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Post subject: p bass pick ups
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:51 pm
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Whats the best replacement for a nice old school smooth tone. Bass is a 03 highway 1 with stock pick ups and i play with flats. thanks


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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:40 pm
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Welcome!

Either the Fender Original '60s or the Seymour Duncan Vintage SPB-1 are a good place to start. I have the SD and love it. Playing on flats with either of these pickups will get most of the way there. There are many other pickups out there; I only mention these b/c they are at pretty much every Guitar Center for ~$70.

If you're on a tone quest, look up forum member BrotherDave's posts, he has a ton of info on easy (and cheap) mods with pots and caps to get the old school vibe. I'm about to try some myself on my road worn P-bass since of one my pots went out.

His web site (listed in his sig) is a great resource for P-Bass info. If you're looking for Duck Dunn-type info, it's far easier to find here than over at Talk Bass!


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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:49 pm
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You are probably going to get a several different answers.

Part of what to get depends on how much you want to spend.

Fender's "ORIGINAL" P-Bass pickup is a recreation of the pickup of 1962 vintage. This would be close to James Jamerson's pickup on the Motown recordings. About $75.

The Seymour Duncan SPB-1 is a similar vintage sounding pickup for about $10 less, around $65. I currently use a SD Single Coil Quarter Pounder SCPB3 which is not very vintage sounding but is what I wanted in that one instrument. For the money they are a good value.

Bill Lawrence is very ill. GET WELL BILL! He is the only person I know of who at various times designed pickups for both Fender and Gibson. This is the first year in ages he isn't displaying his pickups or custom guitars at NAMM. However his shop in Corona, CA is still producing his latest pickup designs, called WILDE PICKUPS. Do not confuse WILDE Pickups with "Bill Lawrence Pickups" which were the ones Mr. Lawrence designed a long time ago that are still being sold by a former partner that bought out Mr. Lawrence's share of that company a long time ago. The Wilde P-46 P-Bass pickup sounds great. I have one in a P/J set I've been using for over a year. I'm glad I do. This pickup sounds great. It is a plastic resin (Lucite) potted pickup, meaning it is fully encased in the resin and the cover is not removable as with other designs. $56 plus shipping. Very good output, strong bass and good mids. A versatile passive pickup that can cover the lowdown quite well. You just can't ever rewind it. BUT, I'd buy mine again. For $56, it is a steal.

Now we move into the realm of the true custom pickups.

Lindy Fralin ($140), Curtis Novak right here in NC ($95), Jason Lollar ($110) and Rio Grande ($120) are a few of those truly custom makers. Tell them for example you want a 1959 spec pickup and most likely they'll make you one. I currently use a Lindy Fralin in one bass. I plan on trying Curtis Novak here in NC next when and if the need ever arises. As you see, you pay a premium price for a custom made pickup. But you can pick a lot of options too like a raised "A" pole, alnico or stainless pole pieces....things like that.

Final advice, do not overlook the tone capacitor. For a real vintage sound avoid using a modern Poly cap like the modern poly Sprague Orange Drops. Fender is now selling the vintage correct spec 0.05 ceramic cap and that is probably what you should use for a vintage sound. If you already have one in your bass, great! A ceramic cap gives nice edge to the tone that many people find pleasing.

The paper in oil caps are the smoothest sounding with practically no distortion. Second smoothest is the Mylar caps, which are hard to find but Axegrinderz carries them (Sprague 225P) and are nearly as smooth as the much more expensive paper in oil variety. In the middle of the road are the modern poly caps. The most edgy sound comes from the ceramic disc caps that are the true vintage correct caps on all P-Basses from 1953 up through the glory days. However I prefer to use the obsolete Sprague Vitamin-Q paper in oil caps myself because they sound so smooth and creamy and have spoiled me badly for anything else so they reside in all three of my passive basses.

You can read more about caps and find links to all the above pickup makers by clicking the link in my signature below, then scrolling down the page to "REPLACEMENT/UPGRADE BASS PARTS." Read the AXEGRINDERZ section for cap information.


