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P-bass placement & routing question.

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by McHack, Nov 16, 2005.

  1. Nov 16, 2005 #1
    McHack

    McHack

    Jul 29, 2003
    Central Ohio!
    I'm curious about something...

    The traditional Fender placement & positioning of a P-bass split coil pickup... is mid body, staggered so the EA pup is closer to the neck, while the DG pup is closer to the bridge.

    However, I've seen some manufacturers have swapped the stagger. Additionally, in some implementations of dual-P's, you'll see the front P being one way, & the rear P being the other way...

    Can someone give me a no BS, answer as to why some have flipped the Fender stagger, & give me some definition of the tone, of a dual P.
     
  2. Nov 16, 2005 #2
    pickles

    pickles Gold Supporting Member

    Mar 23, 2000
    Ventura, CA
    The general reason I've heard for reversing the P is that it makes the low strings sound slightly tighter and the high strings sound slightly fatter, resulting in a "more even" sound across the bass. Spector's NS4 is a notable example.

    If you're talking about a PJ, there is a whole other can of worms, since the way the pickups combine and phase cancel will obviously be effected, and then theres the issue of the exact placement of the J pickup (60s J, 70s J, or even closer to the bridge than 70s, as many PJs use).

    I've always wanted to try a dual-P, but havn't had the opporunity, so I can't comment. I imagine the sound would be MUCH more balanced if both pickups were oriented the same way, whether that be both-normal or both-reverse.
     
  3. Nov 17, 2005 #3
    Micolao

    Micolao

    Sep 7, 2005
    Italy
  4. Nov 17, 2005 #4
    DavidRavenMoon

    DavidRavenMoon Inactive

    Oct 20, 2004
    8string.jpg

    Dual P's sound nice. The bridge P sound is much different than the usual J pickup. Smoother sounding.

    I would install the pickups reversed... not like I did here. They sound better swapped the other way around.