Putting together a parts P

[Laurent]

Thank you for this explanation. It's interesting to note how we all relate to tone woods.
It's also oh so true that most tone wood elements get lost in the mix. I am happy to be able to hear myself so when it comes to hearing the tonal differences between woods in a live mix, it's a bit far fetched!

I have been experimenting with various wood combinations and I stumbled into something different when I started using walnut. My current build is a body made of a single piece of walnut, not two or three pieces glued together. I did French Polishing with shellac as a finish. I wanted something relatively thin, non toxic and that would let the wood express it's character. The first thing I noted about walnut is not so much the tone but how it cuts in the mix. Instead of sitting in the mix, it sits on the top of the mix. It kind of takes over even at moderate volume. I had not experienced that with any other wood. The wood is noted for doing that but it's amazing to experience it.

Then I tried a maple neck with rosewood and a full maple neck. Again I could hear some serious differences. The maple fret board carrying more highs, being more growly, more throaty, articulate. The rosewood fretboard was more wooly and warm with more bass. Strings and pickup were exactly the same. I just changed the neck. Both necks are made by Fender and have the exact same dimensions. I had not done this test before and was surprised by the outcome.

Out of the two, I think the maple fretboard is a better combination with the walnut but the instrument sounds great either way. I am interested in testing ebony and Pau Ferro fretboards next.

 

[bobbybass85]

I am able to comment on the Aguilar Hot. I currently own this pickup and I have owned the 4P-60 in the past. Note I sold this pickup to test something else not because I did not like it. In fact I liked it a lot.

Both pickup are really different. The Aguilar 4P-60 sounds a lot like a great vintage sounding pickup. To compare it with currently available pickups I would say it sounds a lot like a Lollar which is a feat since Aguilar is new to the pickup world. In general the 4P-60 is warm sounding with nice highs and perfect balance. The Aguilar Hot is a completely different animal. It has the biggest bass I've heard on a P bass pickup. The highs are limited but it's not completely absent. It's super musical and has nice punch. Live, it can overwhelm the mix with the amount of bass, you have to cut down the bass on the amp to bring things back in balance. For studio or for living room playing this pickup is a joy because it almost acts like a loudness correction. Instant big bass at moderate volume.

I often see pickups as tone correctors for instruments. So, if you have a bass that lacks bass frequencies, this pickup would fix it. It's not a middle of the road pickup but it sounds really beautiful and it's very good at what it's intended to do.

Kudos to Aguilar for another success and for creating something different.

Thanks Laurent! I appreciate the insight. Personally I find myself leaning on the high mids (750hz-1Khz) more for the treble content than actual "true" high freqs. Does the Hot do alright here?

My only concern is the bass response. Most of where I play is in a big church auditorium and taming the bass is an absolute must. That being said, I'm up for the challenge of taming the uber lows to add some heft to the over all tone... but the obvious choice is to get another P-bass and keep the 4P-60 where it is... please don't tell my wife. Haha

 

[Laurent]

Yes the Aguilar hot will be fine in the 750hz-1Khz) zone but I think you will get protest if you try to use this pickup in a church. My guitar player said "outdoors only" if that means something.
I would recommend you look at the regular Lollar pickup. It's a wonderful sounding pickup and it will be perfectly at home for church music. I would recommend you have different pickups in different basses, that will give you a broader tonal palette and keep your ears fresh. Our ears love variety..

PS: Your wife won't hear a word from me!