We asked our Facebook audience what type of pickup they prefer, be it single-coil straight, split-coil, dual-coil, rail design or something else…
…and now it’s time to ask you. What’s your favorite bass pickup type, and why do you prefer it?
Multiple answers are OK, because some players use specific pickups for specific applications.
Post a comment and let us know your favorite pickup type. And remember, we carry a whole bunch of pickups from Bartolini, DiMarzio, Delano and a whole lot more, so be sure to check ’em out.
single coil
Chi-Sonic Humbucker
The Chi-Sonic humbucker is a monster pickup!!!
P pickup in the middle position. It’s loud, supportive and it’s voice is that of what my generation grew up listening to, so we tend to invite it’s timbre.
I once had a rare Seymour Duncan Pro Active p-bass pickup that had 3 dip switches on the bottom edge to configure its response….best example of piano bass I’ve ever heard. Will never find another of these.
I had a bass loaded with two of those!!!!
I had a 69 j bass loaded with Bartilini High-A pickups and that was the best I ever had. It was the 80s so I swapped the Barts out for some of those active Semour Duncan pickups with the little white switches and went straight to a gig. Ouch! Way too much high end, all my woody mids were gone, and forget about warmth. But I stuck with it for some odd 80s reason. Now that I’m old, sober and a bit better of a player it’s: Bart single coil J bass pickups, and most importantly –passive.
Do you get enough output on those without a preamp?
Bart passives give you enough output, yes-And more importantly, allow you to tweak the tone at the board, or amp, and tend to be void of that ” furry ” high end scratch that so many preamps or pickups have— their highs are brass bell clear and thick– just chiming in, I’m not the original author of this section of the thread–
Single Coil in a jazz bass = Perfect
Still head over heels in love with the “3 coil” Ibanez ATK pickups from years past.
In the main I use passive jazz pickups for the majority of the music I play. Having said that, a passive P pickup in a P Bass rattles the rafters!
I like the Bartolini pickup best and emgpickups are my second pick. I use the emgelectronics but thinking about trying the Bartolini electronics to see what the difference is.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been all about humbucker soapbars. Now, I’ve come to love the versatility of Dual Coil humbuckers with the ability to coil tap. That way I have all basses covered…
I see what you did there. 😉
Single coil in a 2 P/U config.
P-Bass or MM in a single P/U config.
I like and have a wide variety of pups but mostly are drawn to Jazz Bass style pickups. I do like either stack coils as on the Seymore Duncan or side by side coils as on Kerry Nordstrand pickups. I have both and truthfully can’t give a preference. I prefer passive over active although I have an active six string that sounds great.
Soap bar Bart’s. Thru LG3000 roscoe bass I have played many basses thru the years. This bass has the sweetest tone on earth.
dual coil humbaker in MM Stingray position, but also double buck configuration.
In second step double single coil like jazz bass. P are not in my dreams…
P-J passive setup. Humbucker on the bridge J pickup on my G&L SB-2. No tone controls, just 2 volume. Love that sound.
Fralin 5% overwound P; ’62 P reissue, ’68 SCTB.
Any hum-cancelling single coil PU set that will give me a sound similar to a 70s J Bass.
Rautia JB67 Jazz bass Single coil pickups
The Alembic Series single coil with dummy humcanceller is my favorite sounding pickup by a long shot. Wide aperture and very transparent. Other than that, the Lakland Jazz Bass split coils sound great.
MM in parallell anytime!
Vintage single coil Jazz set up.
Mm style humbucker with parallel/single/series switch in the stingray position. So many great tones there.
Bartolini P/J
I love the TV Jones Thundertron. Hum canceling, big tone. And the look sweet.
I love my DiMarzio Area J’s. My tone is heavy on lows and low mids and these pickups emphasize those frequencies. My SX jazz with the DiMarzios sounds better than my MIA Fender Jazz. My band mates and sound guy agree.
Dual coil rail soapbars, Neo preferred. Nothing you can’t do with that setup.
I like hum buckers because of the low noise level when shielded properly. Right now I use either Bartolini’s or Lace Alumitones.
2003 Fender Jazz Bass with S3 Switch.
Split-coil P-bass, Bart or Fender. I’ve tried all the others, and these are the only pickups that give what i want consistently. If you’re looking for a vintage tone, nothing else will get it. I tried, and these are the best.
single coil jazz
Duncan Antiquity II for all of my single coil jazz bass goodness.
Depends on what bass it is installed in, and whether it is an active or passive instrument. For Jazz or Jazz-style basses, single-coil passive pickups are my choice. However, for my modern, active, extended-range (5 and 6-string) basses, active Bartolini split-coil or Aero humbucking soapbar-style pickups are my pickups of choice. In my ’62 P-Bass, I stick with Fender’s classic split-coil pickup from that era.
Single-coils in my passive Jazz-style basses; Bartolini or Aero multiple-coil or split-coil humbuckers/soapbars in my active 5 and 6-string basses, and the classic Fender split-coil that came in my ’62 P-Bass.
Split coil P-style primarily, also like dual coil MM style…
Precision split coils for me. Love the old Fender 70’s pups but been using Aguilar’s P60’s in a few basses now and am diggin’ them. Nice thing about new pickups is the consistency. The old pups that I use (when I can find them) can vary quite a bit.
