What's a good pickup for a P-Bass

[zdali]

I got a P bass with a SD Quarter Pounder (SPB3) and a PJ with an SPB1. You're welcome to come and have a punt on both

[TmcB]

Righteo, here be the clips.

This is going straight into a Tc Electronic Konnekt and then into Logic. No Eq, effects, anything, just the straight signal.

I play 3 segments, 1st is fingerstyle, tone up. 2nd is Picked, tone up. 3rd is fingerstyle tone down. I have reasonably new roundwound strings on.
Bass is an 03' Fender Precision, all stock barring pups.

Here's the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder

QP Fender P Bass.mp3

(2.48 MiB) Downloaded 221 times

...And the Nordstrand NP4

NP4 Fender P Bass.mp3

(2.48 MiB) Downloaded 248 times

Hope that's useful to you in some way.

EDIT: Sorry about the occasional topping out on the QP, there's a buttload of output and I didn't compensate enough for it going in

[snitchez]

All split P-bass pickups are hum cancelling, so no worries there.

For you tastes, Nordy or Antiquity.
I'm due another Norder-order soon, if that helps.

If budget is a consideration, the SD Vintage. I have a Model P handy but it's probably not your bag.
I like the SD Quarter Pound too and the Rio Grande beast is probably somewhere between that and vintage.

oh yes the rio grande was pretty amazing. i was pretty stoked by it as far as i remember. can't remember what i liked about it tho/

[Hot_Grits]

Righteo, here be the clips.

This is going straight into a Tc Electronic Konnekt and then into Logic. No Eq, effects, anything, just the straight signal.

I play 3 segments, 1st is fingerstyle, tone up. 2nd is Picked, tone up. 3rd is fingerstyle tone down. I have reasonably new roundwound strings on.
Bass is an 03' Fender Precision, all stock barring pups.

Here's the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder

QP Fender P Bass.mp3

...And the Nordstrand NP4

NP4 Fender P Bass.mp3

Hope that's useful to you in some way.

EDIT: Sorry about the occasional topping out on the QP, there's a buttload of output and I didn't compensate enough for it going in

Great stuff, thanks!

The NF sounds very balanced and musical. The QP is much woolier and deeper. My instinct is to go for the NF, but I could easily see the QP working really well for rock and soul/afrobeat.

...the more I listen to it: I hear the NF as a really nice P Bass tone, but I hear the QP as what I'd actually eq a bass track to sound like. Inch-arresting.

[TmcB]

Yeah, that's the thing about these two.

You can make the NP4 fit anywhere because it's a nice P Bass tone, and that means it's really flexible. Part of me wishes it was a bit more aggressive but you can always eq that stuff in.

The Quarter Pounder is a pickup that you need to suit to the type of music you're doing because it might not fit everywhere.

I will make one point here; the Quarter Pounder sounds nice by itself to my ears as well.
However, it tends to disappear in a live setting, as I found out last night at practice. My drummer complained that it was lacking in clarity and sometimes he found it hard to pickup and I was having the same problems. That's mainly to do with the scooped mids the QP has.

I think the QP suits my Warwick so much better so I stuck it in there; it sounds great! Quite a lot like old Incubus (unsurprising as it's the same pickup in the same model bass.

[Hot_Grits]

Yeah, that's the thing about these two.

You can make the NP4 fit anywhere because it's a nice P Bass tone, and that means it's really flexible. Part of me wishes it was a bit more aggressive but you can always eq that stuff in.

The Quarter Pounder is a pickup that you need to suit to the type of music you're doing because it might not fit everywhere.

I will make one point here; the Quarter Pounder sounds nice by itself to my ears as well.
However, it tends to disappear in a live setting, as I found out last night at practice. My drummer complained that it was lacking in clarity and sometimes he found it hard to pickup and I was having the same problems. That's mainly to do with the scooped mids the QP has.

I think the QP suits my Warwick so much better so I stuck it in there; it sounds great! Quite a lot like old Incubus (unsurprising as it's the same pickup in the same model bass.

My bandmate certainly does not disappear in the mix with his QP. But he is very forceful with the volume knob.

[snitchez]

Yeah, that's the thing about these two.

You can make the NP4 fit anywhere because it's a nice P Bass tone, and that means it's really flexible. Part of me wishes it was a bit more aggressive but you can always eq that stuff in.

The Quarter Pounder is a pickup that you need to suit to the type of music you're doing because it might not fit everywhere.

