P bass - Pickup recommendations- weird one.

[millar138]

So I’ve just had a 2018 American original P bass delivered and it’s outstanding... big fat neck, plays beautiful.. BUT - the pickups… the 58 split with the two raised poles under the A string. It doesn’t work for me… I play stainless steel strings and the A string is ridiculously loud in comparison to the others. (I have set it up to accommodate it but I’m not happy).

 

Here’s the thing …. The a string has a much more clanky, clear and aggressive tone the other strings which kind of sound sterile and dull in comparison.

 

I’m looking for a pick up recommendation that will give all four strings the same clank and grind my A string currently has. 
 

I still want the classic P bass tone. I don’t want heavy metal type pickups as they lack dynamics.

 

I have another bass with geezer butler EMG in it.. it’s too compressed and smooth- maybe that will help understand the tone I don’t want.

 

thanks guys 

 

[Sean]

@Mike Brooks was joined by Matt Gleason of Monty's at the South East Bass Bash last month and we had a demo of Monty's bass pickups. The P Retrowind was a stand out and one of the nicest P pickups many of us have heard. They are just gorgeous, UK made and although they're not cheap, as soon as we heard it you knew it was special. 

 

https://www.montysguitars.com/collections/bass-pickups/products/retro-wind-p-bass-pickup

 

I know @cetera @NancyJohnson and too many others to mention were there but I came away decided that the next P pickup I was going to buy would be one of those. And that is coming from someone who is a dyed-in-the-wool Toltec pickups fanboy. 

 

Toltec would be an excellent alternative. Either ay you're getting a UK handcrafted product with excellent support from a small friendly business run and owned by their GenX founders.

[Mike Brooks]

They were excellent pickups, looking forward to having some basses for reviews and demos very soon. I can also recommend the Aguilar 4P-60 which I have installed in a Fender Mex Standard P which I use on Queen tribute shows, voiced quite differently to the Monty's pickups but just a different flavour - different pickups work well in different basses, there is no 'one size fits all' solution with pickups.

[PaulThePlug]

Tonerider, Classic or the hotter Duke. Hard to beat at £35 and available with flat or stagered poles...

Kent Armstrong Hot Vintage £58.

Edited December 31, 2025 by PaulThePlug

[police squad]

as @Sean says

P retrowind was awesome. 

[Supernaut]

Toltec for sure. Picked up a Vintage Red P for £30, brand new. Handwired in UK. 

[Skybone]

Can you not tap the poles of the A string down a touch?

 

Or alternatively, tap the poles of the other strings up a touch (though you would have to take the pickup / scratch plate off to do that)?

 

Even though they aren't screw poles, surely they can be adjusted.