Effects and their interaction with pickup configurations

[James_Taylor]

Sorry if this has already been asked here! I've just recently thrown myself headfirst into the world of bass effects, with some very tasty results. However, having watched a ton of YouTube videos and hearing how different pickups affect effects, I've been wondering if there are any pickup archetypes that work better with certain effects that others (e.g., JJ pickups with bass distortion, etc). Are active or passive setups better (why?) Would either a P bass or Jazz bass (as those tend to be the main 2 variants of bass used these days) generally be better suited to effects that it's counterpart?
Lots of questions, I realise, but how different pickup configurations affect effects is new territory to me and I want to understand as much as I can about it (largely because I am in the market for a jazz bass and am wondering if it'll work better with my Darkglass Alpha Omega & B7K Ultra than my P bass)

[Cuzzie]

Massive mine field of trial and error and your ears as well as balancing with hose who you play with.
All jazz and P pick ups are not born the same.

Quick example from my set up.
Pedals Hartke VXL, Two Notes LeBass, Cali76G
3 passive basses, 1P, 2 jazz.
1 jazz has the bridge pup in the 70s position so nearer the bridge, this jazz has Sandberg in house pick ups, rosewood fret

Recently acquired Jazz has Haüssel pick ups more mids, slightly hotter, in the 60s position, maple fret.

P bass is the P bass.

1st jazz works well with all pedals kicked in, 2 nd jazz I am finding out but essentially the same as the first but everything is put a bit more forward and brighter almost angrier sometimes, combination of pups and fretboard

P bass works best with just Hartke and compressor, can’t have all 3, it’s a muddy sound.

May not be too helpful, but it will be trial and error for you and your ears

[dannybuoy]

Short answer is yes, a Jazz, or PJ, works much better with the B7K and AO than a P!

The P is all about the midrange so plays better with the Vintage circuit, whereas the B7K tends to hype the bass and upper mids, fitting well with the natural EQ curve of a Jazz with both pickups on.

[Cuzzie]

I’ll respectfully disagree slightly with distortion working better with a Jazz than a P, depends how you EQ everything.
One of the best distorted sounds out there on the planet is dUg Pinnick of Kings X and other bands like KXM.
He has generally always used a Seymour Duncan APB split pick up in all of his bases, except for his 12 String.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Cuzzie

[James_Taylor]

Appreciate all the replies so far guys, thank you!

So how would one go about setting the EQ to achieve said sounds?
Might be a little clearer if I just explain what I am after (only just woke up so the old grey matter is pretty useless right now).
My 2 favourite bassists are Jon Stockman from Karnivool and my friend Dave Hollingsworth from Toska/ Dorje. They both predominantly use JJ setups (Stockman with the Warwick Thumb 6 BO, Dave with a custom Chapman model) and active electronics, and they both use those pedals. Dave says that he mostly uses JJ basses as the midrange of them works better for him with the guitars in Toska & Dorje, but from my experiences with jazz basses, they don't have the balls of a P bass, which I do like in single guitar band mixes, but less so in dual guitar mixes (which I think the JJ configuration handles better and it's not so "big" sounding).
I have my eyes on both a Japanese 80's P bass with SD 1/4lbs pickups, and a Squier VM jazz bass (which currently has USA standard Fender pickups but which I may swap out for Nordstrand blades), both with maple fretboards as I've noticed they tend to punch/ bite a little more. I'm basically trying to get close to those sounds without having to shell out for an active bass as I tend to dick about with the knobs too much when I have that option, whereas I'd rather get a sound I like on the B7K Ultra and then stick with that, where I can just focus on playing.
I'm basically trying to decide between which of the basses is most likely to work with the effects I use, as I am in the market for a new bass anyway (I'll later be using reverbs/ delays more and I know the bassist from Mars Volta uses J configurations in his basses because, to his ears, they tend to work better with those pickups rather than Jazz pickups).
I also know that things are largely going to be down to opinion/ tastes/ a countless number of variables, but I'm trying to get an overall view (where possible) to get a better understanding of how all of these things fit together and why.
If you want to check out the sound I currently have, look up ICHIRO - For You on Spotify. Feedback is also very welcome!

