Serious opinions on which pickups to buy

[Chubby Fingers]

The Yamaha TRBX174EW.

Budget $150 or under.

Option 1 - stock pickups. Not particularly punchy and the tones from the bridge and neck pickups aren't that different.

Option 2 - Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder P+J set. About $140.

Option 3 - DiMarzio Model P+J set. About $130.

Option 4 - Fender Yosemite set. About $95.

Option 5 - your suggestions. Change one or both, mix and match, etc.

No smartass or snobbery please.

I can handle the soldering.

 

[kodiakblair]

First thing.

Try different strings and use your amp EQ. Play with the heights. Some folks will change the cap value .

That's not being a SA. There was a common thread on TB years back where folks would buy SX basses from Rondo as modding platforms. First thing most intended doing was pickup swaps, Seymour Duncans were the favourite.

More than a few went back to stock pickups and the posts changed from

"I've this SX and I'ved swapped X,Y & Z on it " to " I've this SX, I changed the strings"


Swapping like for like i.e. PJs for PJs is rarely a ground breaking moment,the inherent character of the bass remains the same. Slightly different if you go with a different magnet, say your Yamaha has ceramics then alnico is a bit mellower.

 

[Chubby Fingers]

Strings already changed to nickel flatwounds. Easier on the fingers but not much change in tone.

Tried adjusting the pickup heights -which helped a little but not much - and twiddling the knobs on the amp too.

 

[Laurent]

In a PJ set, your issue is balance between the two pickups; changing one pickup will create more issues than solve them.

I am not sure what you are aiming for tonally but you mentioned punch. If you are looking for punch and value, the Dimarzio model PJ set is wonderful. If you are looking for something more vintage, I would go towards the Aguilar PJ set. I have owned both in the past as well as many many different pickups.

 

[Chubby Fingers]

Yes punch.

I had heard the Seymour Duncan's could sound "muddy".

 

[kodiakblair]

Strings already changed to nickel flatwounds. Easier on the fingers but not much change in tone.

Did you change from dead roundwounds ?

That's the only way I can think of where you'd find little difference.

 

[Chubby Fingers]

I changed from the crapola strings the thing came with to d'Addario chrome flatwound. Mainly because the originals felt like bandsaw blades.

I think the original pickups have all the sensitivity of a low flying cinder block, which is why they both sound pretty much the same and why changing strings made little difference - you couldn't tell a violin from a viola if you're deaf.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

EMG Geezer Butler PJ set.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

EMG GZR-PJ set. I bet they can be had for $150 if you snoop around, and they sound WAY better to my ears than anything in your list. Everything people like about 60s Fenders and nothing most people don't, dead quiet, with a little bit of added high- and low-frequency extension. Punchy as they come, and very sweet-sounding if you want them to be. My Fender-style pickup search is over, and I've tried some REALLY nice pickups.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Yes punch.

I had heard the Seymour Duncan's could sound "muddy".

That's been my personal experience, but once you dial it out, they're roaring monsters. Don't know if that's what you're after, they're pretty aggressive.

 

[funkinbottom]

A friend of mine put Delano in his parts P/J and sound incredible. They are the P-mvc and J-mvc. The larger pole pieces kind

 

[kodiakblair]

Strings already changed to nickel flatwounds.

I changed from the crapola strings the thing came with to d'Addario chrome flatwound.

Chromes are stainless steel.

Maybe rethink your violin/viola quib .

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

@Thegrandwazoo, thank you for your post.

About 4 months ago, I got a Squire Classic Vibe P Bass, which I really like. I installed a set of GHS Precision Flats; even better. I've been thinking about going with a set of EMG GZR's.
I see them get a lot of love around here, but I wasn't sure how much bottom end they'd add. You've answered my question.

Thanks, Brother.

 

[DavC]

a punchy combo for my jazz bass - Roto 77 monel flats & Model J pups ( ceramic )

more mellow J has - Ti flats & DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pups ( alnico II )


not 100% sure on pup mags ... best guess from older fried brain cells .. !!

 

[Chubby Fingers]

Chromes are stainless steel.

Maybe rethink your violin/viola quib .

Yes before my second morning coffee I thought I'd put nickels on but on checking the packaging I realized they're "chromes". And no I wasn't expecting chrome like my bumpers of old and yes I know they're stainless.

And no if you're DEAF how the neck would you know a violin from a frigging slide trombone? The point is if a sensor, in this case a pickup, isn't sensitive enough it won't detect small changes in the input signal.

 

[Chubby Fingers]

EMG GZR-PJ set.

The bits on YouTube (yeah I know) sound a bit too, well, Geezer Butler for me. More of a Steve Harris guy, but I'm averse to buying celeb-endorsed anything. Except my Tiger Woods golfing underpants of course - they make my putting so much better...

 

[P Cheen]

Budget $150 or under?
Seymour Duncan SPB-1 and SJB-1! If you want versatility don't get hot wind, unless you're really into that.
They're called 'vintage' but they're anything but that.

 

[micguy]

The Dimarzios are hum cancelling - both of them. Ive had Dimarzio model J's and P's in my basses in my herd since 1982. They're thick sounding, but if you want snappy, parallel wiring (they have 4 conductor wiring) is easy to do. In between sounds you can get by loading parallel wired pickups with loading capacitors.

I rewire people's basses for them (long story). I use Dimarzio P's and J's a lot of times in some very high end basses (Lakland USA's, for example). Although the initial reaction to the idea is sometimes weird, I hand them one of my basses that has those pickups in it - "here, play this", and they get over their initial reticence quickly.

I also use a lot of Nordstrands, which would work very well, but aren't in your budget.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

@Thegrandwazoo, thank you for your post.

About 4 months ago, I got a Squire Classic Vibe P Bass, which I really like. I installed a set of GHS Precision Flats; even better. I've been thinking about going with a set of EMG GZR's.
I see them get a lot of love around here, but I wasn't sure how much bottom end they'd add. You've answered my question.

Thanks, Brother.

I've never heard a Squier Classic Vibe, to my knowledge, but I'd wager they'll thicken and sweeten its tone noticeably. I've put them in an eighties Japanese Jazz Bass Special and an American Performer Precision (also some cheapie Ibanez, etc. basses, but that's a given) and they've done just that. More bottom, more top, but not too much. Lots of punch, midrange growl if you want it, and very musical and articulate. They come with their own solderless pots, and those work very well and feel like nice quality pots, very useable tone knob.

 

[spantini]

EMG GZR-PJ set. I bet they can be had for $150 if you snoop around..

+1^

I put these in my RBX along with some fat flatwounds. Very happy with them.