dave74200 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hi there. I used to own a USA precision which had a piano like punchy tone. It was very heavy and I sold it after shoulder problems and bought a roadworn precision. Whilst I love the bass it has a mellower tone which, although nice, isn't as great to my ears as the old one. I'm thinking of changing the pickups and was wondering if anyone had any advice. The tone I love is Jason Newstead, queensryche on I don't believe in love etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave74200 Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 http://youtu.be/OWP3p_YfceM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I believe these are the pickups used in all of the current US Standard Precisions, and they can be picked up (no pun intended) for about £80. Worth a punt because you can always re-sell them on here if you don't get on with them! http://www.fender.com/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-and-preamps/fender-original-precision-bass-pickups-black/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 What year was the US? Different series Precision pickups have different characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 There are many choices open to you, boutique brands such as Bare knuckle or At The Creamery, more well known brands such as Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, and Lollar(maybe classed as boutique) or you can stick some Fender ones in there! You must remember that the tone you're after has also been produced and mixed in the studio etc etc. Good luck in your quest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) There are indeed loads of replacement pickups you could choose for you P Bass, and some have a more aggressive and up-front tone than others. You could try looking at the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder and SPB-2 , or , the Di Marzio Model P and Will Power as a starting point. However, you may well find that just changing the pickup might not make your Roadworn P sound like your USA Fender did. There are so many factors as to what makes a bass sound the way it does, and the pickup is just one of them. The type of body wood and its' relative weight and density can have a big effect on the sound to, as can the type of finish on the bass. Most likely your heavyweight USA Fender had a relatively thick poly/acrylic finish on , whereas your Roadworn is relatively light and has a mostly sanded-off thin nitro finish, and that will undoubtedly make the tone a little bit softer and warmer by comparison. That said, you should still be able to get a tone like the one you are after with your stock Roadworn bass , even with the existing pickup, you probably just need to experiment with how you E.Q it maybe. That bass is a fine sounding P Bass just as it is and maybe you could just process its' natural tone a bit to get the results you want. The sound on that Queensrych track is probably far more to do with the sound processing than any particularly aggressive natural tone to that particular Precision Bass. Something like a Sansamp will get you into that sonic territory. Edited June 1, 2014 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1401642582' post='2465478'] However, you may well find that just changing the pickup might not make your Roadworn P sound like your USA Fender did. There are so many factors as to what makes a bass sound the way it does, and the pickup is just one of them. [/quote] Very, very true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) [quote name='dave74200' timestamp='1401563358' post='2464848'] The tone I love is Jason Newstead, queensryche on I don't believe in love etc... [/quote] Isn't that Eddie Jackson? When did JN play with Queensryche? [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jackson_(musician"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jackson_(musician[/url]) Edited June 2, 2014 by Conan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1401705913' post='2465947'] Isn't that Eddie Jackson? When did JN play with Queensryche? [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jackson_(musician"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jackson_(musician[/url]) [/quote] I was wondering that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) I think he's saying he likes Jason Newsted's tone and Queensryche's bass tone on that record. Edited June 5, 2014 by Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 [quote name='Graham' timestamp='1401988821' post='2469002'] I think he's saying he likes Jason Newsted's tone and Queensryche's bass tone on that record. [/quote] Oh right. Yes, on re-reading I can see that now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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