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Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

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  • Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

    I have a P-Bass and a J-Bass. Both would be stock except that I acquired the P-Bass with a bad pup, so I put in a Duncan QP. Sounds great. Now I'm thinking of doing a pup swap on the J. That got me to thinking. Do bass guys mess much with wiring mods? Like doing ser/par, or splitting stacks, etc? Do you swap pups? Preamps? Magnets?

    I don't seem to see many threads like this in the bass forum. Just curious.

    Artie

  • #2
    Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

    Answer Yes,

    Rock dudes put in QPs and call it a day usually.

    Jazz and Pop dudes put in all kinds of cool options -like Bartolini systems etc.
    “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

      hard to mag swap on a p bass or j pass pup

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

        Originally posted by NegativeEase View Post
        Answer Yes,

        Rock dudes put in QPs and call it a day usually.

        Jazz and Pop dudes put in all kinds of cool options -like Bartolini systems etc.
        My Tobias J-bass has Bartolini's. Maybe I should leave it alone.

        Originally posted by jeremy View Post
        hard to mag swap on a p bass or j pass pup
        I figured as much, but wasn't sure.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

          Only two of my basses are stock in terms of pickups, my '69 Fender Mustang and my '69 Gibson EB-1. Everything else has been upgraded, swapped around, and rewired. Three of my basses have S-P switching, with a DPDT switches. Two have blend knobs, which were not stock.

          That being said, I've done none of this work myself; I've been using the same tech for years.
          '69 Fender Mustang bass
          '69 Gibson EB-1
          '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
          '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
          '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
          '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
          '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
          '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

            On the TalkBass forum, people are just as obsessive as we are...and they are talking about bass, forcrissakes....
            Administrator of the SDUGF

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            • #7
              Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

              Bassists are too busy at gigs making money to have time to tinker.

              I’ve seen a few guys mess with wiring and pickups, etc. but it seems like most select a bass that they like the sound of, then go play. If they want the active sound they get an active bass, or they specifically are looking for a P, J, Rick or Gibson sound and just buy that.

              Really in the end, what more do you need other than a P Bass, right?
              Oh no.....


              Oh Yeah!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                On the TalkBass forum, people are just as obsessive as we are, but they are talking about bass, which is obviously most important....
                I fixed your comment.
                '69 Fender Mustang bass
                '69 Gibson EB-1
                '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
                '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
                '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
                '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
                '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
                '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                  Originally posted by PFDarkside View Post
                  Really in the end, what more do you need other than a P Bass, right?
                  A J bass.
                  '69 Fender Mustang bass
                  '69 Gibson EB-1
                  '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
                  '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
                  '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
                  '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
                  '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
                  '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                    Originally posted by grumptruck
                    Fixed yours as well. :-p
                    I have one of those as well, but in my view that's a third flavor. The "P" or "J" aspects of a P/J are never as good as either a P or a J.
                    '69 Fender Mustang bass
                    '69 Gibson EB-1
                    '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
                    '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
                    '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
                    '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
                    '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
                    '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                      Originally posted by dg27 View Post
                      I have one of those as well, but in my view that's a third flavor. The "P" or "J" aspects of a P/J are never as good as either a P or a J.
                      I've run the numbers here, and this statement checks out.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                        Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                        I've run the numbers here, and this statement checks out.
                        Glad to hear this.

                        I don't claim technical expertise at all: I just use my ears. I used to use my P/J for gigging, for convenience. But when I'd pull out my P it was like pulling out the big gun. The same goes for my J for recording.
                        '69 Fender Mustang bass
                        '69 Gibson EB-1
                        '76 Rickenbacker 4001 w/SD for Rick N & B
                        '76 Fender Precision w/Dimarzio Model P
                        '84 MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special w/SD Hot for P neck & Dimarzio Model J for bridge [BEAD tuning]
                        '99 Fretless MIJ Fender Precision/'87 MIJ Fender Squier Jazz hybrid w/SD QP for Jazz
                        '12 MIM Fender Jazz w/Dimarzio Model J
                        '14 Fretless Warmoth Custom T w/ SDCS Stack for SCPB N & B

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                          On the TalkBass forum, people are just as obsessive as we are...and they are talking about bass, forcrissakes....
                          Good point. I fell into both my P and my J by accident. But I'm glad I have one of each. They are fun to play with.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                            I put the DiMarzios in my Warwick because the wiring in my house makes single coils super noisy, and I wanted to try something different. What I wound up with is pickups that sound good, don't buzz, and allow me to adjust each pole piece. I'll probably swap the stocks back in at some point just because, but I'm done shopping for pickups for that bass.

                            That said, I still have at least 5 or 6 sets of strings I want to try on it, all of which will make at least as much (probably more) difference as swapping the pickups did.

                            The joke was made about bass players being too busy gigging to tinker, and the aftermarket pickup offerings kind of reflect that. The options are pretty much vintage, hot, noiseless, scooped mids, boosted mids. It's not like Duncan guitar pickups where there are 53 variants of essentially the same pickup. Obviously, if bass players wanted and bought that many different ones, they'd be available, but I think those basic options usually fit the bill pretty well.
                            “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Do bass guys do pup swaps / wiring changes like the guitar guys/gals?

                              Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Post
                              What I wound up with is pickups that sound good, don't buzz, and allow me to adjust each pole piece.
                              I didn't notice 'til just now, that the Model J's have the adjustable poles. That appears to be unusual in bass pups. You play bass a helluva lot more than me. How important, in practice, do you find that feature to be?

                              Comment

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