Recommend Me A P-Bass Pickup

[morgantician]

I've been dragging this Japanese P bass around with me for almost 20 years but have never been much of a bass player, at least in bands. But it's looking like I might be joining something new an need advice on a good pickup for this thing to freshen it up.

I'll be tuning low. Very low. Like, custom string low. So I was wondering if there's something out there that's voiced for sub-bass frequencies without just being a one trick pony. I've always had great luck with GFS pickups, and like the sound of the Overwound. Would that be a good option and then just focus on bringing my low end to life with the amp?  I'm open to suggestions - just keep in mind I want to be heard as well as felt.

[Mr. Foxen]

Being wound for low end output is about the last thing you want if tuning really low. Need to make the most of the frequency range your rig can output and your ears can hear. You cab is the limiting factor on your low end, and your high end, pickups are about colour in the middle, and maybe limit high end if you  get a bit silly with overwinding. I used SD 1/4lbers on the Caricatures record, and they've become my go to P bass pickup, for the growly low mid thunder thing, but I've just picked up a Wizard Thumper: http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/  
and use a Kent Armstrong vintage job in the standard tuned bass, becaue it has plenty of definition, which is high mid sort of area, gets on with Hiwatt type sounds to be really clean and defined.

[Hemisaurus]

Try this. Open up your bass, wire the pickup to the output jack, bypassing the volume and tone controls (make sure they are out of the circuit). If it sounds better (likely) get a couple of 1M pots, and wire them in place of the 250K (guessing) pots that are fitted, if you need controls, otherwise just leave it wired direct.

The more winds a pickup has, the narrower the frequency response, FYI. A pickup with less output is likely to have a wider response.

[morgantician]

That's a good point about the windings. I probably would have unknowingly gone with an overwound pickup just because I want a dirty sound. Good call!

[Danny G]

I second the SD Quarter Pounders for P Basses.


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[bass sic]

I think I'm the only fool who prefers active pups in a p bass. I think it just brings the tone to life while still sounding warm. EMGs in mine.