Owen Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 I have been through WAY too many basses. I have changed pickups way too many times. The bass I keep coming back to has a set of Fralin J pickups in it. It has suffered in my personal bass shoot outs because they have a lower output than other ones so do not deliver that instant gratification hit of volume. But when I equalised volume the Fralins are just sweeter and more open (subjective terms) than other basses. Do "overwound" pickups sacrifice tone for volume? Please do not ask me to define tone. I am useless at it. It is just that the Fralins sound more natural and less forced. Is this due to windings etc? I am thinking of getting new pickups for another bass. They will have to be made due to an odd configuration. Is less actually more for pickup construction/overwinding? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Yeah overwinding will pronounce the midrange to an extent. Some of my favourite basses have massively underwound pickups mated to a great pre to produce a good signal, leaving a very clear and broad range. I’m sure there’s more to it but that’s my experience. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 12, 2021 Author Share Posted November 12, 2021 Ta. This is what I am thinking but need grown ups to confirm my suspicions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 One will be along shortly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Grown up... on a bass forum? Nah, not going to happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 I'll be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 On the Frailin site FAQ they say: Quote What output do I choose? Good question. For the most balanced tone between highs and lows, go to the Stock Output, which is a replica of the earliest P-Basses. If you’re looking for a thicker and darker tone, opt for the +5% Output. If you’re looking for a cleaner and more articulate sound, opt for the -5% output. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 12, 2021 Author Share Posted November 12, 2021 5 hours ago, bloke_zero said: On the Frailin site FAQ they say: Thanks, I am figuring that is how it is. But I have made so many stupid mistakes in the past that I have learnt to check things first by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Maybe it's a mistake too. 🤪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 12, 2021 Author Share Posted November 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, Hellzero said: Maybe it's a mistake too. 🤪 I wait 10 hours for THAT? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 I have 10% overwound fralins on my mij 70s jazz. Ash body, bound maple fingerboard and I keep a fairly fresh set of dadarrio roundwounds on it. Unamplified it is a loud and bright sounding bass. The overwound pickups have really tamed the top end and pushed the bottom end and low mids. It is a really easy bass to EQ. It isn't for every instrument. My fretless has standard wound fralins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 14, 2021 Author Share Posted November 14, 2021 Thanks. This again confirms what I have suspected. Every day is a school day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 On 12/11/2021 at 17:50, owen said: Thanks, I am figuring that is how it is. But I have made so many stupid mistakes in the past that I have learnt to check things first by now. The FAQ is pretty buried given it's such a key piece of information! I find it really valuable to think about shaping the tone as much as possible in the direction you want *before* it hits the amp/DI - I think it gives you a much better chance of getting the right sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoulderpet Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 On 12/11/2021 at 07:37, owen said: Do "overwound" pickups sacrifice tone for volume? No not really, just a different tone, some will like it and some will not, one of my basses has a Duncan SPB-2 in it which is wound to 22k and it sounds great imo, due to being so heavily overwound it has a tonne of mids and fairly rolled off treble, its definitely a meaty sounding pickup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted November 16, 2021 Author Share Posted November 16, 2021 Yeah, my use of "tone" to refer to the sound I am enjoying was poorly thought out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoulderpet Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 Well generally what happens as a pickup is wound hotter is that you lose a lot of the highest frequencies and the remaining highest frequencies that are audibly output are lower in frequency, the midrange content also increases which further increases the perception of less treble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 16 hours ago, owen said: Yeah, my use of "tone" to refer to the sound I am enjoying was poorly thought out! I knew just what you were talking about - I know tone has an association with specific frequency profiles, but I think 'open tone' is pretty understandable - that more detailed less hyped sound that seems closer to the er, natural sound of the bass. It's difficult! "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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