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Yamaha BB300 pickup replacement options??

I have a BB300 whaich I am quite fond of.. I was wondering if anyone out there has replaced the pickups in one.. I would like to keep the stock pickup covers with nice rounded edges .. I just like the feel of them but would'd mind a hotter pickup... So does anyone know if the innards form a seymour duncan vintage P pickup fit in the stock Yamaha pickup covers????
 
My Friends,

I also have a 1986 Yamaha BB300 bass - the original split pickup is decent enough but I wanted more bite. I had a J-style pickup installed in the bridge position - the combination of the two pickups on full is astounding.

----
Kurt
 
I put a set of Quarter Pounder SP-3 in my BB300.

Doesn't get much hotter than this. I have to be careful not to clip my amp....even when I engage the active switch. I didn't have any pickup covers with mine...but the Sp-3's look fine in there...and sound way better than the EMG's that were in there.
 
Bought my BB300 with Seymour Duncan Basslines, put Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats on her, and I gotta tell ya, "Abigail" has brought me nothing but joy in the nearly seven years I've owned her. Do I want a P-bass? Yeah, if for no other reason than to say I owned one, but feel pretty confident I have mimicked that delicious Precision THUMP with my BB300/TI Jazz/Duncan BassLines.
 
My Friends,

I also have a 1986 Yamaha BB300 bass - the original split pickup is decent enough but I wanted more bite. I had a J-style pickup installed in the bridge position - the combination of the two pickups on full is astounding.

----
Kurt

I'm thinking of doing this same exact thing. I really love this stock bass for some reason but I was thinking of creating a switched P/J bass configuration. MY only dilemma is, I feel that the original split P setup has almost too much "snap" (of course, I've got new strings on it so...) and I'm toying with the idea of putting that "Soap bar" in the NECK position (as opposed to the bridge) and having a 3-way switching the Split alone, Split + Neck and Neck alone.

Am I nuts? Should I just leave the thing alone and EQ the hell out of it per my taste?

Please offer any additional comments to which has already been stated. Thanks.
 
I have a 1980s BB Series Owners Manual which listed 7 models.

According to the listed specs, the P pickup in the BB300, BB450 (PJ), BB1100S (PJ), and BB2000 (PJ) had 8000 turns of .05 mm wire.

The P pickup in the BB1600, BB3000S, and BB5000 (all PJ) had 10,000 turns of .05 mm wire on 1/2, and .065 wire on 1/2.
 
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I realize that this is an old thread, but I gotta add that I put Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pups on my red 1988 Yamaha BB300 and it's definitely a 100% improvement in tone. My BB300 lacked the punch and the bottom that I wanted, so I decided to have the Quarter Pounds installed, after reading comments from this thread.

I'm glad that I had these installed, because it's much more of a pleasure to play my bass now with its improved tone. If you're not happy with the tone from the stock pups from your BB300, here's a bump for the Quarter Pound pups. You won't be disappointed.
 

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