Pbass: pup upgrade, better amp or what to have more definition and presence?

Sounds like an EQ situation, not a reason to swap out hardware.

 

As a rumble 200 combo pre-owner, I suggest 10.00, 11.00, 1.00, 1.00 on your 4 band EQ setting.

 

Wilde P46 is a great pickup, but EQ should do. Bring out the mids. From what I remember, Rumble's sounded scooped to me when controls were at noon (I'm not sure if that's "flat").

 

Yes, you are right, rumble flat EQ are scoop.
That's why I move to Hartke KB15 and Tech21 VT bass 200 combo.

 

Controls like the contour, etc tend to give a great bedroom tone when you are alone but do not work in the mix.

 

Always EQ first before tossing geet around in the search for the homey grail...

If I switch from one bass to ANY of my other basses, I am probably gonna do some knobbery... I don't have any two basses that sound the same and don't want to....

Some P pickups out there are brighter and cut through well....some not so much.... I've played two stock P basses and they weren't even close in tone shape... One was unusually bright. (Loved it)...

Flats are gonna attenuate some of the 'cut through'....unless you jank with the EQ...and then it may not be enough, depending on which flats, what music you are playing, amp, pickups, moon phase, whatever...

Jank with the knobs...that's why they are there.... There ain't no universal 'right' EQ..... Find your OWN right EQ for YOUR bass....

 

The stock Squier CV Precision pickup is fairly decent. The TI flats tend to sit well in a mix as well. There’s no reason to change anything on your bass. As others have already posted, adjust the EQ on that Rumble.

 

Yep. Adjust your EQ to boost the mids.

You might also need to ask your keyboard player to go a little lighter on the left hand. Keyboard players have a tendency to want to play everybody else's parts as well as their own. If there’s a bass instrument in a group, the keyboards need to go easy on the bass end

 

What everyone else said. But...if you do want to get a pickup with a more aggressive tone for your P-bass (I did for my Squier), I suggest the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder.

John

 

Alternatively, a compressor that adds a little sauce (e.g. Ovinfx Smoothie) or a mild OD like the Southampton Fifth Gear can beef up your sound and punch and give you noticeably more presence in the band mix without getting overly pushy or obnoxious about it.

Better yet might be an outboard EQ that packs some extra features like the Barber Linden EQ Mini ($99 direct) does. It has a baxandall tone stack that’ll give you far more control over you mids (despite not having a dedicated midrange control) than the normal shelving type FMV EQ found in most amps can. There’s also two switches on it that take it into an entirely different realm than your basic EQ. In particular, there’s a “tight” contour setting that really shines in a live band situation. Lots to like for not a lot of money. Highly recommended. Mine is almost always on.

Also, if your amp doesn't have a built in high pass filter, you might want to eventually look into getting an outboard one. They’re inexpensive and a good way to clean out any subsonic garbage in your signal chain that muddies up your sound and saps the efficiency of your amp. If you need one, they run about $70-$90. And it’s money well spent.

You’ll find the Linden EQ, various compressors, and the occasional HPF showing up in the TB classifieds for less money than buying new. So look there first when shopping if money is tight.

One good thing about outboard gear is it requires no mods to your bass. And pedals are easy to audition - and to flip if they don’t work out for you.

Luck

 

You want definition and presence dump the flats and get a set of Stainless round-wound strings.
Rock on.

 

Also raise the amp up closer to ear level - put it on a chair or something.

 

1. EQ.
2. Different strings.

3. Start spending more money.