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Teach me about bass pickups

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  • Teach me about bass pickups

    I have been considering picking up a bass but have little knowledge of the types of pickups. The most common seem to be P and J pickups? P being the 2 split pickups and J being the single long pickup. What's the difference tone wise?
    http://www.jacknapalm.com/

  • #2
    Re: Teach me about bass pickups

    I don't think the shape has much to do with tone, just like a guitar, the bridge pup will be more trebly, and the neck be more bassy. The split P is hum cancelling like two side by side single coils, I think (I could be wrong), and the J is typically a single coil.
    The P is often installed 'backwards' from a Fender P to give the higher strings a little more bass and the lower strings less boom (by their proximity to the bridge).
    Just like guitar pups, they can be wired for different amounts of midrange/bass/treb. Don't forget about soapbars, which are typically active and a bit more hi-fi than J or P pups.
    A P pickup by itself doesn't sound as 'hi-fi' as a P and a J, but they say nothing sounds better to tape than a P bass, -it must just have a special place in the mix. A pickup at the bridge (like a J) has less 'boom' and gets a lot more of the midrange growl. IMO, fretless needs a bridge pickup, as the neck (or J) is too boomy and not upper-mid growly enough. One of my favorite tones is to use the brige pup alone and roll in some added bass, eliminating some of the lower mids and adding growl.

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    • #3
      Re: Teach me about bass pickups

      Thanks for the lesson. That give me a good vantage point.
      http://www.jacknapalm.com/

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