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Entwistle neodymium P-type pickups (PBXN)


mcnach
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Sometimes a cheap bass surprises you.

A while ago I found, by chance, someone nearby selling a Squier Mike Dirnt Precision for £115. I was curious as I was starting to feel a certain attraction for P basses after hating them for so long, so I went to check it out.

The bass was very light, the neck slim (which I loved then, but now I wish it were wider and thicker), and it was quite nice. Then I was reminded the £115 price covered bass and amplifier... so I went home with them and later sold the amp for £20.

Very comfy bass to play, and the pickup may not be the best but it sounded ok to me.

I used this bass a lot for busking with my band using a battery operated amplifier... it worked pretty well and it was a bass I did not worry too much if it got wet, or dirty, or scratched...

Recently I've been hearing good things about these Entwistle pickups, especially the neodymium one. At £26, it looked like a painless way to try to improve this bass.

The pickups arrived, but the black covers have larger ears than the route on my bass... so I then ordered a set of white covers with smaller ears. They arrived today and fitted perfectly on the bass and on the Entwistle pickups... and it looks like this:








... I have not been able yet to play it with the band, but at home it sounds quite nice. Adjustable polepieces are cool, and I raised the G string ones a bit as the G string was sounding a bit weaker than the rest.

The first thing you notice is that some of the "Precision" character is gone. It's not a traditional P bass sound, but it's a good one. It's got a lot of "grunt" but it sounds a bit more refined than a classic P bass. Hard to describe!

Not a traditional P bass sound, but it's a good one, especially at £26!

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I've just purchased a set of these for a P bass that I'll be getting shortly.

I got them for my Geddy Lee & like those a lot. Make other high priced aftermarket pups look a bit of a rip off for the money they go for!

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They are awesome pups. I can`t believe I never thought about changing the covers so they fit better! :facepalm: just done that and put one in my Dirnt Precision and its transformed it, think i`ll remove it from the for sale section now and have a proper go with it and see if I get the `Precision` thing :D

Edited by DarkHeart
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[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1426950025' post='2723878']
They are awesome pups. I can`t believe I never thought about changing the covers so they fit better! :facepalm: just done that and put one in my Dirnt Precision and its transformed it, think i`ll remove it from the for sale section now and have a proper go with it and see if I get the `Precision` thing :D
[/quote]

:lol:

it was just a flash of inspiration... :P I've had other pickups fitted with the "wrong ears" and never thought of just changing the covers until now. So simple! :lol:

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I took the Squier P to my gig tonight, through the little Markbass CMD121P combo (just as a stage monitor) and I have to say I am very very pleased with the transformation! These pickups are great value!

I had my tone (passive) rolled off maybe a quarter of a turn, and that gave me a very nice smooth tone. Opening up the tone made it sound a little louder (those mids) and cut through more clearly, with lots of grunt... These pickups work very well with the passive P bass tone. Again, it's not the classic 50s Precision tone, but something a bit more... aggressive yet refined. Hard to describe :lol:. It's like using a jackhammer that was precision-build in Sweden or something :P Powerful, yet precise. I don't know! It's just a very good sound.

Incidentally, I had three different people complimenting me on my bass (playing? sound? not clear)...

I also have a set of veyr very very cheap strings on this bass, stainless steel, brand "Coban". £7 delivered, on eBay. Someone on BC was using them and I thought I would check them out. They're not the best strings I've used, and they felt a bit dead compared to other steel strings I was trying... but after a bit, I started enjoying the way they didn't have all that extra treble that I don't really like, and fellt smoother. Today they did a great job. I might continue using them after all!

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 years later...

I've got JBXNs in my jazz besses and a PBX in my precision. I have a PBXN but I so like the sound of the PBX that I haven't felt the need to upgrade it. 
I've tried a number of pickups over the years in both types of bass , stock Fender, Seymour Duncan , Wizard , Tonerider and found them well unremarkable to lame.
Entwistle does it every time.

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I recently removed the PBXN from this bass (see OP) and installed a set of Fender Originals I had, as I wanted a more 'traditional' Precision sound now.First thing I noticed was... Those PBXN were loud!!!! :D

I'm keeping the pickup, I just wanted a different vibe (to use with Labellas White Nylon copper strings)... I'm sure I'll use the pickup again.

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They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J.

And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass.

Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out.

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2 minutes ago, gjones said:

They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J.

And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass.

Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out.

I've been gigging with JBXNs form a couple of years now they are the business.

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33 minutes ago, gjones said:

They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J.

And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass.

Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out.

 

Next Saturday? Not in Stramash by chance?

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8 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Next Saturday? Not in Stramash by chance?

No, Whistlebinkies.  

I played at Stramash last weekend and I noticed the Orange amp was set to Bass off, Mid full and treble off. Just like I'd left it the weekend before.

Edited by gjones
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3 hours ago, gjones said:

No, Whistlebinkies.  

I played at Stramash last weekend and I noticed the Orange amp was set to Bass off, Mid full and treble off. Just like I'd left it the weekend before.

 

I asked because I'll be at Stramash on Saturday. In case you were there, to catch some of your set at least :)

The Orange Terror will be set not too far from your settings above ;) Maybe people are starting to notice.

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