Okay, my wife gave me to go ahead to purchase my pickup for my project p-bass. I picked up this old Mako Traditional tpb-2 for around $30 at a second hand store. I've put some squire tuners that I had on it as well as a new bridge. Question is which p pickup should I get? I'm in a rock band and we play a pretty good range of older rock and some newer stuff as well. My other bass is an Epi thunderbird and I wanted more of a classic p bass sound but am not sure where to go. I've been granted $200 for the pickup. Thanks for the help!
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Which P-bass pickup...
- Thread starter BWileyTally
- Start date
- Jun 5, 2008
- 216
- 65
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Godlyke, Hartke, Hipshot, & AMT Electronics
I have a Nordstrand np4, and I love it. I also have the nj4se in the bridge which gives me some really nice definition. Great pickups!
It's hard to go wrong with the USA Fender '62 pickup, it's a good all around traditional sounding unit...I know John K uses them for some of his projects and he's a guy that knows what a Precision pickup should sound like. Lot's of people go through pickups in the quest for tone so you should be able to find one used and safe a few bucks. You should have enough $$ left over to take the wife out for a nice little thank you dinner.
I couldn't be happier with my Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders.
Similar story, I picked up an Aria STB Series P Bass real cheap and put Quarter Pounders in it and a set of Chromes for (in my head) a classic P Bass sound for some of the songs we do. I only really did it just to see, as it wouldn't set me back much, and it's unwittingly becoming my main bass I like the sound so much.
Similar story, I picked up an Aria STB Series P Bass real cheap and put Quarter Pounders in it and a set of Chromes for (in my head) a classic P Bass sound for some of the songs we do. I only really did it just to see, as it wouldn't set me back much, and it's unwittingly becoming my main bass I like the sound so much.
if quarter pounders were twice the price that they are, i'd still pay for em. love emThanks for the responses. I looked up the 1/4 pounders and it looks like tons of well known players use them, Victor Wooten to name 1. Anybody have feedback on the preload 62' on a pickguard already... My soldering is questionable at best and I haven't heard any kind of feedback on the preloaded stuff from eBay. 62 is in mind.
I like my 1/4-lb. P I put in my Ibanez, but it's definitely not classic. Love the output and more hi-fi tone it gives. I've heard the Duncan Vintage P pickups are pretty good too especially for the $$$.
I have a Duncan Quarter Pounder in my Clement custom and that pickup is just a freakin animal!!!
I also have a Schecter that has the Duncan SPB-2 "Hot" and I use that bass a lot in my classic rock cover band.
Ultimately, I want to put Duncans in my SX so that all of my basses with non-proprietary stock pickups will have Duncans onboard.
I also have a Schecter that has the Duncan SPB-2 "Hot" and I use that bass a lot in my classic rock cover band.
Ultimately, I want to put Duncans in my SX so that all of my basses with non-proprietary stock pickups will have Duncans onboard.
If you want the authentic pre-CBS sound, then go with the Aguilar 4P-60. I just put one on my US Lakland Duck Dunn and it really does a good job of producing the sound of a vintage P. I also have a pre-CBS Fender so I know what it is supposed to sound like...
Jim
Jim
+1, and the Duncan SPB-1 is a great sounding pickup as well, with a shade of tint less mids and more lows.
The NP-4 was a modern take on the P to my ears, without loosing too much of the character of a P.
Every bass I throw an SPB-1 in sounds great. hard to beat when you pick them up here in the forums for $50 regularly.
Huh!??! I always see him with EMG's.. PAX and a JVX bridge these days.
I'll throw in another vote for fenders original 62 pups. I originally tried them on my old 1985 Washburn and I was surprised just how good they made the old dude sound. Just bought another set for a MIM P bass. Other than the tone the best thing about these pups is they can be bought for a low as $60. At that price they're hard to beat.
also think about the non-obvious pickup makers as well. Quarter Pounders ARE great.. but there are also alot of other great options as well..
BIll Lawrence, Norstrand, Fralin and my new favorite is a little known maker from California D.Allen pickups.
IMHO the D.Allen destroyed the competition. Sometimes the little guys are the game changers in the world of music. New ideas and materials bring forth tones from products that other companies would miss since they are basically putting out a product that is years behind technology.
So while the obvious choice would be the one in a magazine advertisement.. remember that even THAT company at one time was the little guy.
BIll Lawrence, Norstrand, Fralin and my new favorite is a little known maker from California D.Allen pickups.
IMHO the D.Allen destroyed the competition. Sometimes the little guys are the game changers in the world of music. New ideas and materials bring forth tones from products that other companies would miss since they are basically putting out a product that is years behind technology.
So while the obvious choice would be the one in a magazine advertisement.. remember that even THAT company at one time was the little guy.
Ive become a big fan of Fralins and Lollars. In my gigging P I use Lollar, cant recommend highly enough.
I use Fralins in my Jazz, would Imagine their P pups are great too though.
I use Fralins in my Jazz, would Imagine their P pups are great too though.
When I was buying my Lull P4 I wanted Lollars (good experience with them in the past). Mike said they were good but the Fralins had more of a vintage sound to them.
I went with the Fralins and couldn't be happier.
I went with the Fralins and couldn't be happier.
