70's P Pickups: Serious Help Needed.

DD Gunz

DD Gunz

Jun 18, 2015
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#1
I have asked this before and after much research I am at a loss....

I am in need of some late 70's style P pickups. I am talking the nasty, grindy, sought after by few pickups that are hard to come by.

Who makes them and how can I get them? I have a 77 P with non origonal pickups and the ash body and maple neck almost gets me there! It's just missing the originals.

Please tell me there is an aftermarket alternative before I spend 250 on an old grey bobbin.
 
#2
Ive heard folks mention nordstrand, Dimarzio, and a couple custom winders, which i cant remember. I think virtually every pickup maker has a pickup that shoots for 70's sounds.
 
#11
Axstar said:
Are '70s Fender pickups different to '60s ones in terms of materials, number of winds, magnet strength etc?
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Someone else would have to answer to the technical specifications as I am no electronics expert. The late 70's basses had pickups that were almost nasal in tone. They had an abundance of treble and mids. Not mild sounding at all.
 
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#12
DD Gunz said:
Someone else would have to answer to the technical specifications as I am no electronics expert. The late 70's basses had pickups that were almost nasal in tone. They had an abundance of treble and mids. Not mild sounding at all.
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I think the sound you're describing can be had, but it might not be from where you expect. Have you tried the Fender "Original" pickup? Tons of high-mid range gank.
 
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#14
IMHO, if you get just about any P pickup with alnico 5 magnets and around 11.5k to 12.5 K ohm of winding, that should give to you the sound you are wanting.

The EMG Geezer's are gonna be a good choice for a bit of that "nasty, grindy" sound you are looking for.

Maybe the Duncan 1/4 pounder Ps might do it too.

Other than that, contact Curtis Novak or Lindy Fralin and tell them what you want. Probably for about $160 to $200, they'll fix ya up.

You might have to do the "trial and error" thing with a various assortment of P pickups to find what you are looking for.

Good luck
 
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#18
I thought they had changed from alnico magnets to ceramics in '75 or '76. My '76 had the original pickup and it went into the dumpster posthaste. What a putrid sound. Got some anonymous pickup to replace it and it sounds like my '68 only slightly brighter and more defined. The bass is great, though. B neck, maple, natural ash body that has aged to the color of peanut butter. Nothing wrong with some late '70's Fenders. The pickups are an acquired taste and don't have much of a following, so manufacturers probably didn't bother making replacements that sounded similar.
 
#19
with the 1/4 lbs , there are 3 models SPB - 1 , 2 , 3 ...

i recently tried/installed the SPB-3 pup ... rather hot and nasty ... slightly bigger pole mags ... thicker with fairly clear highs ... good ' bang for the buck ' ...


and remember ... who in the audience is really gonna know ... ?? ( = no one ) many times we chase holy grails of sounds we have/hear in our heads that will only , maybe , be noticed by Us .. !
 
#20
DavC said:
with the 1/4 lbs , there are 3 models SPB - 1 , 2 , 3 ...

i recently tried/installed the SPB-3 pup ... rather hot and nasty ... slightly bigger pole mags ... thicker with fairly clear highs ... good ' bang for the buck ' ...


and remember ... who in the audience is really gonna know ... ?? ( = no one ) many times we chase holy grails of sounds we have/hear in our heads that will only , maybe , be noticed by Us .. !
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Actually, only the SPB-3 is called "Quarter Pounder".
On the other thing, I half-agree with you. No one is going to notice if my bass has a Lollar or a Fralin, when I play live in a bar, but for example the SPB-1 and the SPB-3 have two distinct tones.
 
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