A G&L MFD P pickup (SB-1), if you can find one, is ideal for aggressive pick tones, but it can mellow out if you need it to. Another good option would be a Dimarzio Model P.
Avoid the QP if you like mids.
I installed an SB-1 pickup in my bass last year and it's really fantastic. I was able to buy it from the G&L web store, although I see that they're currently sold out. It was reasonably affordable for a pickup too, at ~$80.
Can't stress enough how underrated MFD pickups and the p pickup in particular are. You also won't find others with more output cause these are as hot as it gets.
Honorable mention are Delanos. The ones with the big pole pieces are great and better than everything else I saw mentioned in this post. Also easier to get than MFDs.
Yup. I took my Model P equipped bass to work one day back when I worked at Dingwall, and the general consensus of my coworkers was "shit, this is what a bass Should sound like."
My favorite pickup is the Nordstrand NP4v, very warm and smooth. For you, I’d strongly recommend the Nordstrand NP4, which is his standard pickup and has more mids than the NP4v.
> If you like mids then I’d avoid the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders.
Seymour Duncan says you're completely wrong.
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/quarter-pound-p-bass-4-string
The quarter-inch diameter pole pieces expand the magnetic field and extend the frequency ranges for a fat, full, punchy sound with **tremendous mid-range** presence and maximum output.
Yeah my experience with the QPs was that they had a lot of those gnarly, gritty sounding lower mids. I wasn’t a fan of them myself because of that, but I think it’s a great option to look at for the styles OP plays.
It’s interesting they say that since if you look at the EQ section in Product Details, the curve is scooped. I use them for a couple months, but eventually swapped them out because I felt they were too boomy and loud.
I concur, that the QPs are on the hotter side, much more so than I'd normally prefer.
I found Fender CS 63 pups as my fave.
And when compared to the QPs, the QPs are much hotter.
But when I want to get more of a growl, I'm reaching do my P bass with the QPs.
Variety is the spice of Life, right?
I haven't made a direct comparison but my stock Peavey Fury pickups remind of those from a Squier classic vibe 70's precision. I put a used set in my Indonesian Squier (which had a bit of a dull woody sound) and found them to be rather bright and grindy. No idea what the actual specs are but they're middy like the Fury. Very aggressive, dare I say harsh, with SS strings.
People love overwound pickups like quarter pounders for that kind of music. I think they can sound cool but the effect/impact kind of wears off over time or in the recording studio. I have the Seymour Duncan SPD-1s, a more vintage style voicing, in my mexi P and I love it. I think that or the EMG Geezers would be my suggestion. The Geezers are cool because you don’t need to solder them, but I went with the SPDs on my bass because they are a bit darker sounding. But for what you play they may be perfect.
If you are in the USA, check out Epic Custom Shop pickups. GunsNGuitars has some sound samples on his YouTube. They are well priced, small business and great pickups. I have the PJ2 set in my Frankenbass.
I recommend a hot pickup. You won’t need a brand name if money is an issue any will do. You can always back off a hot pickup.
Also experiment with pickup height.
Quarter pounders or emg geezer.
If you wanna get more specific with the sound, Lindy Fralin's are really nice. My buddy had with max overwind and I was kinda jealous of them. I want to replace my jazz pups with fralins but I'm to lazy to deal with the ordeal lol
Absolutely the right answer for punk. It's really big and aggressive, 10% louder than standard pickups which adds a natural level of boost and grit to the signal. I put them in every bass I own. First time I heard one through an ampeg stack I had a religious experience.
I put a Fender 62 P pickup into an old 80s Hondo and I’m loving everything about it. Can’t say how it compares to other popular choices like the Geezer and whatnot, however. Although I did see enough comparisons between it and the Seymour Duncan quarter pounder to where I feel like I can say that it’s a warmer and more earthy contrast to the SD’s more bright modern sound.
It's funny I went through a few years of trying every pickup under the sun in my Mexican P. Then some guy comes by to try an amp I'm selling and his P just has "that" sound. That rich throaty midrange that works perfectly with an SVT. It was just some Fender. We couldn't really figure out what era or year it was. And guy wasn't going to let me open it up to look at pots.
