Bridge pickup in a P Bass

Seziertisch

What would people suggest?

I’m thinking Thunderbird or EB bridge. I’m not looking to go active.

fretmeister

Another P?

In reverse so it warms up the thin strings and stops the thick ones getting flubby.

Funkfingers

Seziertisch said:

I’m thinking Thunderbird or EB bridge. I’m not looking to go active.

The four polepiece mini humbucker is likely to be overpowered by a typical 11k split coils Precision Bass pickup. (Just like a vintage output Jazz Bass pickup.) A Seymour Duncan SM-2 or -3 stands a better chance of level balance.

My gut instinct for a Musicman Stingray type pickup is defeated by your stated requirement for passive control circuitry. There is also the matter of P and 'Ray pickups not necessarily blending well. I prefer switching between the two voices. Never the twain shall meet.

A double Jazz pickup might work. This is pretty much what the Fender Dimension Bass pickups amount to. Its oval polepieces are just metal caps between adjacent rod magnets. (IMO, Dimension pickups are fine with passive controls.)

The leftfield choice is an Oil City Pickups Overkill model. This normally requires a long Jazz Bass cavity. I dare say that, if you pressed money into his hand, Ash could construct one in a different shape. Unleash your inner RIC 4000/4001/4003 urges!

My final suggestion is to consider going the Billy Sheehan route. Add a second pickup in the neck position. EB Mudbucker, Fender Wide Range, that sort of thing.

Seziertisch said:

What would people suggest?

What strings are you currently using? If you just want to increase treble, consider changing to brighter strings and using the tone control some times.

ICBM

I would fit a Duncan Hot Jazz Stack. It’s powerful enough to balance with the P pickup and doesn’t hum, fixing both the problems with a normal PJ setup at once.

Seziertisch

Funkfingers said:

Seziertisch said:

I’m thinking Thunderbird or EB bridge. I’m not looking to go active.

The four polepiece mini humbucker is likely to be overpowered by a typical 11k split coils Precision Bass pickup. (Just like a vintage output Jazz Bass pickup.) A Seymour Duncan SM-2 or -3 stands a better chance of level balance.

My gut instinct for a Musicman Stingray type pickup is defeated by your stated requirement for passive control circuitry. There is also the matter of P and 'Ray pickups not necessarily blending well. I prefer switching between the two voices. Never the twain shall meet.

A double Jazz pickup might work. This is pretty much what the Fender Dimension Bass pickups amount to. Its oval polepieces are just metal caps between adjacent rod magnets. (IMO, Dimension pickups are fine with passive controls.)

The leftfield choice is an Oil City Pickups Overkill model. This normally requires a long Jazz Bass cavity. I dare say that, if you pressed money into his hand, Ash could construct one in a different shape. Unleash your inner RIC 4000/4001/4003 urges!

My final suggestion is to consider going the Billy Sheehan route. Add a second pickup in the neck position. EB Mudbucker, Fender Wide Range, that sort of thing.

Seziertisch said:

What would people suggest?

What strings are you currently using? If you just want to increase treble, consider changing to brighter strings and using the tone control some times.

I’m in full agreement on not blending pickups, it’s either one or the other.

A mini HB would be overpowered, but how would a full humbucker work out? It’s my understanding that some manufacturers use the same pickups on both guitars and basses i.e. the Rick toaster, so doing this would follow the same principle? 

I already talked with Ash about getting a Thunderbird pickup in a standard humbucker format, so I think an Overkill would also likely be possible.

Stringwise I’m using light round wounds at the moment, I’m happy with the sound and how it plays, I’d just like another option.

ICBM

Seziertisch said:

A mini HB would be overpowered, but how would a full humbucker work out? It’s my understanding that some manufacturers use the same pickups on both guitars and basses i.e. the Rick toaster, so doing this would follow the same principle?

The string spacing is probably a bit wide on a P - the basses which use guitar pickups (Rickenbacker, Fender Musicmaster Bass, a few others) generally have narrower than full-size Fender 19mm spacing - which equates to 57mm overall, wider even than Fender Strat spacing, and quite a bit wider than most humbucker guitars with 50-52mm. It might work, but I wouldn't count on it.

