Seymour Duncan SPB-3 vs Nordstrand NP4a
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- čas přidán 31. 01. 2021
- I felt these two pickups shared some similarities and had to be compared side by side! Which one do you prefer?
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Seymour Duncan SPB-3:
www.thomann.de/it/seymour_dun...
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Set:
www.thomann.de/it/seymour_dun... - Hudba
First off fantastic demo! Excellent back to back comparison over a variety of styles.
The SPB-3 has a way more 'bedroom friendly tone' which is why I think at first glance it seems to sound more usable and full but I'd take the Nordstrand. You can boost treble and bass and scoop mids to get it to sound similar to the SPB-3 tone but you cannot boost mids that aren't there to begin with in the SPB-3, and it gets totally lost in a lot of mixes as a result. People on here be deliberating as if EQ'ing doesn't exist!
The mids are there. The only thing you have to do is tweak your eq. You even said it yourself.
Love the SPB3!!!
I liked the Seymour Duncan SPB-3 better for pick and the Nordstrand NP4a better for fingerstyle.
Nordstrand sounds weaker than the Duncan but both seem to be similar in frequency range. Sure wish the SPB-1(one of my favs) would have been thrown in for comparison.
The SPB is nearer to the strings than the NP., and the NP is furthest away under the G. That's why it sounds thinner than the SPB.
Heh, I try to be as consistent as possible, maybe there was a slight difference, but not so much to make it sound that thin.
@@OliverTobyn My Nords don't sound that thin
I thought I liked the Nordstrand at first, but ewwww, it sounds so compressed and scooped-out. The Duncan sounds glorious. Nordstrand might sound better in a Jazz Bass, but I need a P Bass pup to sound big and punchy and open and woody and snarling. And and and and.
I feel like the Nordstrand has clearer dynamics. Like, you can probably just plug and play the SPB3, but if you take the time to tailor your sound you can potentially get more out of it, but utlimately yeah, it does seem a bit compressed and scooped. I'm curious to try out the Jazz pickups!
Maybe Nordstrand weren't trying to make yet another P clone, but went for their own thing in a P fitting.
Look at both pups. The NP is further away from the strings than the SPB
And, those strings are disgustingly bright, the Duncan’s will accel with them, but a set of flats will make the Duncan’s sound like mud.
SPB3
Do you happen to know whether you have 250k or 500k volume/tone pots installed? I know the SPB3 can be pretty boomy and dark with 250k. I wonder if you opened them up a bit with a 500k volume pot. They sure do sound wide open and beautiful here! No lack of highs and not extra boomy, to my ears.
They were all 250k pots if I'm not mistaken. I feel the SPB3 to be actually quite bright, especially with new stainless steel strings as I had in this video. Other pickups like Di Marzio Model P on the other hand do tend to be a bit darker and require a 500k volume pot
What are your favorite eBay pickup out of all the ones that you've tried and what is your favorite PJ set up
Hah, hard to answer! There are so many I haven't tried yet but would love to. So far my favourite PJ set is definitely the EMG GZR, great P pickup, great J pickup, and together are just awesome!
Emg gzr pj set
SPB-3 sounds much better to me, quite a bit more punch. Thanks for the demo!
Yeah, the SPB3 is definitely more boomy as well. On the other hand the NP4a has clearer dynamics. Thanks for watching!
@@OliverTobyn do you think adjusting the nordstrand up closer to the strings would have helped? I feel as though the difference in pole piece size would still outweigh things in the Seymour Duncan's favor...
Have you ever considered doing a demo of the EMG Frank Bello pickups?
I most certainly have. I'm actually considering getting a Frank Bello signature bass!
@@OliverTobyn unfortunately the current Ltd version comes with passive pickups and not his real signature series. They changed the ltd model a few years back and it is cheaper, passive pickups, and I think downgraded hardware. I am on the constant lookout for his original signature series with the mirror pickguard and block inlays. Hope to see a demo of these pickups some day though!
I'm considering getting some NP4s or NP4as for my Dingwall Super P. How does the Nordstrand perform in a mix in your experience?
I haven't had the chance to try them in a mix unfortunately. But they sound pretty "clean" and balanced, meaning you can have quite some fun with the EQ in achieving different sounds and probably won't have any issues in getting them to cut through a mix
Wow, all the varying opinions down here. I personally prefer the Nords in this shootout.
Quarter pounders are the only way to go. I put them in all my basses and always will
That's a pretty bass, what's the model?
I think a Squier Standard P Bass Special
spb3 sound closer to a already usable tone to me
I wanted to like the Nordstrands more, but to be honest they sounded a lot thinner.
Bear in mind that this is the raw, unprocessed sound of the pickups. Of course one might prefer the fullness and boominess of the SPB3s, or the clearer dynamics of the NP4a, but both provide different sounds you can fine-tune (or even dramatically change) with your eq, preamp, and pedals
NP4A sounds to me like it'd take eq really well, and has a very clear mid range, Seymour Duncan sounds like a P bass, neither are really better per say, depends on the player
SD!
Nordstrand by far, much more clarity and tightness. Btw, cool thin lizzy stuff, bud!
Haha thanks! I probably messed it up, but it's for demonstration purposes only hah
SD has more punch and thickness. Can be tamed to sound like the Nordstrand.
Duncan's please
Liking sd better. Nordstrand sound just ok here.
The SPB-3s sound so much better it's not even funny. I expected the comparison to be much closer.
This is only my humble opinion but there isn't even contest in my mind. The Seymour Duncan PJ SPB-3 set takes it hands down. Fuller, fatter, higher output and more definition.
The Nordstrand would sit more easily in a mix.
System of a Down 👌
What is the brand of this Bass?
It's a Squier Precision Bass
@@OliverTobyn It has a fantastic sound, is it from the Squier Affinity Series?
@@felipe1980rocknroll No,I think it's a Squier Standard P Bass Special!
Norstrand sound super weak. For $200 plus gtfoh
Seymour duncan. Nordstrand are way overrated
Couldn't agree more. I love the way the magnets are set on the nordstrands but the Duncan's simply sound better in all aspects