P bass pickup replacement

[lonestar]

I’m thinking of swapping the pickup, which I think is the latest alnico one, on my 2019 Fender FSR Mexican precision for a Fender ‘63 pure vintage. 
anyone have experience of this and do you think it would be worth it?

[kodiakblair]

16 minutes ago, lonestar said:

anyone have experience of this and do you think it would be worth it?

Swapped many a pickup and can honestly say I've never felt they've been worth £100.

 

The Tone Rider Precision Plus will do the same as the 63 Vintage yet costs just £35.

[lonestar]

16 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Swapped many a pickup and can honestly say I've never felt they've been worth £100.

 

The Tone Rider Precision Plus will do the same as the 63 Vintage yet costs just £35.

Thanks.

Good call, I’d forgotten about those

[NancyJohnson]

I'm always curious about stuff like this.  What are you actually expecting from the swap?

 

The only swaps I felt were absolutely necessary were where the pickup was dead, had an underlying issue or was missing completely.  In a blind test would you be able to identify what pickup is in there?

[lonestar]

1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'm always curious about stuff like this.  What are you actually expecting from the swap?

 

The only swaps I felt were absolutely necessary were where the pickup was dead, had an underlying issue or was missing completely.  In a blind test would you be able to identify what pickup is in there?

I know my other P, a bitsa with a Wizard Thumper fitted, sounds completely different to this one and I’m curious to see what a better pickup would do for this one, especially if only £35 for the upgrade 

[Lozz196]

In the past I swapped out the pickups in my Mex Precisions for Toneriders, which sound very similar to the Custom Shop 62s which are in my US Precisions. The stock pickups had more treble and less bass - on a Sansamp to get the sounds the same stock the bass would be on midday, treble on 11 o`clock, Toneriders bass on 10 o`clock, treble on 1 o`clock. I could have left them and just remembered these settings but in a gig situation if needing my backup I don`t want to also have to re-eq, just want to plug & play. Plus I`m more than a tad OCD so having gigging basses which sound the same is a kind-of must more me. And even then the sound just seemed more full & rich.

[EJWW]

On 25/09/2022 at 11:16, lonestar said:

I’m thinking of swapping the pickup, which I think is the latest alnico one, on my 2019 Fender FSR Mexican precision for a Fender ‘63 pure vintage. 
anyone have experience of this and do you think it would be worth it?

Sorry but that really is a really tasty looking P bass.

No opinions to offer on pickups I'm afraid though 😁

[Muppet]

I’d take the Thumper out of your bitsa and stick it in this. The wizard is a tremendous pickup, I love it. 

[lonestar]

10 hours ago, EJWW said:

Sorry but that really is a really tasty looking P bass.

No opinions to offer on pickups I'm afraid though 😁

Thank you

I’m very pleased with it.

[lonestar]

8 hours ago, Muppet said:

I’d take the Thumper out of your bitsa and stick it in this. The wizard is a tremendous pickup, I love it. 

I really like the bitsa as is

SX ash body, Mighty Mite Fender licenced neck, Gotoh hardware, CTS pots and flats. It’s my “funk machine” especially for recording.

[Paul S]

On 25/09/2022 at 11:38, kodiakblair said:

Swapped many a pickup and can honestly say I've never felt they've been worth £100.

 

The Tone Rider Precision Plus will do the same as the 63 Vintage yet costs just £35.

 

Davie, how would you say the Tonerider Precision Plus compares with the Entwistle PBXN?  I believe you've had both.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Paul S

[kodiakblair]

@Paul S

 

I've still to try the Tone Rider but I'd think it impossible to compare them due to differences in output.

 

PBXN are without doubt the loudest pickups I've heard , to give both a fair hearing either one needs to turned down or the other jacked up.

 

 

[Dan Dare]

Pickup swapping seems to be the musician's equivalent of the hi-fi buff's cable swapping. I've never been able to hear much difference between quality p/us. Granted, you'll notice a difference if you replace a POS with something decent, but apart from that...

[PaulThePlug]

^ Different... Preferable or Better?

[PaulThePlug]

seen a secondhand, Pre-Fitted, Tonerider TRP1 on the bay for £26 posted... Daft not to..

(cheapest i've seen is £39 from Northwest Gtr via Amazon)

Destined for my P Bitsa (to replace the  one donated by @Rumple that he thinks came from an SX) for softer warmer tones. Hopefully they will fit my cream covers.

EDIT: Don't fit my cream covers, pole centers out by a smidge.

Edited October 21, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[fretmeister]

On 26/09/2022 at 13:52, NancyJohnson said:

I'm always curious about stuff like this.  What are you actually expecting from the swap?

 

The only swaps I felt were absolutely necessary were where the pickup was dead, had an underlying issue or was missing completely.  In a blind test would you be able to identify what pickup is in there?

i certainly couldn’t name the pickup in it, but I could tell you if I preferred it.

 

Apart from the SD quarter pounder. Because it doesn’t sound like a p pickup at all. 

[kodiakblair]

4 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Apart from the SD quarter pounder. Because it doesn’t sound like a p pickup at all. 

That's the truth.

 

Owned a few basses with them fitted.

 

Firmly of the opinion they are mainly used by folks who think it'll buy them status among the brand name-dropping mod crew 😀