The Mysterious World of Bass Pickups (Explained!) | The SBL Podcast Ep. 135
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Put simply, pickups capture the vibrations of a string and turn it into an electrical signal, but there’s a whole world of minutiae regarding magnets, windings and pole pieces that can drag you deep into anorak territory! In today’s episode, we’re shedding some light on the different types that are available, and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
In this episode
Series vs. Parallel explained
What’s the difference between a soapbar and a humbucker?
What's a pickup pole? And why is It important?
Active vs. Passive pickups
And much, much more!
===
Video Breakdown:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:09:27 - Single Coil P Bass Pickups
00:16:41 - Split Coil P Bass Pickups
00:22:40 - '60s Jazz Bass Pickups
00:35:39 - PJ configuration
00:38:15 - Active PJ
00:42:38 - Humbuckers
00:47:58 - HH Configuration
00:55:00 - Soapbar Pickups
01:12:46 - Player Of The Week
01:20:17 - Question Of The Week
01:25:51 - Gear Of The Week
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9:27 - Single coil P bass pickup
16:41 - Spilt coil P bass pickup
22:40 - '60s Jazz bass pickups
35:39 - PJ configuration
38:15 - Active PJ
42:38 - Humbuckers
47:58 - HH configuration
55:00 - Soapbars
Hi… have you guys ever reviewed or considered the playing of Mick Karn?
Thanks for the chapter breakdown!
And if you're loking for the the series v parallel discussion, check out 23:42 and after! (I remembered the discussion, but couldn't find it; I searched and searched, and finally, at long last, found the time code. This message is for anyone searching for "series" and/or "parallel" (and let's add "pickup wiring" just to help those searching via "find"!).
You missed the very important Watership Down conversation at 3:01
Who is the second artist in "Player of the Week"? Michael who?
Love all of the above. Myself, I currently use a 1970's TARGA JAZZ BASS that is solid Mahogany strung with D'Addario Rounds. I also Use a Rickenbacker (Loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups, Strung up with D'Addario CHROME flats) Love your content! Cheers from Canada! - Im still looking for the perfect BASS AMP any suggestions? (was using a Behringer V-amp preamp, QSC 1805HD power amp and an 810 AMPREG Cab. Currently considering a pedal preamp (Two Notes Le Bass) through a Powered Subwoofer... FOR GIRTH...yes I love it LOUD and LOW! \m/ 😎
Been a gigging musician for 40+ years. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on basses over the years. I've owned Sadowsky, Modulus, Elrick, Citron, MTD, Spector and virtually every bass from the major manufacturers. I'm done chasing Tone! I've settled into using only two basses: 2008 Classic Vibe P with an old '80s Schaller pickup, and a '87 Peavey Foundation. Something very special about a great passive sound; everything you need and nothing more!
Totally agree all modern bass pickups and basses for that much sound exactly the same. Very little difference. Just fancy wood finishes bla bla.
as you been there seen it bought it sold it. Now totally content With Jazz Bass , P bass. But let the lads tell there story.
I just picked up a souped up CV Jazz with upgraded electronics and SD QP’s with a great set up and I enjoy it possibly more than my fancy AM Jazz Select. One of the nicest necks I’ve played and it has a really nice flame to the maple neck to boot. Looks like a custom shop neck! $300!! Can’t go wrong!
Tone is an engineer problem. You just need to feel the instrument.
@@gbenselumEngineers view(I am one one of them ..) : if you barely need to process anything, you chose the right mic. Or instrument.
Feeling the instrument has nothing to do with pickups but with setup.
I watched the whole hour and forty one minutes and I’m not even a Bass player! I absolutely loved every minute of it and regret nothing.
As the father of a bass player I’m trying to learn about what I’ve actually purchased. Thanks to you guys I now know a lot more about the Ibanez with PJ pickups, Fender Squire Jazz, Epiphone hollow body Humbucker, and the newest ‘97 Samick Artist Series 5 string with EMGs.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to annoy the piss out of my daughter with my new found knowledge!!!
Cooldads relate.
You must be the coolest dad 😊
Lol 😂
Almost 2 Hours of Scott and Ian talking about Bass…. love it ❤
🧡🧡🧡
Was a really good watch for sure. I kept turning my head looking for someone else until I found out the guy had the same name as I.😂
Am I the only one that thinks it’s weird that they went through all the main basses made by Leo Fender except G & L?
well....about an hour of them talking, and an hour of them noodling aimlessly in between talking.
