P-bass pickup selection- which is best for growly punky sounds?

[SlapbassSteve]

Hi all,

I've got a '09 Mex precision I've been modding for some time now and it's almost done. Plays like an absolute dream and I'm actually tempted to start using it more instead of my Jazz. Only thing is I've never had a tone from it that I'm entirely happy with. The original mex fender pickups sounded downright awful, lots of clanky mids and absolutely nothing else, so I swapped them out for a set of DiMarzios. The DM's are better, but now instead I'm finding them too dull, dark and muted sounding.

So basically what is the most aggressive, ballsy-sounding p pickup out there under the £100 mark? I'm after that aggressive, punky tone similar to Mike Dirnt etc, but without loosing the bottom end like the stock pups. Difficult to explain really, sorta need the grit in the lower mids and not higher?

I'm not sure whether I'd need a vintage style pup like an SD Antiquity II or something scarier looking like the Quarter Pounder series..?

Cheers!

[charic]

I've got qp's in my mex if you want to give it a try. Should be at the se bass bash with it :-) alternatively happy to meet up.

[dudewheresmybass]

Qp pups will definitely do the job. I have them in all of my builds.
Growly, aggressive, with a ton of low end.
Can often be found around here secondhand for £35-40

[KiOgon]

[quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1347419954' post='1800584']
Hi all,

I've got a '09 Mex precision I've been modding for some time now and it's almost done. Plays like an absolute dream and I'm actually tempted to start using it more instead of my Jazz. Only thing is I've never had a tone from it that I'm entirely happy with. The original mex fender pickups sounded downright awful, lots of clanky mids and absolutely nothing else, so I swapped them out for a set of DiMarzios. The DM's are better, but now instead I'm finding them too dull, dark and muted sounding.

So basically what is the most aggressive, ballsy-sounding p pickup out there under the £100 mark? I'm after that aggressive, punky tone similar to Mike Dirnt etc, but without loosing the bottom end like the stock pups. Difficult to explain really, sorta need the grit in the lower mids and not higher?

I'm not sure whether I'd need a vintage style pup like an SD Antiquity II or something scarier looking like the Quarter Pounder series..?

Cheers!
[/quote]
If the DiMarzio is as bad as you say - I'd say it ain't working right, or there's something wrong with the rest of your circuitry!

[Conan]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1347436267' post='1800657']
If the DiMarzio is as bad as you say - I'd say it ain't working right, or there's something wrong with the rest of your circuitry!
[/quote]

I was going to suggest that. Aren't DM's known for being quite the opposite?

[Low End Bee]

Wizard Thumper fits the bill for me. 2007 American Standard with them on this [url="http://soundcloud.com/thejetsonics"]http://soundcloud.com/thejetsonics[/url] for an idea of how they can sound.

My spare has a Dimarzio and it is noticeably darker sounding.

[Low End Bee]

PS

I think you can 'over pickup' a Precision sometimes. Really powerful/hot ones can lose the grrrr. You have to let the amp do some of the work. Also pickup height needs to be fiddled with. Tiny adjustments can make a lot of difference.

[Hobbayne]

You could try an SPB1. A lot of the bands in the 70,s were using Precisions that were most likely a few years old by then.
I would assume that would be a closer sound than QP's.

[Lozz196]

The SPB1 sounds great. There was a thread on here with some comparisons, and it was really nice. The one I usually turn to however is the Fender Original/Vintage. It does those great woody tones, but push it from the amp, and hit the strings hard, and it gets the growl. It also has nice highs without that clank that I`ve found on some MIMs.

[SlapbassSteve]

Thanks folks!

Sounds like I could do with a look at the height of the DM's before I buy anything. I wouldn't say there's anything at all [i]wrong[/i] with the tone itself, it's just a bit too smooth and dull for my taste. Is there any sure way of setting it, ie closer to the strings=brighter tone?

Failing that, I think I might try some Quarter Pounders first, they seem a bit Marmite so I'll either absolutely love them or want rid as soon as I've heard them. Cheers charic for offering to let me try yours but for the cost of getting down south I could just buy them anyway haha! Luckily there are a few vids on youtube comparing...

Will update as I progress!

[Paul S]

I am in the prcoess of going through this myself. I recently bought a lightweight MIJ Fender P bass (with a Jazz neck) and it immediately feels *just right* when playing it - more so than any of my other basses. So that leaves the tone.

