Best value P bass pickup?

[Dom in Dorset]

Asking for a  friend...

I recommend an Entwistle PBXN, high output, clean tone and only £30 but ...only available via the manufacturer and sold out.

As I've only used these in my own p basses for years I'm a bit out of touch.

What's good for less than £100?

[PaulThePlug]

Best Value?...

Tone Rider @ £40

 

Less... Wilkinson Alnico @ £30

More... Kent Armstrong Hot Vintage Alnico @ £60

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by PaulThePlug

[neepheid]

£100 will buy you quite a few top end of consumer pickups if you shop around:

 

DiMarzio Model P

EMG GZR Geezer P

etc

 

Cheaper stuff - Warman maybe?  Never tried them personally, but heard good things

 

 

[Chienmortbb]

Warman pups come highly recommended. 
https://www.warmanguitars.co.uk/product/p-bass-classic-pickup-8-56kohm-and-5-21-henries/

[MartinB]

Haven't tried them, but IIRC I've seen good reports on here about Maida Vale: https://reverb.com/uk/item/44712241-maydevale-b-1p-low-rider-alnico-4-p-bass-pickup
4-conductor wiring, in case you want to get fancy with series/parallel etc.

[Dom in Dorset]

Thanks for your help,I will pass it on 

I did try Maida Vale a while ago and was impressed. I did put one in one of my basses but sold the bass a couple of years later. 

[Paul S]

I'd second the Tonerider.  To my ears it doesn't sound a whole pile different to the Fender 62 Custom.  Fat, lots of oomph, nice bite.

[Reggaebass]

Tonerider for me too ,and yes very similar to custom shop 62s 

[stu_g]

i had the maida vale which was nice enough,but for me the tonerider is  a great pickup for the money

i have one in my old Fernandes and when i plugged it in the other day after a while of not using it,i had forgotten how nice and punchy it is.

[kodiakblair]

Much as the Entwistle PBXN impressed the hell out of me, the mega high output can be difficult to cope with.

 

For a great sounding, affordable, drop-in split coil; Tone Rider would be my choice 👍

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, Paul S said:

I'd second the Tonerider.  To my ears it doesn't sound a whole pile different to the Fender 62 Custom.  Fat, lots of oomph, nice bite.

My thoughts too Paul

[Baloney Balderdash]

EMG Geezer Butler P pickup hands down!

 

And not just for the price, an amazing pickup regardless of price.

 

Not exactly a cheap budget pickup, but it's still one of the absolute cheapest bigger brand P pickups.

 

78£/91 Euro at Thomann.

 

My absolutely favorite P pickup for a more vintage tone, for a more modern and aggressive tone the DiMarzio Model P, which cost slightly more, but still under 100£ I believe. 

 

But if you haven't got your bass properly shielded the Model P won't be completely noiseless, unlike the EMG Geezer, which is absolute dead quiet, even if you haven't got your bass properly shielded, as that one is shielded internally and got shielded wiring as well, with the ground running as a braided shield all along the insulated hot wire. 

 

Further more, thanks to EMG's solderless quick connecter system, the Geezer is extremely easy to install and doesn't require any soldering. 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Supernaut]

Tonerider all day long. Amazing pickup. 

[Dom in Dorset]

He's gone for the Warman .

I'm interested to see how it performs as I use their guitar pickups in some of my builds but have not tried their bass pickups so far 

Thanks for your help,

Dom