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Ultra boutique P bass pickups
- Thread starter Laurent
- Start date
It's also related to the bass, some basses can make pickups sound blend or simply bad. I experienced just that this week-end, I paired one of my best pickup with one of my best bass and the combination sounded bad. I switched pickups and basses again and the new combinations sounded great. When the frequency peaks of an instruments are mismatched to the one generated by the pickup, it leads to bad sounding combinations. The opposite is true as well, some bass and pickup combinations are just super flattering to the ear.
Leave them where they are; got a set of Klein Epic ‘59 as you know, which are not very high in output but ok; they shine in that their tone is very articulated and overall always nice to the hears.
On another P-bass I have the Fender PV ‘63; wow! That is the pickup that would ideally complement the Klein in your case, I believe.
This, of course, is just my personal taste
My Klein Epic '58 is staying right where it is, 100% sure. I wish I could order the '59 and '62 varieties as well and feel at ease or assured as far as the transaction/customer service/delivery aspect of it goes.
I've seen many P players rave positively about the Fender PV '63 and they are quite reasonably priced. The Fender CS '62 I found just happened to be a few dollars less than the typical American retail price for the PV '63. I may yet try the PV '63 though; TBD.
For this particular P bass, that I'm switching pickups in, I'm considering also switching to GHS Precision flats or LaBella DTF.
//I hope what I wrote here makes enough sense; it's very early morning here and I haven't had my morning espresso yet! That's another little hobby (addiction?) of mine.
I recently saw a new one, with all of the particular specs I'd like, listed for $2,700 online from a shop in Hollywood.
It was very tempting to entertain the idea of going to try it out to buy. Fortunately, someone else bought it so I can put that out of my mind, sort of...
That's another mysterious wrinkle in this matter. It may be that this one particular P bass I own + the Lollar pickups + Dunlop flats don't play well together, for whatever reason.
Yes it's a random thing. That's why you read about great musicians of the late 60's going to a store and trying every guitar in stock to find one they particularly liked. We often think that precious or figured woods, quarter sawn necks and all these fancy things make an instrument sound better but I am not convinced. I think it's serendipity or the lucky marriage of elements that sound good together; it's the case anyways for most instruments made in quantity.
Thanks for all of this great info! I'm putting together another P bass and will be trying a few of these.
Funny about your experience with the David Allen and Sadowsky Black Label Flats. I was trying various options on a previous P bass I owned a few years back and that exact combination worked wonderfully on that bass. I have a David Allen P1088 sitting here ready to try in this new build as well as a PV63. Will probably get the Klein 62 as well.
I actually thought of your posts when I put those strings on. Part of me wonders if Chromes or Fender flats would work better with them or maybe it is just that bass? With rounds I thought that pickup sounded incredible so who knows. I will likely wind up with two split coil basses, one flats one rounds, and will be a little work to get the pairing right.
I actually have a spreadsheet that lists the bass, which pickup (or pickup combination in basses with 2), cap value, and string brand/gauge set. When a bass is just right, I note it and keep that combination in/on that bass and call it done. Still have plenty of work to get done of them just right. Add to that I’m in 2 bands and play songs in E standard/drop D, Eb standard/drop Db, and D standard/drop C.
Getting the right strings on the ones in those lower tunings to feel just right is a challenge.
Interesting. So does your experience of matching bass/pickups/strings mirrors my experience in this field?
I would love to read you wisdom on this topic.
I have A LOT of early ‘70’s Fender P-Basses and most are set up as double P with a 2nd P-Bass in the bridge position. I have Lindy, Lollar, Duncan, Arcane, Klein, Novak. But, I feel like the first thing is the strings. I’m a finger player and getting the right set and gauge on a given bass so it feels good and sounds good acoustically is a good starting point. I’m only in rock bands at the moment, and while I get all my basses sounding good through a small tube amp and cabinet when practicing solo, it’s a different story when I’m at the studio playing at volume with the guitar(s), drums and vocals. So that is always my testing ground.
In most cases, in my 2 pickup basses, whether a Jazz or double P, I have standard wound set in the neck and 5% over in the bridge. I like the mid-scoop of two pickups, and getting a little more from the bridge gives a good balance. On fenders I’m always trying to get more umph from my notes played on the D and G string.
It’s hard to describe why a pickup (or pickups) work, I just know that once I get the right combo of pickups, strings, etc, I keep that one with those pickups/strings. Sometimes rounds aren’t right, so I do flats, or try heavier strings and tune down, and use it for the other band. Sometimes no matter what I try, I just don’t get what I want and, as much as I love the look of a bass, I (usually reluctantly) end up selling.
I have one that I recently have struggled with, and after running two original ‘70’s Fender pickups, then a pair of Arcane 65 Experience pickups, and not digging those, I finally put a Novak PB-90 in the neck and a Novak PB-CC (P-90 style) in the bridge. This seems to be working well. I had both of the Novaks in one of my single pickup P-Basses at different times and didn’t like either of them in that one, they were, I guess, to bassey, and not as defined as I’d like. Maybe really fat in the low-mid range. But in the double P setup, with the mid-scoop of having two running together, it’s kinda working. But, I’m still not there yet, I still need to find the right strings. Right now it’s got 50-105 rounds and they still feel a touch looser than I’d like. But it could be I need hex core strings to get the stiffness I like.
And on and on….
