'51 RI pickup upgrades?

Anybody try the Seymour Duncan Hot or Quarter Pound for the '51 RI?

Anyone try ANY "upgrade" pickups for the '51 RI? any recommendations.

I pushed up the middle two polepieces for better string balance already, so I'm pretty happy. I'm just curious about upgrade experiences... probably won't swap them at all.

I recently used a '51 RI in a benefit show where we did some ZZ Top songs . . . I wanted the look along with the P-bass sound. I borrowed the bass from a friend, and I seem to recall that he said it had a "Razor" pickup in it . . . ever heard of them? I haven't . . .

I played that bass through my Eden rig, and the sound was deep and very thumpy - though I really had to jiggle my EQ settings and adjust the gain up quite a bit from what I usually set when using my own Jazz or P-Bass . . . which tells me the Razor is wound somewhat hotter . . . you'd think the gain would have been the other way around???

I know that Seymour Duncan also makes several single coil bass pups, but cannot attest to how they sound!

i let my (then 13 yr old) son borrow my 51 ri and he came home with a pickup in pieces, so i had to replace the pup. i put a quater pounder in and it sounds ok but the bass is inherently noisy and i'm inherently lazy about sheilding the bass etc. so i'm ordering the lindy fralin split coil 51 p pup. it is a bucker and it goes for $120 plus shipping. all i need is 20 minutes to go to the bank and get a money order as lindy don't take no master charge.
i will post my impressions when i get it in as there is a lot of interest but very few posts out there regarding this pup.
the pup comes in 5 different winding impedances so i'm going for the middle (7K ohm). the thing about lindy is if you don't quite like the sound and want to tweak it, he'll wind a new one for ya.

I'm really pleased with what I'm getting form Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe - nope haven't tried his 51... I dig the look, don't dig the neck ... I have a J set and a split P - they rock. The J's are full single coil but he copper shields everything but the top of the bobbin and grounds that. Sweet! You can call him, give him muso-speak ... stuff like warm, articulate, not clanky, growly - and somehow he's able to translate that into a pickup that does what I asked for... it just doesn't get better than that IMO

I really dig the stock RI pickup since I've pushed the two middle pole pieces up about a 1/4" inch for better string balance.

Just looking at options :)

Seymour Duncan makes an Antiquity model for your Bass.
To my ears and for the tone I prefer, he is making the best vintage replacement pickups on the market,
I have Antiquity 2's in all 4 of my Fender Basses
A year or two ago, we A/B'd an Antiquity 2 "Pride" (Based on the L series P pickup) against an original 1962 PBass...the tone was an exact match with the Duncan having slightly better string balance.

I'd go for the Antiquity also, but only if your original is broken - there's nothing wrong with the stock pickup. And if you dig the chrome covers, they can help the shielding a bit, and even a lot if you take the trouble to run a thin earth wire from the p/u cavity to the cover.

I've never tried any, but I was in a shop on 48th street looking at basses, and I overheard one of the techs talking to a salesdude, and he said "most folks that want that look order the Sting model and have a SD quarter pounder installed before they pick it up".

Granted, he was talkin' 'bout crazy New Yorkers, and it was a few years ago, but that says something about what the NYC scene thought of the stock '51 p'ups...

I've never tried any, but I was in a shop on 48th street looking at basses, and I overheard one of the techs talking to a salesdude, and he said "most folks that want that look order the Sting model and have a SD quarter pounder installed before they pick it up".

Granted, he was talkin' 'bout crazy New Yorkers, and it was a few years ago, but that says something about what the NYC scene thought of the stock '51 p'ups...

I had one of those Sting models a couple of years back. To date, its been the only Fender Bass I've owned where I didnt feel the need to change the stock pickup...........

hey Johnny, I made a post way back in this sub forum re my 55' copy and it's new seymour duncan hot 51.

I am pretty happy with this pickup and love the punchy warmth i get with it, it measures 10k and the attack and fatness were dramatically increased from the crappy underwound ceramic style pup that came with it. A mini split coil sounds facinating but if you do go this route you won't be unhappy. I like a fat p-bass sound and waaaay prefer this to the twangy thinner tone the bass originally had.

got it here:

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/bass_pickupsduncant.htm

I really dig the stock RI pickup since I've pushed the two middle pole pieces up about a 1/4" inch for better string balance.

That's interesting.

The stock pickup on my '54/Sting came new with raised center magnets (like the '55 pickup). I had assumed the '51 was still using the same unit.

i like the stock one in mine. i'm currently building a 51 style sparkle bass, but i will wind a blade style for that one, and yes i will post pics,,...http://cudney.net/emotion-icons/coolsmiley.gif