Steve Harris vs Aguilar 4P-Hot

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Dear friends;

I prefer light round strings, so I like to use somewhat hotter pickups on my P basses for tonal compensation.

I recently got an American Std P with Seymour Duncan SPB-4 (Steve Harris) pickups installed. They seem vintage-y yet low-mid heavy, and do what I want them to do. Lacks a little clarity / top end, but nothing a small EQ tweak can't solve.

I installed Aguilar AG-4P's "just because", and as I was expecting, they sounded thin(ner) to me. So, Steve Harris got its place back for now.

Here comes the question: I got my eyes on Aguilar AG 4P-HOT pickups - hoping them to be low-mid-heavy like SPB-4 but more articulate.

Does anyone have experience with both of those pickups?

I'm also open to further suggestions.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Anyone?

 

[jeff62]

Can't offer anything about the Aggie's but will advise that, as a Steve Harris pickup owner/lover, there is no need to GAS for another P pickup. The Steve Harris has a permanent spot in my arsenal alongside another P with a Lollar (sweet, traditional P) and dual Dimarzio Model P's in another bass. I've got each flavor and it's nirvana.

 

[simongpaez]

My bass changed dramatically when I installed the EMG GRZ pickups, I love them and it is very easy to install and not that expensive, worth every penny

 

[sonojono]

Sounds like you want Dimarzios for the sound you’re going for.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Sounds like you want Dimarzios for the sound you’re going for.

Which DiMarzio do you recommend?

 

[Bolsyo]

You could also try 500k pots if you want more clarity. Also experiment with pickup height.

 

[sonojono]

Which DiMarzio do you recommend?

DP126 Model P. They recommend 500k pots with their pickups

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

I have (embarrassingly) solved the clarity issue. It was not the pickup at all. I'm sharing the solution hoping that it might help others in the future as well.

The problem was neither the pickup itself nor the pickup height - they are set low enough (3.25mm bass side, 2.5mm treble side). The problem was the compressor. With a new pickup, I should have re-adjusted the threshold of my beloved Cali76, but I have simply overlooked this simple basic step

My threshold for the former pickups was not suitable for SPB-4's, and the compressor simply choked the sound. After a small re-adjustment, I can hear the wood and clear notes again.

Thanks for your suggestions, nevertheless!