Pups - what's your favourite flavour?

[dmccombe7]

9 hours ago, ezbass said:

Here’s my old modded Roadworn P.

I remeber looking at an Elite P in Bass Direct few yrs back and thinkng that must sound pretty awesome.

Dave

[Al Krow]

P vs reverse-P?

As John Bercow might say: (so far anyway) "the P's have it, the P's have it! Unlock!"

Speaking about P's...folk who have experienced both P and reverse-P what's your preferred flavour?

[CameronJ]

18 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

P vs reverse-P?

As John Bercow might say: (so far anyway) "the P's have it, the P's have it! Unlock!"

Speaking about P's...folk who have experienced both P and reverse-P what's your preferred flavour?

Personally, owning basses with both configs, I can’t with any confidence attribute the differences between them to the fact the pickups are reversed or “normal”. There are just so many other variables. String gauge, string material, type of magnets in the pups, preamp, scale length...

Saying that, the logic behind reversing the P pups is pretty sound IMO - as I understand it, it’s supposed to help balance the tonality between the E/A & D/G strings. Trouble is, without being able to hear the pups both ways around on the same bass, all other things being equal, it’s nearly impossible to tell if I prefer them reversed or not.

3 out of my 4 P-type basses have the pups the “normal” way around and they all sound fantastic to my ears so I can’t say I’m particularly desirous of basses with the pups reversed.

Hölger Stonjek (the guy behind Sandberg basses) says that when he was experimenting with pickup configs and was working on the VM (P + MM) basses, apparently the P pup blended better with the MM pup when it was reversed. Without the luthiers resources someone like Hölger has, I simply wouldn’t know the difference!

Edited March 31, 2019 by CameronJ

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I picked 'other'. I love the idea of a bass with one great pickup in the right place, but not the usual P or MM. Something vintage sounding with plenty of grunt, like a Bisonic or Thunderbucker.

[Al Krow]

@CameronJ very helpful, thanks.

Given that P + MM (with a single / dual coil option) seems to me where I could be heading, the fact that Hölger feels that a reverse P blends better with the MM is very useful intel.

You got a rough idea what would a Sandberg VM 5er (reverse P + MM with a single / dual coil option) plus Black Label pups and a 3 band EQ set an aspiring bass player back? I suspect there are a couple of us that may be interested in the answer to that Q  

[CameronJ]

48 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@CameronJ very helpful, thanks.

Given that P + MM (with a single / dual coil option) seems to me where I could be heading, the fact that Hölger feels that a reverse P blends better with the MM is very useful intel.

You got a rough idea what would a Sandberg VM 5er (reverse P + MM with a single / dual coil option) plus Black Label pups and a 3 band EQ set an aspiring bass player back? I suspect there are a couple of us that may be interested in the answer to that Q  

Alas, I have about as much idea of the price of that spec as you do! All you can do is ask a dealer I suppose 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Cuzzie]

Just go on the configurator on the website

Then you can pick a finish and extras of what you want and rhencost will become apparent

[Cuzzie]

Had a 5 string VT

works well

[Al Krow]

Euros 2,450 and that's with standard pups and 2 band EQ...

So another Euros 450 for Black Label pups and 3 band EQ (??) => Euros 2,900 = £2,500

Some would say bargain for a great bass (with a 35" scale)!

Others might, very sensibly, say stick with the £500 to £600 (albeit used - £725 new) you've spent on this one  

Edited March 31, 2019 by Al Krow

[Passinwind]

On 30/03/2019 at 06:57, Al Krow said:

Bit of (hopefully!) interesting fun for this weekend:

So you're allowed just one bass to keep. What pup set up would it have?

 

A custom set of neo sidewinder humbuckers. There's a huge range of humbucker formats outside of MusicMan and the P-Bass.

[Cuzzie]

It may not be another €450 for the pick ups and 3 band EQ, black labels are becoming more standard.

Save your configuration number, email them the number and say you want a 3 band Glock EQ instead of the standard 2, you can have it with a stack knob so no more holes need to be drilled than is shown, and your pick up preference for black labels, and it may be less of an upcharge. 

