Are SPB-3's too 'boomy'

[Shylock]

Does anyone else find the Seymour Duncan SPB-3s too boomy and muffled?

I have a Fendeer MIM Precision and put these on some 12 months ago as that seemed to be the fashion. Yes at home, on quieter volumes, they sounded the bees's knees (what ever that means!) with a fuller bass and clearer treble. Yet with the band, lodged between the drummer and rythym guitarist I have become disappointed with volume levels and the inability to hear the top string and a 'boomy'effect on the bottom string. I even swpaped my amp from a 15inch Trace Elliot Commando to a 2 x10 Marshall MB4210, with a substantial inprovement I might add. But still too much boom especially half way up the neck on the bottom two strings.

So at the weekend I put the stock pups back in. Not as good at home, although I felt you hear the 'PB Growl' clearer. But last night at practice much better. I came to the conclusion that because the SPB-3s are too 'full' I have to lower the volume to compensate for the 'boom/muffled' lower notes which means the higher notes are not heard above the others.

Mind you no-one else noticed last night except I thought I was louder but the rest of band said the volume was the same and you could certainly hear the higher notes on the chorus to The Killers Somebody Told Me.

Am I missing something here or does/did anyone else have this issue. Should I give the SPB-3 s a second chance?

Edited July 13, 2011 by Shylock

[escholl]

[quote name='Shylock' post='1301010' date='Jul 12 2011, 01:44 PM']But still too much boom esp[ecillay hal way up te neck on the bottom two strings.[/quote]
have you tried lowering the pickup height on the bottom two strings, and maybe raising it a bit on the top two? sometimes even a few mm in either direction can make a noticeable difference.

otherwise i'd guess that maybe these pickups have less mids -- hence why they probably sound nicer on their own, but have a bit less growl and don't sit as well with the band. not heard them personally though so this is just a guess.

[Shylock]

[quote name='escholl' post='1301083' date='Jul 12 2011, 02:33 PM']have you tried lowering the pickup height on the bottom two strings, and maybe raising it a bit on the top two? sometimes even a few mm in either direction can make a noticeable difference.

otherwise i'd guess that maybe these pickups have less mids -- hence why they probably sound nicer on their own, but have a bit less growl and don't sit as well with the band. not heard them personally though so this is just a guess.[/quote]


Thanks but yes I tried that - the bottom two strings pick up was almost flush with the pick guard and the other on as high as I could get without distorting. I did wonder whether the wiring instructions were correct as on the SPB-3's the white wire is coming from the 'Neck' pick up and wired to the pot and the black is the earth but on the stock ones the 'Neck' pick up is black and wired to the earth and the white, from the 'Bridge' to the pot? As per attached.

But would it make any difference?

Edited July 12, 2011 by Shylock

[Lozz196]

I`ve found that, having had a few replacement pickups in Precisions, mainly Seymour Duncan QPs (and some others which I can`t remember exactly) that whilst they sound great to the ear at quiet volumes, when at band volume, the Fender pickups sound much nicer. Those "clanky" mids of the Fenders are what makes them shine in a band mix.

[Shylock]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1302685' date='Jul 13 2011, 06:26 PM']I`ve found that, having had a few replacement pickups in Precisions, mainly Seymour Duncan QPs (and some others which I can`t remember exactly) that whilst they sound great to the ear at quiet volumes, when at band volume, the Fender pickups sound much nicer. Those "clanky" mids of the Fenders are what makes them shine in a band mix.[/quote]

Thanks - glad I am not alone!!