I never watch 1 hour videos... I don't care if it's Adam Neely, Rick Beato, etc. I watched every second of this video. You guys had fun and we learned some great stuff. Keep up the great work
Omg. These guys are so good. I've watched way too many of these vids. They're like the Car Talk of bass. If they came up on my radio when I pulled into the driveway, I'd never get out of the car.
Scott on the never ending battle in his head - I agree so much. It’s about leaning into that and enjoying the journey. Recognize that future you may be into something else. I tend to “move away” from one of my basses every few years. Put it away for a while, only to “rediscover” it a year or two later and fall back in love with the tone. That also helps with keeping the urge to buy more instruments at bay.
You nitpicking bass nerds, I love it!! Part 2 , 3 and 4 of The Mysterious World of Bass Pickups please.
Regarding the “other” category I would love to hear more about gold foil, TV Jones, and G&L pickups.
I’ve a couple of MIM Fender Urges, the neck J pickups of which are rather toneless. I think that’s partly due to the pick ups location as well as the pickup itself. Planning to replace the neck Js on both instruments and am curious about pickup options.
Also - how does the wood type and pickup combo affect the sound, they touched on the fretboard early on, but they’re really hard to completely divorce imo ❤
This is perfect timing. My son is looking for a new bass and we had a long conversation around different pickups and what they do sonically.
We just spent 2 hours in the local bass shop testing all the different styles.
I am like you Scott. There is P, J and other.😂
That's cool of you as a father.
Take a flour tortilla, lay on a slice of ham and a slice of cheese, add a little mustard, roll it up and 15 seconds in the microwave.
😂😂😂
I own several PJ basses, and each one has a different blend of the bridge and neck pickups, and as such, each bass sounds very different, despite all having the same tuning, strings and action.
You're so right! And I was never quite satified with my EMG PJ until I lowered the P PU way down. Now the J PU adds so much more to the mix.
Really interesting hearing the subtle differences between all of the pickup combinations. I had to laugh when Scott talked about often gravitating to the neck pickup on a gig with a Jazz bass because I find myself doing the same thing! It's the P thing fatness we all love, I reckon!
The Stingray is the goat. I just love the tone, look and feel. There are other basses, but only one Stingray
I totally agree with Scott: to me, most modern basses are beefed up jazz basses. Spectors however, even though the construction has nothing in common, are more like beefed up p-basses - even 5-Strings with EMG Soapbars.
They don't sound exactly like a p, obviously, but they have a similar way how they sit in a mix.
I love Spectors and Ps for the same reason. I want a Stingray right now but goddamn Spectors are fantastic sounding
Magnetic pickups on guitars and basses are such a magical blend of art and science! I’ve been meaning to make a video about them for ages, digging into how they really work (magnets can only be explained by QUANTUM MECHANICS!) so I’m fascinated to watch this (presumably slightly less tech nerd) deep dive… I’ll report back with any quick comments and link the Barefaced video when it’s done!
I look forward to it 🤙
Please. Make it needy as possible. Pickup ads don't list inductance and only resistance and people think they know what they're buying.
1 hour and 42 minutes of awesomeness, I love that format!
Cheers, glad you enjoyed it!
I bought a Squier Bronco just so I could have fun making it a unique and fun instrument. I’d been carrying around a Gibson 60s mudbucker for 40+ years. I put a Fralin 53 P-Bass in the middle and a Lollar Thunderbird in the bridge position. Switched like a strat with a push/pull put switch that allows every pickup combination. One pot is a pickup balance control. I can have any pickup with just a little bit of a second in the mix. It real versatile. There are no original parts, Wilkinson elephant ear tuners and a badass bridge.
That sounds like it's pretty special! Happy with mine, just with a single DiMarzio rails humbucker. It must look great!
I know the Lollar Thunderbird pickup is amazing-have a set on a humble Epiphone Flying V bass, back when he made them with plastic covers (he did tell me years ago he stopped that particular production as it wasn't selling well enough-sound should be the same as with the metal covers.)
Still in deep love with my 1987 Spector NS 2 build for a Band called "Twisted Sister".
My nine year old son loves Twisted Sister.
Mpls bassist of 40+ years. Love love love this piece. Have wanted it for years. Pickups AND string types. Series v Parallel is important. Just a bit into this. Hoping Musicman is discussed which also brings in Series v parallel And Alnico vs Ceramic. Keep it coming! TRL.