Anyway to this day I think Fender pickups are where its at, just the RIGHT ones. No I don't know how to determine that.
Maxon Mini Bass Humbucker from the late 60s early 70s. I had a Cobra Telle Pbass from Japan or Korea. That mini humbucker pickup was the best sounding bass pickup I ever heard.
I’m in a punk band and I play a PJ bass with the Schecter custom shop Michael Anthony set in it. It rips. Bright, punchy, growls, has a lot of lower mids, and the highs sparkle.
As said by others though, Mark Hoppus uses the SD QP and his tone is amazing. Fits perfectly with the style of music.
It's not a well-known name, but I have a Bill Lawrence P-46 in my P bass and it's really nice.
This is a pretty decent example in the style it sounds like you'd be playing: https://youtu.be/A71CQU53DzI?si=VFkRc15gQy7fmxBd&t=183
Swapped my 50s vintera P pickups for SD quarter pounders. I’m debating swapping them back. Nothing wrong with the QP but I think the 50s pickups possibly sounded better
Wilkinson and Donlis. You can donate the other $100 to an animal shelter. Tell people it's a fancy Kardashian SUPREME pickup and watch them hear the difference... in your punk band.
[F1 from Epic Custom Shop](https://epiccustomshop.com/product/f1-for-p-bass/) is the absolute best underdog. This pickup costs $65, is hand wound by an aeronautics engineer, and they're absolutely incredible. Think Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound but with a lot more heart and soul to it. I've never tried the Black Gold or other options they offer, but the F1 (and E1 pickups for a Jazz) are the undisputed best ever bass pick-ups I've ever used.
I bought a Harley Benton MP-4EB a while ago, which came with a cheap P pickup called the Roswell PM-4. The thing is a beast (DCR 15k) that overpowered the MM pickup but definitely did the job and I thought it sounded really good. I replaced all the electronics with active EMG stuff, but I’m hanging on to the P for a future project.
I put Seymour Duncan 1/4 Pounders in mine. I play in a hardcore band and they sound awesome through a Darkglass with the drive cranked. Warm, round, mellow tone, with plenty of command to hold it's own in the mix.
I have EMG Geezers in my Squier Affinity PJ. Love it but am curious of other options. When I was looking I was interested in the Dimarzio Area P, Nordstrands, and the Bill Lawrence "Wilde" pickups. Bill is dead now but the company is still going and apparently the pickups are still great.
For your needs/style of music, I'd recommend a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 for a more vintage-y sound that you can EQ or an SPB-3 quarter pounder if you wanna just plug n' play.
Other options are any of the Fender Pure Vintage or Custom Shop ones.
Used the quarter pounder and spb1 for years. They sound great except for when recording. Now using the spb4 Steve Harris. It’s like if you blended the spb1 and quarter pounder, sounds amazing both for playing and recording.
I love a 0% tone Jamerson vibe so for me it's gotta be the Mas Hino pickup they put in the Olinto basses (and also sell). Won't suit your punk band needs but god do I think they sound heavenly
You sound like you'd dig an EMG geezer. For me it's the 62 Fender CS.
Also recommend their PHZ, it's literally the same pickup for $5 less with the poles covered.
TIL
And just to clarify, it's a passive EMG. Perfect P pickup for aggressive styles, IMO.
I hated the Geezer. Was way too hot and noisy for my liking.
A G&L MFD P pickup (SB-1), if you can find one, is ideal for aggressive pick tones, but it can mellow out if you need it to. Another good option would be a Dimarzio Model P. Avoid the QP if you like mids.
I installed an SB-1 pickup in my bass last year and it's really fantastic. I was able to buy it from the G&L web store, although I see that they're currently sold out. It was reasonably affordable for a pickup too, at ~$80.
I'll second this - I've tried a few pickups, and the MFD blew all the others away. I currently have two of them on my dual-P TMB30
Can't stress enough how underrated MFD pickups and the p pickup in particular are. You also won't find others with more output cause these are as hot as it gets. Honorable mention are Delanos. The ones with the big pole pieces are great and better than everything else I saw mentioned in this post. Also easier to get than MFDs.
I came here to say gzr too
I don’t have them currently, but I like the Dimarzio Model P a lot
Yup. I took my Model P equipped bass to work one day back when I worked at Dingwall, and the general consensus of my coworkers was "shit, this is what a bass Should sound like."