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1507980065' post='3389113']
I’ll respectfully disagree slightly with distortion working better with a Jazz than a P, depends how you EQ everything.
One of the best distorted sounds out there on the planet is dUg Pinnick of Kings X and other bands like KXM.
He has generally always used a Seymour Duncan APB split pick up in all of his bases, except for his 12 String.
[/quote]

That's not quite what I said... I said that out of the Darkglass pedals, the B7K is a better match with a J, and the VMTD a better match with a P!

[Cuzzie]

Nope I took what you said in board, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that having myself used a B7K, B3K and VMT circuit/pedals with a P and a J bass, and with G&L ASATs solid body and semi hollow and the L1500 (like their stingray), a Fender Cabrontia and a Fender Starcaster
You can make any of them work with any of the pedals, but you EQ them to your needs compared to what the pups give you.

With reference to the second post from the OP, if you like the Dorje/Karnivool spins which is that thinner driven fizzy bass, just replicate the tools you know others use, and you will be happy

Edited October 14, 2017 by Cuzzie

[James_Taylor]

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1507997437' post='3389259']
With reference to the second post from the OP, if you like the Dorje/Karnivool spins which is that thinner driven fizzy bass, just replicate the tools you know others use, and you will be happy
[/quote]

Great in theory, but in practice I did just that, swapping a bass I was practically in love with (never had that before, just saw them al merely as tools for a job) for a Warwick Thumb 5, and it still didn't sound like them. I know Dave (Toska) personally and know that we have similar playing techniques, so I know it's not just my hands and how I play, it is largely gear related, so I wanted to understand more about why this could be the case, what pickups/ circuitry/ etc lends itself better to what kinds of pedals and go from there. So far, I've heard on many occasions that JJ and PJ configurations are best for distortions, but single P's not so much (generalising a lot, and not obsessing about all the other variables like amp/ woods/ technique/ etc). Why is it that a P bass will distort the way it does, and a Jazz the way it does? And what frequencies and stuff need to be considered to bring out the most in those effects?

[Cuzzie]

So.....disclaimer, guys like Dave will be well better than me so you have a great resource already!
I get what you say about tonewoods etc. Strings also play a big part.
Pick ups - position and winding.
J P/J bass will suit elements of distortion better due to its placement of the bridge pick up near the bridge giving that barkier, thinner sound which does work well as if you are not careful with distortion it can pull a load of your bass out of the tone. You can then blend those single coils into your sound.
60s jazz placement had the bridge pup closer to the neck than a 70s and that was because metal was becoming more common place in that era and it gave an edgier sound, so that would be one thing to look at.
Prime example is a Sandberg bass. the TT has the standard 60s position, but the MarloweDK sig model has the bridge pup further back making have some real teeth.

Split coil classic P has that sound and placement in a sweet spot giving a thick thud, then a Stingray has a classic sound, partly because of the MM pup but also the placement.
P’s And Rays have a very distinct sound.
P sound is very full in the mids, but it will distort. Listen to Kings X and dUg Pinnick, that’s all on a split coil pick up.
Having a slightly different sonic spectrum will give it’s own harmonics in a distortion overdrive setting

Next will be the windings, output, voicing of the pick up, this will alter hugely whether passive or not.

I like a passive bass as the nuances are more sensitive for me to get the best out of a pre-amp and pedal.

It’s one thing liking someone’s sound to listen to, but playing it yourself may not feel right.
As good as DG products are, maybe it’s worthwhile experimenting with other overdrives and distortions to get your sound, and of course how it dovetails in a band.
Things can sound great solo, but with other instruments just sound like mush