For those wondering where the series v parallel bit is, you can find it at 23:42 and after! ;-)
The only PJ I’ve really loved is the Yamaha BB, but even then I never used the P and J pickups together, always just solo’d one. Ian made a great point about needing an active preamp to make that config really shine, the Spector sounded incredible in PJ mode
Spector + EMGs + Haz pre = one of the coolest bass sounds of all time!
💯💯💯
Tried a BB434 a couple of months ago and it was "OK but nothing special"; I'm curious about the active version of the 734 and whether it can deliver somethign better.
The PJ I tried in that guitar shop visit where I did like the tone was a Lakland Geezer Butler signature,w ith EMG PJs (passive). It sounded great and I liked the feel of the neck, but it was heavier than neutronium, so that was a deal-breaker.
@@lockharthorsburgh8601 the active BB models are REALLY nice honestly. Although I much prefer the older models with the proprietary blade pickups. They just had so much more bark to them. I had a BB425 from I believe 2009, still kicking myself for selling it, but from hearing Ian play that Spector I know exactly how I’m gonna replace it (that is if I can ever afford a Spector)
@@kingdeedee Good to know; maybe I should change strategy and watch the used listings for an old BB. I've said this elsewhere but a bass that intrigues me and I want to try (don't know yet if I want to buy) is one of the Sandbergs with a split coil and a humbucker. Some of the PJs I've tried have been quite "P-dominant" and I'm wondering if a bigger bridge pickup will mean a more balanced sound?
I love my PJ Bass. It was some junky RCStromm budget bass but with extra work by swapping pickups, adding a humbucker J pickup, push/pull knob for series/parallel, my bass is set to play anything and sounds extra confident!
I can go high contrast P-Bass punch to ambient J mud for some background hum. It's so versatile in my use case it just... works!
The bassist for Massive Attack plays one of these live. I talked to Ken Smith once over the phone in the 90's and he tore my head off for asking a questions. Like really went off on me and told me to never call him again. Then my next call was to Joe Zon who couldn't have been nicer, more accommodating & stayed on the phone with me for a 1/2 hour and sounded very enthusiastic and happy - so I bought two Zon's.
That's so cool of him. I love when people in the industry like him are down to earth and friendly. Hearing this makes me want to geab one haha
@@grawman67 Me too & Joe Zon is one of the best, friendliest bass company owners out there.
@@jackshittle Thanks for sharing this with us! I'll be keeping an eye open to see if I can grab one!
Cheers guys! Where else am I going to find a podcast of 2 people discussing bass pick-ups? Nowhere!! Not only that but the discussion is interesting, funny, engaging. Listening to this makes me feel less weird. Thank you ☺
All I'm going to say here is that so many different, great tones are available from the wide variety of bass pick up configurations, and although some might offend Your musical sensibilities, if it sits in the mix, it's perfect.
You guys are awesome! Gonna convince me to get a P-Bass with your shining examples of just how great they sound. Been stuck on Js for 35 years😂
Love that there's plenty of content featuring Ian, definitely one of my favourite guests on SBL. I like that he's so humble about not knowing the terms for parallel / series etc. when his real world ability to get sounds is mind blowing.
The thing that I found is true is that when they comment that there's too much bass, they're talking about the frequency, not the instrument. I'm primarily a P-Bass guy and it helps me. I can hear myself without many complaints about volume. Also, earplugs help because they don't stop the bass guitar very well, so you can hear yourself better but not upset the mix.
I'll add the elephant in the room... G&L... specifically the L2000 and the L2500. Either loved or hated, too hot or not enough, it's a weird one and could be interesting to hear what you both think/feel about them. Cheers and thank you from the Pacific NW!
To me, the best for recording was the Japanese Jazz bass special, in the 80's anyway. Those played so nice and sounded very even with P @ 100% and J @ 82%.
I've been a PJ guy ever since.
These days there's so many choices and options its hard to say what's better. I always end up grabbing the PJ - it's just my thing.
What do you think about Conklin basses I have a 7 string and a5 string
I love the level of nerdiness this is ! And the emphasis on the importance the pickup placement is really nice. This is often forgotten.
Such a nice moment with you guys thanks you
Man love the videos! I have been in the Academy for the last 2 weeks, and WOW how much I neglected technique for too many years growing up, and just relied on my natural ear for music. But now combining theory and technique I have a real foundation to go to the next steps of evolving my bass playing. I love the player path set-up, playing all the tracks on each player path like I am learning a set list with a band, not skipping over anything is just so valuable & loads of fun!! Just wanted to say thank you, and I look forward to growing in the SBL Academy. Cheers!
