I have a 2008 Fender P-Bass 5 string. Just the single pick-up, passive circuit. The stock pick-up actually
sounded very good, but no matter how I adjusted it, the two smaller strings ( D & G )
had less volume than the B / E / A strings did, and that always bothered me.
I had ordered a M&V P-Bass pickup for my 4 string '57 AVRI, and absolutely loved how it sounded. So much so, that I bought a second one of those, just to have it for future use.
So I ordered an Atlas for the 5 string. I put it in, and the bass lost the magic that it had before with
the stock pick-up. This one looked different than my 4 string M&Vs too- the magnets were now flush
with the top pf the covers. Joe sent me an email asking how I liked it, and I picked up the phone
and called him the next day. I was very blunt, and honest. The new pick-up lacked the incredible
tone and that the 4 string P/U had. It was not nearly as punchy, and the 'ringing of the strings' lacked clarity, and the overall fidelity was a lot lower too.
OK- so this is where the story gets good, and the incredible customer service that Joe / M&V has-
so please stay with me here. He went in to detail about all the minor 'changes / improvements' that
he made. And he added that no one else had complained either.
And I told him "that no other 5 string player had heard what *I* heard with the original
formula M&V for the 4 string either."
So he asked me to send it back, and he would make a 5 string version of the original Altas P/Us
that I had purchased before. He really wanted me to be happy- and that one thing that makes M&V
such a stand-out over many other pick-up builders.
So a few days later, in comes the other 5 string Atlas. I put it in that night, and THE MAGIC WAS BACK IN SPADES!
That incredible punch & fidelity! The smaller strings now had the same volume as the larger strings.
I almost cried. I honestly didn't think they could repeat the original formula, BUT THEY DID!
This one has the raised pole pieces, as did the original design. (I like those, because I can get them closer to the strings without interference caused by the plastic covers themselves hitting the strings.
And I called Joe the next morning, and raved, and raved, and raved.
So now, to differentiate the subdued version from the original design, they call this pick-up
the Atlas HO. "High Output". ( I scratch my head, because this was the original 4 string design.
From where I sit, I would call the first pick-up I got the Atlas L.O. - for Low Output . . . . )
So I can say nothing but great things about the sound and performance of this pick-up in the
5 string fender USA passive P-bass.
It excels. And it is very low noise too. It is not cheap, but to be real- there are so few of these
5 string P-Basses out there in the real world, compared to the thousands of 4 string P-Basses.
This pick-up is worth every single penny, and if you put one in, I bet you never take it out !!
sounded very good, but no matter how I adjusted it, the two smaller strings ( D & G )
had less volume than the B / E / A strings did, and that always bothered me.
I had ordered a M&V P-Bass pickup for my 4 string '57 AVRI, and absolutely loved how it sounded. So much so, that I bought a second one of those, just to have it for future use.
So I ordered an Atlas for the 5 string. I put it in, and the bass lost the magic that it had before with
the stock pick-up. This one looked different than my 4 string M&Vs too- the magnets were now flush
with the top pf the covers. Joe sent me an email asking how I liked it, and I picked up the phone
and called him the next day. I was very blunt, and honest. The new pick-up lacked the incredible
tone and that the 4 string P/U had. It was not nearly as punchy, and the 'ringing of the strings' lacked clarity, and the overall fidelity was a lot lower too.
OK- so this is where the story gets good, and the incredible customer service that Joe / M&V has-
so please stay with me here. He went in to detail about all the minor 'changes / improvements' that
he made. And he added that no one else had complained either.
And I told him "that no other 5 string player had heard what *I* heard with the original
formula M&V for the 4 string either."
So he asked me to send it back, and he would make a 5 string version of the original Altas P/Us
that I had purchased before. He really wanted me to be happy- and that one thing that makes M&V
such a stand-out over many other pick-up builders.
So a few days later, in comes the other 5 string Atlas. I put it in that night, and THE MAGIC WAS BACK IN SPADES!
That incredible punch & fidelity! The smaller strings now had the same volume as the larger strings.
I almost cried. I honestly didn't think they could repeat the original formula, BUT THEY DID!
This one has the raised pole pieces, as did the original design. (I like those, because I can get them closer to the strings without interference caused by the plastic covers themselves hitting the strings.
And I called Joe the next morning, and raved, and raved, and raved.
So now, to differentiate the subdued version from the original design, they call this pick-up
the Atlas HO. "High Output". ( I scratch my head, because this was the original 4 string design.
From where I sit, I would call the first pick-up I got the Atlas L.O. - for Low Output . . . . )
So I can say nothing but great things about the sound and performance of this pick-up in the
5 string fender USA passive P-bass.
It excels. And it is very low noise too. It is not cheap, but to be real- there are so few of these
5 string P-Basses out there in the real world, compared to the thousands of 4 string P-Basses.
This pick-up is worth every single penny, and if you put one in, I bet you never take it out !!
