Review: Bootstrap Palo Alto '51 P

I haven't seen anyone mention Bootstrap pickups here, so I thought I'd talk about the new Palo Alto single coil P-bass pickup I recently installed in my Japan made Blue Flower P-bass.

Bootstrap has been making the rounds in other forums for its great tone and low prices. The Palo Alto was $34.99, so even with the import tax to the UK it was still only half the price of a Fralin '51 P. I can easily say it's my new favourite pickup brand and I currently have them installed in both my P-bass and my Telecaster.

CONSTRUCTION

The pole pieces are evenly staggered as opposed to original which has staggered A and D strings. This changes the tone character slightly, more on that below. The construction feels reassuring with vintage style pushback cloth wire and a thick baseplate (thicker than the original) with the brand and model name handwritten on the back. I opted for black string wrap, but you can also get white or without. At this price I expected to see some cut corners, but it turned out to be better constructed than the original pickup.

SOUND

If I could describe the sound with one word I'd call it musical. To my ears the sound is a bit more modern, but that's not a bad thing even for a vintage reissue instrument. Where the original pickup had a bit more thump, the Palo Alto has more projection and clarity. The low end is nice and tight with each note ringing clear, and it's a bit louder than the original. I find that I can dial in a multitude of tones just by playing with the tone knob (.0047 Orange Drop replacement) and it works equally well played finger style or with a pick.

PRICE

At £34.99 the Palo Alto is one of the cheapest single coil P-bass replacements out there. I honestly ordered this pickup and a Telecaster set on a whim, thinking I'd simply give them all away if I didn't like them. (Sadly no giveaways this time!)

I wouldn't hesitate putting this pickup in a more premium instrument than my Japan reissue. For a Squier or used instrument it's a no brainer.

VERDICT

I'm very happy with this pickup. It sounds great, costs next to nothing and I got excellent customer service from Ryan. Interestingly Bootstrap doesn't currently offer a split Precision pickup, so if you're a Precision guy the Palo Alto is your only option.

The only reason I'd get something more expensive was if I absolutely needed a hum-cancelling pickup and was willing to pay $130 or more for a Nordstrand, Novak or Fralin. For all other purposes I highly recommend the Palo Alto.

The Palo Alto together with the Palo Duro Telecaster set: