Precision pickup swap

[Deleted member 271037]

The value of the capacitor in a tone circuit doesn’t make much difference in the tone until you get less than about 50%. It’s a common misconception, but if you do SPICE simulations of this stuff, it’s clear that the top half of the tone control’s range is dominated by the value of the potentiometer.

Do these simulations take into account that we typically use logarithmic pots for tone controls? 75% on a log pot is probably well into the "less than about 50%" region you are referring if we're talking about the actual percentage of the pot's maximum resistance. What you are saying makes total sense to me if we're talking about the percentage of max resistance but with audio/log pots I hear a SIGNIFICANT difference between different caps when the tone control (but not the actual % of the pot's total resistance) is rolled off to around 75%(ish). Around 75% (or maybe a tiny bit lower) is where the wonderful "fattening" of the tone starts to happen for me with passive (log) tone controls but with .022 caps this just isn't happening.

I'm not saying .022 caps is a bad thing. It's just a matter of taste of course, but for me they don't give me the tone control behaviour I want from my basses.

 

[micguy]

27459509[/URL], member: 271037"]Do these simulations take into account that we typically use logarithmic pots for tone controls?

Yes - “half” tone in my simulations is 10% of the pot’s value at “full” tone. The value of the capacitor makes a bit of a difference at half tone, but nowhere near as much as people think it does. If you’ve got strings that are broken in, most folks probably wouldn’t hear the difference.

Of course, if you just changed your tone cap, you WILL hear a difference - confirmation bias is a very real thing.

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

All the vids and sound clips I have heard with these, sound amazing. Would you say the A-III is low output?

Sorry, I didn't see your comment until today. No, they are definitely not low output. It brought the bass to life and I have received several compliments on how good it sounds.

 

[PhinDog]

Sorry, I didn't see your comment until today. No, they are definitely not low output. It brought the bass to life and I have received several compliments on how good it sounds.

Thanks!

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

[bassdude51]

From years of being on TalkBass, the 3 most popular P pickups are (no order).........

Fender Originals
S. Duncan SPB-1
EMG Geezers

IME, the Fender '63 pickups are a little bit on the hot side. I had a set that measured almost 12 K ohm. Most P pickups are around 10.5 K to 11 K. Generally speaking, hot pickups lack some clarity and definition. IMHO YMMV

 

[PhinDog]

From years of being on TalkBass, the 3 most popular P pickups are (no order).........

Fender Originals
S. Duncan SPB-1
EMG Geezers

IME, the Fender '63 pickups are a little bit on the hot side. I had a set that measured almost 12 K ohm. Most P pickups are around 10.5 K to 11 K. Generally speaking, hot pickups lack some clarity and definition. IMHO YMMV

I would agree with this.

 

[ThudThudThud]

My Am. Std. Jaguar has a '62 Vintage Precision and I really like it (it's also a beast in Active mode). Not sure how it compares to OPs V-Mod II pickup.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Yes - “half” tone in my simulations is 10% of the pot’s value at “full” tone. The value of the capacitor makes a bit of a difference at half tone, but nowhere near as much as people think it does. If you’ve got strings that are broken in, most folks probably wouldn’t hear the difference.

Of course, if you just changed your tone cap, you WILL hear a difference - confirmation bias is a very real thing.

If I got the tone I needed with the GZR I wouldn't have had to go through the hassle of ripping out the stock wireless kit would I? The GZR set didn't feel right to me from the first moment I tried it and at that point I didn't even know they used a .022 cap. The tone control did NOTHING for me. After I changed it to .068 I can finally use this pickup and the tone control fattens the tone like I'm used to on all my other passive P-basses. So no, it's definitely not confirmation bias but a change I simply had to make to be able to get the tone I needed from the GZR pickup.

What you're saying does make sense from a theoretical perspecive so I double-checked how far I normally lower the tone control. It's something I do by ear and I don't really think much about how far I go. I'm actually lowering it to more like 65-70% so slightly further down than my first estimate but at that point there is definitely a VERY noticable, real world difference in tone with different tone caps, no matter what any simulations say.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Allow me to toss Curtis Novak's offerings out for your consideration. I don't see a huge quantity of his stuff on the used market but it does pop up from time to time. Generally, it's someone going to a different Novak pickup.

Look at the PB-CC (Charlie Christian). It has a deep full sound with clear top end and very smooth mids. It is not a HOT overwound sound. +/- $160 + S/H direct.

Good luck!

 

[slagheap]

For several years I played a 2013 bone stock rosewood board american std P ( " custom shop " pick up, )
with DR nickel Low Riders. To me it had perfect, flawless, P sound.

 

[Pedro Cofre]

Honestly, I've also thought about changing the pickups on my fender pbass crafted in Japan (97-20). but the question is would this really improve the sound of the bass? Now let's get to reality. In my experience, the pickups that come with the factory bass don't sound bad at all, what's more, I always get the same comment when I rehearse with it and play live: "man, that bass sounds incredible." I think there are pills that are of better quality than others, but I will quote the famous phrase: "if it's not broken, don't change it"