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Which pickup for a P?

S

StringsOf4

Dec 16, 2005
179
1
38
#1
Hey guys, I'm (still) looking for a trebly, aggressive P pup for my MIM precision. I've leaning heavily toward SD quarter pounders to replace my SPB-2 "hot" pup. This pup is a little too middy and clean for me. Are there any others that can achieve a very trebly tone (without being TOO thin) besides the 1/4 pounders? Or, should I give up on trying this with a P and go for the geddy sig?
Thanks.

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#3
The tone capacitor won't bleed the treble tone towards the ground if you set it "full on." The size/value of the capacitor doesn't matter unless you roll the knob towards actually using it.

Even so, I'd try a doing the No-Load tone mod, which is supposed to help with boosting the output and treble freqs, I believe.
 
#5
I'll probably do away with the tone knob altogether. I've also been tinkering with the idea of adding a J-pickup at the bridge and going with two volumes so no more holes need to be drilled in the pickguard. If I were to add the J, whats the difference between wiring series as opposed to parallel and vice versa? How are factory P/J's wired? I once heard a 1/4 pounder paired with a 62 jazz pup and it was pretty sweet. So, that's an option.
Thanks for the input as always.

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#6
I also have the SPB-2, and it's high end is definitely rolled off compared to a vintage pickup. I love it, but I agree with you that it's a little too clean. I think you probably do want the Quarter Pounder, but actually vintage-voiced P pickups have lots of treble. For that, Nordstrand and Lindy Fralin are excellent, but I just tried a Fender "Original" in one of those 60th Anniversary P's, and it's darned good too. If you want a hot pickup with lots of grind in the highs, the DiMarzio Model P might be a good choice. It has a less vintage warmth than the SPB-2, and I suspect not as much bottom as the Quarter Pounder.
 
#7
Nedmundo said:
I also have the SPB-2, and it's high end is definitely rolled off compared to a vintage pickup. I love it, but I agree with you that it's a little too clean. I think you probably do want the Quarter Pounder, but actually vintage-voiced P pickups have lots of treble. For that, Nordstrand and Lindy Fralin are excellent, but I just tried a Fender "Original" in one of those 60th Anniversary P's, and it's darned good too. If you want a hot pickup with lots of grind in the highs, the DiMarzio Model P might be a good choice. It has a less vintage warmth than the SPB-2, and I suspect not as much bottom as the Quarter Pounder.
Click to expand...


I thought I was the only one with the SPB-2, and I'm glad its not just me or my particular pickup that sounds "too clean". All my favorite bass players use the 1/4 pounder but they also use multiple Ampeg tube amps so I'm trying to stray away from saying "I want to sound like _______". I heard that the Dimarzio model P's had that high end grind, which is kinda why I started this thread, I wanted to see if anyone else suggested that pup. If only there was a way I could a/b them without buying and installing and tearing out and repeating with one bass. The 1/4 pounders have the bottom if I want/need it later. I need to find sound clips. Any input on adding a J?
Thanks

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#8
If you've narrowed it down to the DiMarzio Model P and the Quarter Pounder, I'd get the latter. I used to have the DiMarzio, and while it's great for punk/hard rock, I thought it lacked some of the warmth that's essential to P-bass tone IMO. Some of my bandmates said it sounded "solid" but "lacked character," which sums it up. I've heard it sound great in other basses though. Maybe the older ones were better, or maybe it just wasn't a good match for my P. Who knows?

The QP is certainly known for hard rock, but I think it's more versatile than that. It's a full range sound, and thus lacks the heavy mids emphasis of the SPB-2, but IMO it retains much of the essence of P-bass tone and could be used for a wide range of material. It's not a vintage sound, but clearly a P-bass sound. I've only tried it once, on a Mark Hoppus sig, and I thought it was great. So I was planning to get another P-bass for one, but then I tried a G&L L-1500. It's along similar lines, but the growl...whoa baby! :bassist: I ordered the G&L.
 
#9
Yeah, I've pretty much settled on the QP. I used to grab the Hoppus first everytime I went to GC. Great bass, but too much stigma with other players, and too close to a standard P. God forbid I let anyone know that blink-182 is my favorite band and Mark Hoppus is the reason I started bass. But, don't get me wrong, while I play mainly pop-punk stuff, i try to expand my horizons. I"m working on fingerstyle now, its coming along well. But, I digress. Less mids is definitely what I'm going for, I have to scoop them now and I don't wanna have to do that. Quarter Pounders it is. Thanks for the input guys, I truly appreciate it.

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#11
I'm reviving this thread because I'm still trying to decide what to do with my bass. I'm seriously considering adding a vintage J pickup at the bridge of my p-bass (the same as on the Geddy sig, along with a duncan QP). I want the jazz bass treble growl but the feel of my p-bass. But I've heard people say they experience "tone loss" when both pups are on full. Is this true? If so, can it be fixed? I know I should try a P/J bass first, but the fenders are active, and I don't want to compare an active to passive. I've heard the vintage J/QP combo before and if I recall correctly, I loved it, but I dont know if there were any special setttings involved.
Thanks a buttload.

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#14
I have a P/J with passive pups, and indeed there is a tone loss with both dimed, although to my ears it's more a loss of volume than anything else. I do like the sound of the j pup dimed and the p about halfway up - somebody here on tb compare dthat sound to a Ric, but I can't verify that.

They do sell passive MIM p/j basses still, don't they? I thought I saw one at a GC recently. Play one first to see if you like the sound prior to operating on your bass!
 
#15
StringsOf4 said:
I want the jazz bass treble growl but the feel of my p-bass. But I've heard people say they experience "tone loss" when both pups are on full. Is this true? If so, can it be fixed?
Click to expand...

As I understand it, the "tone loss" comes from impedence loading between the pickups, which reduces the volume slightly when both are on full. (I can't explain this well, but maybe someone who can will chime in.) This happens with any two pickup bass, such as Jazz basses. On my Jazz with noiseless Fralins, the volume and growl increase as I roll off either pickup's volume, until I hit a growl/volume sweet spot with either rolled off about a third.

I've played P/J basses on which this phenomenon is even more pronounced though, and I haven't liked it. Placement of the J pickup is a factor -- I know Mike Lull moves it a little closer to the bridge for tone reasons -- and I think you're better off using a humbucking J like Fralin's Split Jazz or Nordstrand's NJSE.

If you're still viewing it as a P-bass first, I wouldn't worry about this too much, because you'll just be using the J for seasoning to taste, so it won't be on full too often. At least that's how I'd probably approach it.

But before doing any radical surgery, try other P pickups. I went through a few before I finally went with Lindy Fralin, and the journey was fun. (A little pricey though...)
 

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