So, I have a brand-new set of Seymour Duncan SPB-1 and SJB-1B “vintage” pickups I was planning to use for a project which never materialized.
For the last little bit, I’ve been toying with putting them in my Charvel “no-mod” San Dimas PJ IV bass. It’s already a passive instrument, having had its preamp removed last month (thus the “no-mod” play on “Pro-Mod”; I got the bass used and while the bass was pretty mint, the preamp was flaky).
Thoughts? Anyone have any experience with those pickups? Are they worth it?
If you can do the solder yourself, I would say go ahead give it a shot, my grandpa used to say one experiment is worth a thousand expert opinions.
If you’re paying someone, I’m not so sure. You will get a ton less output than the DiMarzio, they are pretty hot. It may surprise you how much less output you get.
I should add I have an SJB1 pickup in my MDB5. I like it just fine, though it’s paired with an SPB4. Stock it came with an SPB2, but that wasn’t the sound I wanted. I love the SPB4
SPB4/SJB1 is a great sounding pair. Which isn’t a help
The SPB1 is a very good classic P pickup, it will work in most situations where a bass is intented to sound like a classic P. I don’t know about the “vintage” model.
Yeah, if you wanted a very classic sound it would actually be better than a Model P as well, at least on the last listen I did. Though then again so would a Bareknuckle or Fralin. Or even Fender CS 60’s.
This pickup came in my Edwards P bass.
It was …. Fine.
But I swapped it out and used them in my two string slide bass.
It’s a fine pickup, not a great pickup IMO.
@JustTim - you love this bass, why would you change it?
A number of reasons have been bouncing around in my brain:
Idle curiosity.
I already have the pickups.
If I don’t like it, I can put the DiMarzio’s back in.
This thread hasn’t generated responses of “OMFG, YES, DO IT, THOSE PICKUPS ARE RAD!” so I probably won’t do it. Although I am going to check out the videos @Wombat-metal posted (thanks for those).
It depends, if you want good sound I’d say SD quarter pounder is probably the best one. If you like highs and lows mid scoop style of tone these vintage are pretty great. Very similar to Fender’s.
This is the smartest advice I’ve read in a while. Learn to solder (apologies if you already know how to). Compare the pickups yourself. You’ll then have the absolute answer. i.e which one do YOU like.
My father’s favourite phrase is “Advice is free, experience has to paid for”
I do know how to solder. Before I wised up and got into software development, I went to ITT Technical Institute for EET. I do hate it, though, and would rather pay someone to do it.
I don’t mind paying for service but probably not pickup swap on a bass because I don’t want to drive an hour to drop it off and wait a week and another drive to pickup when I can do the job in 10 minutes.
I could do a better job than my local shop. They have no clue and couldn’t even figure out emg setup. That’s saying something because emg is pretty much idiot prove.
OK I hear you, but it’s literally soldering two wires. The black ground wire goes to ground on the back of the pot and the hot white wire goes to the volume pot lug.
I stole a little trick I learn from Fred at Fat bass tone, he uses alligator clips when he’s testing the pickups. I use it to clip to the jack just to make sure we are all good to go before I start soldering. This is pretty much a mistake-free route I’ve been taking. Sometimes when I have to wire a couple of pickups in a special way, it comes in handy and pain free.
When I removed the preamp (or, more accurately, had it removed) I considered that exact thing. Dunno how it would work with shielding and all that, is why I didn’t.
You could always use a few individual terminals too, doesn’t have to be a block.
My Fender/Fujigen already has this in a way, just to ground the paint. Currently just a screw with a round terminal on the ground wire but could use it for more.
