Who knows Bass Pickups?

[dvanburen]

I'm getting ready to buy a cheap fender MIM bass guitar for the studio. I am not a bass player but want to keep a nice bass around the studio for recording and such. Probably P bass or Jazz. Whatever I can get a good deal on. There is not a lot of talk of bass pickups here so I wanted to get some opinions from people on some Duncan basslines pickups to throw in this guitar. What are you guys using? Should I change the pots? Let me know your suggestions. I play/record a lot of hard rock and metal. That will be the main use. but I want a versatile sound to be able to handle warm smooth round bass sound. I would love to hear some suggestions! Cheers

[gibson175]

The guys at the talkbass forum all rave about ants for jazz basses. I use bartolinis (9j1 set) in my jazz bass cos they are fat and warm (hum cancelling) but thats just me. I know they are not the latest vogue thing. They do make a pretty good impersonation of a P bass split pickup if you use the neck pickup on its own tho.
Generally if you want warm and thick, the P bass is the go cos the split pickup works like a humbucker. If you want deep lows and clarity on top, then go for a jazz. I reckon you should really go play a few and see what fits what you hear in your head best.
If you are plannning on recording tho...keep an eye out for a sansamp bass driver. Those things are money well spent indeed.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

I know this about bass pickups:

Whenever I hear someone with a bass tone I really really like, it is always the same brand: Bartolini.

Whenever I hear a bass tone I can take or leave, it is something else. SD, EMG, etc etc.

Change pickups and pre-amp to Barts at the same time, you won't regret it.

[dreadguard268]

I know this being the duncan forum, I should tell you I like duncans, but the bass tones I've always like have always been EMG's or dimarzios. I'm a big fan of the Dimarzio Will Power.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Basslines? The Quarter Pounder for Jazz are hands down the best Jazz Bass pickups ever produced. I put a set in my MIM JB and I have gotten nothing but compliments on the tone ever since. TWO different sound guys approached me after gigs and asked what I was running. I had another musician ask to borrow my bass to re-record some of his studio tracks because he loved the tone of mine. I had an American Deluxe J that I had a set of QP's in but I took them out when I sold the bass. I sold the pickups to a friend about 3 years ago. He still has them in his MIM J and he loves them as well.

They are absolutely fantastic pickups. Great clarity and definition with slamming low end.

[Binnerscot]

Basslines? The Quarter Pounder for Jazz are hands down the best Jazz Bass pickups ever produced.

True!

I also like the Active Jazz bass line as well for hotter bass pups.

[Despair]

The Jazz & Precision Fender pickups are classics, but the Musicman humbucker is probably the next best known. Great deep growl, also strong in midrange but in a different way than the Precision Bass pickup.

Actives tend to be a bit punchier, but passives avoid the hassle of batteries or phantom power & cabling. Actives seem generally better liked in bass circles than guitar. Even by players who don't get along with actives on guitar.

Like with guitar, tone depends on the instrument, amp and speakers [along with recording chain], not just the pickups. But out of the most common pickups, the P-bass pickup is where I'd start for warm and round. J tends to be deeper and punchier, and MM's growl is hard to get rid of (though hardly rough in tone).

There are a number of other great pickups, but they aren't as well known. Rickenbacker, Hammon, Gibson and Gretsch for example.

Rickenbacker might cover the smooth thing pretty well, too, depending on which flavor of midrange you are looking for.

But a P-bass is likely the cheapest option, since it's available stock on many Fenders. I'd get a P+J setup, myself.

[jeremy]

the qp p bass pup is great for rock and metal, big bottom end and a thick sound. ive ended up with that pup in every bass ive made.

[Funkfingers]

+1 for Bartolini.

My personal favourite is the long-since discontinued Seymour Duncan Active EQ series of P and J style pickups. (The ones with the little white switches in the corner of the housing.)

My recommendation for a respectable budget bass is a pre-owned Yamaha Attitude Plus. Upgrade the bridge to a Gotoh 201B. Upgrade the pickup and EQ. Sorted.

[BRHGM]

I have been very happy with my EMG J and P bass Pickups. The SD Quarter Pounder was a great improvement to my P Bass, but unfortunately even with shielding and grounding, it still hummed while recording to my Mac. It worked without issues with my amp. The Barts were too thick for my taste. I did find the EMGs to be significantly louder. I am curious about the SD Blackouts for Bass.

[Funkfingers]

I am curious about the SD Blackouts for Bass.

Don't touch that dial.

I'm collecting my BO bass humbucker tomorrow morning. (Middle of the night, your time.) I should have the pickup installed and be ready to post a description by the time that you wake up.

I have previously installed the BO bass EQ in conjunction with an SD/Basslines Pro Active P Bass pickup. The midrange mode switch on the PCB does exactly what the advertising says. In "old guy" mode, it adds midrange punch and growl in exactly the right frequency band for my style.

It is a pity that there is no way to make the microswitch accessible from the front of the instrument via a DPDT or push-pull switch.

[Funkfingers]

I have now tested the SD Blackouts for Bass ASB-BO 4.

Nice, clear, punchy, detailed, sensitive to playing dynamics, everything that the stock Fleabass pickup was not. (And, for that matter, better than the EMG-HZ 35 that I tried in conjunction with a two-band active EQ.)

The ASB-BO 4 produces the sort of bass guitar tone that records well and sits nicely in a track.

The ASB-BO 4 sounds like some rival brands AFTER their bass and treble EQ bands have been boosted a little. The only reason that I might want additional EQ would be to alter the midrange content. IMO, the basic tone is fine.

The closest comparison that I can draw is the SD/Basslines APB-1 Pro Active for P-Bass. (An active pickup that happens to fit into a P Bass without necessarily restricting the instrument to sounding like one.)

[Powdered Toast Man]

Ok, WITHOUT having to resort to a full active system, the SD Quarter Pounders are by far the best passive pickups available. Personally, I don't think active systems are for everyone. I used to have an active bass and I could never like the tone. Ended up selling it.

[idsnowdog]

I have a SD Rickenbacker set and they are excellent. They aren't thin or plunky like most Ric pickups. Great sustain, clarity and frequency response.