P Bass pickups.?

[bubinga5]

After me raving how good my Squire 70's P bass is, I've really been playing it a lot and I really don't like these pickups. . To my ears they are harsh with no refinement at all and lack the low end punch.. Maybe my ears have been spoilt by high end pickups over the years..  Very difficult to explain why I dont like them, I just think they sound cheap.. to me anyways. The bass feels and plays wonderful imo but these things have got to go. I do wonder if the pots are not up to scratch also but that's another thread. 🤔😆.

 

Any recommendations.? Ive always loved Bartolini's btw. 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by bubinga5

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Lindy Fralin. Really nice sounding, to my ears anyway. 

[chris_b]

I put Barts in my P bass about 40 years ago. Can't remember which ones, but they made that bass sound wonderful. I also put the TCT pre amp in but IMO that was a waste of money. The Bart pickups were amazing in passive mode on their own.

[Lozz196]

My faves are the Fender Custom Shop 62s, though Lindy Fralin makes some great P-bass pickups, which at some point I’m sure I’m going to try, there was a thread on here recently about them.

 

[OliverBlackman]

If you want old school Lindy Fralin are the one. If you want something more modern sounding maybe try Aguilar? Barts have always sounded quite hifi to me but I’ve only ever played them through active preamps

Edited August 20, 2021 by OliverBlackman

[Bassassin]

DiMarzio Model P with authentic 70s cream coloured covers. Obviously!

[Reggaebass]

I’ve found Custom shop 62 have the full range , probably my favourite, and I thought toneriders which I’ve got in one of my precision’s, sound very similar and are less expensive 

[Lozz196]

41 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’ve found Custom shop 62 have the full range , probably my favourite, and I thought toneriders which I’ve got in one of my precision’s, sound very similar and are less expensive 

Def, I was amazed at how similar they are to the CS62s

[Steve Browning]

I can offer two suggestions. Kent Armstrong Vintage P and Lindy Fralin (the 5% overwound are awesome).

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Bassassin said:

DiMarzio Model P with authentic 70s cream coloured covers. Obviously!

 

I bought one of these .... to pop into my Matt Freeman .... so I could do an okay Ibanez Blazer impersonation .... 

[OliverBlackman]

14 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

I can offer two suggestions. Kent Armstrong Vintage P and Lindy Fralin (the 5% overwound are awesome).

I had Kent Armstrong pickups in an Overwater and they filled every room

[Tait]

I always liked the Seymour Duncan quarter pounder P-bass pickups, I have them in both my basses with P-pickups and they sound great. Although they're maybe not the best if you're looking for the low end punch, particularly if you're wanting a more classic tone like you might hear on blues/Motown etc type songs - they're very bright and definitely more suited to rock music imo.

[Old Horse Murphy]

It might be worth trying an EMG pickup and harness in there as they can be fitted with no/very minimal modification. It might be more to your liking sonically while still retaining the good stuff the P Basses are renowned for. 

[pst62]

2 hours ago, bubinga5 said:

After me raving how good my Squire 70's P bass is, I've really been playing it a lot and I really don't like these pickups. . To my ears they are harsh with no refinement at all and lack the low end punch.. Maybe my ears have been spoilt by high end pickups over the years..  Very difficult to explain why I dont like them, I just think they sound cheap.. to me anyways. The bass feels and plays wonderful imo but these things have got to go. I do wonder if the pots are not up to scratch also but that's another thread. 🤔😆.

 

Any recommendations.? Ive always loved Bartolini's btw. 

 

 

Is yours one of latest (2017) 70's CV's or the 2012-2015 series? I love the pup in my 2014, lots of low end warmth.

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by pst62

[bubinga5]

21 minutes ago, pst62 said:

Is yours one of latest (2017) 70's CV's or the 2012-2015 series? I love the pup in my 2014, lots of low end warmth.

 

Its a few months old. So..?

[pst62]

Just now, bubinga5 said:

Its a few months old. So..?

Hi Mass Bridge or BBOT?

 

[bubinga5]

3 hours ago, chris_b said:

I put Barts in my P bass about 40 years ago. Can't remember which ones, but they made that bass sound wonderful. I also put the TCT pre amp in but IMO that was a waste of money. The Bart pickups were amazing in passive mode on their own.

Chris your the 5594 owner right.?

[bubinga5]

High mass

[KiOgon]

Spending out big bucks on pick-ups and fitting them in with standard el cheapo wiring pots and jack is just the wrong way round of doing things 😉

[pst62]

8 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

High mass

It'll be the same run as mine then, made in China, the first two numbers of the serial denotes year of build.

This is mine now, only the body and pup remain.

Edited August 20, 2021 by pst62

[pst62]

2 minutes ago, KiOgon said:

Spending out big bucks on pick-ups and fitting them in with standard el cheapo wiring pots and jack is just the wrong way round of doing things 😉

This man is absolutely right. and I know because one of his looms sits under that pickguard.

[jrixn1]

20 minutes ago, pst62 said:

Hi Mass Bridge or BBOT?

 

 

19 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

High mass

 

Just to clarify: if it's the bass pictured in your other thread, https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/453501-nbd-squier-precision-70s-bass/ - that's not a stock bridge in the first photo.

 

The second photo's headstock logo is the current series: https://www.fender.com/en-GB/squier-electric-basses/precision-bass/classic-vibe-70s-precision-bass/0374520506.html

 

[Lozz196]

15 minutes ago, KiOgon said:

Spending out big bucks on pick-ups and fitting them in with standard el cheapo wiring pots and jack is just the wrong way round of doing things 😉

Def, and with a loom it’s so quick and easy to upgrade the pots/cap/jack whilst swapping out pickups and makes such a difference, gives a better control of the sound not to mention better reliability due to far better quality parts.

[Hellzero]

Definitely ToneRider pickups that are quite cheap and will be as good as any high end boutique pickups. 

[Raslee]

Tried most of the above, favourite aftermarket pickup is Lollar. Best sounding though is the original in my 74P, just sings across the range.