Ultra boutique P bass pickups

[NKBassman]

Indeed the SD Antiquity II is a wonderful sounding pickup. I owned that pickup at least twice. It's in the same ballpark than the Aguilar AG-4P60 in the sense that they both have a super warm tone with laid-back highs.

Congrats on the up coming album!

I recorded an album with a bass with that exact same combo, TI's and the Antiquity 2's. Once I got rid of said bass, my guitarist said "Why??? That was the best bass sound I've ever gotten on a recording". Congrats on the album!

Thanks! It's sort of a blues/rock/garage type sound, so maybe a little more "rockin" than you might expect from a bass with TI flats, but that's what I like about TIs. Yes there's plenty of bottom end, but there's still enough midrange content there that you can still get some character out of them. That midrange emphasis was maybe even a little too strong at first, but since they've broken in and mellowed out I like them a lot.

I'm trying to remember if I changed the pickup before or after switching to TIs. Previously was Nordstrand NP4a, and I think the mids were a little too strong on that for a true vintage flavour. I assume I changed it at the same time as the strings... that seems like something I'd do.

I've tried a lot of P pickups over the last few years, and I'm finally in a place where I can't find anything wrong with what I've got. I'm sure curiosity will get the better of me eventually, but can't see myself dumping the Antiquities before trying whatever I buy next. Honestly, I'd sooner buy another P Bass to work on than mess with what I've settled on here.

 

[Laurent]

I use both TI and Fender for flatwounds. They have different characters and are quite complimentary, actually.

I agree with you, once an instrument find its voice and balance, it's best to stop tinkering with it. My 62 AVRI P has Arcane 65 on it, my 60's AVRI P is stock, my 50's P has McNelly (wonderful pickup BTW) on it and my custom Mahogany P has Arcane 65L on it. All instruments have achieved perfect tonal output and balance and I am not touching a thing!

 

[franklindayala]

Just adquired a Moollon P. I'm a die hard fan of aero pickups. This Is the first time I'm not changing pups.

 

[NKBassman]

I use both TI and Fender for flatwounds. They have different characters and are quite complimentary, actually.

I agree with you, once an instrument find its voice and balance, it's best to stop tinkering with it. My 62 AVRI P has Arcane 65 on it, my 60's AVRI P is stock, my 50's P has McNelly (wonderful pickup BTW) on it and my custom Mahogany P has Arcane 65L on it. All instruments have achieved perfect tonal output and balance and I am not touching a thing!

I still want to try the Dunlop flats, which I've heard are very good too. But the TIs are sounding very nice these days and as I said above, I don't really want to even entertain the idea of changing anything at the moment.
First world problems!

 

[Slidlow]

Alembic should get a nod, on (outrageous) price alone. Honestly, what can you do to justify good-used-bass prices for a pickup?

For what it's worth I've had Alembic P pickups on this custom since 1985. I've always enjoyed them.

 

[TheCouchBassist]

I use both TI and Fender for flatwounds. They have different characters and are quite complimentary, actually.

I agree with you, once an instrument find its voice and balance, it's best to stop tinkering with it. My 62 AVRI P has Arcane 65 on it, my 60's AVRI P is stock, my 50's P has McNelly (wonderful pickup BTW) on it and my custom Mahogany P has Arcane 65L on it. All instruments have achieved perfect tonal output and balance and I am not touching a thing!

Laurent - how would you describe the Arcane 65L to the Arcane 65?

 

[Laurent]

I still want to try the Dunlop flats, which I've heard are very good too. But the TIs are sounding very nice these days and as I said above, I don't really want to even entertain the idea of changing anything at the moment.
First world problems!

Good idea on the Dunlop Flats, they are really good strings and I rotate them in and out of my instruments regularly. Another unsung hero in the flat world are the Ernie Ball Group III flatwounds, they feel good and sound good as well.

 

[Laurent]

Laurent - how would you describe the Arcane 65L to the Arcane 65?

The 65L sounds like an overwound version of the Experience 65. It wound a little hotter and it's more bassy. In absolute terms I would say the 65L is not as balanced as the regular 65 but it has that amazing tone and bombastic amount of bass frequencies. I have them mounted on a bass that has great tone but was a bit bass shy, so it brought the instrument in perfect balance. The 65L were a limited run I believe so they might not be as easy to find as the Experience 65. After testing a huge number of pickups (detailed in my profile) the Arcane ended up being my favorite pickups.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Is it possible to discuss vintage P bass pickups here? I have a Fender set from 1971 in my MIM P I’d like to talk about, but if this isn’t the place to do so then no worries.

 

[Laurent]

Is it possible to discuss vintage P bass pickups here? I have a Fender set from 1971 in my MIM P I’d like to talk about, but if this isn’t the place to do so then no worries.

