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PV63 or SPB-1 pickups for Fender Player Precision?

danjohnson

danjohnson

Aug 31, 2016
26
10
#1
So I have a Fender Player Precision bass and I absolutely love its playability and weight, which are two things that had me worried about getting a P-Bass but now I play this one more than my Sire J. The thing is that I am not loving the pickups that came with the bass, I think that they voiced the pickups for the new series of Fender basses for a more "modern" tone and they lack the bass and low-mids of a more vintage pickup.
The demo of the American Professional in the video below sounds a bit similar to mine ,which I also have strung with flats. The bass sounds a bit "stringy" or bright for my taste, although it is not a bad sound, I am thinking of getting new pickups for mine and I am considering the Fender Pure Vintage 63 or the Seymour Duncan SPB-1 to get a more vintage sound to play blues rock and soul.

Has anyone tried any of those or have any other recommendations?




 
#2
I don't hear enough mids in those pickups. I like EMG GZRs, Fralin Standard, Dominger and Nordstrand. They all have good mids. A lot of players like the SPB-1 but in a band setting I can't hear my pitch and articulation as well as with the ones that I mentioned.
 
#8
danjohnson said:
So I have a Fender Player Precision bass and I absolutely love its playability and weight, which are two things that had me worried about getting a P-Bass but now I play this one more than my Sire J. The thing is that I am not loving the pickups that came with the bass, I think that they voiced the pickups for the new series of Fender basses for a more "modern" tone and they lack the bass and low-mids of a more vintage pickup.
The demo of the American Professional in the video below sounds a bit similar to mine ,which I also have strung with flats. The bass sounds a bit "stringy" or bright for my taste, although it is not a bad sound, I am thinking of getting new pickups for mine and I am considering the Fender Pure Vintage 63 or the Seymour Duncan SPB-1 to get a more vintage sound to play blues rock and soul.

Has anyone tried any of those or have any other recommendations?


Dan: Hard to tell how/why the bass in the video is set up for tone...or how the amp is dialled in. Maybe he likes more mids.
When I got my American Professional P bass with the V Mod pickups (which may be close to what you have in the Player) I played it through my amp using the same settings as I had with my previous P bass with Pure Vintage '63 pickups. The Am Pro did not sound the same at all.

So I spent some time experimenting with my amp (Traynor SB110) controls. To get the same sound (or close to) from the Am Pro, I had to back off the high mid and treble controls to about 11 o clock. Then I added a bit more bass and low mids (one o clock). Once I was happy with the more bassy tone, I had to increase the gain slightly to get the same volume as I had with the '63.
I also kept the bottom end on the tone control on the bass to about 75 per cent.

It's hard not to like the Pure Vintage '63 pickups. They replaced the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders in my previous P bass that I have used since the mid-80's. It had a great sound for rock etc but I wanted less mud and more mids, especially on the E string. I get that and lots of bottom end with the 63's.
However the VMod, with help from the narrower and taller frets on the American Professional bass, produces (especially on the E string) notes that are more clear than either the '63 or the Quarter Pounders.

I will be sticking with the V mods a bit longer until I can assess them in the medium-large sized hall at a bi-weekly dance I play for. If I think there is any weakness at all in the bottom end, I will replace them with the Vintage 63's.



Click to expand...
 
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#11
sgtpepper said:
If you're looking for a vintage tone, then you want to go with a Seymour Duncan SPB-1. Answering specifically to your question, I'd go with the Quarter Pound. One of the best bass pickups ever made IMO. Listen to some videos of the EMG Geezer. It is a GREAT pickup. I recently purchased one and man I'm happy.
Click to expand...

sgt: Thanks for the info. However my Pure Vintage '63's were bought to replace the SD Quarter-Pounders I had for many years in my old P bass. I got fed up with the lack of usable mid range and the muddy bottom end. The '63 cured those problems immediately.
My new American Professional P bass produces some deep and clear bottom end along with smooth mids if I want them. So all is well. The '63's became my favourite pickup until I bought the new bass recently. I will keep them in case my sound requirements change in the future.
 
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#12
martinc said:
sgt: Thanks for the info. However my Pure Vintage '63's were bought to replace the SD Quarter-Pounders I had for many years in my old P bass. I got fed up with the lack of usable mid range and the muddy bottom end. The '63 cured those problems immediately.
My new American Professional P bass produces some deep and clear bottom end along with smooth mids if I want them. So all is well. The '63's became my favourite pickup until I bought the new bass recently. I will keep them in case my sound requirements change in the future.
Click to expand...

Update to my post above: I installed the Vintage 63's on my new American Professional P bass to see how they sound. So far so good. I tweaked the height of the pickups a bit and now have a full, solid low end punch using GHS 3025 Precision Flats. Just the way I want a P bass to sound.
I also have a Yamaha BB234 with the PJ pickup configuration if I need more of a mid-range sound. I'm using Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Flats (45-100) on the BB234.
 
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#14
The Fender Ori 60 p pup + Labella LTF4A + .1uf cap + mute foam = Low cost Old school P vibe formula.


Pv63 work great with flat and roundwound bass string.
Labella + .1uf cap ( roll off tone )+ fingerstlye = fat and bassy without muddy.
Fresh 7250 + Full tone + pick style play close to neck side = Awsome sparkling P grind and punch.... punch....punch.
 
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