Rexel Matador Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I'm sure this must be the millionth thread of this kind but here goes... I built a P Bass and used the stock pickup from a 2015 MIM Fender. I absolutely love the way it sounds. The Fender now has a Quarter Pounder in it, which is fine, but not really what I'm looking for. I play heavy rock with a pick, but I think the sound I like is more a "regular" P Bass being pushed to its limit, rather than a pickup designed for that purpose, if that makes sense. To my ears, the QP is a bit abrasive - sort an ersatz version of a heavy P Bass sound. Anyway, I'm building another one now and I want to know what pickup I can get that might be similar to the 2015 P - I can't figure out if any of the available Fender pickups are comparable. Plus, I'm not using a scratchplate and a lot of Fender P Bass pickups appear to have a base plate that's wider than the pickup cover itself, meaning I can't have a close fitting pickup cavity in the top of the body. Anyway, as I can't really road test a bunch of pickups, outside of watching youtube demos of people slapping and popping all over the place, I was wondering if anyone might have any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Rexel Matador said: I'm not using a scratchplate and a lot of Fender P Bass pickups appear to have a base plate that's wider than the pickup cover itself, meaning I can't have a close fitting pickup cavity in the top of the body. I made a front routed (no scratchplate) PBass once - I cut down the Fender brass plate with a pair of tin snips, it was a 5minute job to get a perfect fit. I wouldn't limit your choice because the Fender pickups are designed for a PBass rout with a scratchplate - it's a non issue. Edited September 4, 2019 by Twigman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexel Matador Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 11 minutes ago, Twigman said: I made a front routed (no scratchplate) PBass once - I cut down the Fender brass plate with a pair of tin snips, it was a 5minute job to get a perfect fit. I wouldn't limit your choice because the Fender pickups are designed for a PBass rout with a scratchplate - it's a non issue. Great advice, thanks! It didn't occur to me, strangely enough - I guess because I don't know a whole lot about pickups and didn't want to mess with it, but if it worked for you, I might give it a bash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Why not look into what pickups Fender are currently using in their Player Precision and then see if you can source one from them. It’s a warmer, more vintage sound than in the previous MIMs but not by much, still has the bite and clank and am fairly sure they don’t have a base-plate. It’s a nice sounding pickup imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterimage Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Lollar or the new fender vmods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I've got a Delano PMVC 4 FE/M2 in my P (it's the one designed as a standalone P-pickup; it's different from the one in their PJ set). Like it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Creamery Pick ups are without doubt one of the best around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 EMG Geezer pickups. Monstrous! http://www.emgpickups.com/bass/signature-sets-bass/passive/gzr-p.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Aaron at Armstrong Pickups made me a custom pickup that does exactly what I wanted (for my 'Ray, not a P) for about what an off the shelf one costs. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 (edited) I was recently in this same situation, seeking a more vintage P pickup and wanting more of a warmer traditional tone. After much discussion on Farcebook I opted for the cheapest suggestion, a £35 Tonerider off Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised, good definition and that vintage tone I was after, great in a band mix with the mids cutting through - definitely worth a punt IMO. I’ve had Aguilar, Lindy Fralin with my favourite being Lollar in the past and currently have a EMG Geezer in my other P but for the tone and price I’d have the Tonerider every time (paired with a Kiogon wiring loom). If you want to splash the cash though Lollar gets my vote from past experience...but it’s all subjective. 😊 Edited September 7, 2019 by Raslee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Good call, the Toneriders are excellent pickups, very similar to the Fender Custom Shop 62s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterimage Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Lollars are nice too And really liking the Fender vmod on my pro precision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Bare Knuckles are well worth considering, my favourites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedVee Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 I use Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Pups and really like the sound of them. They are the loudest and most popular pups in the series and have a punchy fat tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbowskill Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 (edited) On 07/09/2019 at 08:04, Raslee said: I was recently in this same situation, seeking a more vintage P pickup and wanting more of a warmer traditional tone. After much discussion on Farcebook I opted for the cheapest suggestion, a £35 Tonerider off Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised, good definition and that vintage tone I was after, great in a band mix with the mids cutting through - definitely worth a punt IMO. I’ve had Aguilar, Lindy Fralin with my favourite being Lollar in the past and currently have a EMG Geezer in my other P but for the tone and price I’d have the Tonerider every time (paired with a Kiogon wiring loom). If you want to splash the cash though Lollar gets my vote from past experience...but it’s all subjective. 😊 After using many different variations of p pickups over the years, I too am using the tonerider..... Absolutely love the even vintage sound from it. And at that price, awesome.... Just blows a lot of much pricier pup's out the water. I may be way off the mark.... But sure I read somewhere that these are what might be used in limelight basses? Edited September 9, 2019 by danbowskill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilebodgers Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 On 07/09/2019 at 08:04, Raslee said: I was recently in this same situation, seeking a more vintage P pickup and wanting more of a warmer traditional tone. After much discussion on Farcebook I opted for the cheapest suggestion, a £35 Tonerider off Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised, good definition and that vintage tone I was after, great in a band mix with the mids cutting through - definitely worth a punt IMO. I’ve had Aguilar, Lindy Fralin with my favourite being Lollar in the past and currently have a EMG Geezer in my other P but for the tone and price I’d have the Tonerider every time (paired with a Kiogon wiring loom). If you want to splash the cash though Lollar gets my vote from past experience...but it’s all subjective. 😊 Interesting. I've got one waiting to fit to my mexi P. I've got an Fender "original 62" (not the cs62) in there at the mo which I like, but its maybe a touch too "clanky" for my taste. For the price of the Tonerider I thought I'd give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 On 04/09/2019 at 15:42, Rexel Matador said: I play heavy rock with a pick, but I think the sound I like is more a "regular" P Bass being pushed to its limit, rather than a pickup designed for that purpose, if that makes sense. To my ears, the QP is a bit abrasive - sort an ersatz version of a heavy P Bass sound. I guess the key question is what a "regular" P bass sounds like to you - do you feel like it needs more "thump" or more "clank" (or even..-whispers- more "heft")? Are there any particular Precision players whose tones you'd like to get closer to? I can speak very highly of the Fender CS'62, and the Seymour Duncan SPB-2, but then I like the bright, clear honk that they provide, which can also be tamed with a little roll of the tone control, if your bandmates are looking a little scared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangotango Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Entwhistle PBX. http://www.entwistlepickups.com/pickup.php?puid=PBX Good, inexpensive...what's not to like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, nilebodgers said: Interesting. I've got one waiting to fit to my mexi P. I've got an Fender "original 62" (not the cs62) in there at the mo which I like, but its maybe a touch too "clanky" for my taste. For the price of the Tonerider I thought I'd give it a try. The Tonerider is more like the Custom Shop 62, which to me is more low-mid focused than hi-mid like the Original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexel Matador Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 It's great to hear all the positive reviews of the Toneriders. I think I'll take a punt on them, because even if I don't absolutely love them, it's no great loss and I'm sure I'll find a use for them anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexel Matador Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Thanks for all the recommendations everyone - I've ordered a Tonerider. Will try and upload a video in my build diary thread once it's done! 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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