Entwistle bass pickups

[cachao]

I was surprised that, so far, no one has reviewed Entwistle bass pickups, neither the p or the j models.

Alan Entwistle is a UK guitar and pickup designer, who claims over 30 years experience in the field. He has designed pickups both to his specifications, and to those of others, including Chris May of Overwater.

Having recently bought an Overwater/Tanglewood Classic Jazz, I was disappointed by the low output of the pickups compared to a Wizard Thumper that sits in a beat up Aria precision copy. So, I switched the Wizard into the Overwater, and there was an immediate improvement in volume, and overall tone. I guess many of you guys will be familiar with the now sadly defunct Wizard company.

Needing a replacement p pickup for the Aria, and having had good experiences with Entwistles j bass pickups, I purchased an Entwistle p bass pickup. Not one of his ceramic models, but the new PBXN neodymium one. I installed this in the Aria, and the clarity, and output were staggering. Even more so than the Wizard in the Overwater.

For a while I thought this might be due to some qualities of the cheap Aria, the wood, the density...whatever.

Today, I installed the PBXN into the Overwater, and it sings, and growls, all with great depth and clarity. Just like the Aria.

I am going to use it at rehearsal tomorrow, and will feedback further then.

BTW, did I mention the price?

No. About £25. I only have experience of one quality p bass pickup, the Wizard, but most replacement pickups cost a significant sum. I think the PBXN is a bargain, although I may have to get the jazz version now, as the stock Overwater j pickup is overwhelmed, and quietly sobbing by the bridge.