Here's a leftfield suggestion if you don't want the two-pickup sound, just a brighter single-pickup one... don't fit a second pickup at all - fit a bass-cut cap, which can be accessed simply with a push-pull pot. Vintage Rickenbackers have one which is what gives the characteristic bright clanky tone - some modern Ricks have a pull-switch.

Seziertisch

@ICBM This is a regular HB. It looks like it could  work? Obviously it’s a little bit off in the photo as the legs aren’t allowing it to sit directly over the strings.

ICBM

It’s not too far off. If you’re going to do it, I would look for a dual-blade-magnet F-spaced pickup, that will give the best chance of full response from the E and G strings.

I think a MusicMan Stingray pickup will completely cover the hole if it doesn’t work . (Be careful with the pickup surround mounting screws - might be better to direct-mount it.)

Seziertisch

ICBM said:

It’s not too far off. If you’re going to do it, I would look for a dual-blade-magnet F-spaced pickup, that will give the best chance of full response from the E and G strings.

I think a MusicMan Stingray pickup will completely cover the hole if it doesn’t work . (Be careful with the pickup surround mounting screws - might be better to direct-mount it.)

I’ll see what Ash can do for me when the time comes.

OilCityPickups

Funkfingers said:

Seziertisch said:

I’m thinking Thunderbird or EB bridge. I’m not looking to go active.

The four polepiece mini humbucker is likely to be overpowered by a typical 11k split coils Precision Bass pickup. (Just like a vintage output Jazz Bass pickup.) A Seymour Duncan SM-2 or -3 stands a better chance of level balance.

My gut instinct for a Musicman Stingray type pickup is defeated by your stated requirement for passive control circuitry. There is also the matter of P and 'Ray pickups not necessarily blending well. I prefer switching between the two voices. Never the twain shall meet.

A double Jazz pickup might work. This is pretty much what the Fender Dimension Bass pickups amount to. Its oval polepieces are just metal caps between adjacent rod magnets. (IMO, Dimension pickups are fine with passive controls.)

The leftfield choice is an Oil City Pickups Overkill model. This normally requires a long Jazz Bass cavity. I dare say that, if you pressed money into his hand, Ash could construct one in a different shape. Unleash your inner RIC 4000/4001/4003 urges!

My final suggestion is to consider going the Billy Sheehan route. Add a second pickup in the neck position. EB Mudbucker, Fender Wide Range, that sort of thing.

Seziertisch said:

What would people suggest?

What strings are you currently using? If you just want to increase treble, consider changing to brighter strings and using the tone control some times.

Seziertisch said:

ICBM said:

It’s not too far off. If you’re going to do it, I would look for a dual-blade-magnet F-spaced pickup, that will give the best chance of full response from the E and G strings.

I think a MusicMan Stingray pickup will completely cover the hole if it doesn’t work . (Be careful with the pickup surround mounting screws - might be better to direct-mount it.)

I’ll see what Ash can do for me when the time comes.

Lots of options here: 
I could easily build my Rickenbacker style Overkill into Thunderbird format ... or a high power Thunderbird  or create something totally off the wall like an oversize Futurama Bass or Hofner pickup ... or a Neodymium unit ... 

Seziertisch

@OilCityPickups Do you think a standard size HB format would work?

OilCityPickups

If a standard Humbucker is wide enough for the string spacing. DiMarzio did that with their X2n Power Plus guitar pickup ... when it flopped and sold like sun cream in Macclesfield in January ... they turned it into a bass pickup ... where it promptly flopped too :-) 


A scuzzy X2n Power Plus

Seziertisch

String spacing is 57mm. Would a blade pickup cover that?

Edit: I just googled the X2N. The blade is 56mm. So tight enough, though if the route is a bit further away from the bridge it could work.

fretmeister

If you are looking for a humbucker then put something good in it like a Nordy or an Aguilar dual coil.

If you get them in the EMG size option then you'll always find other options for swapping it later if you want. Loads of bass pickup makers have an EMG size equivalent.