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P-Bass PU buying advice

What P-Bass PU is best suited for Direct to PA or DAW?

  • Active

    Votes: 23 18.0%

  • Active but keep it simple.

    Votes: 12 9.4%

  • Active but only if you want to do a lot of routing.

    Votes: 3 2.3%

  • Passive: As long as it's one of the commonly suggested PU's

    Votes: 21 16.4%

  • Passive: Make sure it's High Output

    Votes: 16 12.5%

  • Passive: Make sure it's Low Output

    Votes: 5 3.9%

  • Passive: Buy the used '62 RI and you'll be fine.

    Votes: 28 21.9%

  • Passive: But only a high end PU like Nord, Fralin, etc.

    Votes: 20 15.6%
  • Total voters
    128
  • Poll closed .
J

jpoprock

Jun 7, 2005
55
1
56
Kokomo, IN
www.soundclick.com
#1
Hey guys... This isn't a thread about "what is bettter" because I've done my research on P Bass PU's. But it just dawned on me that the application I'll be using the bass may determine a different path that I hadn't considered.

I'm a "Jack of All Trades" type of musician. I am primarily a lead singer/guitar player who plays in a working cover band. But I also play at church or record at home direct to my DAW. So, unless I'm on for bass at church, I don't play much. I'm one of the leaders of our team, and our church is one of those big auditorium style churches where everyone uses in-ears, goes direct, or have off stage ISO cabs for guitar. But the bass goes into a Countryman DI, then direct to the Yamaha digital board. There are several sub and main arrays and the sound is really good out front.

We have a small rotation of players, and two of the guys bring their own basses. The best sounding one of the two (Peavey and Ric) is the Ric. Ric's rule and I wish I hadn't of sold mine (to a TB user btw!). The other guys play the house bass, which is some sort of Fender J/P type bass that is blonde w/ a gold PG. It has active PU's in it and plays fine. I don't like the way it sounds in my headphones, but out front and on tape it sounds great, so that's all that matters.

I brought my Fender Mike Dirnt bass from home to see how it sounded thru the PA, they didn't like it as much as the house bass. The only PU in my bass is a stock "Duncan Designed" PBass PU that is passive. So, that got me to thinking of replacing it and buying either a '62 RI PU (that I have a line on used), a Dimarzio P, SD SB3 or QP, or maybe even the Nord NP4. My ears like the samples I've heard of the Nord and Dimarzio, but aside from the Nord, the other choices are all pretty close to the same.

However, since I mostly play direct I wonder if I should look at an active PU instead? I don't want to add knobs to my bass but I am not opposed to routing it out a little under the PG. My buddy has a old SD PU that has little switches on it, and it sounds GREAT. His P Bass is an old refinished 60's model and plays like dream. I don't think SD makes those anymore though?

So, what do you think? Do you think I should just stick w/ one of the four choices above (I'll probl get the '62 since it's be the least expensive. Or should I investigate an active PBass PU. If so, then I have NO CLUE what to look into unless I start researching it. On some of the high end Wal's and Warwick basses I've played, the active PU's sounded way too noisy and processed.

I want to retarin that PBass mid growl (which is as much the amp and hands as it is the PU) and I do play with my fingers mostly. Sometimes I'll use a pick if I need the part to sit well in a track. I use a variety of different plugins like POD Farm and IK's Ampeg SVT. So, what I benefit from is a strong clean output. The same requirements for at church too. The Ric's PU sounds great thru the PA, but other than my bass, it's one of the only passive PU's used. Any other Passive PU that has been used has been stock and sub-par. They seem to be happiest with active PU's, even though the ones that have been used are stock Fender active PU's, which are merely "ok".

So what do you think I should do? What is the most "common sense" route to take. That's all I want. I don't want to be overly picky and make this some sort of tone odessey. I just want to make the right choice, and I'm not a qualified enough bassist to know for sure. By the way, I have the RS Guitarworks PBass Modern Kit that I have yet to install because I knew one day I'd replace the PU.

Thanks!!

Jason
 
#2
For strong, clean output with clarity, you can definitely stay passive. The Nordstrand would probably be a great choice. It will probably be hotter, with more clarity than your stock pickup, especially in the lows. I use a Lindy Fralin, which is fantastic, but Nordstrands have a reputation for sounding a little "tighter" and less "raw" than Fralins generally, and based on my experience with Fralins in my Jazz four, and NJ5FS in my Jazz V, I agree. Sounds to me that's what you'd prefer.
 
#3
You can definately stay passive and maybe benefit from an active DI box or possibly even a Preamp-DI like a sansamp. You might want to check out Tesla pickups here: Tesla Pickups - Electric Guitar Pickups, Bass Pickups, Active Pickups, Humbucker Pickups, Pickup Coils, Alnico Pickups, AH-1, AS-1, Opus-1 their P bass pickup is a great reproduction of the 62' P bass pickup with a bit more output.

You can check out thier sound bites on their web page. If you can't find a dealer in your area, PM and I can find one for you.

At church I run direct with a passive P bass and Seymour Duncan active pre-amp 3 band EQ and it sounds great. Good tight mids and good overall tone.

Good luck.
 
#11
It's a question of impedance as much as anything else; your P-bass pickup is high-impedance, and plugging it into an input with low impedance will give you a puffy, indistinct sound.

An active pickup or a DI will fix that for you...
 
#13
groovaholic said:
It's a question of impedance as much as anything else; your P-bass pickup is high-impedance, and plugging it into an input with low impedance will give you a puffy, indistinct sound.

An active pickup or a DI will fix that for you...
Click to expand...

True, but see he said:

But the bass goes into a Countryman DI...
Click to expand...

So nothing else is needed.
 
#15
Since you already have a great DI for passive, I would stay passive. I think passive pickups are a big part of the P bass sound.

You can't go wrong with the '62 reissue pickups. I also really like the SD QPs. But if you can get the '62 reissue at a good price, go for it.

Have you tried rolling off the tone a bit as an even cheaper fix?
 

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