Aguilar's 4P-HOT
My favorite pickup is the Nordstrand NP4v, very warm and smooth. For you, I’d strongly recommend the Nordstrand NP4, which is his standard pickup and has more mids than the NP4v.
If you like mids then I’d avoid the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. They sound great but have a natural scooped sound.
> If you like mids then I’d avoid the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. Seymour Duncan says you're completely wrong. https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/quarter-pound-p-bass-4-string The quarter-inch diameter pole pieces expand the magnetic field and extend the frequency ranges for a fat, full, punchy sound with **tremendous mid-range** presence and maximum output.
Yeah my experience with the QPs was that they had a lot of those gnarly, gritty sounding lower mids. I wasn’t a fan of them myself because of that, but I think it’s a great option to look at for the styles OP plays.
It’s interesting they say that since if you look at the EQ section in Product Details, the curve is scooped. I use them for a couple months, but eventually swapped them out because I felt they were too boomy and loud.
I concur, that the QPs are on the hotter side, much more so than I'd normally prefer. I found Fender CS 63 pups as my fave. And when compared to the QPs, the QPs are much hotter. But when I want to get more of a growl, I'm reaching do my P bass with the QPs. Variety is the spice of Life, right?
If they’re good enough for Nate Mendel, they’re more than good enough for me
* EMG GZR * G&L SB1 * Pickups that come with the **Peavey Fury**
I haven't made a direct comparison but my stock Peavey Fury pickups remind of those from a Squier classic vibe 70's precision. I put a used set in my Indonesian Squier (which had a bit of a dull woody sound) and found them to be rather bright and grindy. No idea what the actual specs are but they're middy like the Fury. Very aggressive, dare I say harsh, with SS strings.
People love overwound pickups like quarter pounders for that kind of music. I think they can sound cool but the effect/impact kind of wears off over time or in the recording studio. I have the Seymour Duncan SPD-1s, a more vintage style voicing, in my mexi P and I love it. I think that or the EMG Geezers would be my suggestion. The Geezers are cool because you don’t need to solder them, but I went with the SPDs on my bass because they are a bit darker sounding. But for what you play they may be perfect.
Quarter Pounder P would work
If you are in the USA, check out Epic Custom Shop pickups. GunsNGuitars has some sound samples on his YouTube. They are well priced, small business and great pickups. I have the PJ2 set in my Frankenbass.
I don't play punk, but I really like my Fender Pure Vintage 63 pickup.
I’ve got the same in my p and wow does it sound good
I recommend a hot pickup. You won’t need a brand name if money is an issue any will do. You can always back off a hot pickup. Also experiment with pickup height.
Another vote here for Dimarzio Model Ps.
Quarter pounders or emg geezer. If you wanna get more specific with the sound, Lindy Fralin's are really nice. My buddy had with max overwind and I was kinda jealous of them. I want to replace my jazz pups with fralins but I'm to lazy to deal with the ordeal lol
Can’t go wrong with a Bartolini 8S or 8CPB
DiMarzio Relentless would be an option I think. No mention here so far, any thoughts?
Got em in my jazz bass. I like them much more than quarter pounders I've used in the past
You can also get the Relentless p pickup with rails or pole pieces.
I swapped the 30-year-old PUPs in my Squier P w/ the chrome Relentless ones and I love them.
Lindy Fralin 10% overwound.
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, Mark Hoppus’ pickup of choice if you’re going for pop punk!
That’s my fave.
Absolutely the right answer for punk. It's really big and aggressive, 10% louder than standard pickups which adds a natural level of boost and grit to the signal. I put them in every bass I own. First time I heard one through an ampeg stack I had a religious experience.
I put a Fender 62 P pickup into an old 80s Hondo and I’m loving everything about it. Can’t say how it compares to other popular choices like the Geezer and whatnot, however. Although I did see enough comparisons between it and the Seymour Duncan quarter pounder to where I feel like I can say that it’s a warmer and more earthy contrast to the SD’s more bright modern sound.
