BKP P-Bass pickups. FAO TIM

[MrPring]

Hey i have a few BKPs for my guitars but i wanna totally pimp my bass as not happy with the sound im getting.

I play a fender p bass with a jazz neck. Brass nut and badass bridge. At the moment its got active EMGs in it.

I'm not really happy with the sound of the actives it just sounds a bit lifeless and there is a massive difference in output of the E string to the others no matter how much i lower the bass side of the pickup. They dont sound the best when dirty either which is the sound i play with!

I play in a hardcore/punk/alternative band and the tone i try to get is similar to Craig Setari of Sick of it all.

I noticed there are 2 types of P bass pickups getting discussed, a 62 and a 66 wind.

Whats the differences and what do you think would be the best?

Cheers

[murraymurray]

Dunno bout pickups, but craig rocks sansamps hardout doesnt he?

[MrPring]

All i know is i saw what looked like an Ampeg Classic valve head in the latest video.

I play through a Tech 21 Landmark 300 head and for extra dirt a Tech 21 VT Bass pedal, which is basically ans SVT in a box  8)

[Dmoney]

i know a lot of hardcore bassists that use sans amps ive seen a bunch use em and i know probably 3 or 4 dudes that own them.

not many that use special pickups.

8x10's, Ampeg classic heads, passive jazz bass pups and sans amps if needed.
ive not seen sick of it all for a few years. seen them a bunch of times though.
i wouldnt imagine that he has any sneaky gadgets

[nfe]

i know a lot of hardcore bassists that use sans amps ive seen a bunch use em and i know probably 3 or 4 dudes that own them.

not many that use special pickups.

8x10's, Ampeg classic heads, passive jazz bass pups and sans amps if needed.
ive not seen sick of it all for a few years. seen them a bunch of times though.
i wouldnt imagine that he has any sneaky gadgets

Yeah but by that reckoning, you should have a super distortion, a 5150 and be getting on with it and getting off this forum  :lol:

[Dmoney]

i know a lot of hardcore bassists that use sans amps ive seen a bunch use em and i know probably 3 or 4 dudes that own them.

not many that use special pickups.

8x10's, Ampeg classic heads, passive jazz bass pups and sans amps if needed.
ive not seen sick of it all for a few years. seen them a bunch of times though.
i wouldnt imagine that he has any sneaky gadgets

Yeah but by that reckoning, you should have a super distortion, a 5150 and be getting on with it and getting off this forum  :lol:

thats a very good point. and then you'd sound like a million other bands. but if wanted that sound then why not go out and get a 5150. you probably wouldnt even need to super distortion!

im not trying to say 'dont get a new pickup' all im saying is maybe its not best to over-think what gear craig from sick of it all uses. its probably varied a lot from time to time too, they've been a band for what 25? going on 30 years?

i also wanted to make the point that ive seen dudes with awesome bass sounds, and they've just been going straight bass>tuner>amp! then ive seen dudes with Bass>Tuner>TS9>ProCo Rat>Delay>Sans Amp>Amp.
i wouldnt say both players had vastly different sounds. though im sure the dude with the pedal board didnt really use any of his effects during songs.

good set of pickups with or without an EQ or SansAmp is probably all you need.

[murraymurray]

sick of it all had theyre 20th anniversary tour in 07. When we played with them a few years back he was using ampeg gear, but i think thats just what he could get hold of over here.  But i remember a bass geek mate said hes been all about sansamp and tech21 gear for ages, think they send new products to him to try out or something.
i was playing bass filling in for a band the other day, had iceman -> 5150 -> ampeg 8x10 sounded pretty large

[Dmoney]

sick of it all had theyre 20th anniversary tour in 07. When we played with them a few years back he was using ampeg gear, but i think thats just what he could get hold of over here.  But i remember a bass geek mate said hes been all about sansamp and tech21 gear for ages, think they send new products to him to try out or something.
i was playing bass filling in for a band the other day, had iceman -> 5150 -> ampeg 8x10 sounded pretty large

was it only in 07 the 20th anniversary? seems like a long time ago now. haha

[Adam.M]

A Sansamp is definitely something all bassists should (and most DO) have, i need to get one at some point. or some DI like it.

The sound imbalance could be down to the EQ on your amp, could also be come to think of it the gauge of strings your using, try a thinner E string.

Come to think of it... you have a Jazz neck on a Precision body? I wonder if the much thinner nut width is putting the string over the pick-up too much... hmm

It could be entirely that you're not a P-Bass man, maybe you prefer the sound of the Jazz bass or Music man style... that'll make far more a difference than a pick up change. I have a precision bass at the moment and i don't think its suitable at all for the music i'm playing with it.

[Dmoney]

is it a standard p-bass with a jazz neck or is it a p-bass special with the p-bass + jazz bass pickup set? those have p-bass bodies and jazz necks.

[nfe]

I have a precision bass at the moment and i don't think its suitable at all for the music i'm playing with it.

P-Basses do EVERYTHING!! :lol:



It worsth saying that there's little point in putting much stock in what you've seen an American band of that size using as backline in the UK, cause its not that often that they'll get exactly what they want to use provided.

And in my experience, the majority of them wont actually give a shit on the day whether they get that SVTII they state on their tech rider or anything else so long as it's got a badge on it they at least recognise.  :lol:

[38thBeatle]

I think P-basses are the swiss army knife of bass guitars and can cover a huge amount of territory.I use my sansamp for any bass I record too.

[MrPring]

Man this thread has really picked up  :P

I play a Standard American P Bass, just swapped in a Jazz neck as i preferred it.
Never used a Sansamp but i do have the Tech 21 VT Bass pedal which is an SVT in a box funnily enough.
This is the best pedal of all time.
I usually play with this on all the time.
I did a bit of research on the EMGs and the big volume difference is quite common apparently.
I just changed to flats as well and that makes a biiiiiig difference now to the tone  8)

Still want to move away from actives though!

I saw a bassist with the most amazing fat overdriven tone at a gig on sunday, he was playing through the Jekyll and Hyde Guitar Distortion pedal!

[PhilKing]

I have the 62 wind BK P-Bass in my precision and they sound great.  I used to have a real 62 precision nad the BK's sound just like it,  Nice and punchy but thick with it.  The low E is really powerful, but doesn't overwhelm the sound of the other 3 strings.  My BK Jazz bass set on the other hand have all the smoothness that early Jazz Basses are known for.  I never tried a BK 66, but my Fender 66 P-bass was very weedy compared to the BK.

[MrPring]

Thanks Phil,

Got an email from Tim last night.
He recommends the classic 62 sound but with a 10% overwind which should give more bottom end and more mid range punch.

Gonna order that.  :P