Nothings changed (SPB-3)

Get fresh set of hybrid slinkys. Old strings = no zing. Play with a pick and make sure tone is all the way up.

 

You might want a new, brighter tone pot and cap.
Also, monkey with your amp EQ.

 

I've never really encountered much brighter tone from the Quarter Pounder P-bass pickups. I've always felt they were fairly scooped sounding and low end heavy... full sounding.

I'd suggest S.I.T. Rock Brights as a good inexpensive string to add some brightness.

 

I've never noticed an abundance of highs from my Quarter Pounders either although they are not at all scooped. They're in my P bass and replaced a DiMarzio which I found a bit lackluster in the low end. The QPs sound nice and full in my bass. I don't want a super zingy top end at all. I use T.I. flats for strings. It's my favourite sounding bass.

You can try changing strings and mess around with pickup height. That can make a big difference.

 

They are indeed scooped. Take a look at the Seymour Duncan Tone Chart.

SPB-3

Bass: 7
Mid: 4
Treble: 6

 

I did. They don't sound scooped on my bass with the strings I use and my amp, nor scooped when recording through a direct box. In fact a couple engineers in studios have commented how nicely my P records and it does sound very good to me. They probably are scooped compared to other models of P pickups. Is that a bad thing? The resulting sound is what I go by.

 

Not a bad thing , its if you like them that counts. I used the Quarterpounders for a while , nice tone but not really what I was after.
I did notice that you say you use TI Flats which are quite mid heavy strings which may be why you have not heard the mid scoop that others have mentioned.

 

Bypass your tone control.

 

That could be although I put the QP in the bass before switching to TI flats. I think I was using Trace Elliot rounds then. I liked that sound too for rounds. The QP replaced a Dimarzio which was okay but a little anemic in the low end.

The original Fender pickup for my P which is a 78 I found to also be a bit on the feeble side. I've played Fender Ps and Js since 1962 and never cared much for anything past 1970 or so pickup wise, except for one J which I bought new in 1975. It had an exceptional sound but suffered from poor quality and an unstable neck. I also bought a P around that time which played well but had a lackluster sound. If I'd kept that bass and put the QP in it I probably would have loved it and preferred it over the 78 I currently own, which is a real boat anchor.

Getting back to the OP, if strings and set up and fooling with pickup height don't do it, then I'd say he's going to have to go radically different in choice of pickup. Maybe the new Lace Alumatone?

 

No, not lower or raise the action. Lower or raise the pickup height. Don't forget that what you hear on record isn't going to be anything like what you get live. With a good studio and engineer who knows his stuff you can get some really great sounds that you can only get close to live. You're not really hearing the sound of the bass's pickups as much as the sound the engineer processes it into.

 

+1

Replace the stock 250K pots with 500K. (not a bad idea to replace the stock electronics with better quality parts anyway, especially when replacing the pickups)

 

Fresh strings, stainless if necessary. Dean Markley Blue Steels or D'Addario ProSteels maybe, but you never can tell, all basses are different. Action should be a little higher than 2/32" on the G and 3/32" on the E with near-flat relief (a thin-pick's worth of gap at the 12th fret when you press down the E string at both the 1st and 21st frets). Play with a pick, but don't anchor your hand by the bridge, you should be plucking pretty much right on top of the pickup. You should be hearing a lot of fret grind when you play unplugged. Get an SVT and crank it. If an SVT isn't in the budget, get a SansAmp BDDI. The presence control will give you a lot of what you're looking for.

If none of that works you're going to need to burn the bass and get another

 

Or a VT Bass if you don't need the DI and want more mid control.

 

Geez, while you're at it, tell him to mix in the blood of a Christian child when he makes his matzoh!

 

best thing to do is change the tone pot for a higher value one , maybe a one meg pot , or you could bypass the tone control altogether