Ultra boutique P bass pickups

[Matt Dean]

Congrats on the new bass, glad to read you found an instrument you liked Matt!

We'll see. It's a different animal than my other bass guitar - a Nordy vJ5. But, it is a nice Fender Precision. While I've heard some say the neck is thick... it feels like a nice badonkadonk to me. I took it to a rehearsal tonight and enjoyed playing it.

Now back to pickups... the ‘58 AVRI P pickups are very interesting with 2 raised poles around the A string. It sounds like a Precision.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

We'll see. It's a different animal than my other bass guitar - a Nordy vJ5. But, it is a nice Fender Precision. While I've heard some say the neck is thick... it feels like a nice badonkadonk to me. I took it to a rehearsal tonight and enjoyed playing it.

Now back to pickups... the ‘58 AVRI P pickups are very interesting with 2 raised poles around the A string. It sounds like a Precision.

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View attachment 4882463

Quite peculiar as a P-bass pickup setting especially with a 7.25” fretboard radius … must be really yielding audible results.
Oh, of course it’s not my bass so I could well refrain from commenting ..

 

[Coughdrops]

We'll see. It's a different animal than my other bass guitar - a Nordy vJ5. But, it is a nice Fender Precision. While I've heard some say the neck is thick... it feels like a nice badonkadonk to me. I took it to a rehearsal tonight and enjoyed playing it.

Now back to pickups... the ‘58 AVRI P pickups are very interesting with 2 raised poles around the A string. It sounds like a Precision.

View attachment 4882462

View attachment 4882463

Nice bass, I recently got a match for that, also in black. 58 pickups sound very good. I wound up having to set my pickups very similar to that. Any other setting and the A string was a bit louder than the rest. I currently have stock Lollars in that bass for now. Comparable in sound but easier to balance.

 

[Matt Dean]

[

Quite peculiar as a P-bass pickup setting especially with a 7.25” fretboard radius … must be really yielding audible results.
Oh, of course it’s not my bass so I could well refrain from commenting ..

I thought the same (peculiar pickup arrangement). This is my first ‘58 AVRI, (not my first P), so I don’t know how this is supposed to be. The sound level across the strings, E-G seems very even, so I have no complaints there… the bass sounds good, so no complaints there. I would be interested to hear from other ‘58 AVRI owners in how their pickups look.

Edit: here is another pic of the seeming anomaly.

 

[Grinderman]

Quite peculiar as a P-bass pickup setting especially with a 7.25” fretboard radius … must be really yielding audible results.
Oh, of course it’s not my bass so I could well refrain from commenting ..

The pickup height setup with my Klein '58 P is quite similar with 9.5" R. That's typically how it goes with those raised A poles.

BTW, I just switched 55-105 GHS Precision flats on my P with 1-pc maple neck and Klein '58 pickups. That combination immediately or instantly yields a great woody thump without need to break in the strings. Very straight forward.

Conversely, I put LaBella DTF 760M strings on my other P and I'm finding those are more complicated to dial in regarding the tone. It's evident that they need a lot of playing time to settle in and they need quite different tonal/E.Q. settings owing to the fact that they quite boomy with the tone pot turned almost or completely turned off but suddenly sound quite bright, if not tinny/metallic, as soon as I roll the tone up above merely 10 or 15%, approximately. That's all the case while playing with fingers; I've yet try these strings at all with a pick.

 

[Grinderman]

The pickup height setup with my Klein '58 P is quite similar with 9.5" R. That's typically how it goes with those raised A poles.

BTW, I just switched 55-105 GHS Precision flats on my P with 1-pc maple neck and Klein '58 pickups. That combination immediately or instantly yields a great woody thump without need to break in the strings. Very straight forward.

Conversely, I put LaBella DTF 760M strings on my other P and I'm finding those are more complicated to dial in regarding the tone. It's evident that they need a lot of playing time to settle in and they need quite different tonal/E.Q. settings owing to the fact that they quite boomy with the tone pot turned almost or completely turned off but suddenly sound quite bright, if not tinny/metallic, as soon as I roll the tone up above merely 10 or 15%, approximately. That's all the case while playing with fingers; I've yet try these strings at all with a pick.

