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Opinions on Seymour Duncan Pickups

conebone

conebone

Anime is rad.
Sep 20, 2013
147
0
Seattle, WA
weeklybeats.com
#1
I am restoring my favorite bass back to mint condition and was looking to replace the pickups that are on it. I've heard great things about Seymour Duncan pickups, and I just wanted to know if they are really as good as people say.

The particular model I'm looking at right now, are the SPB-3 Quarter Pound Pickup for P-Bass.
 
#2
You'll pretty much get a 50/50 split of opinions on these.

I think they are awesome. It just depends on what sound you are going for.

QPs are louder grittier, and way more punch (at my eq settings) than most I have tried.

Check you tube for sound comparisons.

I also found a post on here where someone compared a whole bunch of different pickups and had sound samples of each.
 
#3
Seymour Duncans have some great sounding pickups, but in my opinion the one you are asking about is terrible. A lot of people like the SPB-3s but for the life of me I don't know why. To my ears its the worst sounding pickup you can put in a p bass. Its boomy on the low end, harsh and brittle sounding on the high end, with the mids completely absent.If you want a hot, rocking P bass pickup that actually sounds good, and don't mind spending a few dollars more than the SPB-3 I would strongly recommend you look into a Rio Grande Muy Grande.

Just curious, If its your favorite bass, then you must like the way it sounds. So why do you want to change the pickups that are already in it?
 
#4
Hopkins said:
Seymour Duncans have some great sounding pickups, but in my opinion the one you are asking about is terrible. A lot of people like the SPB-3s but for the life of me I don't know why. To my ears its the worst sounding pickup you can put in a p bass. Its boomy on the low end, harsh and brittle sounding on the high end, with the mids completely absent.If you want a hot, rocking P bass pickup that actually sounds good, and don't mind spending a few dollars more than the SPB-3 I would strongly recommend you look into a Rio Grande Muy Grande.

Just curious, If its your favorite bass, then you must like the way it sounds. So why do you want to change the pickups that are already in it?
Click to expand...

It was the first guitar I learned how to play bass on, and I've always felt attached to it. Out of all the guitars I've played, it's the one I feel the most comfortable on, and the style of the body suits me perfectly. As much as I love it, I can't hid the fact that the pickups are terrible, so I'm looking for a replacement.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely go check those out.
 
#5
TinyE said:
You'll pretty much get a 50/50 split of opinions on these.

I think they are awesome. It just depends on what sound you are going for.

QPs are louder grittier, and way more punch (at my eq settings) than most I have tried.

Check you tube for sound comparisons.

I also found a post on here where someone compared a whole bunch of different pickups and had sound samples of each.
Click to expand...

Alright, I'll check the QPs out too. Thanks!
 
#6
QP's are decent, but for that style of pickup, I greatly prefer DiMarzio Model P and Model J. If you were going for a standard P pickup, the Duncans are quite good, but for that hot passive pickup thing, nothing beats the DiMarzios for me because they have fatter mids.
 
#7
JimmyM said:
QP's are decent, but for that style of pickup, I greatly prefer DiMarzio Model P and Model J. If you were going for a standard P pickup, the Duncans are quite good, but for that hot passive pickup thing, nothing beats the DiMarzios for me because they have fatter mids.
Click to expand...

I looked up some videos for the Model P ones, and so far I'm digging these the most! Thanks again for the reply, this is really helping me with my decision.
 
#13
JimmyM said:
No, but the logo should come off with a little bit of acetone.
Click to expand...

Actually, I think you can request a set of blank covers from Seymour Duncan. I posted a thread kind of like this one, and someone who had the same pickups said he was able to get plain covers from them for no extra charge.
 
#16
TinyE said:
You'll pretty much get a 50/50 split of opinions on these.

I think they are awesome. It just depends on what sound you are going for.

QPs are louder grittier, and way more punch (at my eq settings) than most I have tried.

Check you tube for sound comparisons.

I also found a post on here where someone compared a whole bunch of different pickups and had sound samples of each.
Click to expand...

+1
Put me down in the 50% that love them.
They're definitely aggressive. .so really depends on what you want to accoplish tone wise.

ymmv.
 
#19
If going with the restoring bass idea, I would either use the SPB-1 or Antiquity pickups....both sound great...just another option....
 
#20
I have SPB-3's in my P bass right now, I am always thinking about changing them. I liked them when I first swapped them in, but they really lack definition which is something I am after these days. They do work fantastic with OD though and they will cut a mix like it owes them money.

SPB-1 are great, I put them in a P bass I flipped, they even use cloth wires to really capture the old school vibe.

The SPB-2's I bought are still sitting in their packaging, I am thinking about putting them into my P Bass.
 

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