anyone enlighten me on what "vintage" actually means? is it a generally accepted flavor that someone can point to in x,y, or z's tone? what does it mean to someone like me wasn't even around when the vintage players - whoever they are - and their gear - whatever it was - were in their heyday? when you read the descriptions of vintage tone on duncan, dimarzio, nordstrand it is just incomprehensible marketing drek in combination with meaningless numbers. is vintage the recording mix or the bass itself? if my bass is thin on the high end with a maple neck, do i go "vintage" or custom wind. Sick of this. somebody throw me a lifeline
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There's a lot of confusion around that term for sure. For bass pickups, authentic vintage usually means a bright high end, but without the mid scoop that you often get with modern designs. Though that depends on the actual pickup type (e.g. Fender Jazz vs. whatever Gibson had in their basses) and period (e.g. early 60s vs. 70s)
Does "thin on the high end" mean that you want more high end, or less? If you want more, and we're talking about a Jazz Bass, Precision, or Stingray, a vintage-style pickup might do it for you.
Does "thin on the high end" mean that you want more high end, or less? If you want more, and we're talking about a Jazz Bass, Precision, or Stingray, a vintage-style pickup might do it for you.
I think the easy go would be the extremes. Jamerson playing flatwounds through a b15 would be vintage. Flea playing roundwounds theough a gk2001rb would probably be modern. There are countless variations inbetween and further out. On top of all that your fingers or pick make a huge difference. Vintage p-bass is not the same as vintage jazz bass. Do some listening and try to look up what people with your sound use.
There are no definitions, so you have to read the context and, yes, that includes interpreting the marketing talk too. But it's not all bs, it's to communicate the general aim of the manufacturer. Generally, when it comes to pickups, it means they copy the specs (and thus sound) of passive pickups made in the 50s-70s. Of course, pickups that are from that period are also considered vintage. I think the specs of vintage pickups are generally established, but not written in stone (largely because pickups made back in the day had very loose tolerances and were all over the place), and pickup makers take certain liberties to differentiate themselves (or improve on designs). Buy yes, more broadly speaking, the vintage sound generally relies heavily on flatwound strings, and basically using whatever equipment was around in the 50s-70s (or their modern equivalents).
But to answer what seems to be your core question: to get more high end, vintage pickups can be a good choice. But that depends on what the baseline is - what pickups do you have currently? Another consideration is also that vintage spec'ed pickups are quite common, not necessarily expensive, and easily found used... so probably a much better choice for a pickup swap than going custom right away, because there's always risk involved, and it may take some trial and error...
There are alternatives to getting more high end out of your bass, some of which are much more affordable and easy to do (depending on your soldering skills). Adjusting pickup height is free, and worth trying. You can try a few different sets of strings, but that also depends on what you're currently using. You can try higher resistance pots, or fewer pots (direct-to-output wiring being the brightest). If you have a pickup wired in series (like a P pickup), wiring it in parallel gives you more high end (you can tone it down with a loading cap, or a few). Or, you can put active electronics in (at least a buffer)...
Also, make sure all the joints and screws are tight, that could kill some high end. And that strings are properly installed, with good break angles and all that. Little things can add up. But ultimately, it could be that the particular pieces your bass is made of just filter out quite a bit of treble, and that's thus the inherent (and unchangeable) sound of your bass.
But to answer what seems to be your core question: to get more high end, vintage pickups can be a good choice. But that depends on what the baseline is - what pickups do you have currently? Another consideration is also that vintage spec'ed pickups are quite common, not necessarily expensive, and easily found used... so probably a much better choice for a pickup swap than going custom right away, because there's always risk involved, and it may take some trial and error...
There are alternatives to getting more high end out of your bass, some of which are much more affordable and easy to do (depending on your soldering skills). Adjusting pickup height is free, and worth trying. You can try a few different sets of strings, but that also depends on what you're currently using. You can try higher resistance pots, or fewer pots (direct-to-output wiring being the brightest). If you have a pickup wired in series (like a P pickup), wiring it in parallel gives you more high end (you can tone it down with a loading cap, or a few). Or, you can put active electronics in (at least a buffer)...
Also, make sure all the joints and screws are tight, that could kill some high end. And that strings are properly installed, with good break angles and all that. Little things can add up. But ultimately, it could be that the particular pieces your bass is made of just filter out quite a bit of treble, and that's thus the inherent (and unchangeable) sound of your bass.
Last edited:
- Apr 18, 2008
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I used to think “vintage” meant “dark and woofy”, like the bass on old recordings.
It took years of hanging around here for me to gradually understand that it more often means “modest output with an even frequency response”.
I think.
I’m still not totally sure....
It took years of hanging around here for me to gradually understand that it more often means “modest output with an even frequency response”.
I think.
I’m still not totally sure....
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
The trick is to look at the different parts separately. Amplifiers went from "dark, woofy and heavy" to "mid-scooped" and "super light", strings went from "I literally never changed the strings on this bass, I guess they're LaBella flatwounds" to "zingy roundwounds fresh out of the pack", pickups went from "modest output with an even frequency response" to "HOT, HOT, HOT!".
Of course, sometimes this gets muddied by companies who apply the "dark and woofy" sound to the wrong parts, or make "vintage with a modern twist" that ends up sounding nothing like the time period they're referencing.
Pickup manufacturers tend to be faithful to the time period they're referencing.
When I say "vintage," it's usually in reference to Fender passive pickups and their general tone and output. It's not meant to be anything specific, just as an example of what ballpark kind of tone and output you can expect.
Sometimes they do, I will say that.
They do?
Sometimes they do, I will say that.
"Vintage" = "Old stuff."
Sometimes synonymous with "Old junk."
Occasionally means "Nice old unit."
YMMV.
Sometimes synonymous with "Old junk."
Occasionally means "Nice old unit."
YMMV.
FWIW- the only way you’ll ever really know what a pickup sounds like in your bass through your amp with you playing is to install and try it out yourself.
I wouldn’t get too hung up on pickup descriptions.
I wouldn’t get too hung up on pickup descriptions.
