to put up samples that are better than most.
Hope this helps!
I've been knocking around this forum for a few years now. Threads like typically invoke a ton of different opinions. I'm going to throw one more at you that you may not expect. Try the stock pickup with a different capacitor. I'm like you, late to the p-bass party (2019 or so), but now that i'm here Its a pretty good party...
If you're comfortable with a soldering iron, try this:
Ymmv, but I have always found that this method makes the tone roll off more versatile. By versatile, I find that for whatever reason doing it this way allows you to have full open tone as normal, and rolled off tone to that can go all the way to pure mud. Obviously you get everything in between...
If you can get a .047 mF Orange Drop tone cap and some Gavitt Wire (the kind with the push-back wire jacket) locally, It'll cost you just a couple bucks. Maybe you'll find that the stock Squire pickup is just fine, just needing a little help and you got out of this for minimarl investment.
If it does come to a pickup replacement, I've had the Fralins mentioned as well as Bartolini Both are great! Just so you know, those come in"flavors" if you will. Fralin pickups can be over or under-wound which gives them different tonal characteristics. Bartolini pickups come in similar varieties that range from very dark to very bright (modern?) sounding. The standard-wound Fralin would be, in my opinion, very fender-like, but a clearer, you might even say "better" version (conmparing to a typical Squire grade pickup, not adressing custom shop or any other Fender variety). The Bart would kinda be it's own thing. Complex clear low/low mid. It's voicing is not really comparable to anything but other Barts. People tend to love/not love Barts, ironically, both for the same reason...
FWIW, I've been struggling with a pickup for my medium scale P for a while. I found this:
Delano PC4 HE/M2 4 String Precision Bass® Pickup
It soulds really great, It can be growly as you like. It takes to low eq settings on my amp very well, but also cleans righ up if you want less beef...
I'm probably describing this wrong, but to me it feels like a more Bartolini-Like Fralin . I'm keeping it, for me it's just what the Dr. odered. - If youre so inclined, check out sound samples on the internet. It's hard to jusdge a pickup that way, but I think it's still better than just reading a description, ordering an hoping. The Fat Bass Tone People try to put up samples that are better than most.
Hope this helps!
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I assume that anyone looking to change pickups on a p bass has already tried many sets and different types of strings.
If you must have passive for some reason, and insist on extended range, 1/4 pounders are the king of that. I despise those myself, and use EMG GZRs, which are definitely NOT mid-scooped, on one bass, the original 68s on another, and a Fender Original on another. After trying and changing strings over and over for many years, I've found TI flats to be the best compromise for me. Now your turn.
If you must have passive for some reason, and insist on extended range, 1/4 pounders are the king of that. I despise those myself, and use EMG GZRs, which are definitely NOT mid-scooped, on one bass, the original 68s on another, and a Fender Original on another. After trying and changing strings over and over for many years, I've found TI flats to be the best compromise for me. Now your turn.
I agree with and add to this - I use Geezers and find them very well-rounded, all around tone. Strings make a huge difference in P basses, I personally like LaBella Olinto flats, TIs sound great but are too low-tension for me.
Thanks for all the responses guys 
I checked out a lot more demos. I get why the Geezers are a "thing." IMHO, pretty uneducated opinion, the Geezers sounded the most "P-Bass" to me. Like, if you want to get the most P-Bass sound possible, the Geezers seem to do a great job of that. Lots of mids, lots of growl etc. Very cool!
However, I think the thing that's gonna scratch the itch for me is a set of those Fralins. They seemed to have a bit more bottom and a bit of a firmer fundamental and a bit of that extended range the most.
I'm playing Rotosounds with my P-Bass. I find Rotos have a bit of "zing" about them, while still maintaining some warmth so I dig that. I'm also mostly a pick player because I'm an imitation bass player. I'm a guitar player who doesn't have any bass player friends. So my "bass playing" is best definied by: "Following the root note, with a blues fill played every now and then to pretend I know what I'm doing" Since I'm flailing away with a pick, I'm sure you can appreciate why an extended bottom end felt necessary to me 
THAT BEING SAID.
The P-Bass has given me much joy. I might learn how to be an ACTUAL bass player.
I checked out a lot more demos. I get why the Geezers are a "thing." IMHO, pretty uneducated opinion, the Geezers sounded the most "P-Bass" to me. Like, if you want to get the most P-Bass sound possible, the Geezers seem to do a great job of that. Lots of mids, lots of growl etc. Very cool!
