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Post subject: AM SP pickup question
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:43 am
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Hobbyist
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the american special as i am sure you know has different pick ups, Standard 'vintage'. does anyone know how these differ from the standards? and do they sound more vintage(as i am unable to get my hands on a vintage bass)?


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Post subject: Re: AM SP pickup question
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:54 am
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Fender pickup windings changed frequently. So just calling them vintage is confusing. It would be nice to know specs on the pickups instead of giving them undecipherable names.

If you are looking for a vintage sound, the 50's P-Bass sounds good stock.


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Post subject: Re: AM SP pickup question
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 10:09 am
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There's more than one specific feature that makes a bass "sound vintage" I have a 2003 American standard p-bass that has a more "vintage" tone than many of the 62 re-issue p-basses have.
There are many factors that can assist the pick-ups when trying to make a bass sound "Vintage",the wood the body is made from,the strings,the fretboard being maple or r/wood and the bridge.
Then add in Style/technique which is probably the single most important thing in attaining a specific tone.
But on the subject question of pickups the hotter sounding pick-ups are usually the ones that have alot more windings,these are the type that have more middle and higher end tones and are thinner in the bottom end,And the pickups with less windings are deeper and more muddy in the bottom end,and both the middle and high end tone become's thinner w/more treble the less windings there are.
I advise my customers when they come in for up-grades or wanting to get the "older/vintage" tone from their bass I tell them to get the most out of a pick-up change try to do some of the other mods to help compliment the pickup change(bridge,pots,tone capacitor)these will help assist the bass by giving it as many of the same appointments as the original bass had.

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Post subject: Re: AM SP pickup question
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 12:41 am
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I think everyone recognizes Lindy Fralin as a genuine authority on pickup winding and he states, "Pickups of all kinds will be stronger but darker with more turns of wire. Fewer turns will result in a more open, cleaner, and brighter pickup." So Lindy along with myself disagree with Lawsuit's personal evaluation of the tonal variation that results from overwinding or underwinding. The other points Lawsuit covered I do agree with completely, especially the tone capacitor part. Vintage Fender basses used different caps and different pickup windings that sometimes changed year to year. Therefore it is best to know specifically what vintage year you are targeting before deciding on a pickup or capacitor to achieve the tonal result you are seeking.


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