I will make one point here; the Quarter Pounder sounds nice by itself to my ears as well.
However, it tends to disappear in a live setting, as I found out last night at practice. My drummer complained that it was lacking in clarity and sometimes he found it hard to pickup and I was having the same problems. That's mainly to do with the scooped mids the QP has.

I think the QP suits my Warwick so much better so I stuck it in there; it sounds great! Quite a lot like old Incubus (unsurprising as it's the same pickup in the same model bass.

My bandmate certainly does not disappear in the mix with his QP. But he is very forceful with the volume knob.

then again. he is quite forceful with most things isn't he

[Rog]

FWIW, in the mid '70s I changed out my Fender pickups for DiMarzio and was very happy with the change. Bear in mind that a deep V EQ was the way things were back then.

A few years ago, I found my original Fender pickup set and thought I'd try them out to see if they still went etc. I was blown away by how much better than the DiMarzios they were. The DMs went into the P bass I gave to my son and my '72P now has its original pupset in and to my ears, sounds so much nicer for it. I gave the pup set out of my son's bass to sgt mukuzi. Since Adrian stripped and refinned the '72P with nitro, it sounds even better. It really does. I think the combination of a nitrocellulose finish (instead of the poly), original Fender pups and a flatter EQ have all worked together to produce a great vintage tone from the old beast.

[willow13]

I can't help with bass sounds but I am addicted to quarter pound Pups......I have 3 at the mo, although only one is wired up......from a guitar point of view they are warren demartini in a box (from detonator onwards). I rarely use the bridge pick up for solo's anymore because it just sounds thin...........

as you were

[Hot_Grits]

I can't help with bass sounds but I am addicted to quarter pound Pups......I have 3 at the mo, although only one is wired up......from a guitar point of view they are warren demartini in a box (from detonator onwards). I rarely use the bridge pick up for solo's anymore because it just sounds thin...........

as you were

I have very fond memories of a quarter pounder neck pickup I had many years ago. Er, as I was...

[willow13]

I have very fond memories of a quarter pounder neck pickup I had many years ago. Er, as I was...

well at the next gearfest that we are both at i'll let you relive those fond memories if you like

[dayl]

Tony, those clips sound great to the ears of a bass noob anyway.

They the Nords are as you say, sweet and smooth, the SD sounds like it has that extra attitude.

Nice.

[sonicfantom]

Is it just me, or do Quarter Pounders sound kinda scooped? Hmm.

If I only had a Precision, I'd use the Nords for their versatility. Seeing as I already own one bass, I don't want them sounding too similar, I'll take the Quarter Pounders.

I think a big part of the reason why aftermarket pickups sound "better" is placebo effect, or the different tone. I can see why people buy Quarter Pounders, they're hot and have a big emphasis on the bass side of things. But TBH, I reckon some of the "better" sound comes from the "this-isn't-the-stock-Fender-pickup-and-it's-therefore-way-better" idea.

FWIW, in the mid '70s I changed out my Fender pickups for DiMarzio and was very happy with the change. Bear in mind that a deep V EQ was the way things were back then.

A few years ago, I found my original Fender pickup set and thought I'd try them out to see if they still went etc. I was blown away by how much better than the DiMarzios they were. The DMs went into the P bass I gave to my son and my '72P now has its original pupset in and to my ears, sounds so much nicer for it. I gave the pup set out of my son's bass to sgt mukuzi. Since Adrian stripped and refinned the '72P with nitro, it sounds even better. It really does. I think the combination of a nitrocellulose finish (instead of the poly), original Fender pups and a flatter EQ have all worked together to produce a great vintage tone from the old beast.

My point exactly. Then again, you'll never know which pickups you like better if you don't try them first.

[TmcB]

Yep, bang on, they ARE scooped.

I'm not so sure about the placebo effect though, a change of pickups effects a bass' sound considerably as you can tell from this comparison. Whether the amount of money you pay is equal to the tonal improvement is another story.

I'd assume that after market pick ups are more consistent in giving you a particular sound as more care is taken in the winding to achieve it. Mass market pups are wound to suit the masses so it may be your cup of tea or not. Overall it's the control you get that sets after market pups apart. It's all about achieving the sound you're after; a lot of people are chasing the vintage dragon thus fralins and nordies are popular and they do sound 'classic'. Quarter pounders are at the top of the heap for a modern sound. Waffle waffle waffle

[bluesbass]

What's a good pickup for a P-Bass

Anything that makes you sound (and groove) like Duck Dunn!