60s style P-bass pickup options

[Munurmunuh]

Before buying my very nice MIJ Fender Classic 60s P Bass I had read that the pickups in MIJ p-basses are usually a bit ummmm and, lo, the pickup is a bit ummmm.

 

The bass feels like it wants flats in the La Bella DTF style, and a pickup to match feels worth shelling out for.

 

The obvious

 

 

vintage option would be the Fender CS 62, or whatever its called.

 

Down a tier or two would be the Seymour Duncan .... well, which one? I'm a bit confused by their range atm. The SD Vintage P-Bass? The Steve Harris Signature?

 

And what else? This isn't my usual area of interest, so I'm a bit clueless.

 

Also, tbh I'm not sure what it is that is missing at the moment. Bite? Growl? Grunt? Immediacy? Presence? Responsiveness? Cojones?

[Reggaebass]

9 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

And what else? This isn't my usual area of interest

Hi Ricky, I don’t know much about the technical side of things but when I was looking to fit new ones in one of my precision’s I wanted a deeper bass sound and  , a few early precision’s I’ve looked at had the original pickups replaced with DiMarzio ones ,which sounded quite bright to me, I opted for Toneriders which gave me nice lows and wasn’t so bright, I also had the cap changed which seemed to give a warmer sound, just a few options for you to look into 🙂

[Munurmunuh]

1 hour ago, Reggaebass said:

Hi Ricky, I don’t know much about the technical side of things but when I was looking to fit new ones in one of my precision’s I wanted a deeper bass sound and  , a few early precision’s I’ve looked at had the original pickups replaced with DiMarzio ones ,which sounded quite bright to me, I opted for Toneriders which gave me nice lows and wasn’t so bright, I also had the cap changed which seemed to give a warmer sound, just a few options for you to look into 🙂

 

On my Squier I have a Dimarzio, and do love the sound of it. When I get a LB-100, I'll be putting a Dimarzio in that too. That plus Pro Steels is a combination I'm really happy with.

 

But I can feel this bass really wanting to stay put in the sixties. Having been gobbling up old threads, it seems a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 is what the bass wants. And a set of flats.

 

This bass may well be with me not very long, I'm literally holding it for a friend, and so for the sake of his peace of mind, I think whatever I fit needs to be well-known. Ditto if he decides not to buy it off me and I choose to sell it.

 

As for the rest of the electronics, I'll let the tech have an opinion when he's fitting the pickup. The tone knob is doing a better job than some I've met, but that's not saying much.

[lownote]

Toneriders

[Paul S]

Worth considering Aguilar AG4P-60.  They give a lush, warm, vintage tone.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, lownote said:

Toneriders

Agree, these are very near in sound to the Fender Custom Shop 62s, at about a third of the price.

[Munurmunuh]

1 hour ago, lownote said:

Toneriders

 

15 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree, these are very near in sound to the Fender Custom Shop 62s, at about a third of the price.

 

While this sounds like very nice....

 

"....from low-down reggae riffs to growling rock, our Precision Plus pickup is designed for the bassist who needs maximum tonal variety just by altering their pick attack. Wound just a hair hotter than vintage P-Bass pickups...."

 

....it doesn't sound quite what I'm looking for here.

[CameronJ]

Surprised nobody has mentioned the EMG Geezer Butler P pups yet.

[Munurmunuh]

20 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned the EMG Geezer Butler P pups yet.

 

Reading up, I get the impression that they're like the Steve Harris, vintage-ish, but with extra stuffing?

 

Playing more today, that doesn't seem to be the problem, so much as a lack of focus / definition / immediacy.

 

I'm not helped by the strings on it, which I've never used before, so I'm trying to evaluate two new things at once 

[CameronJ]

In that case, definitely start by changing your strings. Honestly, I’ve found strings can make as much difference as electronics when it comes to affecting tone, but at a much lower cost. 

[Munurmunuh]

Playing last night and this morning, I discovered that I've a problem with a 7¼" radius fretboard — reaching further around the neck is riling my gefukt shoulder — so this has been rendered moot 🙄 

 

For what it's worth, I was going to first change the strings to Chromes, and then try a SD SPB-1. Ho hum.

 

Feeling very dismal now. I was trying to work out why a bass weighing just 8.0 lbs was leaving my arm in pain; when I went back and forth between it and my other P, I noticed how much less effort the 9½" radius requires. 😡

[Jonesy]

I'd def give flats a go first and see where that gets you. Especially seeing as it sounds like you're going to put flats on it anyway. You're not wasting any dosh and, if you're still not happy then look at the pups.

 

I've had the EMG GZR's in a MIM PBass before and they're pretty hot and aggy. Then again, so was my whole signal chain and setup. I think I read someone on TB say they had a set with flats and foam under the strings and got a Motown tone out of them. 

