P Bass Select - pickup issues and change to Seymour duncan Quarter pounder?

The QP will certainly give the low E a noticeable increase in volume. Some might think too much!!! I have had a Mexican P Bass with QP's for about 4 months now, and the difference is not to be taken lightly. I'm still dialing in my rig to accommodate the change. So far, I've played it through a Fender PA100 with a JBL 15 in a Dietz cab, and Orange OB1 300 combo, and a GK400RB with an Eminence Basslite 15 in a different Dietz cab. I use a EH Bass Soul Food as a boost. The common concern among all setups is that the E can get a bit flubby. I have been rolling back the bass eq, but that just doesn't seem right! LOL!

 

Have you tried changing strings or does it happen regardless of what strings you're using?

 

Have you tried adjusting the pickups to even out the volume?

 

As a SPB3 owner, I recommend getting it anyway

 

I'm using D'Addario rounds at the moment, haven't tried any others yet. The pickup is just a beast! See how it's DC Resistance and EQ curve compare to other Semour Duncan P-Bass pickups! Hot P-Bass (Flippy, I forgot that I could adjust them! LOL)

 

I would try changing strings first before the pickup swap either way, maybe just to see if that was it.

 

When changing anything for a desired result, it is recommended changing just ONE parameter at a time, so tracking changes is possible.

That said, I'm inclined to believe it's either a set-up issue, or neck mass issue. Again, change one parameter at a time to track what works, and what doesn't.

First things first, and I don't wish to "talk down" to you, as I don't know what you know, vs what I know or don't know...

Try a new, complete set-up (which may or may not include new strings). If that fails to fix it, try adding a "mass clamp" to the head stock.

Leo Fender himself demonstrated this long ago to compensate for a so-called "dead spot" on a maple board neck...

Just a story I heard, so no flames, please!

As always, IMO/IME/YMMV

 

Towards the very end of my contemplation regarding swapping the stock pickups of my Ibanez Mikro, I had narrowed the pickup choice down to 3 candidates.

Since I knew that beside more clarity and definition I wanted slightly hot pickups with a lot of punch and a fair amount of growl the candidates was:

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders

DiMarzio DP126

EMG Geezer Butler

However what I found out after reading the tone chart on Seymour Duncan's homepage was that Quarter Pounders are relatively scooped, having very strong low and high end frequency response, while being somewhat weak in picking up mids.

As I wanted my pickup to be punchy and liking mids in my tone, I fairly easily discarded them as possible candidates for replacing the stock pickups of my Mikro though.

Then there was DiMarzio DP126.

What I was told by those who responded to my thread asking for advise of which pickups to chose was that those were indeed very punchy and mid heavy pickups, but also bordering to right out harsh sounding.

Now I don't know if this only goes for the P/J set combined as I was interested in, or that also goes for the single P pickup.

I much later learned, from reading more threads about pickups here on Talk Bass, that that harshness should be quite easily tamed by using a 1K Cap on the volume pot, forgive me if I am recalling this wrongly, electronics is not exactly my strong side.

As the story goes however I also eliminated them since I guess I was actually going for a more even frequency response, and even if I liked punch in my tone I had no intention of my tone being right out harsh.

Now, in your favor, and with the fact in mind that there seems to be a way to tame the DiMarzio's supposed harshness, these pickups do actually, unlike my other two mentioned candidates have adjustable pole pieces, which might just be your salvation taking your specific problem in consideration and the whole main reason for you wanting to swap pickups.

It would basically mean, that should you chose a DiMarzio DP126 P pickups as your new pickup, you can adjust the pole pieces of the pickup for each string on your bass individually to your desired sensitivity, meaning you basically get to decide how much output each string on your bass should have.

I my self have encountered this problem of yours before, but it was before I had much grasp about either playing bass or all the mechanical and electronic stuff involved, including proper setups, so might have been due to a case of a bad setup, bad playing technique from my side or finally there is also the possibility left that it might in fact actually had been due to faulty or poor electronics.

I guess we'll never know.

My point being, listen to what the others have said on this thread about trying to swap strings and adjusting the pickups you got, before you run out buying the first and possible, possible not, best new pickup you can get your hands on.

But if these advises and suggestions on how to fix your problem in fact fails to yield any results, I would recommend you in doing a bit of research on the DiMarzio DP126 P pickup, and eventual buying, if it seems to be to your taste, since that with guarantee would be able to solve your current problem.

Anyway to finish off the story I left unfinished behind to do an effort to help you and be on topic, I ended up buying the EMG Geezer Butler pickups, after some group pressure from certain advocates here on TB called the Geezer Mafia!

Just kidding, there is no Geezer Mafia.....

Or is there?

One could be lead to think so at least, they do seem to be an extremely popular choice as replacement pickups.

Anyway I haven't regretted one bit!

The Geezers are really amazing and everything I could wish for, although I have been haunted by a tiny voice from time to time popping up in my back head in a moment of weakness, struggling to take over my sense of reason, parasitising on my insecurities, ever so faintly whispering me:
"What if you had chosen the DiMarzio DP126 pickups instead?.... What if?...", and bringing me in doubt that I indeed took the right choice back then.

Anyway best of luck with solving your problem, no matter what solution you might find.

Rock on

 

Even though I could be considered the don of the Geezer Mafia I am a big fan of the DP126 as well, although I never use that bass with it installed now that I found the Geezer. But the DiMarzio is a classic for a reason. I don't use it anymore, though, because the low end is boosted too much for my tastes, and while I don't need a lot of high end, I do like a little more than what it gives you. I've also gotten away from hot passive pickups because they all seem to have that boosted low end and reduced high end.

The Duncan is good too, but while it has that boosted low end and reduced high end, it scoops out the mids, while the DiMarzio doesn't, and when I want scooped mids, I want it to be my choice rather be forced on me. So I rank them from favorite to least favorite:

Geezer
DP126
SPB-3

YMMV. All of them are good in their own ways, but I prefer a more traditional sounding P pickup, and the Geezer does that in spades.

 

To be fair, the Quarter Pounds tend to scoop out some of the mids. They aren't all scooped out. I'd say more high mids are scooped than lower ones, though.

 

I have quarter pounders in a P+MM bass. I will say it makes a big difference if you play finger style or with a pick. With a pick the QP sounds fantastic solo'd. Fingerstyle, you miss the mids.

I mainly play fingerstyle. The QP pickup are fantastic for adding low end and punch, however, I find myself blending in at least some of the MM pickups for some definition in the mids. I have a 500k tone pot. When I do solo the QP, I roll down my tone about half way and to warm it up a little.

A lot of people like to bash the QP pickups because they do not sound like a traditional P pickup. They are great pickups, but they are modern sounding and I would only recommend putting them in a bass with another pickup (like a PJ or P+MM) so that you can dial up the mids when needed, unless you play exclusively with a pick.