Don't know much about pickups

[WimWalther]

Howdy gents,

I've now come to own a 2005 Squier affinity P-bass, made in Indonesia. The finish is a beautiful, deep cobalt blue, maybe a bit on the purplish side. If I can summon some decent light I'll post pics

This guitar is bone stock, and I've read / heard that the pickups are fairly so-so.. but as far as selecting replacements, I'd not know where to begin. So what do I need to know, to make a halfway educated decision?

Oh, and what are the advantages of the various magnet & winding types?

Can of worms, right? =)

[ThatRhythmMan]

Take a look at Curtis Novak pickups while you’re exploring this rabbit hole. There are several p-bass options he offers.

PB-V – Curtis Novak Classic Pickups

Also, Carey Nordstrand.

4 String Precision Bass Pickups - Nordstrand Audio


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[WimWalther]

Take a look at Curtis Novak (...) Also, Carey Nordstrand.

Hmm, these seem to be.. boutique-y, maybe? Though the prices are in-line with stuff like Seymour Duncan.

Wait.. is Seymour Duncan also a boutique line? ;-)

[Cunamara]

Not being a bass player, I have never used Bill Lawrence bass pickups. But I think their guitar pickups are second to none and better than most.

P-46 – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

However, do you like how the pickups sound? A friend of mine, who is a very skilled bassist, bought an inexpensive Squier bass for some specific purpose, I don't know what. And it sounds great. Another playing buddy has an inexpensive Ibanez fretless, which is one of the nicest sounding basses I have ever heard.

if you like how it sounds, leave it alone.

[WimWalther]

Not being a bass player

Well, we have that much in common.. heh.

if you like how it sounds, leave it alone.

You know how it goes.. get something new-to-you and the urge to "improve" it and make it your own can be strong.

More than anything, right now, I'm just exploring the problem space as we say. The last thing I want to do is waste money, so a little learning is definitely in order.

[WimWalther]

$15.72 +tax shipped to my door.

Alnico V / 10K

4000+ sets sold by this single vendor.. they must have something good going for them, you'd think?

[DawgBone]

The Seymour Duncan quarter pounder is a great sounding p-bass pickup.

[Bobby Timmons]

^ 2nd SD. I was blown away by the P-Bass pickup I got from them. I got the Steve Harris. I think you could pick anything depending on what type and be happy. They have standard new vintage, antiquity meant to sound like a real old pickup, quarter pound is a really fat one, etc.

Hmm, these seem to be.. boutique-y, maybe? Though the prices are in-line with stuff like Seymour Duncan.

Wait.. is Seymour Duncan also a boutique line? ;-)

They seem to be now that they recently raised their prices. :P

[John A.]

I bought my kid a Squier Affinity P-bass in one of those Fender starter packs with a bass, amp, and accessories about a year and half ago. I have to say it’s a great sounding bass; sounds exactly the way a P-bass should. Honestly, I’d leave the pickups on it alone. I had a couple of very serious pro bassists try it out, and they were blown away by how good an instrument it is.

As to the whole question of pros and cons of different pickup materials, there really aren’t any. There are only preferences. IMO it doesn’t make sense to think about changing pickups on an instrument until you’ve actually reached the point of knowing the sound you’re after and not being able to get it.

[WimWalther]

I bought my kid a Squier Affinity P-bass in one of those Fender starter packs with a bass, amp, and accessories about a year and half ago.

Gotta ask.. could that amp really be any good, or is it just slightly better than no amp at all?

I have a Squier practice git amp from the late 90s. It's what I'd call "ok".

Honestly, I’d leave the pickups on it alone. I had a couple of very serious pro bassists try it out, and they were blown away by how good an instrument it is.

That's one of the reasons I bought this one.. that and the price was right, and it weighs like 3lb less than the Epiphone Thunderbird IV that I initially got.

My health is.. way bad.. and I've lost so much muscle mass that an 11lb bass feels like an iron boat anchor. Seriously. I'm actually afraid to fire a 12ga for fear of breaking my shoulder. Don't tell the criminals, please.

IMO it doesn’t make sense to think about changing pickups on an instrument until you’ve actually reached the point of knowing the sound you’re after and not being able to get it.

Right on, totally. Like I said, just trying to sort through the urges to change stuff, and hopefully learn something in the process - without having to waste money.

[John A.]

Gotta ask.. could that amp really be any good, or is it just slightly better than no amp at all?

I have a Squier practice git amp from the late 90s. It's what I'd call "ok".

The amp is Fender Rumble LT25, which is a good amp. It’s a modeling amp with a bunch of good sounds and built in effects.

That's one of the reasons I bought this one.. that and the price was right, and it weighs like 3lb less than the Epiphone Thunderbird IV that I initially got.

My health is.. way bad.. and I've lost so much muscle mass that an 11lb bass feels like an iron boat anchor. Seriously. I'm actually afraid to fire a 12ga for fear of breaking my shoulder. Don't tell the criminals, please.

Sorry to hear that. I’ll be sure to send the criminals elsewhere.

Right on, totally. Like I said, just trying to sort through the urges to change stuff, and hopefully learn something in the process - without having to waste money.

If you really feel the urge, maybe try searching or hanging out on talkbass.com to get some ideas. Lots of knowledge there about p-bass pickups.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

This guitar is bone stock, and I've read / heard that the pickups are fairly so-so.. but as far as selecting replacements, I'd not know where to begin. So what do I need to know, to make a halfway educated decision?

The first thing you need to know is how you want the instrument to sound. Then you need to know if it sounds that way now. If it doesn’t, you need to be able to identify the thing(s) you want to change and how they need to be different. “I don’t like the highs” is vague, subjective, useless information. But “I’d like a bit more brightness” can guide potentially helpful recommendations.

Set it up well and play it for at least a few weeks before deciding anything. Spend a little time at a local music store to try a few other similar instruments through the same or similar amps. You need to be sure it’s not your playing style that’s causing whatever you don’t like - the faulty carpenter often blames his or her tools.

Enjoy!

[jim777]

What I would do (and that DOES NOT imply it is the right thing to do ) is take your bass to a music store, play it through an amp as similar to yours as possible, and then try a USA Fender P bass through the same amp. If they sound the same, do you really need to change the pickups? Keep in mind everything that Nevershouldhavesoldit mentioned above. Pickups aren't the voodoo they used to be, where one might sound 'better' than another - now you kind of need to know what sound you are looking for specifically or else you run the risk of never finding it. There are tons of replacement pickups out there, and lots of them sound great, but if you try a standard great sounding set (like the USA Fender set) and yours, you have a better shot of knowing what you want and what you like. Again, YMMV

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Don't forget how important strings are to your sound. My only bass is a bone stock Fiesta Red '57 P that I've always strung with flats because it sounds so good to me in any genre. Basses are at least as sensitive to type of string as guitars are, and you have a world of materials, types, and gauges from which to choose. Unfortunately, bass strings are quite a bit moe expensive than guitar strings - so experimenting with multiple choices can cost a fair amount up front. But the benefit of finding your tone and feel is priceless.

The bass player in my trio buys used strings from high end players who change them as often as every few gigs or recording dates. He gets barely used TIs for about half their retail price, and they seem quite fine. I've never done this, since I only play 2 or 3 bass dates a year to help out friends, and I haven't changed the strings on my bass in 20+ years. I use it at home to make backing tracks for myself, and I don't her any degradation in sound when comparing recordings made years apart on the same equipment.