Peavey Grind pickup replacement

[SixStringMatt]

I have an older Peavey Grind 6 string. I say 'older' because it has the scooped lower horn and is not badged 'BXP.' I really like everything about this bass except the pickups. The sound isn't bad...it's just kinda blah. I've been considering investing in new pickups, and wanted to get some input on what pickups people like or dislike. I want to stay with the passive setup, and am considering either the EMG passive or Aguilar passive pickups. The Aguilars are about twice the price of the EMGs, so I wondered if anyone has experience with either, and if the Aguilars are really worth the extra cost?

 

[NeonVomit]

I was searching for a thread to talk about my latest upgrade and here we are!

I've just upgraded my Peavey Grind 6 with an Aguilar OBP 3 TK preamp and Seymour Duncan Basslines. It just got done yesterday, so I've only had a very short time to noodle about with it, but it sounds IMMENSE. It easily competes with the other basses I own. I'll be taking it to band practice next week for a proper run through. This bass was crying out for better electronics, and it delivers in spades.

I'll post pics a bit later and a full report after practice.

If I were you, since you're going the all passive route, I'd choose the Aguilars.

 

[NeonVomit]

So here we go - SD Basslines with the Aguilar, and I had the back routed out for the battery (it was just about possible to fit it into the electronics cavity but I can't be bothered to unscrew the back plate every time I change it, so had the extra pack done). I couldn't get my hands on a blend knob, so I just left two separate volume knobs for the pickups and drilled an extra 2 holes for the mid control and the mid-switch. If I find this setup to be annoying I'll just order a blend knob and rewire accordingly in the future.

The Basslines were slightly narrower than the cavities left by the stock pickups, so I just stuffed some foam in there for the time being.

And a family photo of all 3 of my SD-loaded basses - Warwick Thumb, the Peavey, and my SLAMMER BY HAMER (my first ever bass - the Steve Harris signature pickup cost more than the bass did, but it overall sounds pretty good and even plays decently!)