Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter pound Pickup

You should try it.
Lot ppl claim SPB-3 sound scoop and modern. But, sometime it sound right if your bass guitar come with bright mid tone charactor.

 

I wouldn't count on it

 

...because?
...

 

Depends on your tone goals. I've done that swap before on an Affinity P. There's not a better/worse answer here. Vintage - probably the OEM Squier. Aggressive - SPB-3

 

Because bland and bright generally sounds better than boomy, mid scooped and a harsh high end.

 

Fair enough, and good to know. I have an SJB-3B paired with a late '80s Bill Lawrence P-601. I like the SJB-3B (which is anything but mid-scooped) and have been considering (on and off) the SPB-3 to go with it, but mid-scoop with a harsh top is something I really don't want - the P-601 is neither of these things and I know it's a keeper - I was just curious.

 

I dig em. I always will choose bold and authoritative vs weak & bland.

 

Do it. At that price you can easily recoup your cost should you not find it to be an improvement. You would be out 30 minutes with a soldering iron and a screwdriver should you decide to reverse the mod. I would be willing to bet you do find it to be an improvement but it is extremely subjective. I had the SPB-3 in my P-bass for years. I recently swapped in an Antiquity II but I enjoyed the QPs for probably 5 years~.

 

If it doesn't work, just flip it in the marketplace here.

For science!

 

I'd look for a used SPB-1 or SPB-4 first...heck, even the Fender Originals can be had around here for about that much. The QP is kind of geared toward a certain aggressive style of music and I found that to make it suit more common styles, it took a heck of a lot of EQ...and even that is an excerisise in futility because you can't really add (low mids) what isn't there to begin with without exaggerating the less desirable frequencies. Then again, you may love it. While it will most likely be a departure from your current pickup, whether it's better is highly debatable.

 

+1 spb-1, it's the best aftermarket P pickup i've ever heard and i've tried many

 

I hated the spb3 worst pickup duncan offers. The stock squier pickup was better in my old vm p bass...

 

I've always liked Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. When my stock 1976 p'up died unceremoniously in it's sleep one night sometime in 1985, I popped in a 1/4er pounder. They were fairly new and getting rave reviews in all the magazines for their extended tonal range and high output. I love mine. Still going strong 30 years later.

 

SPB1 all the way.

 

The QPs can be really polarizing, for guitarists as well as bassists. Fortunately, there are choices out there.

 

The liver and onions of bass pickups. You either hate them or love them, there is no in between.

 

Haha, great way of putting it!! FYI I hate liver and onions. I don't mind the QPs for the right music.

 

I use Quarter Pounders in my Squier P-Bass - I like them a hell of a lot better than the stock ones.

John

 

You may or may not like the Quarter Pounders depending on your tonal goals, they have a slight scoop in the low mids but strong high mids and treble, if brightness and clarity are important to you then the Quarter pound pickup is a good choice. The below link gives a good idea of what to expect