Great show, guys! I really enjoy the in depth bass and gear talk. Would love to hear differences in amps and speaker combinations. I’ve been a fan of the channel for quite a while. Thanks for all your help.
On the subject of Watership Down, there was a post-hardcore band called Fall of Efrafa that thematically reproduced the novel as an album trilogy.
And by the way, great video, a topic I also like to talk about
What a great combo you two make. Ian's laughing is so contagious!
Waaah. What an amazing video. So many confusing concepts have been cleared up. Thank you.
Played a Squire P Bass in Junior High and High School, sold it when I got married.
I've spent the last 10 years buying Basses, not connecting with them, and selling them... until finally I got a 19v Active/Passive MIM Fender PJ. I love it.
This is one of my favorite episodes ever! Love the player/question/gear of the week!
man i wish yall were more on the stingray train. My house fire bass is my stingray and its not close. It does take some time in to figure out where you need to set the preamp for your gig situation but once you do... never look back :)
Sorry if you already know, a simple way to look at Series vs. Parallel are like water pipes. Series is like 2 water pipes connected end-to-end. Parallel is like adding a T and splitting into 2 (each PUP) then back into one. One wire in, one out on the ends of both configurations. With electronics, Series is additive, and Parallel is a division, which affects the overall output and frequency fill.
Great explanation man! I never really got it before, but this makes it much clearer... Thank you!
Great discussion. Really enjoyed it. My two cents... I'm a pianist first, bass player second. Composer/producer. After many years of searching, I settled on the perfect (for me) workhorse for my home studio: P-Bass with flat-wounds, neck swapped with a J-Bass neck (rosewood fretboard). Best of both world; the work-horse tone of a flat-wound P, with the slimmer neck profile and ease of playability of a J. A dream to play and sounds delicious.
👍👍👍
Great episode!
Way better than most like it.
There’s just one little thing: there’s a big difference between active pickups, active electronics and/or both.
I mostly dislike active electronics (bass/mid/treble), because when used badly they kill your tone. I only like them on my StingRays, because they really make the sound (both 2EQ/3EQ). Leo got it right!
I do love active pickups, though! I have some Fenders with active EMG’s. They’re just pickups with a buffer built into them, like a little preamp. They prevent original frequencies in the original tone being lost because of lengthy cables, lights onstage and things like that. And they’re dead quiet!
My Fenders with active EMG 80’s pickups and simple ‘passive’ tone controls have been the basses I tend to / are asked to use on recordings. It just takes one 9 volt battery a year.
You are fully able to get ‘vintage’ tones with them on Fender style basses. John McVie used them since the late ‘70’s on his famous P.
It’s the active electronics with active or passive basses and how to use them that makes all the difference, really: so it’s about knowledge!
Big deal, because there’s too many player s f*****g up their tone because of their lack of knowledge about the onboard active electronics.
I tend not to use them, only on StingRays.
I like great DI’s and preamps (pedals too) to do the job way better!
I learned the hard way, when I was young: shitty sound with expensive basses with expensive electronics, but no knowledge... (that was a yellow Kubicky Factor in 1989! 🤣).
All bassists should learn about sound and frequencies!
People underestimate EMG’s (P, P/J, JJ). But, engineers, producers and FOH mixers never do.
The Spector NS-2 4 string is where they really shine! I could play any gig on those basses; any style or era. I just use the onboard active electronics spraringly or not at all.
About StingRays: the 2EQ isn’t ‘boost only’ on the treble side. It just hasn’t a center detent. The 3EQ is easier to use for most, but the frequencies work way different. I love both, especially live. There’s forums about this topic with all the schematics.
Levin did not use a StingRay on ‘Sledge Hammer’. He used a fretless MusicMan Sabre bass (two pickup model, bridge and neck pickup are not the same as StingRay pickup!)
Want to hear the StingRay do the P-thing?
Listen to Queens ‘A day at the races’ and ‘Jazz’ albums. John Deacon struggled with the StingRay for a few years (he was one of its earliest users). He went back to his two Fender P’s.
There’s this great book by his bass roady.