Update: The DTF 760M strings have since settled down enough to make all the difference. The metallic edge has mellowed from extreme to a pleasant high that complements the deep with definition. In other words, they're deep talk'n without any muddiness.

They've transformed to the point of giving me more of what I was seeking when I switched from Lollar to Fender Custom Shop '62 pickups.

Getting back to the topic of this thread; pickups: I found the difference between the standard wind Lollar and FCS '62 P pickups to be minimal when I still had the Dunlop stainless flats on. I'll probably switch them back eventually to the Lollar to at least try them for comparison with the LaBella strings.

 

[Grinderman]

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've rolled the dice; I ordered a set of Klein Epic '59 for my other P bass. I couldn't resist.

 

[Laurent]

Any feedback or experience with Schuyler Dean 60's P-Bass pickups?

This gentleman is out of Nashville produces handcrafted pickups. He's also a luthier. His pickups are gorgeous looking. I believe he's a one man operation. He made a video on the impact of the different types of wires on pickups that was very interesting.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

PV ‘63 - Ampeg SVT Emu - LaBella DTF 760FL:

A new Beginning (2023)

Vintage tone!

 

[Stubb]

Curious about recommendations for my MJT/Fender P with TI Flats. I'm not going for total thump, but this bass's main use is a 60s-70s band. Currently the bass has a Quarter Pounder, which is pretty hot and maybe not super suited for the music.

Not interest in anything with the goofy raised A string pole pieces. Initial thought is a Lollar of some sort.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Here's my best shot...

I'm using a P pickup that reads 15.3K (it's a HAMMER!), came out of an early 90's Schecter PJ that sounds absolutely amazing and cost me $15 from a tech in Portland who switched it out for a set of "boutique" replacement pickups.

I think is a Schaller (Germany) from late 80's - 90's and a Duncan STK-J1B Classic Stack with a non-logo aged cover (21K). I think that this is going to just smoke!

 

[Ringhammer]

Curious about recommendations for my MJT/Fender P with TI Flats. I'm not going for total thump, but this bass's main use is a 60s-70s band. Currently the bass has a Quarter Pounder, which is pretty hot and maybe not super suited for the music.

Not interest in anything with the goofy raised A string pole pieces. Initial thought is a Lollar of some sort.

I have tried a lot and currently have Klein, SD, Frahlin, Novack, Arcane, and Lollars in various P and J’s. While all are good, I’m finding Lollars to be my favorite.

I have a bunch of “Double P” Precision basses, one has a pair of standard Lollars, one has a standard at the neck and a “high wind” at the bridge. I like both of these a lot, the one with the high wind at the bridge is running flats, and it sounds awesome, really well balanced between pickups. I have a single pickup P with a “high wind” as the only pickup. The high wing is really full and strong and not super middy. Not muddy either.

I am finding that when I have a bass I just can’t quite get the sound I want out of, I stick some Lollars in it and problem solved.

I’ve never met a set of Lollars I didn’t like!

 

[TheArchitect]

Curtis Novak, David Allen Pickups, Van Zandt, Klein Pickups, Bullock Guitar Pickups, Bare Knuckle, Arcane Inc.

Anyone with experience with these boutique pickup makers? They are obviously less well known than Fralin, Lollar, Nordstrand but that does not mean their products are less interesting.

Curtis Novak seem to be the most popular on Talkbass currently. Any experience with and description of their P bass pickups would be appreciated.

As an aside note, it drives me crazy that large and small pickup producers are for the most part not posting demos or audio tracks of their pickups. In this day and age it's kind of ridiculous to rely on consumers to do this on your behalf (and that's in the best case scenario). Very often there are no recording of pickups. Some of these pickups are in the $120 to $140 range and consumers should not have to buy them blind.

