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SD SPB-4 vs Wilde/Bill Lawrence P-46

SPB-4 vs P-46?

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    49
#21
Bill Lawrence wound a P-46 himself for me not long before his passing.
I thought it was a noticeably well voiced pick up, with plenty of output. Not what I'd call vintage sounding though, which is what I was seeking for that bass. Almost modern sounding in comparison, (verging on hi-fi but not quite), having a pretty wide frequency range, reminiscent of emg's only passive and not active. No experience with the SPB4.
 
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#23
bassdude51 said:
Don't quite know what the definition of "clang" is but you mentioned that you like the sound of the late 50s P pickups. Based on that, the SPB-1 is supposed to be made like the late 50s P Bass. $89 eBay.

A pretty big jump to go from the Fender PV '58, Duncan SPB-1 and Duncan Antiquity I to the SPB-4 which is kind of a hot wound pickup. Hot pickups usually have less high end. The Fender PV '63 might be a better transition than the SPB-4.

I know nothing about the P-46 but it does have a low henry rating which kind of means bright.

Just my advice, strings are the most critical factor in sound. Perhaps a different brand of string will give you your "clang".

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I guess when I mean "clang" Im searching for piano like low end. Clear and round with some warmth. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of the treble to gain that low end I hear in my head. I have considered the Fender PV 63, it does sound good but I find it overly warm sounding. I could get brighter strings and use a smaller value cap, but I would rather get something thats close to what I want and tweak from there, compared to something I know before buying that Im going to have make changes immediately.
 
#27
Trimshaw said:
Good to know. I do occasionally play some jazz (like swing or big band) and 50s tunes, would you say the SPB-4 can manage it without being overly aggressive?
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I don't play those genres, so difficult for me to say however, i find that technique contributes to pickup aggression more than not so depending on your playing style, I'd be surprised if you couldn't coax usable tones out of the SPB-4 for any genre.
 
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#28
gidbass said:
I don't play those genres, so difficult for me to say however, i find that technique contributes to pickup aggression more than not so depending on your playing style, I'd be surprised if you couldn't coax usable tones out of the SPB-4 for any genre.
Click to expand...

I guess can it manage cleans well without distorting under max volume and tone?
 
#29
If you’re changing pickups for a different sound, the Wilde is more likely to give you that than the Geezer. The Geezer is a minor twist on what you already have, the Wilde is different.

The quarter pounder has a bit more output than most P pickups, but has more magnetic pull - and thus a bit less sustain. I have tried one, wasn’t impressed at all.
 
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#31
I'm going to respectfully disagree that the SPB-1 has strong mids, I found it noticeably scooped and Seymour Duncan themselves say it is scooped (there tone chart shows Bass 5, Mids 4, Treble 5), if you are after mids then the SPB-4 would be a better option and if you really, really like mids nothing has more mids than the SPB-2
 
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#33
Lots of great information being had here, and thanks to everyone! Im still on the fence unfortunately. I have been listening to the sound clips again and reading the posts on here and I think the SPB-1 might be back in the race haha. But I think what I would do is try out 500k or 1M volume pots to help bring up the volume.
 
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#35
No experience with the P-46 model, but I have the SPB-4 in my CV 70's P, and I love em. The way the P-46 is being described in this thread makes me think the sound would be fairly comparable, if that helps even a little. Really clear, pretty middy, yet can still produce that depth to shake the rafters. Plenty of that clank if you want it. I'm a bit biased, but considering my personal experience with the SPB-4's, that model gets my vote :thumbsup:.

I'm curious to know which one you decide on.
 
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#37
After much consideration I think I'm going to pass on the P-46 (at least for now). However I am reconsidering the SPB-1. My main issue with it is it lacks the output that the SPB-4 has. I know I can raise it, but I'm curious how much more output will I get before it hits the strings.
 
#39
I have a P46 and love it. It has clarity and depth, which are welcome here, as I don't care for the 'usual' P bass tonality with my J bass tuned ears.
However, I also do like the SPB1-it's pretty similar to the P46. The SPB4 has relatively more mids, less highs, and a touch more output. It's like a slightly overwound vintage pickup, great sounding.
 
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