Absolutely, why not discuss a 1971 pickup!?
My limited experience with pickups from that era is that they tend to be a bit more punchy and have hotter outputs than the 60's Fender pickups. The tone comes accross as punchy because they had more mids and not a lot of bass or not as much as 60's pickups.
They're not quite as aggressive as a Dimarzio Model P but these would not come out until 1977.
My other thought is, if you like it and it work in your MIM P don't change a thing! That pickup is now 50 years old and it's certainly vintage as far as I am concerned.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Alright, here is a 1971 Precision Bass pickup I put in my MiM P. I previously had a set of Aguilar 4P-60’s in there and I always thought they are little too tame. I bought these on TB for a great price, about $200. The tone from these is like one of those old Precision Bass necks from the 50’s and 60’s in lacquer that have been played in. It feels like the tone of these old pickups is like an old glove, something that is very comfortable and familiar. They are darker than the Aguilars, but also more punchy, Precision pickups are really hard for me to describe when solo’d, but in a band setting these excel. When I installed these, I had about a 4-6 month set of Rotosound stainless steel rounds on it, and they sounded great. I currently have a set of GHS Precision Flats on this bass and am really enjoying them. I usually put LaBella’s on P basses, but I decided to check these out as I wanted something not as muddy, mission accomplished. My Jazz Band leader noticed my tone with the 71 pups and ghs flats (once in a lifetime experience!) and he now requests I only use this bass. Same thing with the rock group I do sessions for. Hopefully this made sense, I’m currently hopped up on hospital drugs after an operation
Anywho, pics and sound recordings

Date code indicating 1971

Here they are in the bass

Here is a cover I did with the 1971 pickup of “War Pigs” Strings are previously mentioned rotosound rounds. Signal chain is Bass->Seymour Duncan Studio Compressor->garageband straight DI.
War Pigs- 71 P bass Pickup

here is an original song medley tuned in Eb standard, signal chain is same as before. Strings are roto rounds
Burden 1971 P Bass Pickup

Here is the Aguilar 4P-60’s using the same song medley. Signal chain is same as before strings are roto rounds.
Burden Bass Aguilar

Here is a recording of me playing “Aint Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations with the GHS Flats and the 71 pup. Signal chain is bass->Seymour Duncan studio compressor->Fender Rumble 500 with bass and treble set at 2:00, low mids set at 2:00, high mids set at 3:00. Recorded with a cell phone, so not the best quality.
aint too proud to beg (cover) 1971 p bass pickup

 

[Laurent]

Sounds great and the examples are textbook. The Aguilar is rounder, bigger and more bassy sounding. The 71 are more mid driven and more aggressive. Kind of lean, mean and laser focused.

As you noted, these pickups excel in a band setting. I have often noted that about Fender pickups, they are not always the prettiest thing when played solo but put them in the mix with a band and they shine. Same with the DiMarzio Model P actually; they're just another kind of monster!

Hope your operation went well and that your recovery will be fast.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Thanks! I never thought to describe them as "laser focused", but the more I listen to them, the more I agree. Recovery is going well.

 

[mgrewe12]

Hey folks,

I'm currently using a Novak PB-V in my bass (with Chrome Flats) that I use for everything. I had to put about 700-1,000 pF of capacitance to bring the resonant peak down out of the fret clank range. I have the pickups as close as possible to the strings without warble and I like what it does, but am wishing for even more punch and midrange bite. I like how the an aggressive, punchy p bass with flats sits in a variety of mixes, driving the mix forward without stepping on everybody's toes sonically.

Any pickup recommendations to get an even punchier, assertive tone that isn't muddy and slots well in a variety of mixes? I like what Novak is doing so curious if you all think any of his other pickups would get me there, if not, what might be worth trying? Set up is maple/ash Warmoth P, Noble DI, MAS1200 amp, MAS46.5 cab.

I'm really digging Reuben Rogers tone here (starts at 2:40). It seems versatile, well defined, assertive/driving, yet supportive.

 

[mgrewe12]

I may have spoke a little too soon. I was doing quite a bit more experimenting last night with EQ on the Noble, pickup height, micro capacitors, and the resistance bleeding to ground (to control the height and frequency of the resonant peak). I found two really different, but useful characters with the Novak PB-V.

First is no micro capacitors and essentially 250K pots dimed (I am getting there a different way, but that is the gist). This sits more in the mix, still driving and punchy, but shouldn't invade other instruments sonic space. No mud with flatwounds, drier thumpy tone, versatile for sure and likely my main tone until things get heavy when I...

Flip a switch to engage about 1,000 pF wired in parallel to the resistive load, now the equivalent of 500K pots. This brings the resonant peak into the grindy range of the upper mids as well as increasing the amplitude. Nice and snarly that, with a pick especially, can rip your head off. Doesn't sound the most pleasing on its own, but will keep definition in a mix where my first tone would get buried.

