P-bass, which pickup?

[mcnach]

I've spent some time looking at various possibilities for a pickup replacement for a P-bass copy (no price for guessing the brand )

I am looking for something with good midrange and which will enhance the "growl".
I will probably use my trusty D'Addario XL170 roundwounds 45-65-80-100 that I use on the OLP and MM Stingray with great results.

I'm at the moment considering these three pickups:

Wizard Thumper
- great reviews on the pickup and the company.

DiMarzio DP122
- good reviews, good samples on Youtube (for what they're worth). I'm leaning toward this one. Pity teh polepieces are black, I'd prefer teh usual silver ones but sound is more important.

Seymour Duncan SBP-3
- good reviews, good samples on Youtube too... but hard to judge.

I would welcome any comments, experiences etc about these pickups, or any other alternatives you think I should consider.

[Soloshchenko]

I'm in a similar boat. Currently planning a P bass project from an ebay body I got for a couple of quid and a broken neck I can hopefully fix off here. I have an unknown junker P bass pickup knocking about which might get used but if the project ends up working out I'm probably gonna lean towards one of these.

I did get some incredibly lovely 84s for my Jazz off Wizard pickups which are so good I'm tempted buy the Thumper, never played one though.

[Lozz196]

The Fender Vintage/Original is a very good pickup. Brought my MIM P-Bass more in line with my USs.

[Grand Wazoo]

I am in heaven with my Lollar which I've.... "picked up" no pun intended for £40 on the bay, otherwise they are close to £90 but it's the best I have ever tried, period correct, plenty of growl and some, and some, and some more... warm, deep, you need a decent set of pots to go with it, like original american CTS, proper wiring with a nice sprague capacitor and your there! (In heaven)

[KK Jale]

A knowledgeable tone-freak friend recommends Curtis Novak as someone who completely nails the traditional sound.

[url="http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/pb-v.shtml"]http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/pb-v.shtml[/url]

I've never tried them. Has anybody here?

Sure you've seen the latest shoot-out over at TB...

[url="http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/"]http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/[/url]

[AttitudeCastle]

The DP-122 is great (the Willpower in my attitude no less (obviously!) is based on it)
BUT
Its not a really "growly" pickup, good midrange thump

Of the three i'd say it fits your bill the least, the pole pieces are individual

The DP127 is a great pickup, blades are a complete bonus, they look great and are HOT, hotter than alot of active basses i've played

Wizard i've never heard in person but people on here love them!

And can't really go wrong with the seymour duncan!

I'm a big Dimarzio fan by the way! haha

[nick]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1131300' date='Feb 17 2011, 05:24 PM']I've spent some time looking at various possibilities for a pickup replacement for a P-bass copy (no price for guessing the brand )

I am looking for something with good midrange and which will enhance the "growl".
I will probably use my trusty D'Addario XL170 roundwounds 45-65-80-100 that I use on the OLP and MM Stingray with great results.

I'm at the moment considering these three pickups:

Wizard Thumper
- great reviews on the pickup and the company.

DiMarzio DP122
- good reviews, good samples on Youtube (for what they're worth). I'm leaning toward this one. Pity teh polepieces are black, I'd prefer teh usual silver ones but sound is more important.

Seymour Duncan SBP-3
- good reviews, good samples on Youtube too... but hard to judge.

I would welcome any comments, experiences etc about these pickups, or any other alternatives you think I should consider.[/quote]

I like the Seymour Duncan SPB-1 myself. It's just a decent Precision pickup - nothing special, but punchy & growly enough when needed for me. Would like to try Wizard Trad at some point in the future. If you're after a lot of mids the SPB-2 'Hot' is better than SPB-3, which can sound quite scooped.
However, regarding the pickup on the Sue Ryder bass, just wondering why do you want to change it?
Fairly picky myself, when it comes to P-Bass pickups & as a matter of course always upgrade them to SPB-1's , but TBH found the stock pickup in the Ryder bass to be surprisingly good. Decided to keep it installed. Changing the pots & putting a PIO cap in it though...
Just curious(?)

Edited February 17, 2011 by nick

[Soloshchenko]

[quote name='KK Jale' post='1131365' date='Feb 17 2011, 06:15 PM']A knowledgeable tone-freak friend recommends Curtis Novak as someone who completely nails the traditional sound.

[url="http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/pb-v.shtml"]http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/pb-v.shtml[/url]

I've never tried them. Has anybody here?

[b]Sure you've seen the latest shoot-out over at TB...[/b]

[url="http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/"]http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/[/url][/quote]


I hadn't, but thanks. Very helpful sound clips. I quite like the SD.

[KiOgon]

I've just fitted a DiMarzio DP127 in my '57 AV & to me it's the mutz nutz! It looks as good as it sounds & as said above ^ it's equivalent to many a active bass in output. The bars instead of pole pieces are very neat & part of the reason for wanting to change - the raised poles on the A string '57 original were a bit of a pain sometimes.

