P Bass - Pickup Dilemma

[krispn]

# recycle

♻️ 

[attackbass]

Just put in a Nordstrand Powerblade pickup today in my limelight p bass! 

Incredible sounding pickup. Tight, clear, articulate and punchy! It's Hi-fi whilst still remaining warm, and not overpronounced in the highs.  It's made the bass just that little bit better sounding than it did with whatever pickups are supplied in those basses.

I did A quick AB in pro tools to see what the difference was. The nordstrand is definitely a more refined tone. The original limelight pickup was looser in the lows, maybe had a bit more low mids and the high end was a lot clankier or vintage sounding. Probably a good pickup for limelight. I love the looks of vintage basses but definitely more a fan of the more modern bass sound. 

 I now have blades in two basses and love them! I've recently discovered TI Flats and blades are a great match. Very fat without sounding typically Flatwound like! 

[krispn]

Let the fun continue...

 

 

[Reggaebass]

Has anyone had the toneriders , are they more bass , mid, or treble dominant.

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Has anyone had the toneriders , are they more bass , mid, or treble dominant.

They sounded very much like the Fender Custom Shop 62s to me, so low-mid rich.

[hooky_lowdown]

2 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Has anyone had the toneriders , are they more bass , mid, or treble dominant.

Listen to any Squier classic vibe video, toneriders were used in them (original run, not the newer one's). 😁

[PatrickJ]

I need some help guys.  The newly installed NP4v is causing me all sorts of issues.   Tone wise it's perfect but I've got a high frequency buzz that stops when I touch the strings, bridge or tone controls.  I've tried a few times but I can't eliminate it.

The originally pickup, I suspect a rebranded Delano, was encased in the pickup covers and fully sealed.  The Nordstrand pickup came with loose covers.  I had to fit some pickup foam, I installed the pick as it came in the box placing the pickup directly onto the foam with the covers loose using the original screws.  I unsoldered the Delano pickup and soldered the Nordstrand in its place, as far as I recall I put the black and white cables to the same place as it originally was.  I've also redone my soldering to make sure the connections were good.

I've checked the newly soldered joints are grounded using a multimeter and they show a good circuit so I suspect this is a shielding issue but I don't know how to fix it.  Does anyone have any advice?

Edited February 9, 2020 by PJ-Bassist

[Cuzzie]

Is the cavity of the pickups and controls properly shielded?

Is the grounding wire to the bridge loose?

Edited February 9, 2020 by Cuzzie

[PatrickJ]

6 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Is the cavity of the pickups and controls properly shielded?

Is the grounding wire to the bridge loose?

Cavity seems to be painted thoroughly with shielding paint, continuity testing the bridge to ground with the multimeter doesn't indicate there is an issue and the original pickup was fine

[Paul S]

I had a similar mysterious buzz appear for no particular reason after a neck change of all things.  When all was reassembled there was a buzz like you describe.  Some online reading pointed to a shielding issue so I shielded the pickup cavity and the control cavity with copper tape.  I believe the crucial thing here is to then solder a ground wire connecting the two cavities.  Now there is no buzz.

[Cuzzie]

Yep I had a similar where I grounded not just to a pot, but also to the cavity and that worked.

Also if you have a pickguard make sure there is contact on the under surface shielding tape with some point of the cavity shielding so you create your faraday cage properly.

Other things like mobiles phones, etc nearby if these pick ups are hotter can be an issue

[PatrickJ]

So this how it currently looks, and apart from the pickup foam in the cavity is as Sandberg originally configured it.

The black paint in the cavity is shielding paint, in the control cavity this is all grounded.  However the continuity test in the pickup cavity not so much - I might try adding a grounding wire from the pickup cavity first to see if that helps.  I have some shielding tape too that I'll put under the pickguard.

[Cuzzie]

Yeah that may work, and also run a sliver of tape up from the cavity to just on the body which would contact to a tape bit on the underside of the pickguard.

I once after carbon painting a cavity ran a thin strip halfway up the cavity right around it and then up to contact as described above and that was just enough

[KiOgon]

I don't see any earth wires soldered to the pot bodies, so no decent grounding there, only the mechanical connection between the pot mountings and the tiny piece of copper tape on the scratchplate. Can't see if the copper is properly earthed either.

[PatrickJ]

OK, I think we have things sorted to an acceptable level.

@Cuzzie followed your advice, I noticed the shielding paint in the pickup cavity didn't come up the sides so I ran the copper tape around the edges and over the top.  I added tape to the back of the pick guard and used that to connect to the tape on the back of the control plate that I knew was already grounded.

