P J wired in complete series

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Drawoh

Apr 23, 2019
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#1
I have read a bit about doing this and wondered what pickups you would recommend for doing this?

I understand that ones that are not already too mid heavy ar best, so the Seymour Duncan Hot P & J would not be a good idea, or the Dimarzio Model P with its jazz counterpart?

If I used the SD vintage P & J (the chart states that they are already slightly mid scooped) would this be a good?

Or would the sound just end up the same as the SD SPB-2 on its own? Or would it be even more mids and less treble?

let me know your experience in this kind of set up.

Thanks.
 
#2
I have my reverse-P/J (a modded Power Jazz Bass Special) wired like a Les Paul (V/V/T/T with a 3-way switch) with a push/pull pot on the bridge tone control that throws the neck and bridge pickups in series (P-coils are already in series).

Changes are as you might expect - more mids, hotter output, slightly rolled off highs and deep bass relative to running the two pickups in parallel. The character is kind of like running the p solo, but not really - there is the boost in the mids from running series, but that's on top of the scoop and cancellation you get from running the bridge and the neck together.

Most of the time, I prefer to run the pickups in parallel, tweaking the character by backing off either volume control slightly, or solo one or the other. In some cases, though, depending on the mix or the rig, I find that running in series is just the ticket to get across in (or better fill up) the mix.

I am running a Wilde/Bill Lawrence P/J set in my bass. To my ear, they are fairly full range and clear sounding pickups.
 
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#3
For series, I'd certainly use vintage output pickups. Anything hotter would just be a thick mess. So the SPB-1 & SJB-1b would be my choices here.
 
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#4
trouble is the single coil noise from the J pickup. unless you have a hum-canceling J pickup the series wiring boosts the hum along with the loudness and low end.

you'd likely be best off with something like a vintage P type and a vintage-y split-coil J like a dimarzio area J, each themselves wired parallel.
 
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#5
walterw said:
trouble is the single coil noise from the J pickup. unless you have a hum-canceling J pickup the series wiring boosts the hum along with the loudness and low end.

you'd likely be best off with something like a vintage P type and a vintage-y split-coil J like a dimarzio area J, each themselves wired parallel.
Click to expand...

Hi thanks for the input, but im talking about having all the parts in series - P in series as usual, then J in series to that as well. I think as stated above, a humbucker J put like that would be too much?
 
#9
walterw said:
trouble is the single coil noise from the J pickup. unless you have a hum-canceling J pickup the series wiring boosts the hum along with the loudness and low end.

you'd likely be best off with something like a vintage P type and a vintage-y split-coil J like a dimarzio area J, each themselves wired parallel.
Click to expand...

Drawoh said:
Hi thanks for the input, but im talking about having all the parts in series - P in series as usual, then J in series to that as well. I think as stated above, a humbucker J put like that would be too much?
Click to expand...

I should mention that the Wilde/Lawrence set uses a hum-canceling J-pickup.
 
#11
Zoobiedood said:
You totally can.
Click to expand...

So doing that would make it less boomy than matching hot with hot, but thicker/fatter/more mids than
matching vintage with vintage?

I like the sound of the SD SPB-2 on its own, but would like to hot rod my sound further, without making it become complete mush, when using fingers (I play pick mostly)

Or - would matching vintage with vintage give off a sound that is more beefed up than the SPB-2 on its own anyway???

im just trying to gauge (in theory) to what extent these combinations would compare.
 
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#12
Well, series is sort of a boomy sound. But it is a balancing act if you want the volumes to match on the pickups vs the series sound. Both having vintage output would be a better series sound, but not a balanced sound in parallel. For that, you need a hotter J...that compromises the series sound.
 
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#13
Drawoh said:
Do pickups put into series have to be matched? For example could I match the hot P pup with the vintage jazz?
Click to expand...
the duncan hot P is already almost too dark as it is, adding something else in series on top of that would indeed likely turn it into mush.

if you really wanna add a J pickup you'd have more useful results adding it parallel like a normal P/J setup.
 
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#14
walterw said:
try it and get back to me ;)
Click to expand...

Alright, you're right. Series-Wired is noisier, as we saw when I re-wired my Blacktop Precision.
I'm still not sure how or why, the volume drop does not explain it.

Agreed that the OP shouldn't be throwing high-output pickups into a series configuration.

I'm of the opinion that you just get two great-sounding high-output pickups & wire them in parallel like normal, or
if you want vintage sounds some of the time, then do what you first recommended.


If I wanted the most variety of sounds I'd get two high-output pickups & put push/pull volume pots on both of them for intra-pickup series/parallel.

Note: intra-pickup series is only for the two coils of the pickup
inter-pickup is when two pickups are wired in series with respect to one another
 
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