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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:27 pm
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brotherdave wrote:

Fender's "ORIGINAL" P-Bass pickup is a recreation of the pickup of 1962 vintage. This would be close to James Jamerson's pickup on the Motown recordings. About $75.

The Seymour Duncan SPB-1 is a similar vintage sounding pickup for about $10 less, around $65.


The duncan is actually really different than the 62 reissue. The SPB-1 is more of a 57 pickup, which is much bassier.

If you're going for a very smooth tone, the 62 might not be the best choice. It's surprisingly aggressive in the midrange, particularly in the upper mids. The treble is fairly tame though.


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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:22 am
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anubis16 wrote:

The duncan is actually really different than the 62 reissue. The SPB-1 is more of a 57 pickup, which is much bassier.

If you're going for a very smooth tone, the 62 might not be the best choice. It's surprisingly aggressive in the midrange, particularly in the upper mids. The treble is fairly tame though.


I never noticed surprisingly aggressive midrange on Jamerson's Motown recordings. Maybe it was the amp or direct box they used or maybe the player. I do know the SD SPB-2 is way louder and bassier so that really would not fit the bill since the vintage pickups should have some upper mids. That makes the SPB-1 the closest thing to vintage tone in the SD Basslines category.

The SD ANTIQUITY II is probably closer to the Fender Original P but it costs almost as much as a custom pickup from Curtis Novak. I didn't mention the Antiquity because it is so expensive with the relic treatment eating up some of the added expense. I think you might as well get a custom made one instead of the Antiquity II and then you'd have it exactly like you want it. The cost is about the same. Just tell them what year you want it to sound like.


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Post subject: sorry about Bill Lawrence's health...
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:41 am
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brotherdave wrote:
You are probably going to get a several different answers.

Part of what to get depends on how much you want to spend.

Fender's "ORIGINAL" P-Bass pickup is a recreation of the pickup of 1962 vintage. This would be close to James Jamerson's pickup on the Motown recordings. About $75.

The Seymour Duncan SPB-1 is a similar vintage sounding pickup for about $10 less, around $65. I currently use a SD Single Coil Quarter Pounder SCPB3 which is not very vintage sounding but is what I wanted in that one instrument. For the money they are a good value.

Bill Lawrence is very ill. GET WELL BILL! He is the only person I know of who at various times designed pickups for both Fender and Gibson. This is the first year in ages he isn't displaying his pickups or custom guitars at NAMM. However his shop in Corona, CA is still producing his latest pickup designs, called WILDE PICKUPS. Do not confuse WILDE Pickups with "Bill Lawrence Pickups" which were the ones Mr. Lawrence designed a long time ago that are still being sold by a former partner that bought out Mr. Lawrence's share of that company a long time ago. The Wilde P-46 P-Bass pickup sounds great. I have one in a P/J set I've been using for over a year. I'm glad I do. This pickup sounds great. It is a plastic resin (Lucite) potted pickup, meaning it is fully encased in the resin and the cover is not removable as with other designs. $56 plus shipping. Very good output, strong bass and good mids. A versatile passive pickup that can cover the lowdown quite well. You just can't ever rewind it. BUT, I'd buy mine again. For $56, it is a steal.

Now we move into the realm of the true custom pickups.

Lindy Fralin ($140), Curtis Novak right here in NC ($95), Jason Lollar ($110) and Rio Grande ($120) are a few of those truly custom makers. Tell them for example you want a 1959 spec pickup and most likely they'll make you one. I currently use a Lindy Fralin in one bass. I plan on trying Curtis Novak here in NC next when and if the need ever arises. As you see, you pay a premium price for a custom made pickup. But you can pick a lot of options too like a raised "A" pole, alnico or stainless pole pieces....things like that.