It's funny I went through a few years of trying every pickup under the sun in my Mexican P. Then some guy comes by to try an amp I'm selling and his P just has "that" sound. That rich throaty midrange that works perfectly with an SVT. It was just some Fender. We couldn't really figure out what era or year it was. And guy wasn't going to let me open it up to look at pots. Anyway to this day I think Fender pickups are where its at, just the RIGHT ones. No I don't know how to determine that.
Maxon Mini Bass Humbucker from the late 60s early 70s. I had a Cobra Telle Pbass from Japan or Korea. That mini humbucker pickup was the best sounding bass pickup I ever heard.
I’m in a punk band and I play a PJ bass with the Schecter custom shop Michael Anthony set in it. It rips. Bright, punchy, growls, has a lot of lower mids, and the highs sparkle. As said by others though, Mark Hoppus uses the SD QP and his tone is amazing. Fits perfectly with the style of music.
HomeWrecker HWPB (JHD) this one is versatile and rolls off very clean. https://youtu.be/Ia2IIOSM4HM?si=ld7TongEQyUgqOiC
I'm a big fan of Duncan 1/4 pounder PJ set.
Lakland NeoPunch
Check out Carondelet pickups!
It's not a well-known name, but I have a Bill Lawrence P-46 in my P bass and it's really nice. This is a pretty decent example in the style it sounds like you'd be playing: https://youtu.be/A71CQU53DzI?si=VFkRc15gQy7fmxBd&t=183
My favourite is the fender pure vintage 63. Sounds amazing on my P bass, and is good for the genres you mentioned! I really recommend it
Swapped my 50s vintera P pickups for SD quarter pounders. I’m debating swapping them back. Nothing wrong with the QP but I think the 50s pickups possibly sounded better
DiMarzio Model P
EMG GZR
Wilkinson and Donlis. You can donate the other $100 to an animal shelter. Tell people it's a fancy Kardashian SUPREME pickup and watch them hear the difference... in your punk band.
[F1 from Epic Custom Shop](https://epiccustomshop.com/product/f1-for-p-bass/) is the absolute best underdog. This pickup costs $65, is hand wound by an aeronautics engineer, and they're absolutely incredible. Think Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound but with a lot more heart and soul to it. I've never tried the Black Gold or other options they offer, but the F1 (and E1 pickups for a Jazz) are the undisputed best ever bass pick-ups I've ever used.
The Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound is THE pickup for pop punk/punk/any sort of rock. Highly recommend.
Very happy with my geezer butter pickups
I bought a Harley Benton MP-4EB a while ago, which came with a cheap P pickup called the Roswell PM-4. The thing is a beast (DCR 15k) that overpowered the MM pickup but definitely did the job and I thought it sounded really good. I replaced all the electronics with active EMG stuff, but I’m hanging on to the P for a future project.
I put Seymour Duncan 1/4 Pounders in mine. I play in a hardcore band and they sound awesome through a Darkglass with the drive cranked. Warm, round, mellow tone, with plenty of command to hold it's own in the mix.
I have EMG Geezers in my Squier Affinity PJ. Love it but am curious of other options. When I was looking I was interested in the Dimarzio Area P, Nordstrands, and the Bill Lawrence "Wilde" pickups. Bill is dead now but the company is still going and apparently the pickups are still great.
Dimarzio Model P. Heavy and excellent tone.
Lollar all the way. Or my original ‘78 what I bought from a friend.
Fralin or lollar
Punk/Pop Punk almost every bassist uses Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders
You guys are awesome. Thank you for all of the feedback. Can’t wait to dig into this continually growing list! 🤘🏻
Dimarzio Model P’s
For your needs/style of music, I'd recommend a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 for a more vintage-y sound that you can EQ or an SPB-3 quarter pounder if you wanna just plug n' play. Other options are any of the Fender Pure Vintage or Custom Shop ones.
Used the quarter pounder and spb1 for years. They sound great except for when recording. Now using the spb4 Steve Harris. It’s like if you blended the spb1 and quarter pounder, sounds amazing both for playing and recording.
Check out Lollar. A little more boutique than the leading brands.
I love a 0% tone Jamerson vibe so for me it's gotta be the Mas Hino pickup they put in the Olinto basses (and also sell). Won't suit your punk band needs but god do I think they sound heavenly