P Bass Pickups

[Louie Cevasco]

Hey all

I recently acquired an old no-name p bass and really love the way it plays but the pickup is wayyyyy too muddy for my liking. I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions for a replacement passive p bass pickup that sounds close to a jazz bass. Really anything that's not muddy and something that has a good range of frequencies.

Cheers
Louie

 

[jd56hawk]

Hey all

I recently acquired an old no-name p bass and really love the way it plays but the pickup is wayyyyy too muddy for my liking. I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions for a replacement passive p bass pickup that sounds close to a jazz bass. Really anything that's not muddy and something that has a good range of frequencies.

Cheers
Louie

The Lace Man O' War P-Bass Sensor utilizes patented Lace Sensor technology, voiced in an aggressive yet controlled tone.

It features precise harmonic content with an attitude that cuts through in any situation. Low magnetic pull increases sustain and its broad dynamic range will drive amps and effects better.

The Man O' War provides vintage vibe with modern punch and definition.

(The Fender Precision Plus actually used Lace pickups in the late '80s and early '90s.)

(1:12 for the P pickup soloed)

 

[mbell75]

Hey all

I recently acquired an old no-name p bass and really love the way it plays but the pickup is wayyyyy too muddy for my liking. I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions for a replacement passive p bass pickup that sounds close to a jazz bass. Really anything that's not muddy and something that has a good range of frequencies.

Cheers
Louie

Im not aware of any P bass pickups that sound like a jazz bass, they are two completely different tones. If you want a brighter, more aggressive tone, that would be a Duncan Quarter Pound all day. If you want a jazz bass tone, well, you'll have to buy a jazz bass.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Wire the pickup in parallel, the default for those is series.
Parallel wiring will raise the resonant peak (more top-end, less low), but it will also lower the output by 33%.

 

[Slater]

…anything that's not muddy and something that has a good range of frequencies.

Bill (& Becky) Lawrence P-46

P-46

You’ll need a Jazz Bass for Jazz Bass tone. Different pickup construction and location are a large part of the Jazz Bass tone.

 

[miles'tone]

Dimarzio model p wired in parallel. Won't sacrifice output that way.

 

[bolophonic]

Model P

 

[Killed_by_Death]

If you're going to DiMarzio, go all the way:

Split P™ | DiMarzio

These can also be wired in parallel.

 

[leonard]

Lollar

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Emg GZR

 

[sikamikanico]

Yup, Wilde P46. Won't break your budget either. Occasionally they pop up used for about $50...

BUT, before you do anything else: try a different set of strings (or a few) and mess around with pickup height. Assuming you're not using some weird EQ settings, changing strings and dialing in the setup can make a huge difference.

 

[InnerBass]

Klein Epic 62 P bass pickup - much awesomeness

 

[Andy Daventry]

Fender original 62 is less bassy and sounds less muddy than many other P pups IMO.

 

[Ric5]

Hey all

I recently acquired an old no-name p bass and really love the way it plays but the pickup is wayyyyy too muddy for my liking. I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions for a replacement passive p bass pickup that sounds close to a jazz bass. Really anything that's not muddy and something that has a good range of frequencies.

Cheers
Louie

 

[Lobster11]

It's entirely possible that your "no-name" bass has crappy pickups -- in which case I defer to previous posters regarding potential replacements -- but I suggest that you experiment with the height of the pickups before deciding you need to replace them. I've recently learned from experience that the distance between the pickup and the strings has a much greater effect on tone that I had ever imagined.

 

[Doner Designs]

PART of the jazz bass sound is scooped mids. You can do that with the tone controls on your amp.

Lots of good pickups out there. Most will probably do what you are looking for in terms of not being muddy.

Strings will affect the tone as much as the pickup so you might want to start there if you didn’t already.

 

[bordinco90]

Fender original 62 is less bassy and sounds less muddy than many other P pups IMO.

Agreed

 

[Keger Jupit]

Im not aware of any P bass pickups that sound like a jazz bass, they are two completely different tones. If you want a brighter, more aggressive tone, that would be a Duncan Quarter Pound all day. If you want a jazz bass tone, well, you'll have to buy a jazz bass.

Beat me to it...they are awesomely in-your-face!

 

[39-Bassist]

My suggestions are:
SD SPB-1: smooth and full
EMG GZR: mid punch and little gritty
SD SPB-4: mid punch and hi clears

all sound great and all are different.

 

[mikewalker]

If you're going to DiMarzio, go all the way:

Split P™ | DiMarzio

These can also be wired in parallel.

totally agree - a set of these wired with a series-parallel pullpot makes for something VERY magnificent