Final advice, do not overlook the tone capacitor. For a real vintage sound avoid using a modern Poly cap like the modern poly Sprague Orange Drops. Fender is now selling the vintage correct spec 0.05 ceramic cap and that is probably what you should use for a vintage sound. If you already have one in your bass, great! A ceramic cap gives nice edge to the tone that many people find pleasing.

The paper in oil caps are the smoothest sounding with practically no distortion. Second smoothest is the Mylar caps, which are hard to find but Axegrinderz carries them (Sprague 225P) and are nearly as smooth as the much more expensive paper in oil variety. In the middle of the road are the modern poly caps. The most edgy sound comes from the ceramic disc caps that are the true vintage correct caps on all P-Basses from 1953 up through the glory days. However I prefer to use the obsolete Sprague Vitamin-Q paper in oil caps myself because they sound so smooth and creamy and have spoiled me badly for anything else so they reside in all three of my passive basses.

You can read more about caps and find links to all the above pickup makers by clicking the link in my signature below, then scrolling down the page to "REPLACEMENT/UPGRADE BASS PARTS." Read the AXEGRINDERZ section for cap information.


Very thorough & usable info. Otherwise, I am sorry to hear about Bill Lawrence's health situation. He did a great job with his design of the pick-ups that are used in the discontinued Fender Roscoe Beck Signature Jazz Bass V. They have vintage sound in an unusual configuration. :(


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:57 am
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brotherdave wrote:
I never noticed surprisingly aggressive midrange on Jamerson's Motown recordings. Maybe it was the amp or direct box they used or maybe the player. I do know the SD SPB-2 is way louder and bassier so that really would not fit the bill since the vintage pickups should have some upper mids. That makes the SPB-1 the closest thing to vintage tone in the SD Basslines category.



I've heard some people describe the Fender '60s pup as having some grind in the upper-mids, more so than the SDs. Those that are looking for that late-'60s/'70s rock sound prefer it, while the SD is preferred for the Memphis/Motown sound. I haven't heard a Fender '60s pup yet, so I can't verify, but that's what I've read. I do know my SPB-1 is very smooth overall, lays in the mix very nice.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:05 pm
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I use the SD SPB-1 and SD STK-J2 in a P-J bass tuned BEAD. Currently has a Fender TBX control, 2 500K volume pots, and D'Addario nickle round wounds. I can get a variety of great tones from the bass; smooth deep thump to clear snap-n-pop. I might try some flat-wounds or half-wounds in the future, but I'm happy with the results when I use it.


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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:43 am
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I'd say Fender Original and Antiquity II are more 62 sounding..
the SPB 1 and the Antiquity I are a lot bassy more like the 57's


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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:57 pm
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Thanks for all your input! I just found this site and its pretty cool. I learned something new about my p- bass ! Never considered the tone capacitors, i think ill try that first. Rock on.


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Post subject: Re: p bass pick ups
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:52 pm
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Resurrecting an old thread: Not looking for that vintage Motown sound, but for the vintage "Live at Leeds" sound. Which pickup is best for that?
Yes, I have Rotosounds on my P-bass.
Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: p bass pick ups
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:37 pm
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4001 Player wrote:
Resurrecting an old thread: Not looking for that vintage Motown sound, but for the vintage "Live at Leeds" sound. Which pickup is best for that?
Yes, I have Rotosounds on my P-bass.
Thanks!


What amp?


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Post subject: Re: p bass pick ups
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:12 am
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It all goes through an early 70's Sunn Coliseum Lead and a 4x12 cab.


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Post subject: Re: p bass pick ups
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:35 pm
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You won't get that sound with that amp since it is solid state. He used 15 inch speakers I think. Marshall SUPERBASS tube head probably because I don't think he got the HIWATT until after this concert and then after that he went to SUNN Coliseum heads. If he was playing a Fender then the pickup would have been probably stock Fender but I don't know which bass he played. OXFAN might know which bass. Try sending OXFAN a message. The Ox had many many basses and of those the majority were custom made.


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Post subject: Re: p bass pick ups
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:56 pm
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Thanks FRWPB and Brother Dave!


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