This is a single coil '51 P bass shootout between the Lollar Original and the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder.
Gear: Fender MIJ Sting Signature DI through Apollo Duo. There is a little bit of Ozone Metering on the output to level the peaks a little bit - very clean compressor. I chose DI because many pickup demos are coloured by amps, pickups, cabs, microphones, and leave much of the DI signal to the imagination. Additionally, when I record in a studio, 9/10 times I go DI and often the amp tone or parallel compression is mixed in to enhance the DI sound (many fantastic records only use DI for bass). I'm also of the mind that if you like the DI signal, you'll like the amplified signal.
Method: I used an old set of roundwound strings, a new set of flatwound strings, fingers, and a pick to give the listener a variety of standard playing sounds. I also structured the shootout so the listener could hear the same riff with the same strings/technique back to back.
Lollar Likes: what I enjoy about the Lollar is the vintage woody tone with the flatwound strings. I was also pleasantly surprised by the clear and balanced sound that I got with the new roundwound strings - also, a similar amount of low end "beef" and depth as the SD.
Dislikes: The cons came down to signal balance and control. I found that the strength of the signal peak dropped quickly and created a bit of a toal void. In Logic, it was easy to see the difference between the signals - more peaks and valleys from the Lollar. Additionally, I found I was constantly adjusting to minimize the "clicking" of the attack - it is sensitive and I had to play softer/more controlled than I otherwise would.
Seymour Duncan: what I enjoyed about the SD is the strong consistent signal. It sounds louder than the Lollar even though the gain staging was very close. The peak of the signal is held through longer which gives the impression that it is louder. Also, I found it shone with the old flatwound strings - it picked up more tone/brighness and character from the worn strings. All in all it has a good balance of vintage appeal with some modern "thickness".
Cons: I thought that it would be more beefy in the lows and caputre a more tonal brightness with the new roundwound strings. From what I read, I was hoping to hear a split P in single coil form. Similar to the Lollar, there was "clicking" to deal with but I found that the consistency of the signal minimized that sound - still had to manage it though.
In summary: both of these pickups do their job well - the Lollar is advertised as a vintage replacement while the SD is advertised as a more modern/beefy vintage alternative. I think that they are both great at what they do! Hopefully this video brings some clarity!
NB: I have played the Lollar many times live and find that it doesn't give enought "low beef" for my taste - a thinner sound IMO. Because of COVID, I haven't been able to gig with the SD.