If you are serious, then you have your answer

[dannybuoy]

I voted PJ due to my favourite bass for rock being my BB1025X, however standard Fender PJs sound nothing like it.

If I was playing old school funk though it would be a single MM like my Sandberg Basic. I'd love to have a custom one, but it's €1690 for this one and my standard one cost me £350, so I'll stick with that for now!

 

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by dannybuoy

[Mastodon2]

My six string has P, J, MM and soapbar humbucker, all switchable and able to blend. I guess it's "other"? 

 

I really can't decide on one setup to be my favourite but PJ is a good config for a lot of styles, my Pedulla MVP 5 is PJ and my Yamaha Attitude LTD II has a jazz bar added too. That said, I love the Thumb 5 config of a JJ, angled and jammed right in the sweet spot next to the bridge too but it's only really good for the Thumb sound, so I voted PJ. 

[krispn]

You appear to be having another “I haven’t bought anything in three month’s panic”. Take a few deep breaths and sit down. It will pass. Learn to love what you have, the 5 or 6 basses you own should see you thorough most gigs. Truth is no one will really care if you have a MM at the bridge blended at 74%. Know the songs, know your part and trust the groove.

[Al Krow]

26 minutes ago, krispn said:

You appear to be having another “I haven’t bought anything in three month’s panic”. 

That's really not correct or fair. 

It's been nearly two weeks since the bass in my earlier post above arrived. And a whole six hours since getting a mixing desk for the band with 8 (instead of 4) mono inputs - our drummer has decided he's a backing vocalist and also wants to start putting his kick drum through the PA... 

26 minutes ago, krispn said:

Take a few deep breaths and sit down. It will pass. Learn to love what you have... 

Now that is very fine advice indeed for LIFE not just bass gear!

26 minutes ago, krispn said:

 Truth is no one will really care if you have a MM at the bridge blended at 74%. Know the songs, know your part and trust the groove.

Amen to that brother. I've been banging on about most gear related things** not being noticed by anyone (apart from our good selves) for aeons.

Glad we have that ALL agreed!

...Can we go back to talking about gear now please? 😁

 

**apart from having a great cab, of course. After all our cabs are our direct and only physical link with the air that connects our bass playing and our audience's ears.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Al Krow

[dmccombe7]

I had a really nice tone at rehearsals today with my Fender PJ with everything mid-point. Pick-up balance in centre and EQ off or in centre position. Aguilar AG500 head all flat EQ although the preselect buttons were in. Was really getting into it. I could have done with a little mid range added but didn't want to change anything cause i was having such great fun today. Only difference was i had lowered the volume and was playing harder with my right plucking hand. I now have sore fingertips tho and won't be doing that again.

 

[Cuzzie]

Nah meandering threads make threads don’t they....?!

i did a poll and people quite liked the dead time when I wasn’t playing and noticed if I changed a bass

very discerning crowd

[Cato]

8 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I had a really nice tone at rehearsals today with my Fender PJ with everything mid-point. Pick-up balance in centre and EQ off or in centre position. Aguilar AG500 head all flat EQ although the preselect buttons were in. Was really getting into it. I could have done with a little mid range added but didn't want to change anything cause i was having such great fun today. Only difference was i had lowered the volume and was playing harder with my right plucking hand. I now have sore fingertips tho and won't be doing that again.

 

I reckon the best tone I've got out of my Deluxe Special is when it's DI'd straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface with both pickups on full and the EQ on the bass flat.

I'm fairly sure the Focusrite is supposed to be completely clean, with no influence on the sound coming into it so I think the only thing I'm hearing in that scenario is the natural tone of the bass and it's onboard preamp.

[Al Krow]

10 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I had a really nice tone at rehearsals today with my Fender PJ with everything mid-point. Pick-up balance in centre and EQ off or in centre position. Aguilar AG500 head all flat EQ although the preselect buttons were in. Was really getting into it. I could have done with a little mid range added but didn't want to change anything cause i was having such great fun today. Only difference was i had lowered the volume and was playing harder with my right plucking hand. I now have sore fingertips tho and won't be doing that again.