They don't "have to" do anything. No one is making them spend their money. They are making a choice. If they believe a product is superior because it's expensive and plop down their card, that's on them.

Why would a mfg spend money on that when people are already buying?

I have yet to find someone who can pick out the boutique pickup in a blind test.

 

[banoonoo]

Just installed a Lollar Precision 90 in my P-Bass last week, after upgrading from the Pure Vintage 58 (with the raised A pole pieces). It sounds really, really good.

The PV58 was really good too, and prior to that I had a set of Lindy Fralin stock wind Precision pickups.

 

[banoonoo]

[

I thought the same (peculiar pickup arrangement). This is my first ‘58 AVRI, (not my first P), so I don’t know how this is supposed to be. The sound level across the strings, E-G seems very even, so I have no complaints there… the bass sounds good, so no complaints there. I would be interested to hear from other ‘58 AVRI owners in how their pickups look.

Edit: here is another pic of the seeming anomaly.

View attachment 4883879

I had my Pbass set up exactly like yours to compensate for the raised A pole pieces. 8/64 on the bass side, 6/64 on the treble side after depressing the string at the last fret.

no volume issues between strings, only cosmetic. You get used to the pickup position, and honestly it doesn’t affect your playing. The PV58 sounds great!

 

[Grinderman]

I'm convinced the Lollar P is too blah with flats so I just purchased a new Fender CS '62 P for a substantial discount. Swapping out the Lollar my Nash PB came with for the FCS '62 is in the works.

If the FCS '62 doesn't do it for me at least I should be able to turn it around in the Classifieds without losing too much. Then I'd need to decide what to try next.

I love the Klein Epic '58 in my other P but I'm unsure if I'm ready take another chance on processing a new order from Klein to get a '59 or '62. I suspect the best alternative to Klein would be a SD
Vintage P-Bass (SPB-1?) or Antiquity.

Arcane is another option I've been looking at, and they're local to where I live.

I've rolled the dice; I ordered a set of Klein Epic '59 for my other P bass. I couldn't resist.

Well, after 6 weeks and 3 days I finally got a tracking number from Klein tonight, after I emailed politely asking them for an update/ETA.

It's exactly what happened when I order the first set of Epic '58 pickups in '21, except last time I only waited about 4 weeks to ask and receive a tracking number.

I don't want to be a PTA pressure cooker but I guess this is how it works. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Laurent]

Just installed a Lollar Precision 90 in my P-Bass last week, after upgrading from the Pure Vintage 58 (with the raised A pole pieces). It sounds really, really good.

The PV58 was really good too, and prior to that I had a set of Lindy Fralin stock wind Precision pickups.

Do the Lollar Precision 90 sound like DiMarzio Model P? This new pickup seems to have received little attention on Talkbass so far.

 

[Ringhammer]

Just installed a Lollar Precision 90 in my P-Bass last week, after upgrading from the Pure Vintage 58 (with the raised A pole pieces). It sounds really, really good.

The PV58 was really good too, and prior to that I had a set of Lindy Fralin stock wind Precision pickups.

Do the Lollar Precision 90 sound like DiMarzio Model P? This new pickup seems to have received little attention on Talkbass so far.

I think the Lollar Precision 90 is a Gibson P90 style pickup for bass, with the steel rods for poles and the bar magnets under the coils, right? If so it’s going to be something completely different than the Model P which I believe is a typical style pickup with Alnico V magnetic poles. If I’m wrong about either of these, I apologize for the confusion, I have never owned either. I do have the two different Curtis Novak “P90” style Precision Bass pickups and the are very different from all my other Precision Bass pickups.

I’ve become a big fan of Lollars and at some point I’m probably gonna get the Precision 90 to try in something, so I’d love to hear what you think of them.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

DiMarzio Model P is Ceramic (11.5K) not Alnico magnets with Steel poles.

 

[Ringhammer]

DiMarzio Model P is Ceramic (11.5K) not Alnico magnets with Steel poles.

Oh, then similar but different. Are the Model Js also ceramic with steel poles?