🖖
Not only fun, but necessary video regarding different styles of basses. I've been searching for the "one instrument" to do it all, so, naturally, I own a bunch of basses and, in my humble opinion, the only way to truly know if a bass works is in a mix. Right now, my main basses are an Active Jazz bass and a Stingray Special (after almost 15 years using precisions). Also, I agree with the jazz bass problem, somewhat dissapearing in the mix and, so far, I solved the problem with a Aguilar OBP3, boosting the mids (usually 400hz, sometimes 800hz). Sounds like a fat jazz bass. Highly recommend. Cheers
My main axe: Fender American P bass II. Passive, traditional, and simple. ;) In my church team, mostly CCM style, I can't get anything else to sound right (active 5 comes close). I've got a great jazz, but unless its gospel(ish), I just can't get it to sit right. Nice to hear I'm not crazy (at least in this instance). Selling my PJ and going straight for a Spector though... The NS-2 sounded amazing.
THE best and most helpful bass channel out there. Thank you for the content - v helpful
I put this on in the background while studying for my AP World History exam, and I tried not to focus on it for too long, but you guys are just too good at your jobs. Let’s just say that most of my time was spent watching this
Thanks guys always love the hangout. Often better when a bit of bass is played, as was done here.
Took the frets out of a peavey milestone III, Put emg Pachyderms, and flatwounds. Tuned BEAD....epic
I made it to the end, but it took about five days to do it. I really enjoyed the video. It did start tapering off around the hour mark, but the content was good. I've been complaining to every music store I go to about how the basses in there need set up. I straight up tell them its trash.
I want to spend a day with you two talking and playing bass!!!
Nailed it covering the differences in pickups. I have a Jazz, MusicMan and G&L L-2000. Sold off a viola and SG bass in the past because I just didn't like their tone much. The L2000 is a tribute series where I'm considering upgrading just the controls to the USA version, the volume pot on the one I have is weird. Watership Down! Totally member the movie when I was a kid being a few years older than you guys. Love it!
Please do the Starfire and hollow bodies! I love my Starfire I. Also have a curiously fantastic sounding Squire Paranormal Rascal with HH pickups.
Please keep up this series. Very enjoyable for bass geeks like me.
🧡🧡🧡
I absolutely loved this video ....Deep diving into all this gear....pickups, Basses, all of it everything!!!!!!
Enjoyed it very much...keep'em coming!!!!!!!!
The 3 band Stingray is my go to. It took me a while to figure out how to use the eq. Bottom line, don’t be shy with it. Mike Lull was such a nice guy he’s dearly missed.
Thank you for this episode. I never understood what’s with parallel and series but now I got it. I have Yamaha BX-5 which has humbacker pick ups with a pod switch to single coil. I now know how to use them, after almost 30; years! Also I recently started to use just neck pickup in hum.
I've never commented before, but I've followed loosely, until recently. Please keep going down the rabbit hole! I just got a 5-string Kala California UBass that uses an active piezo pickup by LR Baggs, and it's been really eye-opening into my journey into the bass guitar world again, and you guys are a huge part. I will be starting lessons soon, but I love these videos and learn so much about all that goes into this wonderful world of bass playing. Thank you for what you do ❤
Scott, you’re killing it dude, keep up the good work brother
Brilliant! Love this . More please 🙏. A part 2 of the pickup innovators like Bill Bartolini to Mr. Nordstrand and EMG would be really cool follow up 😉
Rockin a Bartolini J style as we speak
Yes, we love it!! Please do the "other" category / vintage pickup stuff!
hello guys. just wanted to say that I loved the entire episode. especially the information about the different types of setups and pickups. but most of all you guys. your personality is the way you you were joking about foods and the kind of chemistry that is between you guys is just awesome. recently I started playing bass again after an accident that I had 22 years ago that completely erased my musicianship. I was very good in base. had an accident and music was completely erased from my consciousness until recently. You guys inspire me to Warner continue learning again.
Great pod as always. I definitely like the step up in video and audio quality!
WOOH,THAT LAKLAND SOUNDS NICE AND BRIGHT❤
Love the banter guys!
I almost always play a McIntyre Guitars Jazz 5 on my wedding gig. I usually leave I in the centre position, both pickups on full and use the onboard pre to change sounds.
This video gave me a push to swap between pickups, I'm on my break right now, and so far I've mostly used the neck pickup, a few times I've blended in the bridge, and for a couple of songs I went back to both full.
The smoothness of both on full is lovely, my ears are still getting used to the mids from just the neck, but it is so much better.
Really glad I watched this video. I better get back to work!
