Wilde P-46 specs?

[mmbongo]

Knocking around the possibility of replacing the P pickup in my 5 string Kiesel. But due to how Kiesel aligns the pickups (backwards from everybody else) I'm finding very few pickups that would work.

One is the Wilde P-46 because it has a wide array of poles on both of the pickup halves which is what I need. The main reason I'm looking to replace the Kiesel pickup is to get lower output and more vintage sounding.

How would you rate the output level of the P-46 and what is the DCR of it wired in series? Thanks!

Also open to suggestions for other standard sized P pickups which have a wide sensing area for both coils.

 

[Mechayoshi]

Loud but clear. I have it in a five string. Bea ware that my d string was slightly louder before adjustment but now that the bass is tuned in the response is pretty even. I can get measuments later.

 

[sikamikanico]

I read somewhere their DCR is about 8k. It's not the most vintage sounding pickup, but well-balanced and clear. It allows you to do a lot with technique, and if you need more beefy mids, you can load it with a small cap.

 

[mmbongo]

I read somewhere their DCR is about 8k. It's not the most vintage sounding pickup, but well-balanced and clear. It allows you to do a lot with technique, and if you need more beefy mids, you can load it with a small cap.

Tell me about this small cap loading, as one thing about the Kissel pickup is that it sounds mid scooped. It does not have that mid bark like the Honey Badger in my Roscoe.

 

[sikamikanico]

Tell me about this small cap loading, as one thing about the Kissel pickup is that it sounds mid scooped. It does not have that mid bark like the Honey Badger in my Roscoe.

If you add a small cap in parallel with the pickup it shifts the resonant frequency down. This bumps up the mids, but reduces the treble after that frequency. I find it quite musical somewhere between 470-4700pF. Higher capacitance works too, but gets into the territory of traditional tone controls.

A good demonstration of this effect is Tonestyler:


You can build your own a lot cheaper, or find other makers that sell these types of devices...

 

[mmbongo]

I contacted Nordstrand and they said they can offer a pickup that will work with Kiesels and other basses with that 2/3 orientation. It's the top half of an NP4 and the bottom half from an NP5 so I may go that route. Kinda getting used to the dark smoothiness of the stock Kiesel pickup so I don't know!

 

[sikamikanico]

I contacted Nordstrand and they said they can offer a pickup that will work with Kiesels and other basses with that 2/3 orientation. It's the top half of an NP4 and the bottom half from an NP5 so I may go that route. Kinda getting used to the dark smoothiness of the stock Kiesel pickup so I don't know!

Have you messed much with different strings yet? And also action and pickup height? Between those and technique adjustment, one can often get a lot of tonal variation, for sure on par (if not more) than swapping different P pickups. To me, all P pickups are mostly just variations on the same theme. I sure have my favorites, but I could probably live with any of them.