With a lot of treble boost I can still hear the buzz but its no louder than the hiss of the preamp - with flat or treble cut it's not audible.

Will take it to jam night tomorrow to check it out in a live situation.

Big thanks to everyone for the help.

[Cuzzie]

Good work, just passing in tips I gained from others and a bit of trial and error!

Hope it works out ok with the band

[mike 110]

On 14/12/2019 at 02:31, kodiakblair said:

Nice to know I'm not alone in thinking this 🙂

 

To the UK list I'd add Bloodstone Guitarworks. Was impressed with their 51 single coil so asked Dave about a custom build, 28K mudbucker in single coil format. 

Dave talked me through a couple of construction methods then posted it 3 days. Thing is a monster 😲 Cost less than the mass produced Duncans 👍

 

http://www.bloodstoneguitarworks.com/shop/bass-pickups

Wow !!! Like it ..

[Baloney Balderdash]

EMG Geezer Butler P pickup.

 

 

Edit!: 

 

Just had a read through the thread and see that the Geezer P has already been suggested, and that OP already bought a Nordstrand P.

 

On that note:

 

On 18/12/2019 at 18:04, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Yes the GZR is the Geezer Butler signature pickup. You'll have to ask EMG why they based it on one of Bobby Vega's vintage basses. All I know is that I like it a lot.

If you need more info on this, try putting the words "geezer butler bobby vega emg" into the google machine.

I assume because Bobby Vega already was endorsing EMG pickups, and they thought that his original 1960 P pickup sounded awesome and would be a good match for Geezer Butler?

 

Also not alone is the Geezer P emulating Bobby Vegas 60 P pickup, it is as far as I gathered  in fact a pretty exact replica, as they had Bobby's pickup in and analyzed meticulously, in all aspects except for the fact of the Geezer P being solderless, internally shielded, and sealed.

 

In any case a truly amazing sounding pickup.

 

Vintage voiced, but extremely well defined and articulate, exceptionally clear sounding, and really dynamically responsive, with a nice amount of punch, snap and bite.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[diskwave]

I kid you not just get a set of real cheap chinese no names off ebay...30 quid or so.  Got some in a P bass sounds grt and Ive owned a lot of fenders over the yrs. But yes those hi fi PU's have all the mids scooped out....no good at all.

[Baloney Balderdash]

14 hours ago, greavesbass said:

I kid you not just get a set of real cheap chinese no names off ebay...30 quid or so.  Got some in a P bass sounds grt and Ive owned a lot of fenders over the yrs. But yes those hi fi PU's have all the mids scooped out....no good at all.

Just like I very much doubt all no name Chinese pickups are the same, I know for certain that all pickups that you call "hi-fi" are not the same.

 

Neither is the tone they respectively reproduces the same.

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[funkle]

I’m busy having another go at a Dual Precision pickup bass. My first attempt eventually foundered because I put the rear pickup too close to the bridge. 
 

I went throughs lot of the same agonies over pickup choice as the OP even then. Great to see this thread now, I think the advice is spot on.  
 

I have a Fender CS 62 in my ‘flats’ bass now. Because my new project needs two pickups and that could get expensive for the top name stuff, and I like the CS 62, I went for two Tonerider Precision pickups. The rumour is they are quite similar to the CS 62 I have. It’s good to see that opinion in this thread too. I can only hope!

Edited September 24, 2023 by funkle

[PaulThePlug]

^ I'm sure it will cover up OK with a bit of cut down rear pick guard - cheapy of aliexpress... or is the bridge P reverse

Pics?

[funkle]

7 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ I'm sure it will cover up OK with a bit of cut down rear pick guard - cheapy of aliexpress... or is the bridge P reverse

Pics?

I’ll start a new thread and post a video when I’ve actually got the new bass up and going. It’s still being worked on. 
 

Both pickups will be reversed compared  to the normal orientation. The EA coil on each will be centred on where 60’s Jazz Bass positions are, and the DG coils will be north of that in each. Like this bass - https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nbd-double-reverse-p.1143531/

 

It will be on a Jazz body like the Fender Blacktop Jazz basses. 

 

 

[krispn]

I love a Pete project😀

[funkle]

2 hours ago, krispn said:

I love a Pete project😀

You’re too kind! The problem is, I sort of get an idea in my head and I can’t leave it alone. This one’s been knocking around since my last double P attempt, which morphed into the Wal-ish. It’s expensive…