SPB1s...Switch to Gzrs?

[Springywheel]

I hear these two are quite similar - my new classic vibe has SDs, but I'm just wondering were if it'd be worth me upgrading to the Gzrs for recording heavy rock/proto heavy metal tones, or should I save my money and stick to the SPB1s? Apparently the only difference between these and the Gzrs is that the latter has a bit more of an upper mid push....just wondering if I can just tweak the amp/od pedal EQ, or would it not be the same?

Edited Thursday at 17:31 by Springywheel

[Doctor J]

What do you feel the current pickups are missing?

[JJMotown]

39 minutes ago, Springywheel said:

I hear these two are quite similar

Nope, plus the gzrs have there own electrics.

[Springywheel]

4 hours ago, Doctor J said:

What do you feel the current pickups are missing?

Bit of growl I guess?

[Lozz196]

I found the SPB1 to lack overall clarity in the mix, had a nice warm bassy sound but def a sit low sound. Not had a GZR but have tried them and yes, there is the upper mid push to them. I’d try boosting somewhere between 1kHz and 2kHz if your gear has that, if at that point you’re still not getting what you want then I’d try the GZR.

[Sean]

That'll sort it. Probably double the cost of the pickups but...

[bloke_zero]

I like the geezers, yes, upper mid push, tighter bottom end. They sound quite 70's to me in a good way. I don't think EQ will get you the same thing, but it might get you into the right space. Like @Lozz196 says - worth a try first!

[HeadlessBassist]

Before you start major plumbing adventures changing pickups, did you change the strings yet? I only ask, as the original OEM Fender strings are always terrible. First port of call for me on any new bass (new or used) is to slap on a set of Elixirs. The tone, response and sustain always changes significantly. Just a thought  

[Springywheel]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Before you start major plumbing adventures changing pickups, did you change the strings yet? I only ask, as the original OEM Fender strings are always terrible. First port of call for me on any new bass (new or used) is to slap on a set of Elixirs. The tone, response and sustain always changes significantly. Just a thought  

I have actually and it's made a huge difference. It had ancient flatwounds on there. Still curious about the geezers though

[Misdee]

 I think changing from the SD to the GZR would be a bit of a sideways move, and not the best use of money in terms of upgrading the overall bass playing experience. The GZR is a superb pickup, but the SD is just as good as the EMG, albeit with a slightly different flavour.

 

My own personal experience has been that changing pickups can be a big upgrade if you have been using a pickup the is genuinely defective or obviously deficient in some way, but swapping one perfectly good high-end pickup for another because of notional sonic differences that you have read about is usually a disappointing waste of money.

 

If  someone is getting a custom Fodera I can understand exploring the nuances of choosing the exact right pickup, butI really don't think a Squire Classic Vibe bass warrants spending that amount of money to explore the subtleties of two high quality replacement pickups.  If you've got a Seymour Duncan in there that's already a big upgrade. My advice would be experiment with strings and EQ and try and appreciate the character of the sound as it is. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Misdee

[PaulThePlug]

SD and Passive.

What value pots and particularly capacitor 0.1u, 0.47u?

Couple of quid on a Cap swap

Edited 6 hours ago by PaulThePlug

[Springywheel]

2 hours ago, Misdee said:

 I think changing from the SD to the GZR would be a bit of a sideways move, and not the best use of money in terms of upgrading the overall bass playing experience. The GZR is a superb pickup, but the SD is just as good as the EMG, albeit with a slightly different flavour.

 

My own personal experience has been that changing pickups can be a big upgrade if you have been using a pickup the is genuinely defective or obviously deficient in some way, but swapping one perfectly good high-end pickup for another because of notional sonic differences that you have read about is usually a disappointing waste of money.

 

If  someone is getting a custom Fodera I can understand exploring the nuances of choosing the exact right pickup, butI really don't think a Squire Classic Vibe bass warrants spending that amount of money to explore the nuances between two high quality replacement pickups.  If you've got a Seymour Duncan in there that's already a big upgrade. My advice would be experiment with strings and EQ and try and appreciate the character of the sound as it is. 

I think you could be right.... I have been tweaking my setup today and  I'm a lot happier with how everything is sounding, particularly through a  dirt pedal. 

Edited 5 hours ago by Springywheel

[Supernaut]

On 19/06/2025 at 18:29, Springywheel said:

I hear these two are quite similar - my new classic vibe has SDs, but I'm just wondering were if it'd be worth me upgrading to the Gzrs for recording heavy rock/proto heavy metal tones, or should I save my money and stick to the SPB1s? Apparently the only difference between these and the Gzrs is that the latter has a bit more of an upper mid push....just wondering if I can just tweak the amp/od pedal EQ, or would it not be the same?

How about these?

 

 

[shoulderpet]

Honestly you couldn't pay me enough to use the Seymour Duncan SPB-1, I had one and couldn't wait to get rid of it, LOTS of bass, no mids, not a great deal of treble. 

 

If I was playing dub reggae I would have loved it but in a rock setting (and by rock I mean classic rock not heavy rock) I got absolutely buried, the SPB-2 on the other hand is a fantastic pickup, not a great deal of treble but lots of mids, decent bass, when I had one I used to run one without a tone pot and got a great sound from it.

 

Nowadays if I was looking at replacement pickups I would try and get one with as flat a response as possible and shape the tone with EQ but that's just my personal preference.