P Bass pups: American Standard Vs. Pure Vintage '58 Vs. Pure Vintage '63

Juani Vitale

Juani Vitale

Jan 27, 2018
16
17
4,551
38
Argentina
#1
Good morning lovely bass people!

Let me sum up my story: I've got a 2010 Fender Road Worn 50s P bass. Great bass. Used it on a few records and gigs, but I've always been a bigger fan of 60s style P's (rosewood fretboard, tort pickguard, and such) so I decided to build a partscaster 60s style PJ bass to complement the RW 50s and use it as my main gigging bass, since I can also benefit from the p+jazz pickup combination for a few songs.

I Already ordered a neck and a body from Warmoth with the correspondent 60-62-ish specs but I'm a little lost on the pickup choice... The RW P is a MIM bass but according to Fender it comes with American Standard pups (they do sound great). Originally assuming it came with texmex pickups I bought a set of Pure Vintage 58s for replacement (They were also more period correct, since the RW is based on a 57 P Bass).

The Question is: Should I be fine using the American Standard Pickups on my 60s style partscaster PJ? should I invest on a set of Pure Vintage 63s for example? should I use the Pure Vintage 58s on my new bass and put the American Standards back in the RW P? How much difference in quality/manufacture is there really between the American Standards and Pure Vintage pups?

Just for reference, the Jazz pickups I've got to match it with is a Pure Vintage '74 (bridge)
 
#2
American Standard pickups are plastic bobbin instead of fiber, but they're built OK. I personally am not a big fan of them as I find them lacking in mids with a somewhat thin sound in a band mix. The Fender PV '63 is a really nice pickup if you want a big sound with a lot of low end. My personal favorite is the Duncan SPB-4. It is wound like a vintage pickup(same construction as the SPB-1 with fiber bobbin/alnico V magnets), but has more mid range and sounds FANTASTIC in a mix. Its the closest I've heard to an early to mid 60's Fender(I've owned 2 Pre-CBS). The PV '63 is a good pickup too and Im sure you'd be happy with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Btbp
#3
AMJBASS said:
American Standard pickups are plastic bobbin instead of fiber, but they're built OK. I personally am not a big fan of them as I find them lacking in mids with a somewhat thin sound in a band mix. The Fender PV '63 is a really nice pickup if you want a big sound with a lot of low end. My personal favorite is the Duncan SPB-4. It is wound like a vintage pickup(same construction as the SPB-1 with fiber bobbin/alnico V magnets), but has more mid range and sounds FANTASTIC in a mix. Its the closest I've heard to an early to mid 60's Fender(I've owned 2 Pre-CBS). The PV '63 is a good pickup too and Im sure you'd be happy with it.
Click to expand...
The 2012 P Standard I picked up recently came with QPs, and they don't have the sound I want for this flatwounds bass, and from what I've read the 63s were what I thought would do it, but your comments about the SPB-4 sounds compelling.
 
#4
It’s a seriously great sounding pickup. There are a lot of really good pickups out there including the ‘63 AV, so I can’t say the SPB4 is necessarily the best for everyone, but as a pro player needing versatility it’s definitely up there for me. It’s got a tighter bass response than the Fender so I find it really balanced with flats.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Btbp
#8
FWIW, in my experience the Fender Original '62 and the PV 63 sound similar, the 62 having a bit more highs. I prefer the 63, but the difference was minimal and for the money the 62 was 40$ cheaper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back