My Frank Bello has got Seymour Duncans, both P & J 1/4 lbs - the DiMarzio is clearer, crystal on every note, open string + harmonics ring like a bell, all with no background noise. I've also got SD 1/4lb in my MIM P & my '51 P, so they're my benchmark.

Do you want a pick up that costs more than the bass though!

[stevie]

[quote name='KK Jale' post='1131365' date='Feb 17 2011, 06:15 PM'][url="http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/"]http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/library/[/url][/quote]
That's interesting. Makes you wonder why the others are more expensive than the GFS.

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='KiOgon' post='1131427' date='Feb 17 2011, 07:12 PM']I've just fitted a DiMarzio DP127 in my '57 AV & to me it's the mutz nutz! It looks as good as it sounds & as said above ^ it's equivalent to many a active bass in output. The bars instead of pole pieces are very neat & part of the reason for wanting to change - the raised poles on the A string '57 original were a bit of a pain sometimes.

My Frank Bello has got Seymour Duncans, both P & J 1/4 lbs - the DiMarzio is clearer, crystal on every note, open string + harmonics ring like a bell, all with no background noise. I've also got SD 1/4lb in my MIM P & my '51 P, so they're my benchmark.

Do you want a pick up that costs more than the bass though![/quote]

Great vintage sound when played the right way!

AND AWESOME shred POWERFUL sound when played right

though the P-bass isn't the ultimate shred bass, and P-s are getting pricy now!

[Mog]

Another DiMarzio fan here. The DP 122 is bass & mid heavy so 'growl' isn't that prominent. The Dp 127 might be more suited to what you are after.
The Dp 122 can be switched between series/parallel too with the addition of a mini toggle which would give a little more grunt.

[url="http://dimarzio.com/site/#/pickups/"]Dp 127 page[/url]

[mcnach]

[quote name='KiOgon' post='1131427' date='Feb 17 2011, 07:12 PM']I've just fitted a DiMarzio DP127 in my '57 AV & to me it's the mutz nutz! It looks as good as it sounds & as said above ^ it's equivalent to many a active bass in output. The bars instead of pole pieces are very neat & part of the reason for wanting to change - the raised poles on the A string '57 original were a bit of a pain sometimes.

My Frank Bello has got Seymour Duncans, both P & J 1/4 lbs - the DiMarzio is clearer, crystal on every note, open string + harmonics ring like a bell, all with no background noise. I've also got SD 1/4lb in my MIM P & my '51 P, so they're my benchmark.

Do you want a pick up that costs more than the bass though![/quote]


What does it matter whether it costs more or less than the bass? What matters is the final result, surely!



I've done worse: Westfield Jazz (£50 delivered) + J-Retro preamp (£135)
However the result is fantastic. I just wanted a cheap Jazz for those moments when you have to have a Jazz... and this thing totally surprised me. Hell of a bass for £185... sounds reasonable to me

The Sue Ryder P-bass is... about the first P-bass I've ever liked. Go figure that one!!!

The DP127 does seem very interesting. It's the least "P-bassy" of the whole lot, but it sounds great on the clips I've heard.
Not sure what I'll end up doing, but this one certainly caught my attention... I explain why I want a picku replacement in a following post...

[LukewarmWater]

Another Seymour Duncan SPB-3 user here. I replaced the MEC P pickup in my passive Warwick with one: as a heavy rock pickup I think it works pretty well but it's definitely not the best for growl (the original had more growl albeit less bass, treble and output).

[mcnach]

[quote name='nick' post='1131382' date='Feb 17 2011, 06:34 PM']I like the Seymour Duncan SPB-1 myself. It's just a decent Precision pickup - nothing special, but punchy & growly enough when needed for me. Would like to try Wizard Trad at some point in the future. If you're after a lot of mids the SPB-2 'Hot' is better than SPB-3, which can sound quite scooped.
However, regarding the pickup on the Sue Ryder bass, just wondering why do you want to change it?
Fairly picky myself, when it comes to P-Bass pickups & as a matter of course always upgrade them to SPB-1's , but TBH found the stock pickup in the Ryder bass to be surprisingly good. Decided to keep it installed. Changing the pots & putting a PIO cap in it though...
Just curious(?)[/quote]


Well, I have THREE of those beasts. Yep, you read it well. Three.
Did I tell you that until a few weeks ago I used to go "P-bass? blergh!"

I don't know. This one seems to work for me. Having three allows me to explore sounds and configurations a bit.
I have to say I think the SR pickups are nice enough. I intend to keep two as they are, and modify a third one. While I'm happy with the sound, and they do a great slap too, I find it a bit "polite" at times. It sounds nice, but since I have three, I would like to change the pickup in one to get it a bit of extra "oomph". I call that "low midrang growl", but who knows what others call it. I heep hearing the DP122 is not growly but the clips I hear do have (what I call) growl in spades!