I can't believe how your channel has evolved over the years. It just keeps getting better and better!
Cheers for that!!
Great episode again. As always. Many thanks.
What ever you boys do
It's amazing always enjoyable ❤
Keep up the fantastic work
Always a pleasure to watch
Yalls candid convos are so hilarious to listen to.
Super enjoying the podcast on CZcams. I usually watch while I work. Of course, this week was so busy it took me a whole day to get through the longer format. I've always been a poor bass player so Ibanez has been my go to bass and my Line 6 HX Stomp with the IMA Sig preset pretty darn good for what I do. Always struggled with Fender basses like Scott but most of my experience is with cheaper options in a worship team setting. I would love to see some coverage on setting up a bass properly. Another channel I watch, Bass Buzz, had a video and using his information, I really improved the sound of all of my basses. I would also love to see coverage on how to use acoustic basses in various settings. It might even be cool to hear some discussion on half-hallow basses. No matter what you cover, I'm here for it!
Really valuable lesson. Thanks guys.
I could listen to you too for hours.
Dudes! THANK YOU! This helped me a lot. I play a Washburn XB600 with, what I understand now a J-bass configuration and an Aria Pro II Integra 5-string fretless with a PJ configuration.
I would watch more of these vids! Information is good and your vibes are great.
I'm curios why the G&L L2000 is not mentioned while going through the Leo designed basses. It's a popular instrument and pretty unique. I've had an '82 for almost 30 years and it is still my favorite instrument and crazy versatile. Awesome video and very interesting. Thanks
We need to up our G&L knowledge!
The G&L MFD pickups are their own thing. The L1000 is my favourite bass ever (I also have an L2000). I really enjoy the SBL channel, and I’m an academy member, but I have almost started to take the “avoidance” of G&L content personally! Glad to see it’s genuine unfamiliarity and not some sort of deliberate plot 😊
I love my G&l 2000. Everyone that sees it says it’s beautiful
So much to cover that gets ignored by all the Leo Fender fans fawning about Fender and Musicman and ignoring anything G&L. Models include: L-1000, L-2000/L-2500, SB-1, SB-2, Lynx, Climax, El Toro, Interceptor, L-5000, L-5500, L-1500. L-1505, L-2500, LB-100, all ignored. Not to mention the Musicman Sabre which is hardly ever mentioned anywhere either @@IanMartinAllison
Love my 80’s L1000 but only complaint is the wide neck. Comparable to my stolen 65 P. Prefer a Jazz neck profile these days. Funny though, I have a hard time getting the sound I want out of passive J’s. Prefer a passive P.
This was informative and fun. You guys make a great double act.
you two guys are just so great together.
I really liked the format of this video!
🧡🧡🧡
“Is it huge?” 😂😂😂😂
Love it guys, and also so nice being part of SBL live. Man we need to start every episode with Ian trying play his coffee table!!
Jokes apart, would be awesome to break down different body, neck and fingerboard combinations and sonic characteristics of some of these combinations.
⭐️⭐️ This test material has proven itself - you two in this interviewing environment has already generated very deep and poignant questions and comments from viewers, that clearly triggered the same out of you. What a perfect interviewing vibe to be working in. ⭐️⭐️
Love this format!
Love anything you guys do. Will follow you on any platform. And , yes. Love you on CZcams too.
Great review, useful. That said, that mike lull sounding awesome.
awesome video, but you never touched on one of the most frequently asked pickup questions:
Alnico vs ceramic.
time for another dozen comparisons!!!!
Magnet type probably matters far less than pickup position, number of coils, and electronics. They both create magnetic fields, and it's really where the string vibration is being captured and how it is processed after that matters. I would be willing to bet, everything else being exactly the same, with the only variable being alnico vs ceramic magnets, that it would be impossible to tell the difference between them.
@@Vykk_Draygo Its actually a widely accepted/known fact that alnico pickups are 'brighter' and ceramic ones are 'darker,' all other things being equal.* I can verify this going between some of the basses in my collection.
But given the sprawling collection of these two champions, I think it's a waste to not mention (let alone test and demo).
*if you don't agree with this statement, all the more reason for the guys to do a deep dive on it :)
Great video, I'm jealous of your chemistry! None of my friends are interested in bass but this was a lot of fun. Im also always asking myself the P vs J question too 😂
Something that is not explained here is that a pickup is basically a shape (external shell => aspect and size), and an internal architecture (what is inside => how it behaves).