I put a Ki0gon wiring loom in it and replaced the stock pups with a SPB-3 as, from reading around, that is what I thought I would like the most - plus I have one in another Fender and it is great. Anyway, it sounded nice but, in this bass, a bit middy and aggressive and, despite my initial thoughts, wasn't the sound I am looking for. I changed it for a Kent Armstrong I have knocking about and found that to be a little bit weak. Back to stock MIJ Fender pup that came with the bass - actually the best so far in terms of that 'woody P-Bass' tone. I have just put a Wizard Trad in it but not yet tried this at gig/rehearsal volume yet - at home practice level it sounds yummy - like the Fender one but with more oomph, perhaps. Waiting in the wings are a Wizard Thumper, just bought on here, and a SPB-1 which is on its way across the Atlantic.

I think the thing is you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince - sound is so subjective and only you know your ideal bass tone that exists in your head. Most of the pups I have bought on here secondhand, so not that expensive to keep trying different ones then move them on when finished.

[Low End Bee]

Oh and strings make a difference too don't forget. It's bleeding endless and nobody in the audience will give a toss of course!

[SlapbassSteve]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1347452792' post='1800955']
Oh and strings make a difference too don't forget. [b][i]It's bleeding endless and nobody in the audience will give a toss of course![/i][/b]
[/quote]


Sadly the curse of our profession isn't it, we could have all kept that dodgy first bass and nobody would know the difference!

[miles'tone]

Just been searching for info on pickup height and came across this thread.
Thought I might add that the Dimarzio model P does sound a bit muddy and dark if you just drop the pup in. You need to change the vol and tone pots to 500k's from the stock 250k pots to get the growl and bite that they are capable of. Brightens things up. Dimarzio actually recommends this.
Just saying incase someone finds this thread in a search and gets put off. Dimarzios rock!

[SlapbassSteve]

Blimey this thread takes me back!

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1364761001' post='2030637']
Just been searching for info on pickup height and came across this thread.
Thought I might add that the Dimarzio model P does sound a bit muddy and dark if you just drop the pup in. You need to change the vol and tone pots to 500k's from the stock 250k pots to get the growl and bite that they are capable of. Brightens things up. Dimarzio actually recommends this.
Just saying incase someone finds this thread in a search and gets put off. Dimarzios rock!
[/quote]

Forgot to update that after a couple of weeks of tweaking with polepiece heights I got a really nice sound out of them, it's been my main gigging bass since!

Had no idea about the pot swap thing though, cheers for the heads up, will grab some off ebay now -even more bite/growl ain't something I'm going to turn down!

Edited April 1, 2013 by SlapbassSteve

[Grissle]

If anyone's interested Dirnt uses "Fender Original Vintage". I have the article somewhere with the interview about his signature bass. He said he was skeptical when Fender sent him a prototype with that pickup but ended up loving it.

[miles'tone]

[quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1364775530' post='2030838']
Blimey this thread takes me back!



Forgot to update that after a couple of weeks of tweaking with polepiece heights I got a really nice sound out of them, it's been my main gigging bass since!

Had no idea about the pot swap thing though, cheers for the heads up, will grab some off ebay now -even more bite/growl ain't something I'm going to turn down!
[/quote]

Cool! Hey, another thing to consider if you're gonna upgrade the pots (I recommend CTS pots as they are really good quality) is that if you change the cap from .047uf to .1uf you will be able to roll off that bite if needed to make your bass even more versatile (think phat and massively dubby - Not completely neccesary but Dimarzio suggests experimenting with this too).
Have fun!

[Lozz196]

I`ve found the best pickups for me are the Fender US Standard Pickups, followed closely by the Fender Original Vintage. Then it`s a case of getting the right strings and eq. The Fenders just seem to have a certain "something" there that all of the other ones are missing. If I had to describe it, I would put it as a slightly nasal quality in the mids. All the others sound, to me, to be too precise whereas the Fenders are less so. This for me, is what makes them excel in the mix.

[iiipopes]

For what the OP wants, I don't believe a Fender original will get it for him. Yes, the "original" P pickup is the most versatile, but that's not what the OP wants. I would recommend a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder instead.

[Protium]

I found the Wizard Thumper was a bit too much, very happy with the Kent Armstrong Hot Vintage currently fitted