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Post subject: p bass special pickup upgrade
Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 pm
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Location: west virginia
i'm heavily considering swapping out my stock dimarzio's with duncan quarter pounds in both the p bass and j bass slots. i haven't had the opportunity to check out these pickups first hand, but from my research they sound like they're ideal for me.

the job seems simple enough, but i'm wondering if i should replace all the circuitry while i'm in there. i've had some issues with my pots and grounds anyway.

my main question i guess is, should i try to also purchase my pots and such from duncan as well? also, if anyone has any horror stories about the
quarter pounds, do tell. i'm not exactly the richest man hehe, so i only want to make this switch once.

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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 5:54 am
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The Quarter Pounders sound good ( a friend of mine has installed them in a bunch of his passes, and I like the way they respond), but they are LOUD, high-output pickups. Not the ticket if you're going for "vintage-y" tones.

For that, I highly recommend the Fender Original '62 P-Bass pickup, which I installed in my MIA P-Deluxe. Deep, smooth, sweet, highly versatile, very sensitive to changes in your playing. I dig it the most, daddy-o.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:01 am
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+1 for the Fender Originals. I have a set in my RI and they are sweet. I bought the reissue used from a friend who had put QP's in it and I didn't like them...too "modern" sounding, not very "round" if you get my meaning. The first note played after putting in the Originals was bliss...


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:10 am
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well let me ask you this. my main amp rig is an acoustic 360. should i be concerned about the output being possibly too high and blowin the amp? i'm really looking for a fat tone, with even response in all registers, and according to the sales pitch on the website the quarter pounds are good for that, but i'll trust those who have actual experience with them more.

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:17 am
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Nah, they won't blow up your amp. They're just loud. Like I say, I think they sound good, but, to be honest, how you play makes up about 80% of your bass tone. I like the Original '62 a lot.

(Note to nit-pickers: The use of "80%" in this context is entirely rhetorical. The poster doesn't believe that your bass tone is truly or precisely 80% determined by the way you play, or that this effect can be quantified as a percentage: it is merely a jocular way of expressing the idea "mostly.")


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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:27 am
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i couldn't agree with you more about where the tone comes from. im' lookin to replace pickups because the previous owner of my bass took less than tender care of it, and the electronics are about shot. i need new pots, too, because my tone pot decides for itself went it wants to work. i normally like to dial the tone back, so i can mold the articulation myself more.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 9:24 pm
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If this is a passive bass, do give the Bill Lawrence "WILDE" matched P/J set a look. Since you are replacing the pots you'll be doing some rewiring too. For pots I use Guitar Parts Resource, CTS brand 250 Ohm pots. If your bass has split shaft pots or solid shaft pots replace with the same type so you can use the existing knobs.

With the Bill Lawrence P/J set you'll need two capacitors. I recommend using Vitamin Q type Paper In Oil caps.

Visit the RESOURCES page in my forum signature below and click on the REPLACEMENT UPGRADE BASS PARTS link to get to some sites for ordering bass parts.

Bill Lawrence WILDE pickups are only available direct from Bill and Becky Lawrence in Corona, California.

An outfit doing business as AXEGRINDERZ keeps Paper In Oil caps in stock especially for guitar applications. I used a a 0.047 and 0.018 in my WILDE P/J wiring. Bill Lawrence includes a really good wiring schematic with the matched P/J set. Once installed as diagrammed you have one MASTER VOLUME, one BLEND and one TONE control instead of the Volume/Volume/Tone setup. I like it a lot.

Good luck with your project and if you need any help don't hesitate to contact me directly through my bass site.


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