The shape can be J, P, 51' P, MM, soapbar, etc, and the architecture can be single-coil, staggered (standard or reverse) spilt coils, inline split coils, side-by-side coils, stacked coils, quad-coils... You can then combine a shape with an architecture and get a pickup : a classic J is a J shape with a single coil ; a classic P is a P shape with staggered coils, but you can also have a humbucking J (via two split coils hidden in a J shape), or staggered coils (like a P) housed in a soapbar, etc... Sometimes the shape gives you the architecture (a P will almost always consist of 2 staggered coils, although there exists P pickups where it is not the case, DiMarzio Split P Blades for instance), but it is not always the case, especially with soapbars where the pole pieces are hidden; there could be absolutely anything underneath the cover.
Evaluating pickups through these two dimensions helps understanding them.
I only use CZcams for Social media so I love you guys on here. I need more of this. I miss you guys if I don't see you for a week.
Glad I viewed this and actual sound clips of the different pickups is very useful.
This was really entertaining guys. Had me laughing instead of moping around about neck/shoulder issues that ended me playing. Life lesson: add a “back” day in the gym-everything is attached to it. I feel like I lost a child. Thanks for the boost. I’m Ian as well and writing from Neil Peart’s hometown. Again, great video. There’s a Rick Beato video on mic placement where (I don’t recall the brands) where he simply has some bass going with the cabinet mic’d, brings an older style mic to the other speaker. Was like night and day. Thank god for wireless earbuds so Alex can do his laundry and Geddy can cook roast chicken for the crew. One thing I’m glad I never did was buy an 8x10 cab (Hartke). You can’t give them away. A friend’s band plays a lot of small gigs and clubs with these tiny vintage amps. Meanwhile, I had a Yorkville Sound 400. Last batch made in Canada. In 30 years, not one issue. Bought a Warwick head, found it too smooth and sophisticated. When I’d set the 400 scooped (actual scoop button)and bi-amp the low from the Warwick into a 15” cab, the two way different tones didn’t mix well at all. I sold the YS to a young woman for what I’d paid years ago. She told me she blew her amp up. It was a Peavey tko 65…same starter I had😂. Sold a virtually new Warwick head for a deep discount. Hard to just look at them 😢
As a guitarist in the market for a bass, this has been extremely helpful... even if it's mostly confirmed what I think I've already figured out. Jazz pickups (especially on a 5 string), both full on, just lights a fire somewhere in my brain in a way that nothing else does.
An episode about IEM would be great and super helpful !
I finally understand I love Music Man when i changed my old two-band booster eq to my ne MM sterming with 3 band eq that allows me also cut freuencies when need (and a narrower neck, too) I love it
Such a great discussion. Thanks for doing these. I hear ya Scott on the setup thing. One thing about PRS guitars (I used to work there way back), is the amount of attention on setup and finish is amazing. I just bought 2 new ones (I'm a bass player) and they are just flawless. I think Fender Custom Shop is close. My '64 Jazz CS is rock solid out of the box. You nailed your theory... mass produced is prone to meeting quotas and quick fixes. Love the video. Please do more.
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear you guys talk about the bass tones on Hozier's latest album. There's some great bass playing on there, and the tone is killer.
I very much enjoyed the section where Ian was pulling up the different guitars and changing the pickup balance to demonstrate the effects of different pickup configurations while explaining. Thanks for another great video.
Great episode, guys! I've come to use my Ken Smith as my "Swiss Army knife" bass for a while. With the EQ, series/parallel switch, passive active push/pull and pick up blending knob. I've been able to use it on gigs such as a recent musical I did where I'm switching from funk/Slapping, rock, Country, and reggae. I have some great Fenders, but I use them more as "role" players. With the Kenny I can cover just about all of the gigs I need it for.
This was a great discussion on not just pickups, but also how different string/fretboard materials all intertwine with playing position & touch to create the tone of a particular player on a certain instrument. I started on a very cheap PJ over 30 years ago, then switched to a 5 string Ibanez passive which is still my main go to instrument, but I also have a 5 string Mexican FenderJazz passive (all round wounds) & fretless 5 string Ibanez active with flatwounds - a basic but diverse palette. It would be great if you could include piezo pickups in the next vid, they aren't super common but have an interesting tone, or maybe touch on the roland gk or fishman pickups as they are basically individual pickups for each string, & there are really interesting ways of processing those signals with breakout boxes, or the V--Bass modules. I think a whole chat about Bass synthesizers like the peavey midi bass system, roland bass synths, right up to the graph tech systems would be super interesting
I played in local touring acts from '95-'07 (was lucky enough to attend the Inaugural Bass Nature Camp with Victor in '00)since then I have worked as a backline tech in Australia for the last 2 decades with international touring artists & currently work in the live audio industry doing production, stage management, audio, and also do technical repairs on musical equipment.
