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Ultra boutique P bass pickups
- Thread starter Laurent
- Start date
I love the regular Lollar. I had swapped between that and the overwound on two different basses. I much preferred the regular on both. Fantastic pickup.
I also have an Olinto P with Mas Hino's pickup, which is excellent and step above for me, but it's probably more due to the bass as a whole than the pickup itself.
My experience was a bit of the opposite. Which is why its great that we have so many choices out there. Played live(festivals and club gigs), I found the Lollar to be at times(depending on the music/band) too smooth and lose definition in a busy mix. The Novak stays clear and present and really sits nicely with a clear mid range. Still haven't tried the Arcane. I'd like to check that one out.
I have not. I spoke to one Talkbass member who was not that impressed with it compared with the 65.
In general I do not like late 50's Pickup if they are true to style. They tend to be too trebbly for me.
All that being said my comments are speculations since I have not tried the 57.
I really dig the David Allen CS P pickups I have in one of my Precision bass if they fit in ultra-boutique classification.
This has been a fun thread to follow.
I have an Obsidianwire solderless harness in my AmPro Precision. As some of you know I recently installed a Novak PB-90. The last few days I’ve read a lot of P-Bass pickup threads. One pickup that was mentioned numerous times, but is hardly “boutique” is the Seymour Duncan SPB-1. I decided to buy one as they are so inexpensive. I just installed it about an hour ago and I’ll be.... it is a REALLY nice sounding pickup. I realize it’s a bit like the Dimarzio Model P in that it’s neither new or sexy, but man lesson learned that you don’t need to spend $150 on P-Bass pickup. If anyone would like my PB-90 let me know (it’s yours if you pay for shipping). By the way, the SPB-1 really does make me wonder what Fender is thinking with their stock pickup offerings these days. It’s almost like they are getting too cute with some of their ideas. The SPB-1 utterly blows the V-Mod out of the water and it’s a $75 pickup.
I have an Obsidianwire solderless harness in my AmPro Precision. As some of you know I recently installed a Novak PB-90. The last few days I’ve read a lot of P-Bass pickup threads. One pickup that was mentioned numerous times, but is hardly “boutique” is the Seymour Duncan SPB-1. I decided to buy one as they are so inexpensive. I just installed it about an hour ago and I’ll be.... it is a REALLY nice sounding pickup. I realize it’s a bit like the Dimarzio Model P in that it’s neither new or sexy, but man lesson learned that you don’t need to spend $150 on P-Bass pickup. If anyone would like my PB-90 let me know (it’s yours if you pay for shipping). By the way, the SPB-1 really does make me wonder what Fender is thinking with their stock pickup offerings these days. It’s almost like they are getting too cute with some of their ideas. The SPB-1 utterly blows the V-Mod out of the water and it’s a $75 pickup.
They do fit this category and came up a number of times earlier in this thread.
The David Allen CS P 1088 is by far my favorite Precision pickup. I had it on a P bass with Sadowsky Black Label flats and it was magic. Had that old school thump with piano-like highs. My go-to strings on every other bass are TI Jazz Flats, but the Sadowski Black Labels worked better on that bass.
I completely regret selling that bass but I wanted to move to a Precision with a '62 style neck that would be closer to the Fender CS '54 neck width I have. If I am able to find a Fender AVRI '62, I am installing a David Allen CS P without a doubt. (And I hoarded several sets of the Black Label flats when they were discontinued.)
Sorry to hear about your experience with them this way, I guess I ordered mine before this and I still believe they are amazing PU's and I wish you could have experience the same...
Oh I’m sure they are amazing pickups. I’m sure he’s a great guy as well. I was pumped when I placed my order for a set, but my experience since then hasn’t been the best.
I had an Allen in my Bluesman Vintage P bass. Nice but to me the Lollar is warmer and sweeter.
The Allen has more forward mids and not the low mid push that the Lollar has.
Both nice just my opinion.
The Allen has more forward mids and not the low mid push that the Lollar has.
Both nice just my opinion.
So, I just saw that David Allen Pickups DID process my refund request on the day I made it.
For some reason, I never received an email from PayPal (or a response back from David Allen Pickups), but just wanted to correct my earlier posting
For some reason, I never received an email from PayPal (or a response back from David Allen Pickups), but just wanted to correct my earlier posting
Hey everyone.
Just trying to breathe some life into this thread (as I’ve really enjoyed it).
Has anyone tried anything new as of late?
I went from the stock V-Mod to Novak PB-90 to SD SPB-1. I absolutely LOVE the SPB-1 which is a bit ironic as it’s not unique, boutique or expensive. Now that I think about it some of the more popular pickups fit that same description (DiMarzio Model P, EMG GZR, Wilde P46, SD-SPB-4). Obviously some of that is price-point and being readily available, but a lot of it is that they are great pickups. I plan to try some of the pickups below at some point (if any of you have tried any of these, then please chime in):
Just trying to breathe some life into this thread (as I’ve really enjoyed it).
Has anyone tried anything new as of late?
I went from the stock V-Mod to Novak PB-90 to SD SPB-1. I absolutely LOVE the SPB-1 which is a bit ironic as it’s not unique, boutique or expensive. Now that I think about it some of the more popular pickups fit that same description (DiMarzio Model P, EMG GZR, Wilde P46, SD-SPB-4). Obviously some of that is price-point and being readily available, but a lot of it is that they are great pickups. I plan to try some of the pickups below at some point (if any of you have tried any of these, then please chime in):
- Klein Epic 59
- Flying-Mojo The Duck Pre-CBS
- Flying-Mojo The Duck CBS
- Bare Knuckle 58
I want to give a shout-out and a BIG thank-you to Mr Ross McLochness for his generosity in passing on a Novak PB90 to try out in my 32"-scale Squier. The Squier is a cool little bass but the Novak has transformed it into a very different beast... massive low mids, mellow trebles, a completely different feel to the attack - it's quite the transformation. It's akin to tossing a torquey V8 into a Nissan hatchback. I can't wait to give it a proper run on stage... I have a now-and-then dep with a loud 50s rock'n'roll band that I think it may be just perfect for.
Thank you once again Ross for passing this one forward, gestures like yours make TB a special place.
Thank you once again Ross for passing this one forward, gestures like yours make TB a special place.
I have not been lucky enough to try any of those. The BK 58 has definitely been on my radar, as has The Creamery, another UK brand... they have a good rep and build a 11.6k 50s model and a 10.5k 60s one, and their prices come in at two-thirds that of BK. Oil City is another builder I would like to ask for a P pickup – Ash is a great guy.
For quite a few years my 1982 Squier JV has carried a regular-wind Lollar, a really nice all-round pickup. The MIJ original was useable but the replacement has a lot more air and detail while still being able to nail that 60s flatwound thing I love. I've also enjoyed Lollars in Strats and Teles and to me his work always seems to be vintage-ballpark but very even, with a well-controlled bass, sweet trebles and what you might describe as a slight 'pro-grade shine'... and, frankly, I could always use a little of that.
As a longtime lurker on this thread it's been nice to feel the backup from other Lollar fans, though this is a dangerous place, and I have at times felt a strong urge to compare it with a PB-V, a Fralin, an Arcane 65, a Klein or now the SPB-1 that is working out so well for you... we shall see!
Hey no problem man. I’m glad to hear it worked out as well as it did.
The PV-63 seems slightly darker than the PB-V. It doesn’t sound bad though. Of the two I prefer the Novak. Great post, thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for sharing. Great comparison.
I have and really like the PV63 but have been really curious about the Novak due to amazing reviews here.
Both of them sound great in these clips. I prefer the PV63
What is your recording setup and strings?