I think the combination of the two, switchable at the bass with no need for other EQ adjustments will be quite useful. For example, when guitarists turn on some distortion, I can immediately go to aggressive/grit mode and back when things mellow out. If this works out, I'll probably wire the two options to a 3 way switch with a mute function, no tone knob or volume. The PB-V reacts really well to changes in technique!

Playing along to recorded music with bass omitted was key to hearing the usefulness of the various resonant peaks frequency and amplitude, but I will keep experimenting in different musical settings. Stay tuned, but you might want to bring a book or four, this could be a while...

Mat

 

[MarkA]

I may have spoke a little too soon. I was doing quite a bit more experimenting last night with EQ on the Noble, pickup height, micro capacitors, and the resistance bleeding to ground (to control the height and frequency of the resonant peak). I found two really different, but useful characters with the Novak PB-V.

First is no micro capacitors and essentially 250K pots dimed (I am getting there a different way, but that is the gist). This sits more in the mix, still driving and punchy, but shouldn't invade other instruments sonic space. No mud with flatwounds, drier thumpy tone, versatile for sure and likely my main tone until things get heavy when I...

Flip a switch to engage about 1,000 pF wired in parallel to the resistive load, now the equivalent of 500K pots. This brings the resonant peak into the grindy range of the upper mids as well as increasing the amplitude. Nice and snarly that, with a pick especially, can rip your head off. Doesn't sound the most pleasing on its own, but will keep definition in a mix where my first tone would get buried.

I think the combination of the two, switchable at the bass with no need for other EQ adjustments will be quite useful. For example, when guitarists turn on some distortion, I can immediately go to aggressive/grit mode and back when things mellow out. If this works out, I'll probably wire the two options to a 3 way switch with a mute function, no tone knob or volume. The PB-V reacts really well to changes in technique!

Playing along to recorded music with bass omitted was key to hearing the usefulness of the various resonant peaks frequency and amplitude, but I will keep experimenting in different musical settings. Stay tuned, but you might want to bring a book or four, this could be a while...

Mat

Given what you say, I wonder if you might find something like a Stellartone Tonestyler useful. That's not to say that your method might not prove superior for you, but you might find it worth checking out.

 

[Laurent]

Hey folks,

I'm currently using a Novak PB-V in my bass (with Chrome Flats) that I use for everything. I had to put about 700-1,000 pF of capacitance to bring the resonant peak down out of the fret clank range. I have the pickups as close as possible to the strings without warble and I like what it does, but am wishing for even more punch and midrange bite. I like how the an aggressive, punchy p bass with flats sits in a variety of mixes, driving the mix forward without stepping on everybody's toes sonically.

Any pickup recommendations to get an even punchier, assertive tone that isn't muddy and slots well in a variety of mixes? I like what Novak is doing so curious if you all think any of his other pickups would get me there, if not, what might be worth trying? Set up is maple/ash Warmoth P, Noble DI, MAS1200 amp, MAS46.5 cab.

I'm really digging Reuben Rogers tone here (starts at 2:40). It seems versatile, well defined, assertive/driving, yet supportive.

I think the DiMarzio model P would do exactly what you want. It can be a bit much with rounds & pick but with flats it really performs well. This pickup cuts through the mix and records well. It's inexpensive and regularly pops up in the classified too.

 

[Laurent]

When it comes to Reuben Rogers, one can hear him solo just around the 30 minute mark. To my ears his pickups sound like Fender stock pickups, (Fender Precision "Original" pickup would get close) they have that upper mid spike that makes them stand out in the mix. Not always pretty solo but very effective with a band. He sounds like he's using fresh (new) round wound strings (Fenders or Ernie Ball) with his tone turned down quite a bit. What a great musician btw. A lot of the tone comes from his hands, as always...

 

[mgrewe12]

Yeah, he is such a tasteful player! I plan on experimenting with the PB-V for another month or two in order to really understand what it can and cannot do, but I'll keep the Model P rattling around in my mind as I go along. Thanks for that tip.

The tone styler is the inspiration, but I'm starting simple with just two tones (don't like having options that I won't use). If that isn't enough, I'll make my own tone styler from a rotary switch. I tried looking, but couldn't find a list of the values they use. Has anyone found a that list, or does Stellartone keep that a "trade secret"? Just a curiosity since trial and error is kinda fun...

 

[Laurent]

I tried the Stellartone several years ago and it wasn't my thing. I like the simplicity of a P bass tone control.

Also try lowering your strings, "as close as possible to the string" isn't always a good thing. Fender recommends 7 to 8/64 on the bass side and 6 to 5/64 on the treble side.