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Post subject: Pickup Upgrades for MIM P-bass
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:01 pm
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I own a MIM P-bass and I am looking to upgrade the pickups. The pickups that are on there now sound weaker than most other MIM P-basses that I have played. I want to know if anyone has a suggestions for a good pickup upgrade.


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Post subject: Get Wilde!
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:55 am
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For the money I like the WILDE pickups by Bill Lawrence which have a very lush and vintage tone. Also the Seymour Duncan is a very popular choice. Both are reasonably priced options. There is a link to them on the RESOURCES page link in my signature. I would also consider a cap upgrade while in there as it wouldn't hurt. The 225P series Sprague are very good, better than the more commonly used 715P and 716P series.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:23 am
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I have three Precisions ('51 RI single-coil, Classic '50s split-coil, and a fretless split-coil) and all have Basslines (Seymour Duncan) Quarter Pound pickups. They sound like the originals, only more of it -- more volume, more tone -- and they are perfect for me with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats.

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Post subject: My SCPB3 sounds way different!
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:50 pm
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lpdeluxe wrote:
I have three Precisions ('51 RI single-coil, Classic '50s split-coil, and a fretless split-coil) and all have Basslines (Seymour Duncan) Quarter Pound pickups. They sound like the originals, only more of it -- more volume, more tone -- and they are perfect for me with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats.


My SCPB3 sounds nothing at all like the original Fender '51 RI Single Coil. It has way more upper mids and the lows are a bit leaner. It is a great pickup for kick butt stuff and one lives in my #1 player. I swear it sounds active. That bass sounds like a Jazz bass on a crack bender. Love it! The only weakness is a thinner sounding "E" but I compensate with EQ and compression. This is without any doubt the most wicked sounding passive bass I've ever had, and I've had a lot of them. One guy came up to me at a break and asked if it was 18 volt!

For a better original tone I would recommend a standard wound Lindy Fralin Single Coil, the SD SCPB1 or...big surprise...the Fender '51 RI Pickup. Bill Lawrence doesn't make a WILDE pickup for First Generation P-basses. Wish he did.

The cool things about the SD Quarter-Pounder SCPB3 are the extra upper mids because they don't overwind them and the improved sensitivity because of the larger diameter pole pieces. Instead of a hotter output you get better sensitivity and sustain with the SCPB3.

SD does make a "HOT" version of a First Generation pickup called the SCPB2 but it doesn't have these searing upper mids that are in the SCPB3. The SCPB2 is way overwound which makes it much hotter but also cuts the upper mids.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:21 pm
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I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, but since it's on subject:

what do you think about the EMG Hz passive pickups?
I'm planning to put those on and I haven't heard anything about them from actual users or experts...


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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:27 pm
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rkithun wrote:
I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, but since it's on subject:

what do you think about the EMG Hz passive pickups?
I'm planning to put those on and I haven't heard anything about them from actual users or experts...


Haven't used them myself. I have used the active P-bass EMG P/J set a while back on a P-Bass Special and they are really good ones. If they are anything like that I think you'll be very happy.


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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:29 pm
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I put USA Fender '62 originals in all my MIM P basses. Love 'em.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:29 pm
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bassbase wrote:
I put USA Fender '62 originals in all my MIM P basses. Love 'em.


These are what I'd use too.


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