However, I think the thing that's gonna scratch the itch for me is a set of those Fralins. They seemed to have a bit more bottom and a bit of a firmer fundamental and a bit of that extended range the most
.I'm playing Rotosounds with my P-Bass
. I find Rotos have a bit of "zing" about them, while still maintaining some warmth so I dig that. I'm also mostly a pick player because I'm an imitation bass player. I'm a guitar player who doesn't have any bass player friends. So my "bass playing" is best definied by: "Following the root note, with a blues fill played every now and then to pretend I know what I'm doing" Since I'm flailing away with a pick, I'm sure you can appreciate why an extended bottom end felt necessary to me THAT BEING SAID.
The P-Bass has given me much joy. I might learn how to be an ACTUAL bass player.
After you change the pickups, look at an active pre-amp. I have put Audere pre-amps in several and love the way it shapes the P.
I went through a really long drawn out search for the perfect P pickups for a project that took me around the block with different pickups in the same bass. For what you are describing, the nordstrand blades or the Bartolini B-Axis would fit really nicely. The Delano is also stellar. You wouldn’t go wrong with any of those.
If you are on the fence, good news… all of these come up used from time to time and you’ll always get your $$$ out of them. So don’t be afraid to give another pickup a try!
Was never a fan of the NP4a pickups. Never tried the NP4v or the Fralins. I’d have gotten to the Fralins eventually if I hadn’t got tired of swapping pickups (and if I didn’t love what I have).
Let us all know what you do and how you like it!
I went through a really long drawn out search for the perfect P pickups for a project that took me around the block with different pickups in the same bass. For what you are describing, the nordstrand blades or the Bartolini B-Axis would fit really nicely. The Delano is also stellar. You wouldn’t go wrong with any of those.
If you are on the fence, good news… all of these come up used from time to time and you’ll always get your $$$ out of them. So don’t be afraid to give another pickup a try!
Was never a fan of the NP4a pickups. Never tried the NP4v or the Fralins. I’d have gotten to the Fralins eventually if I hadn’t got tired of swapping pickups (and if I didn’t love what I have).
Let us all know what you do and how you like it!
The blades I have a lot of love and respect for, but I've got them in my Active Ibanez.
I'm a big believer in ensuring all of my instruments sound completely different. I like being able to go:
"OKAY I am playing <X>. Therefore I will use <Y>"
So purely for "Separation" purposes, I'm less inclined to go actives for my P, because I'm already scratching that itch with my Ibanez
I'm a big believer in ensuring all of my instruments sound completely different. I like being able to go:
"OKAY I am playing <X>. Therefore I will use <Y>"
So purely for "Separation" purposes, I'm less inclined to go actives for my P, because I'm already scratching that itch with my Ibanez
Im a proud owner of DiMarzio DP127, the Split P which I really like. That's bassiest passive precision bass pickup on the markets as far as i know. I own seven P-basses with different aftermarket pickups on them and as the differences between most of them are quite subtle to my untrained ears, you can realiy hear how the DP127 stands out from the rest with its massive bottom end without being boomy even though it's very hot pickup.
It's not the growliest or punchiest P-bass pickup out there but surprisingly rather smooth and velvety sounding. The secret weapon of it is that you can wire it both series and parallel. In series you get that massive bottom end and extended range what you were looking for. In parallel mode it's not that hot and mids get out more bringing it more to the territory of traditional p-bass sounds. Very handy, you kinda have two different P-basses in one.
It's not the growliest or punchiest P-bass pickup out there but surprisingly rather smooth and velvety sounding. The secret weapon of it is that you can wire it both series and parallel. In series you get that massive bottom end and extended range what you were looking for. In parallel mode it's not that hot and mids get out more bringing it more to the territory of traditional p-bass sounds. Very handy, you kinda have two different P-basses in one.
That's an unusual way to do 50s wiring.
It's the way Gibson guitars were wired, though the pickups usually go to lug 3 on the pots and the wiper connects to the output jack.
There is no treble loss when volume is rolled back but the tone control will act as a gain knob as well, which is more useful if one actually uses the Volume knob.
I don't know many bass players who use the Volume knob to adjust the amount of gain. I keep it at 10 the whole time so I prefer a standard Tone control aka 60s/modern wiring, the way Fender has always done it.
Also in that picture the volume pot is not grounded to the jack so the tone control will not work.
Anyway the tone control only changes the tone when the knob is rolled back, regardless of wiring type and cap value.
I'm purely self taught electronics-wise, but I currently have a bass wired per the Bartolini diagram pasted. It does work. Volume rolls 0-10. Tone does not change the volume. It could just be me, but I think the Bartolini diagram results in a deeper tone roll off, which can be useful, but I usually only roll off 5-10% of the tone on the bass I have wired up this way.
This is the other diagram I've used:
They both work...
This is the other diagram I've used:
They both work...
