Why are P bass pickups split?

[landwomble]

Hi all.
Not managed to find a good explanation of this online. Why are P bass pickups split into 2 units as opposed to a single inline one?
Are the two pieces location sensitive, I.e. could you swap them over without any impact to the sound?

Cheers

[RhysP]

A single inline pickup, like a jazz bass pickup, usually tends to be single coil.
A split Precision pickup is a humbucker, albeit one wired in series rather than the more usual parallel.
I think the split thing was also done to help emphasise the higher frequencies on the top two strings as well.

[landwomble]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1435095452' post='2805508']
A single inline pickup, like a jazz bass pickup, usually tends to be single coil.
A split Precision pickup is a humbucker, albeit one wired in series rather than the more usual parallel.
I think the split thing was also done to help emphasise the higher frequencies on the top two strings as well.
[/quote]

Oooh interesting. Ta.
So it'd make no difference which way around the pickups fitted, but presumably one of them gets better tone from being slightly closer to the neck etc?

[kodiakblair]

Also Seth Lover had the patent on humbucker pickups so this was the way to pretend it
wasn't a humbucker.

They still don't like to talk about that.

[RhysP]

The closer to the bridge the more the top end response will be, but I don't think it matters which bit of the pickup is on which side (Feel free to correct me anybody).
Some basses, like the earlier Yamaha BB series, had the P pickups around the other way, with the part under the lower two strings closer to the bridge.

[Twigman]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1435096058' post='2805521']
I don't think it matters which bit of the pickup is on which side (Feel free to correct me anybody).
[/quote]
Some have a raised pole on the A string...these are orientation sensitive
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/antiquity/11044-12.jpg

Edited June 24, 2015 by Twigman

[pfretrock]

You could also add it was also a very cheap way of getting humbuck, which may have been attractive to Leo.

[HowieBass]

... plus, should you feel it necessary, you can angle the pickups to get individual string to pole distances across all 4 strings.

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1435148127' post='2805920']
You could also add it was also a very cheap way of getting humbuck, which may have been attractive to Leo.
[/quote]

I think this was a large part of the switch around '57 from single coil pickups to split coil pickups. I think the look was also more fitting with the revamp of the P bass, what with all the contouring and headstock reshape.

[hubrad]

It strikes me that, as each string only passes over one coil rather than two as with a humbucker, the P pickup gives a single coil tone but with hum cancelling. Widet coils so more P-90 style fat with bite.
Just my tupporth, not necessarily the truth. .

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1435096018' post='2805520']
Also Seth Lover had the patent on humbucker pickups so this was the way to pretend it
wasn't a humbucker.

They still don't like to talk about that.
[/quote]
Hence the term 'humcancelling split-coil'.

[The fasting showman]

I think the intention with the P bass pickup was to obtain a humbucking design with an absence of phase cancellation in the sound given that that the two parts of the humbucker operate on different pairs of strings. That's not to criticize basses like the Stingray where phase cancellation is part of the sound (i.e a dip in the mids from having 2 coils on at the same time, like position 2 and 4 on a strat pickup switch) or a Jazz bass with both pickups turned on full. All great sounds in their own way.
Martin

[Telebass]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1435159106' post='2806071']
... plus, should you feel it necessary, you can angle the pickups to get individual string to pole distances across all 4 strings.
[/quote]
This and the humbucking was the reason for the split.