The way things are going right now with the three basses:
#1 stays stock, with Rotosound Tru-bass nylon-coated flats on.
#2 will stay stock too, probably, with another type of flats, non-coated and brighter. I'm trying D'Addario Chromes (my experience with flats is almost nil, so I have simply gone around listening to things until I could figure what looked like a good bet).
#3 replace pickup for something a bit less polite, and use my usual roundwounds. What I'm not clear is whether I want to keep a lot of the traditional P-bass character or not. I wanted to, but after hearing the DP127 I'm thinking I might as well stray.

That's all

Just having fun with P-basses after years saying "a P-bass? never"

[mcnach]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1131354' date='Feb 17 2011, 06:09 PM']I am in heaven with my Lollar which I've.... "picked up" no pun intended for £40 on the bay, otherwise they are close to £90 but it's the best I have ever tried, period correct, plenty of growl and some, and some, and some more... warm, deep, you need a decent set of pots to go with it, like original american CTS, proper wiring with a nice sprague capacitor and your there! (In heaven)[/quote]


Thanks for that. I had forgotten about these!

Hmm, it is looking like it'll be a question of a) stray from P-bass sound and get a DP127, or stay closer to classic P-bass land and go for a Lollar or maybe a SD...

[AttitudeCastle]

The DP-127 can sound very vinatge BUT its mostly Hi-fi,

how i have all my stuff set up (if i still had the P with them in!) I couldn't dial in a vinatge tone at all, and it didn't sound P-bassy

but with some fiddling with the amp as well could easily do that!

It was designed with Hi-fi in mind so keep that in mind!

The SPB-1 is a great Old school P-bass sound!

[dannybuoy]

For a traditional P-Bass sound but with a tad more growl and clarity, the Lindy Fralin pickups are top notch (although you'll have to get em from the US).

[bassmachine2112]

I,m in the wizard camp,got a thumper in mine.
If you want to go non polite what about a stealth 51.The thumper is a great pick up,loadsa presence which cuts through but throttle back the tone and it,s thump time.
Give Andy a phone and describe the sound and he,ll see you right.

[gsgbass]

Hi; I've used the Seymour Duncan SBP-3 on a Fender Roger Waters P Bass. I thought it sound great.

[mcnach]

[quote name='bassmachine2112' post='1133065' date='Feb 19 2011, 08:56 AM']I,m in the wizard camp,got a thumper in mine.
If you want to go non polite what about a stealth 51.The thumper is a great pick up,loadsa presence which cuts through but throttle back the tone and it,s thump time.
Give Andy a phone and describe the sound and he,ll see you right.[/quote]


sounds like a phone call may be in order, I like the idea of buying local homegrown products where you can actually talk to the "farmer", and I hear nothing but great stuff about the company!

[The Admiral]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1133804' date='Feb 19 2011, 09:16 PM']sounds like a phone call may be in order, I like the idea of buying local homegrown products where you can actually talk to the "farmer", and I hear nothing but great stuff about the company![/quote]

+1 for Andy @ Wizard and the 'Thumpers'. Fantastic for the money, and great customer service when I dealt with him recently.

[pikeman]

[quote name='The Admiral' post='1133867' date='Feb 19 2011, 11:05 PM']+1 for Andy @ Wizard and the 'Thumpers'. Fantastic for the money, and great customer service when I dealt with him recently.[/quote]

I'm in the same boat, looking for a P pickup. I've been calling Wizard for days but get a recorded message saying they'll get back to me.
Still waiting.
Edit
Finally got through to Andy who was really helpful and suggested a Thumper would give me the sound I described.
Ordered on Monday morning, the pickup arrived on Wednesday morning. Brilliant service and what a sound, who needs actives with these babies, rich lows with as much top end as you need. Great pickup.

Edited February 25, 2011 by pikeman

[krispn]

The Lakland pick ups are really good too- but Wizard can always custom wind something to suit your spec.

[mcnach]

[quote name='pikeman' post='1133881' date='Feb 19 2011, 11:22 PM']I'm in the same boat, looking for a P pickup. I've been calling Wizard for days but get a recorded message saying they'll get back to me.
Still waiting.
Edit
Finally got through to Andy who was really helpful and suggested a Thumper would give me the sound I described.
Ordered on Monday morning, the pickup arrived on Wednesday morning. Brilliant service and what a sound, who needs actives with these babies, rich lows with as much top end as you need. Great pickup.[/quote]


what sound were you describing?

I'm buying a DiMarzio DP127 for one of teh basses, because it seems like a nice beast. It won't be P-bass like, not too much, but I also considered do an "Ou7shined" of sorts, and put a 'Ray type pickguard with an MM pickup... so P-bass tone is not the objective there.

The third one, however... will be the one with flats (Chromes arrived today, will try at the weekend) and I haven't decided which pickup will go there. I might just leave it stock, but ideally I'd like something with a bit more mids to make the flats, with the tone control rolled down "a bit", sound a bit more punchy. That's the one where I thought Thumpers might be good, based on other people's comments.