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Two tone Shootout

Which pickup spins your wheels?

  • 1

    Votes: 14 50.0%

  • 2

    Votes: 14 50.0%
  • Total voters
    28
tonymcbony

tonymcbony

Mar 21, 2006
676
526
#1
Which pickups do you like better?

This is going straight into a Tc Electronic Konnekt and then into Logic. No Eq, effects, anything, just the straight signal. Bone-dry.

I play 3 segments, 1st is fingerstyle, tone up. 2nd is Picked, tone up. 3rd is fingerstyle tone down. I have reasonably new roundwound strings on.
Bass is an 03' Fender Precision, all stock barring pups.
#1 is a Nordstrand NP4, #2 are Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders
Now which do you like the most? Hazard a guess as to what you think each one is!

Soundclip 1
Soundclip 2
 
#2
tonymcbony said:
Which pickups do you like better?

This is going straight into a Tc Electronic Konnekt and then into Logic. No Eq, effects, anything, just the straight signal.

I play 3 segments, 1st is fingerstyle, tone up. 2nd is Picked, tone up. 3rd is fingerstyle tone down. I have reasonably new roundwound strings on.
Bass is an 03' Fender Precision, all stock barring pups.

Now which do you like the most?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
Where do I go to listen to the clips?
 
#12
Ski3223 said:
To me, 1 sounds like you've got flats on and the second sounds like rounds. I would go with the first pickup cause I think it'll cut through better. But the second sounds better alone. Tough choice.
Click to expand...

:confused:It sounds the opposite to me.

Number one is brighter, and number two is dead, so that means number one is more like rounds and number two is more like flats.
But he said he was using rounds.

Also, number one definitely sounds better alone.
 
#16
tonymcbony said:
Good responses so far.

Seems most people aren't into the tones.
What about them don't you like?
Click to expand...

I do like Tone #1. It's very aggressive and mid-growly, great P Bass tone.

#2 sounds like a P Bass with a lot of tone or EQ control to dampen some of that aggression. It's nice, but I can see it becoming very generic in the mix. Which some people prefer BTW. But not me.
 
#17
electracoyote said:
I do like Tone #1. It's very aggressive and mid-growly, great P Bass tone.

#2 sounds like a P Bass with a lot of tone or EQ control to dampen some of that aggression. It's nice, but I can see it becoming very generic in the mix. Which some people prefer BTW. But not me.
Click to expand...

I agree. #1 has a nice bright edge and is very defined, but the deep lows are somewhat reduced. I like this sound the best and I think it would cut the mix the best. But one would have to assume that you could boost the deep lows just a tad with EQ.

#2 has a much more rounded and deeper sound. The deep lows are MUCH stronger. This gives it a much better solo tone, but the down side is that deeper rounded tone is bordering on "muddy" to a tiny degree. Hence the "hi fi" definition of #1 is clearly reduced. The problem with #2 is that while Bass can be added to #1 with EQ I don't think you can "unround" the tone of #2 with EQ.

So for these reasons I chose #1. Though both have a nice tone and their place. I know lots of people who would be happy with either tone!
 
#18
#1 is very much like my P with an SPB-1. It's middy and has some lows. It sits very well in a mix. I like it.

#2 ehhhh. It's deeper, kind of scooped, but no me gusta. It makes me think motownier with the first part. The middle... ew. I don't like it. With tone rolled off, they sound the same to me.
 
#19
cassius987 said:
...but I think #2 is a better tone in a band setting...
Click to expand...

I never understand this statement. I use the same sound soloed as in a band setting. A good bass sound is a good bass sound.

If you have to alter your tone to cut through, then the guitar player needs to turn the low end off on his amp!
 
#20
SGD Lutherie said:
I never understand this statement. I use the same sound soloed as in a band setting. A good bass sound is a good bass sound.

If you have to alter your tone to cut through, then the guitar player needs to turn the low end off on his amp!
Click to expand...

Every so often, I'll be on stage and for many reasons I don't even want to begin to analyze or remedy, my bass is just not cutting through. It could be room acoustics, frequency combing or filtering, or something else.

On those occasions, I usually grab my P Bass, or wish that I could.

YMMV
 

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