Skol303 Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 I'm sure this has been asked before, but bear with me... I'm slowly sourcing parts for a mid-70s P-bass 'bitsa' project. So far I've found some great bargains and made a bunch of new friends along the way. All good. I'm currently chewing over different options for the pickups, those being: - Finding an original 70s Fender split pickup (expensive but obviously authentic) - Fitting a brand new Fender 'original' pickup (much less expensive and naturally P-bass sounding) - Fitting a Lindy Fralin or Nordstrand pickup (not authentic... but sound great and a popular choice) This is proving to be e real 'heart vs head' decision for me. My heart says buy Fender, maybe even going so far as to buy a 70s p'up (so far every other part I've sourced is original 73/74). My head says buy what is going to give the best sound, which may well be the Lindy or Nordstrand (I know that's probably blasphemy!). Thoughts/comments very welcome. Cheers. Quote
discreet Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 If every other part is original 70s Fender, then source the genuine article! You know you should! Quote
Skol303 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Posted January 24, 2014 Cheers Mark... that's what my gut is telling me (well actually right now it's saying "you forgot breakfast!" but that's another topic). I think I'm only hesitating because of the cost of old 70s p'ups. I have a mate in the US who's currently tempting me with one, so I may well cave in eventually. Quote
Ou7shined Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 Dimarzio's are awesome and were often retrofitted in the '70s. Best of both worlds. Quote
discreet Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1390554331' post='2346639'] Cheers Mark... that's what my gut is telling me (well actually right now it's saying "you forgot breakfast!" but that's another topic). I think I'm only hesitating because of the cost of old 70s p'ups. I have a mate in the US who's currently tempting me with one, so I may well cave in eventually. [/quote] It's only money! If you get a Lindy the bass will sound great but YOU will KNOW you compromised on authenticity! I'm making this a lot easier for you, right? Quote
BassBod Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 If its a bits, then DiMarzio..in cream for a statement or black for understated. Was a common improvement at the time and they still sound great (not as overblown as some descriptions would suggest). Quote
Geek99 Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1390553794' post='2346635'] If every other part is original 70s Fender, then source the genuine article! You know you should! [/quote] Fleabay .... There's one on there right now Quote
GregBass Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 It all depends what you want from the finished bass. If you want something that looks, plays and sounds like a vintage Fender, there's only one solution Quote
Geek99 Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 [quote name='GregBass' timestamp='1390569220' post='2346960'] It all depends what you want from the finished bass. If you want something that looks, plays and sounds like a vintage Fender, there's only one solution [/quote] I disagree, you can Lego genuine parts to make a good replica My vague replica plus some clever paint has fooled a lot of people Quote
Lozz196 Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 The genuine 70s Fender pickups have a distinct sound, a bit more scooped than you would expect, though I do suspect this may have something to do with the bodies being made of ash rather than alder. So if you really want to keep the bass as original as possible seek one of these out. Makes sense if all the rest of the parts are 70s bits to have the pickup as well. Quote
Skol303 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Posted January 24, 2014 Damn you all! You're right... and I'm now a few notes lighter in my wallet, but I have a 73/74 p'up on its way to me. It was the right decision and it would have bugged me had I not got this crucial part of the P-bass jigsaw. Many thanks for the input. Quote
discreet Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1390576158' post='2347115'] It was the right decision and it would have bugged me had I not got this crucial part of the P-bass jigsaw. [/quote] Yess! Nice one. Quote
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