The action on any bass can be changed, yet it is usually the first thing people critique on an instrument - they don't listen for things like the tone of the wood or the pickups tone. I have never been totally enamoured with Fender basses in general. I do like them sometimes for certain tones, but felt they never suited my style of playing & had a few things I didn't like about them. But they are obviously very popular instruments for good reason.
I have recently worked as a guitar tech setting up new instruments for a distributor here in Australia before they go to shops. Consider the instruments are made in a factory, then put in a shipping container, on a boat for weeks, on a truck, before they get to you. The "factory" setup can go thru 3 or 4 different climates before it gets to the shop or customer, and while sometimes it is close, most of the basses & guitars I dealt with needed more than minor tweaking. I agree with the problems you cited with basses being setup incorrectly, or by guitar techs who do not necessarily play bass, therefore don't understand the nuance of a properly setup instrument. I have seen instruments being shipped with terrible setups, overly high or low actions, but sometimes even the people involved do not recognise the flaws in their process, or the differing needs of a metal bass setup (super low to get the fret clacking sound) to a slap bass setup, or how to try to get a "balanced" or "average" set up which is versatile enough to sound decent - whether you play hard or soft, pick or fingers. The other thing to consider is budgetary - often the value of an instrument affects how much time is allocated to setting it up, plus there may be production quotas for how many guitars to be setup in a time period which can also affect quality. Different companies also have different standards for set ups, or sometimes don't really have a standard which is reasonably practicable. Plus the fact that here in Australia we have a wide variety of climates we were shipping to (tropical, desert, coastal & alpine) & goods sometimes spending a week in the back of a truck crossing the continent - meant that unless temp/humidity were about the same as when the guitar was setup, there was no guarantee what the setup would be like once it arrived instore. Despite taking all the care in the world with any setup, there was simply no way to guarantee it would arrive with a decent action. A guitar really must be setup at or around the temp/humidity it will be played in, so particularly with brand new instruments - get it properly set up before you evaluate the action, the condition on shelf is really not the best way to assess the action of an instrument.
Love all the great work you continue to do at SBL, can't wait for the next episode
ps when Leland Sklaar met John Entwhistle on a 80s charity song session, they swapped basses & neither could play on the other's instrument because their preferred action's were so different to each other - despite both being monster players. One player's perfect action is another player's nightmare....
One of the best videos yet
Yes i love these podcasts! It feels like just my kind of niche bass talks that i love, I get the same satisfaction watching Rick Beato when it comes to breaking down songs and production, and what i love is that we have mr Scott 'fusion-man' Devine with his in depth P-bass knowledge and Vintage tone feel and on the other side we have the Jazz, Rock and modern active pickup Alan. The combination makes this awesome, same goes with your personalities, your about the same age ( i think ) but then again we have a more outgoing Ian and a more reserved Scott, which complements each other so much and is so relaxing and balanced to listen to :) so please i beg of you, continue this podcast series! :)
EDIT: what i don't like about the podcast, i would want the ''chapters'' on the playbar to be more in depth. Example: Gear of the week, this part wasn't just about gear of the week, it was also a whole pat about setups and certain manufacturers. that would be nice if i would scan the playbar about the topic i will encounter during a long video.
Awesome 👌 thanks for all the info.. you guys killed it 👏 🙌.. and yeah I have a couple of basses and ultimately I've been falling in love with the p bass sound❤!!! Although I love already my jazz one 😂.. crazy world of bassssss.. thanks again and God bless you both 🙏.. keep the good work 👏
Terrific podcast, I could listen to you two discuss bass all day long. If you do the oddball bass pickups, don't forget the Danelectro Longhorn lipstick pickups!
Love the vibe with you guys, as we say in Ireland....the craic.
I loved what scott was talking about in the latest Bass Hang 135 and would love more info on finding key centers and also common unexpected chords in songs like b7 or minor 4 and how to chart/navigate those - similar to David Bennett Piano but for bass!
Still where I've been for years - Stingray with cobalt flats and Fender PJ's with both rounds and flats