Wiring up a double P bass

[tleeitsme]

I am expecting to receive a precision bass body routed with 2 precision pickups, ala fender elite 2.

That being said the body is blank and I am up to my own resources to put it together. Trying to go balls-to-the-wall on this one. Thinking about something aggressive in the standard position, and something soft and sweet in the bridge... ie quarter pounder and bartolini

active pickups/preamps dont scare me. in fact i have a buddy who was convincing me I should toss an auto wah/envelope filter circuit under the pickguard and have a “funk button”. switches for series/parallel, coil tapping, phase switches etc.

I am willing to go down the rabbit hole pursuing the most versatile bass I can build without losing the signature tone and integrity of a pbass.

Hoping this TB hivemind will be inspiration enough to wire up something absolutely crazy.

Thanks for your suggestions in advanced.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

DiMarzio Split P for the bridge & DiMarzio Model P (or Will Power) for the neck.
Put series/parallel push/pull volume pots on each & you'll have the widest range of timbre a P-Bass has ever seen!

Will Power is what Sheehan uses:

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Alternatively, you could get a G&L SB1 pickup for the bridge:

Pickup - SB-2 / SB1 MFD

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[Killed_by_Death]

IF you have time to experiment, get the SB1 pickup & a Split-P.
Figure out which one has more volume in the same position & put that one in the bridge position.

 

[PawleeP]

DiMarzio Split P for the bridge & DiMarzio Model P (or Will Power) for the neck.
Put series/parallel push/pull volume pots on each & you'll have the widest range of timbre a P-Bass has ever seen!

Will Power is what Sheehan uses:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Alternatively, you could get a G&L SB1 pickup for the bridge:

Pickup - SB-2 / SB1 MFD

Link Removed

Do you mean split p for the middle KBD?

 

[bigtone23]

Put series/parallel push/pull volume pots on each & you'll have the widest range of timbre a P-Bass has ever seen!

This, all day!
Pickup choice is harder, but I also recommend something rather classic/vintage in the neck position and something slightly hotter in the bridge position. Duncan SPB-1 neck/SPB-4 or SPB-2 bridge, or Dimarzio Model P/Split P or Willpower as mentioned above.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Do you mean split p for the middle KBD?

Just as long as the pickup with more output is at the bridge position.

 

[tleeitsme]

Just as long as the pickup with more output is at the bridge position.

So whats the benefit of the hotter pickup being in the bridge? I was thinking just the opposite since pickups closer to the bridge are going to naturally have more high end.

Thanks for your perspective.

 

[TheLowDown33]

I would use two dimarzios, since they allow for series/parallel operation of each individual pickup. Maybe wire it VVT with each being a push/pull for S/P for each pickup on their respective volume and then S/P for the bridge and middle on the tone pot.

 

[Mugre]

Hotter pick-up at the bridge to balance the volumes. Closer to the bridge the string has less amplitude so it induces less current in the magnetic field. Of course I'm not KBD. He may have his own rationale.

Mugre

 

[bigtone23]

Hotter pick-up at the bridge to balance the volumes. Closer to the bridge the string has less amplitude so it induces less current in the magnetic field. Of course I'm not KBD. He may have his own rationale.

Mugre

That's precisely why you put hotter pickups towards the bridge.

Often, hotter pickups also have a little less high end/more low end, so the pickup sounds more full in the bridge position. This is a big deal when dealing with Stratocasters, slightly less of a deal with basses.

 

[tleeitsme]

Ok interesting. High output =/= bright highs. I do have a couple sets of bassline quarter pounders that really fit the bill for a bridge pickup I suppose. I am not super set on wiring each pickup in series/parallel. AFAIK the S-1 switch fender put on the pbass wasnt very popular because the precision sounded too frail in parallel mode. I suppose they could be wired in series/parallel together instead of individually.

Does anybody have idea or suggestions for a simple 2 or 3 band pre-amp?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

That's why I suggested such powerful pickups, because they will NOT sound anemic in parallel.
Let's face it, Fender's pickups are weak to begin with, so putting them in parallel was just a non-starter.

You won't need a pre-amp with series/parallel on a double-P.
You might consider passive treble-cut AND bass-cut, if you have the room for 4 control knobs.

 

[micguy]

Just as long as the pickup with more output is at the bridge position.

That works if you listen to just one at a time, but when you combine pickups in parallel (how it's typically done), if the bridge one is hotter due to more winds on the coils, it's higher impedance, and it "loses" in the mix - you'll hear more of the lower output/lower impedance one when they're combined.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Manufacturers are using bridge pickups with 25 to 30% more output than the neck pickups.
So this isn't something I just made up.

A Split-P is rated at 250 milliVolts by DiMarzio & a Will Power is rated at 175 milliVolts, exactly 30% less.