Kinda feels 'worth it' for that moment when you hear it sounding great.

Out of interest, did your band mates notice or comment, or just a not-to-be-knocked moment of personal satisfaction?

[Osiris]

3 pages in and I'm surprised that nobody has yet pointed out that you can get lots of pickups that are ostensibly the same e.g. a split coil P, a humbucker etc. That are voiced very differently. Compare a Seymour Duncan SPB-2 to the SPB-3. Or the stock Fender jazz pickups to the equivalent Hausells. Kind of renders this whole thread a bit pointless, doesn't it??? 

[dmccombe7]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Kinda feels 'worth it' for that moment when you hear it sounding great.

Out of interest, did your band mates notice or comment, or just a not-to-be-knocked moment of personal satisfaction?

I think the latter. The keyboard player asked if this was the new bass i had just bought. I said no i've been using this same bass for the past since band formed. 

Our guitarist (who also plays bass in his other band) has mentioned that he prefers the PJ to my Jazz bass as it has more depth. I agree with him altho using my Jazz thru my Mesa rig it has more than enough depth. Must just be the relationship between some basses with certain amps.

Dave

[Al Krow]

4 minutes ago, Osiris said:

3 pages in and I'm surprised that nobody has yet pointed out that you can get lots of pickups that are ostensibly the same e.g. a split coil P, a humbucker etc. That are voiced very differently. Compare a Seymour Duncan SPB-2 to the SPB-3. Or the stock Fender jazz pickups to the equivalent Hausells. Kind of renders this whole thread a bit pointless, doesn't it??? 

Yup we could have had a poll with every variation of pup that was ever made...I'll leave you to start that one if you're desperate to find out 😁

I'm happy with sticking with the broad strokes (and leaving the minutiae and variations to each of us to sort for ourselves). At the end of the day, as @krispn has implied no one is really going to notice (and I'd add: apart from our good selves).

What has surprised and interested me, both over here and amongst the nearly 200 bass players on TB who have also responded over the weekend, is just how consistently Ps and P/Js seem to outstrip Js and J/Js in popularity. I guess I wasn't expecting that, but maybe should have been.

[Al Krow]

21 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I think the latter. The keyboard player asked if this was the new bass i had just bought. I said no i've been using this same bass for the past since band formed. 

Our guitarist (who also plays bass in his other band) has mentioned that he prefers the PJ to my Jazz bass as it has more depth. I agree with him altho using my Jazz thru my Mesa rig it has more than enough depth. Must just be the relationship between some basses with certain amps.

Dave

Our drummer also commented that he felt that that my Yammy PJ 'sat' better in the mix than my Jazz Ibbys with what he calls 'aggressive' (and I refer to as 'throaty') Nord big singles. I kinda feel that a purely passive P can get a little lost in the mix though and it's sometimes useful to add at least a sprinkling of J and a touch of active EQ mid boost.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

Passive P’s absolutely do not get lost in the mix

[dmccombe7]

From what i've found its the combination P/J basses that seem to get lost in the mix. Take a Jazz bass on its own and its quite punchy in the mix. A P bass sits lower frequency but also seems to find its own niche in the mix. With a P  bass i usually don't need to adjust the EQ too much whereas with my Jazz i sometimes have to tweak things more. Have to say that since getting the Mesa rig the Jazz seems to have a lot more depth to it than with any other amp i've tried. I stopped using my J bass at rehearsals because it lacked a bit of depth, not bass or Low end just depth. The Mesa seems to provide that. The tone just seems to surround you on stage. I've still to try my PJ with my Mesa rig.

With my Fender P/J i just find the blend is either both pickups or one or the other. There's no gradual fade between them that i can hear or if it is its extremely minimal.

Pretty sure the new Sandberg will be fine tho. Better quality pre-amp and pick ups.

Dave

Edited March 31, 2019 by dmccombe7