 

One advantage of the GZR's is that they come with all of the guts and are a solderless installation. Even I managed it!

[Jonesy]

Ah, just seen the radius problem.

 

Sorry to hear that. Have you got a chance to return it and pick up something else?

[Munurmunuh]

38 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

Ah, just seen the radius problem.

 

Sorry to hear that. Have you got a chance to return it and pick up something else?

 

I can't find the small print, but I've written to the dealer.

 

Beyond that I'm a bit too gutted to be bothered to think. An 8.0 lb P-bass! I was so pleased! And so confused why it was hurting me! 😅

 

It was quite comical, going back and forth between my two Ps, with their identical bodies, trying to work out why the one over a pound heavier was more comfortable 🙃

 

My arms and hands are generally unhappy, but my left shoulder I additionally damaged at work a few months ago – hence the search for a light bass. Gahhhhhh. 

 

Still, this thinking has been useful – think I'll try a Seymour Duncan and Chromes on another bass, one day.

[Jonesy]

Hopefully you're covered by distance selling regulations 👍

 

I would say try a G&L Tribute SB2 for a nice and light PBass. However, I'm not sure you'd be keen on the jazz neck. I'm not too sure what the radius is on it either. It's almost like you need a custom G&L built for you 😋

[NAS Bass]

7 hours ago, CameronJ said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned the EMG Geezer Butler P pups yet.

I was just about to do that! They are a great vintage style pickup and no, you don't have to do Sabbath covers

[Lozz196]

Apparently based on the pickup in Bobby Vegas’ 1960 Precision.

[Munurmunuh]

16 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Hopefully you're covered by distance selling regulations 👍

 

I'm guessing so, or whatever they're called now. But I find I don't like pointing out obligations, and prefer to let people do whatever they perceive to be the right thing. 

 

Edit: just had a very pleasant, non-begrudging email from the dealer – it'll be going back to him this week.

 

This morning, I'm still feeling very dismal about it all. I was so pleased when I saw the ad, and so delighted when I opened up the package and saw the bass. It really is very nicely made – a real improvement on my Squier – in beautiful condition, and I was enjoying trying to work out what I wanted different so that it felt like mine. And then: what's this weird pain in my arm? I had always been curious about 7¼" radius – would the curve fall under my fingers in a pleasingly natural way? Now I know 🤕

 

I suppose I need to forget about accidentally buying a nice pre-CBS P 😅

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Ricky Rioli
update

[Munurmunuh]

15 hours ago, NAS Bass said:

I was just about to do that! They are a great vintage style pickup and no, you don't have to do Sabbath covers

I found a couple of nice videos on YouTube of the Geezer pu combined with Chromes, very tempting.

[NAS Bass]

32 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I found a couple of nice videos on YouTube of the Geezer pu combined with Chromes, very tempting.

Great pickup. I put one in a Classic 50s Precision 

[Jonesy]

Good to hear that you have it sorted with the dealer. Shame about the radius issue though as I think all of the MIJ reissue P's have that radius. Could well be wrong though. I've only played a handful, but they've been great basses.

 

Does this mean you have your eye out for another bass to whack some GZR's in until the G&L's turn up??

[Munurmunuh]

1 hour ago, Jonesy said:

Does this mean you have your eye out for another bass to whack some GZR's in until the G&L's turn up??

 

This chastening experience seems to have left me thoroughly deGASsed 😣

 

The latest plan is that when the LB-100 arrives, the Matt Freeman will hand over its Dimarzio + Pro Steels, and receive something like a Geezer and Chromes. And either I'll like the result, or sell it. Or both.

[Munurmunuh]

19 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Shame about the radius issue though as I think all of the MIJ reissue P's have that radius. Could well be wrong though.

 

Looking at the current MIJ line up...

 

• Traditional 50s / 60s / 70s are 9½"

• Heritage 50s / 60s are 7¼"

• Can't find a Heritage 70s

 

The Traditional 70s has a 40mm nut, the other four are all 42mm.

[Munurmunuh]

18 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

The latest plan is that the Matt Freeman will receive something like a Geezer + Chromes.

 

Just to tidy up a loose end in this plan, what would be the obvious choice of cap for this combination?

 

Back to the .047 standard, or something higher?

 

(Pretty sure the .022 in there atm wouldn't do the job)

[Jonesy]

10 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Looking at the current MIJ line up...

 

• Traditional 50s / 60s / 70s are 9½"

• Heritage 50s / 60s are 7¼"

• Can't find a Heritage 70s

 

The Traditional 70s has a 40mm nut, the other four are all 42mm.

 

Ah, the site I checked had them all at 184r, but maybe that doesn't include the Heritage range?