In most cases, in my 2 pickup basses, whether a Jazz or double P, I have standard wound set in the neck and 5% over in the bridge. I like the mid-scoop of two pickups, and getting a little more from the bridge gives a good balance. On fenders I’m always trying to get more umph from my notes played on the D and G string.
It’s hard to describe why a pickup (or pickups) work, I just know that once I get the right combo of pickups, strings, etc, I keep that one with those pickups/strings. Sometimes rounds aren’t right, so I do flats, or try heavier strings and tune down, and use it for the other band. Sometimes no matter what I try, I just don’t get what I want and, as much as I love the look of a bass, I (usually reluctantly) end up selling.
I have one that I recently have struggled with, and after running two original ‘70’s Fender pickups, then a pair of Arcane 65 Experience pickups, and not digging those, I finally put a Novak PB-90 in the neck and a Novak PB-CC (P-90 style) in the bridge. This seems to be working well. I had both of the Novaks in one of my single pickup P-Basses at different times and didn’t like either of them in that one, they were, I guess, to bassey, and not as defined as I’d like. Maybe really fat in the low-mid range. But in the double P setup, with the mid-scoop of having two running together, it’s kinda working. But, I’m still not there yet, I still need to find the right strings. Right now it’s got 50-105 rounds and they still feel a touch looser than I’d like. But it could be I need hex core strings to get the stiffness I like.
And on and on….
I also have a Fender P with a Lollar pickup and it's an amazing pickup. As good as the Olinto IMO.
I swapped my Olinto for a Novak BS-DS today and it kills. With some Labella 49-109 DTF. Love the tone.
I'd suggest trying different strings. I don't love Dunlop flats. Not enough punch to me. With the Lollar I love GHS Precision flats, Labella Low Tension and Deep Talking and all the rounds I've tried on it as well.
Good luck
Not “ultra boutique”, but the new AVRI 60 pup is GREAT. What a lot of companies miss with 60’s style P pickups is clarity. Most of that classic P bass tone from the 60’s was coming from the amps they had back then. Don’t believe me? Try out a late 60s b15 or sunn 200s. The 60’s P pickups were actually quite clear and articulate and the new 60 P accomplishes this. I’ve tried the bass with DR SS rounds and Labella flats. Loved the tone of both, with the rounds giving me a nice punch and clarity with the classic P bass tone. The flats were great as well, a nice defined tone with plenty of beef and bulk to fill out a room or a mix. My A string on the Labellas is a dud, sounding like a fretless bass, giving lots of mwah so in the meantime while I wait for a replacement A string I put the rounds back on. Even with rounds I can tell the difference with these 60 pickups vs my original 72 P or my 66 Jazz (non reissue). Compared to the 72 P, the 60 P has somewhat of a more “neutral” tone, but with thicker bass/foundation. 72 is pretty growly, but retains the classic tone. I think if I was a session bassist going in blind to a studio, I would bring the 60 P as it seems that it would be more easily manipulated than my 72, but maybe I’m just crazy haha.
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The clarity is one of the reasons I liked the David Allen P1088. I went from stock Fender to trying a Fender Original '60s, to an SPB-1, then the DA 1088. As soon as I heard the DA 1088, I got a big smile on my face. That was the magic on that specific P bass.
The clarity is one of the reasons I liked the David Allen P1088. I went from stock Fender to trying a Fender Original '60s, to an SPB-1, then the DA 1088. As soon as I heard the DA 1088, I got a big smile on my face. That was the magic on that specific P bass.
So I put a new pickup in my current bass, It's made by Righteous Sound Pickups. As with most companies, they're more well known for guitar pickups.
I got stuck for cash recently and regrettably had to sell my early '63 P Bass. I bought a 60s style P Bass and asked Josh at RSP to wind me something vintage style. If people are interested in numbers, it reads 10.1k out of the bass. The pickup does remind me of a Lollar in that it's very classic sounding but clear. I play with TI Flats and it's been a good combination. Bass is full, mids are punchy, and the highs are sweet. Just wanted to throw another option out there for the denizens of TB.
Also, I did ask him to lightly age the pickup and it came out great to match a relic style bass. So you've got some options on that front as well.
I got stuck for cash recently and regrettably had to sell my early '63 P Bass. I bought a 60s style P Bass and asked Josh at RSP to wind me something vintage style. If people are interested in numbers, it reads 10.1k out of the bass. The pickup does remind me of a Lollar in that it's very classic sounding but clear. I play with TI Flats and it's been a good combination. Bass is full, mids are punchy, and the highs are sweet. Just wanted to throw another option out there for the denizens of TB.
Also, I did ask him to lightly age the pickup and it came out great to match a relic style bass. So you've got some options on that front as well.
I have not played the new AVRI 60 but the pickups remind me of the Fender Custom Shop '62 Precision pickup. It also reminds me of the pickup they shipped on the Fender Precision Special Select which came out in 2012. I have this Special Select pickup mounted on one of my P basses and have always liked it a lot. It's the fun and sometimes bewildering thing about Fender, they have a lot of different pickups!
Whew…. I just read through this thread and found a treasure trove of references to a variety of, well, ultra boutique P bass pickups. I recently bought a 2013, AVRI ‘58 P bass, which should arrive tomorrow. I’m looking forward to checking out it’d AVRI ‘58 pickup, but I’ve heard sound samples of this bass and others and think maybe I’ll do some pickup swapping - depending on how I like what I hear in my studio and with my bands. I’m thinking Klein, Arcane or maybe Bare Knucles.
Thanks for this thread!
Thanks for this thread!
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