SPB-3 AND SPB-4 pickups

[MaidenVT]

I wasn't going to replace my V Mod II pups but there just not what I expected. I have two Bass's the new Fender P and the Squier P bass. I never done this before so I was going to replace the Squier pups first. Now I have to choose what Bass get's what pickup. I own both. I'm a big Iron Maiden fan but I'm looking for my own tone. I thought the SPB-3 would be a perfect match but now I have read mixed reviews and maybe I should have gotten the SPB-2's for the Fender. I play Metal but no modern metal mostly Sabbath, Maiden, Metallica, Ozzy. Hard rock UFO, and Zeppelin some WHO. Any recommendations will be helpful. I'm looking for more punch and GROWL!!!

Edited March 16, 2023 by wateroftyne

[NAS Bass]

SPB3's were a bit mid shy for me.

 

I can recommend the EMG GZR P pickups for punch and growl - not overly high output and not just for the Geezer vibe, but a good old school mid Precision bit of grit. 

[MaidenVT]

10 minutes ago, NAS Bass said:

SPB3's were a bit mid shy for me.

 

I can recommend the EMG GZR P pickups for punch and growl - not overly high output and not just for the Geezer vibe, but a good old school mid Precision bit of grit. 

Yeah I heard about these. EMG's do have a lot of growl. 

[bloke_zero]

15 hours ago, NAS Bass said:

SPB3's were a bit mid shy for me.

 

I can recommend the EMG GZR P pickups for punch and growl - not overly high output and not just for the Geezer vibe, but a good old school mid Precision bit of grit. 

Plus one from me for these - lovely middy 70's tone. But still very clear and articulate.

[MaidenVT]

Well I have the SPB3 and 4 so right now I have to use what I have. I just have to decide which bass is getting what pickup. 

[dudewheresmybass]

3 i found too scooped for my taste. The 4 are the harris sig, so I imagine should have more mids to them

 

[Lozz196]

15 hours ago, dudewheresmybass said:

3 i found too scooped for my taste. The 4 are the harris sig, so I imagine should have more mids to them

 

Spot on, the 4 has a lot more mids, but also doesn’t sound as sharp on the top-end

[MaidenVT]

So I took your advise and ordered the GB EMG's. Question how much foam do you use? Do you cut to the same length of the pickup? 

[bloke_zero]

That works - match it to the length between the screws or a little shorter. You're looking for a good stable base allowing you to get the slight angle to match the fingerboard radius and keep them level on the bridge/neck axis (if you see what I mean) as you don't want them dipping or pointing towards the bridge or neck. It's very easy, just takes a bit of patience.

[Baloney Balderdash]

Yes, the Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pounder should have been named Mid Scooper instead, which invites to an inarticulate mud fest.

 

 

I love the EMG Geezer Butler P pickup that is currently installed in my main bass, vintage voiced, but exceptionally well defined and articulate, very clear, dynamic and well balanced, tone, though with a slight emphasis on the upper mids, which gives it a nice amount of snap and bite, as well as it got a slightly higher output than your average vintage voiced P pickup.

 

And then it is almost dead silent, even installed in a bass that otherwise has not been properly shielded, as this pickup is shielded internally and got shielded wires as well, that is the ground of the pickup wire running as a braided shield all along the insulated hot wire (same with other connection wires).

 

Also the solderless system makes it so easy to install, but without compromising on the sturdiness of the connections.

 

Of course a matter of personal taste and preferences, but to my ears the Seymour Duncan SPB-4 Steve Harris P sounds a bit dull, almost somewhat muffled, compared to the EMG Geezer Butler P :

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[MaidenVT]

So I installed the EMG's today. Everything was going great until the ground button. The ground button snapped close but the bridge ground fell out. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 hours ago, MaidenVT said:

So I installed the EMG's today. Everything was going great until the ground button. The ground button snapped close but the bridge ground fell out. 

Damn, that sucks...

 

I've managed to rip out the bridge ground wire of one of my basses once too.

 

Not when installing the Geezer P though.

 

Thing is that the only thing that holds the bridge ground wire in place is the downward pressure from the bridge against the wood of the bass's body, so while it definitely will never rip loose by it self it doesn't take a lot of pulling strength to do so.

 

Guess you will have to remove and then reinstall the strings and bridge again after threading a new ground wire.

 

 

Edit!!!:

 

You did mean the bridge wire came loose, right?

 

Or did you mean fell out of the ground cap included in the set to splice the bass bridge ground with the EMG ground wire?

 

If the latter it isn't exactly a huge issue, just remove a bit more insulation from the EMG ground wire and splice them, you don't even need to solder them, just give them a thorough series of wiggles/twists to attach them to each other properly and apply a some electrical tape to the joint (nothing is going to rip them apart as long as they are sheltered in the control cavity, and the connection should be plenty firm for proper conduction), or you could also just solder the the original bridge ground wire from the bass directly to the jack socket sleeve connection, or really any spot that got ground connection.

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[MaidenVT]

I forgot to reply. I did end up fixing it and it sounds awesome with the EMG pickups. Big difference.