Aguilar pickups (and their preamps) are superb!
I LOVE my G&L split and staright, my Fender Noiseless Jazz and my original Bill Lawrence Blck Label’s from back in the day!!!
Seymour Duncan MM :give me a lot of different sounds.Single coil,parallel and series combined with another MM and through another round of single coil-parallel and series
Split-coil jazz and EMG P/J
SGD Neo soapbars!
P bass in the middle position, just like Leo inteded.
I love the fender urge setup of neck and bridge J’s and P in between, very flexible, esp with Delanos
Delano quad coil in a 6 string. Tone heaven.
I have used Bartolinis for some time: they are great- no matter what config. Lace sensors– the old ones— awesome. Question: who would dare to make a fairly low magnetic pull, low- mid impedance pickup at a decent price, compatible with most preamp systems ? — there is the secret to absolute control of your tone.
I’m a single coil guy buy I also like the Bartolini soapbars I have.
Bart quad coils in neck thru fretless 6.
P bass pickup in the middle position, passive electronics. I really enjoy the higher output pickups like Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, Dimarzio Split P’s, Dimarzio Model P or the Will Power pickups. Yep just a touch of dirt is perfect!
I have Bartolinis in one J-Bass, Fender custom shop in another J-Bass but have come to appreciate stock pickups in my other basses such as my Ric and my G&L fretless. I have an Alembic and of course that is very unique sounding. My only issue with the Ric is that it picks up buzz if there are any dimmers etc. in the area. I think that bass manufacturer pickups have really improved over the years so there’s not as much desire for me to move to boutique pickups at this point. I think it’s hard to really judge them fairly unless you can try them in your own bass and with your gear.
Past few years its been ceramic J-Rays. stacked coil Jazz neck and MM bridge. Lots of great, thick tone there and I’m always a sucker of a nice pair of alnico jazz pups. The MM just has so many tone possibilities and if you coil select the front coil with the J neck you get a hybrid jazz, the MM by itself is like a ray.
Surely it’s horses for courses. Horrible 1960s japanese pickups can be just the ticket, as can mudbuckers, MMs and anything else. Position, strings, genre and playing style make a huge different. But I agree that bad shielding ruins them all. I’m loving three Belcat mini-humbuckers I’ve built into in a non-reverse t-bird copy at the mo, but they don’t do everything well.
Two single-coil jazz pickups is the setup I use most; specifically, DiMarzio Ultra Jazz set in my Warwick, loud and clear.
Can’t beat MM for range of tone.
Carvin RAD-J
P bass PU is the way to go – quality on the new Am Std Fenders is better than ever!
62 vintage split p in the middle snd split coil double j on the bridge
Nordstrand vintage jazz single coils in my Nordy VJ4 with 2 band Nordstrand preamp. Active, it is incredibly articulate and just perfect. Passive, it growls and retains the articulation and presence but slightly less bite.
Plain old Fender Jazz pickups, but wired in series instead of typical parallel wiring.
EMG soapbars.
Bartolini pickups are the only bass pickup manufacturer I have ever recommended.
Buying pickups is always a gamble because you never know exaclty what you have until they are installed and it’s too late to return them and get your money back.
Bartolinis have never disappointed me and they are an upgrade from whatever pickup you are replacing, bar none.
Fender Pbass split coil
PJ passives with active preamp just about covers all music genre
Fender Original 1962 P Bass Pickup
P bass and MM bartolini
Another vote for the Fender ’62 P. Second favourite: Dingwall P-tone.
Passive PJ is music to my ears. I use SD Ant II for my P and Dimarzio Area J. That mix will cover everything you need on a passive bass.
Bartolini or Delano Quad Coil Soapbar (EMG 45)
Big fan of the single coil J-style Chi-Sonic Neodymium passive pick-ups from Lakland. Very clean with great tonal response. Nickal Bass Corp
Tried em´all , STILL maintain anything Alembic with Delano as distant second….one can always diminish the frequency span…..never expand what isn´t there…
hammbakkers soapbars!
I think Delano, but here in Brazil I like Malagoli and Cabrera customs.
MusicMan pickups any position
I’m from Brazil. I use Delano SBC dual coil on all of my 6 string basses. One of the best ceramic passive pickups in the world.
spb-1 in a fender p bass, flatwound strings played through an ampeg.I get goosebumps every time!
G&L handmade dual coils with mini switches everywhere.
I play old stingrays.
Loaded with Bartolini Humbuckers.
I could’ve written the exact same comments as ’69 Jazz about my ’74. Had it routed for a dual batt box and installed those Seymour single coil actives with the dip switches. Too hot up top. Swapped ’em out for Lindy’s…frying pan to the fire! Now I have Barts (passive). Might swap in a Bart preamp, haven’t decided yet.
I would always prefer humbucker to single coil just for the kill of 60 cycle hum and they have to be 4 conductor so as to add parallel/series with a DPDT micro switch endless sonic possibiliteis
ALEMBIC RULES!!!!!
Lakland, EMG, Bart’s. I have all 3 kinds for different uses. The Lakland/Hanson pups are my favorite because they are the most flexible.
… A pair of single coils (one reverse-wound to cancel the hum) work best for my ears. I’d like to try a pair of those “Big Single” Nordstrands. I’ve read they produce that “FAT, LOW” sound …