mcnach Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Sometimes a cheap bass surprises you. A while ago I found, by chance, someone nearby selling a Squier Mike Dirnt Precision for £115. I was curious as I was starting to feel a certain attraction for P basses after hating them for so long, so I went to check it out. The bass was very light, the neck slim (which I loved then, but now I wish it were wider and thicker), and it was quite nice. Then I was reminded the £115 price covered bass and amplifier... so I went home with them and later sold the amp for £20. Very comfy bass to play, and the pickup may not be the best but it sounded ok to me. I used this bass a lot for busking with my band using a battery operated amplifier... it worked pretty well and it was a bass I did not worry too much if it got wet, or dirty, or scratched... Recently I've been hearing good things about these Entwistle pickups, especially the neodymium one. At £26, it looked like a painless way to try to improve this bass. The pickups arrived, but the black covers have larger ears than the route on my bass... so I then ordered a set of white covers with smaller ears. They arrived today and fitted perfectly on the bass and on the Entwistle pickups... and it looks like this: ... I have not been able yet to play it with the band, but at home it sounds quite nice. Adjustable polepieces are cool, and I raised the G string ones a bit as the G string was sounding a bit weaker than the rest. The first thing you notice is that some of the "Precision" character is gone. It's not a traditional P bass sound, but it's a good one. It's got a lot of "grunt" but it sounds a bit more refined than a classic P bass. Hard to describe! Not a traditional P bass sound, but it's a good one, especially at £26! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_kemo Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I've just done the same to my Vintage V4 Tony Butler sig as I thought the Wilkinson's in there didn't have enough grunt. I similarly haven't used them in a band situation but at home there is a definite improvement to me. Great price too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I've just purchased a set of these for a P bass that I'll be getting shortly. I got them for my Geddy Lee & like those a lot. Make other high priced aftermarket pups look a bit of a rip off for the money they go for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) They are awesome pups. I can`t believe I never thought about changing the covers so they fit better! just done that and put one in my Dirnt Precision and its transformed it, think i`ll remove it from the for sale section now and have a proper go with it and see if I get the `Precision` thing Edited March 21, 2015 by DarkHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 [quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1426950025' post='2723878'] They are awesome pups. I can`t believe I never thought about changing the covers so they fit better! just done that and put one in my Dirnt Precision and its transformed it, think i`ll remove it from the for sale section now and have a proper go with it and see if I get the `Precision` thing [/quote] it was just a flash of inspiration... I've had other pickups fitted with the "wrong ears" and never thought of just changing the covers until now. So simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 I took the Squier P to my gig tonight, through the little Markbass CMD121P combo (just as a stage monitor) and I have to say I am very very pleased with the transformation! These pickups are great value! I had my tone (passive) rolled off maybe a quarter of a turn, and that gave me a very nice smooth tone. Opening up the tone made it sound a little louder (those mids) and cut through more clearly, with lots of grunt... These pickups work very well with the passive P bass tone. Again, it's not the classic 50s Precision tone, but something a bit more... aggressive yet refined. Hard to describe . It's like using a jackhammer that was precision-build in Sweden or something Powerful, yet precise. I don't know! It's just a very good sound. Incidentally, I had three different people complimenting me on my bass (playing? sound? not clear)... I also have a set of veyr very very cheap strings on this bass, stainless steel, brand "Coban". £7 delivered, on eBay. Someone on BC was using them and I thought I would check them out. They're not the best strings I've used, and they felt a bit dead compared to other steel strings I was trying... but after a bit, I started enjoying the way they didn't have all that extra treble that I don't really like, and fellt smoother. Today they did a great job. I might continue using them after all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 These pickups are amazing... I needed to insist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyV Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I will shortly be putting a set in my Harley Benton 'Deko' Precision. I am expecting great things!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I put a pair of JBXN pickups on a new Squier VM Jazz and it just sounds bloody great now. A KiOgon wiring loom helped too. Can't overstate the value of these pickups really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I have just ordered a PJ set of these to fit in a Squier Frank Bello. It already has a KiOgon parallel series harness so it should be interesting.....by all accounts they give a lot of bang for the buck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 It took me 2 years but I finally fitted my Entwistles in my P bass. Nice sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 I've got JBXNs in my jazz besses and a PBX in my precision. I have a PBXN but I so like the sound of the PBX that I haven't felt the need to upgrade it. I've tried a number of pickups over the years in both types of bass , stock Fender, Seymour Duncan , Wizard , Tonerider and found them well unremarkable to lame. Entwistle does it every time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 I recently removed the PBXN from this bass (see OP) and installed a set of Fender Originals I had, as I wanted a more 'traditional' Precision sound now.First thing I noticed was... Those PBXN were loud!!!! I'm keeping the pickup, I just wanted a different vibe (to use with Labellas White Nylon copper strings)... I'm sure I'll use the pickup again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J. And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass. Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 2 minutes ago, gjones said: They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J. And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass. Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out. I've been gigging with JBXNs form a couple of years now they are the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 33 minutes ago, gjones said: They replaced a CS pickup which I was get a bit bored with. I like the more defined, rockier feel of these PBXNs. It's sounds like having a P/J bass, without the J. And yes they are very loud. I had to press the active button on my amp so that they didn't distort. I don't even do that with my active bass. Next gig is on Saturday. Can't wait to try them out. Next Saturday? Not in Stramash by chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) 8 minutes ago, mcnach said: Next Saturday? Not in Stramash by chance? No, Whistlebinkies. I played at Stramash last weekend and I noticed the Orange amp was set to Bass off, Mid full and treble off. Just like I'd left it the weekend before. Edited March 18, 2018 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 3 hours ago, gjones said: No, Whistlebinkies. I played at Stramash last weekend and I noticed the Orange amp was set to Bass off, Mid full and treble off. Just like I'd left it the weekend before. I asked because I'll be at Stramash on Saturday. In case you were there, to catch some of your set at least The Orange Terror will be set not too far from your settings above Maybe people are starting to notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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