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Post subject: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:25 pm
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Rock Star
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Location: Albemarle, NC
I just put in a new set of these in a 2004 MIM Standard which I thought sounded pretty good to begin with or I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. The sunburst looked really good and the neck was finer than most so I decided I was going to cosmetically "62 it out" so I figured why not try a set of these this time, since that is what comes in the '62 RI.

For what it is worth, my assessment is this set has a surprisingly astounding open high end, and it has a ton of low end too. I didn't expect so much high end, I really didn't. I figured great low end sure, but not so much high end. And they are very hot! I actually got FEEDBACK with the treble on the instrument and amp wide open. The tone control actually has a function now. This is going to be gigged for sure, and often. The original Mexican Puppies were honking but these Original Precision Bass Pickups blew my moles off.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:30 pm
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Location: North of Pittsburgh
Always good to hear when someone's plan comes together.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:31 pm
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Is anyone else here thinking "no pic, no bass"? :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:52 am
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Yeah!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:16 am
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Rock Star
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I'm at work now. It is dark when I get home. There is a 90% chance that it is going to rain like 40 Hades here tomorrow. I don't know when I can get good natural light photos with my schedule and the weather the way it is.

Honest... I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:56 pm
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Hey, let everyone know just how bad a day it was. Your dog ate your car keys and you had to follow him around and wait forever to get them back, your hot water tank developed a leak, then there was the alien abduction.

We all have days like that David. We'll be patient.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:37 pm
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I tried posting photos and get the "SORRY WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES" page from the forum! LMAO


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:41 pm
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OxyRon, I was quoting Jake Blues from the tunnel scene. All the excuses I posted in the first paragraph sort of reminded me of something he would say, so I quoted in the second paragraph. OK here are some indoor shots I took. Hopefully better pics later when the weather is fair and I'm home.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:44 pm
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Forum is only letting me post pics ONE at a time. Here's the second one.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:46 pm
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The third one
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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:53 pm
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I'm trying to post all the mods I did but the stupid forum software keeps giving me an error. Shielding, USA Original P-Bass Pickups, PIO Sprague Vitamin-Q cap, tugbar and pickup/bridge covers plus some other stuff the software is blocking for some reason. I also carved a hidden mark.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:18 am
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Roadie
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I took Brother Dave word & having a set of 62's reissue pickups put in my 2002 Sage Green MIM P bass. Of course I will post a photo soon I know no photo no bass. It's really a great color!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 1:29 pm
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BP GOALIE, I think you may find lots more high end like I did along with full lows, but not overpowering lows. TRULY a surprising pickup.

While in there you might want to change the cap. This 2004 model had a teeny tiny ceramic disc so small I couldn't even read the markings. That worked fine with the stock pickups, but add the extra highs and lows from the FOPB pups and that cap might sound brittle. Maybe you like some crunch and it could be complimentary for hard driving stuff. I'm sure the Vitamin-Q or another PIO would eliminate much of the edginess and probably Orange Drops would too. Mylar Orange Drops more so than the more common Poly ones that every parts dealer sells.

Since being so freaked out by this install, I've done more reading and found that while the impedance on the FOPB pickup is specified at 10.5k Ohms, which is pretty normal, the specifed inductance 6.4 henries is almost double the stock ones wound to a similar impedance. That is probably what makes them so surprisingly loud and bright.

Usually higher inductance means more bass and less highs or upper mids because in order to get the higher inductance they have to overwind the coils to a higher impedance, but the FOPB pick pair is not deficient in upper mids because the impedance is still pretty much normal.

Here are some inductance comparisons: Lace Sensor P-Bass=2.7 henries. Bill Lawrence's WILDE P-46=3.8 henries. The much ballyhooed Jason Lollar P-Bass has 6.1 henries, however it costs twice as much so you are paying more money for slightly less inductance than the FOBP set. For about twice what I paid for the FOPB set I would get 0.27 henries more inductance with the raised A-pole Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-Bass set, but that would not work as well with the modern larger neck radius on my MIM so I'd have to go to the REGULAR A-POLE Antiquity set which is essentially the same at 6.5 henries or just 0.1 henries higher inductance and still about twice as much money.

It seems to me from my research over the past week that most mass produced P-Bass pickups are made as if they were intended for potential use in a P/J configuration. This means they need to have a LOWER inductance (the WILDE P-46 for example) than one intended for use in a P only setup like the FOPB pickup. This is likely due to the inductance limitations of stock type J-Bass single coil pups which live in a limited range of between 3 and 4 henries. If you pair a high inductance P (say 6.4 henries) with a J pickup (even with a custom maximum overwound inductance of up to 5 henries) you are going to have a noticeable mismatch in output levels making it hard to get a balanced tone between the two pickups. This may be why some people find that on a passive P/J the P seems much more dominant.

Most mass production pickup makers don't specify inductance at all or only list inductance on high end versions intended for use in a P only setup. Pity, because inductance is apparently a more far more valuable specification to know than the impedance of the coil at rest (with no signal). Impedance is about the only spec most of them actually do list. The truth is that the impedance will actually VARY in the presence of a signal being generated anyway!

From the writings of Bill Lawrence, who is one of the most knowledgeable pickup gurus in the world: "DC resistance (Rdc) tells you as much about a pickup's tone and output as the shoe size tells you about a person's intelligence!"

The FOPB pickup is clear evidence to me of what BL is saying. I do NOT think the FOPB set should be used in a P/J. Your mileage may vary.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:18 pm
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Very nice bass, and some great info too! I've thought about the putting '62s in my 2011 amstd p... I just haven't completely convinced myself yet. :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: Fender Original Precison Bass Pickups
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 11:57 am
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Roadie
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Nice job, as usual.


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