Question about my Precision Bass:

I got a Fender Precision Bass a few years ago from MARS before they closed. It's one of those Midnight Wine ones. It doesn't have the S-1 switch.
Is the pickup a humbucking pickup?

I don't know the model you have. The "usual" precision pickup is humbucking, but not like Gibsons. They are two coils, one for the A and E string and the other for the D and G string. The two coils are wired for humbucking.

Yeah, the stock P-Bass pickup has one coil for the E and A strings, and one coil for the D and G strings, and they're reverse-wound to each other, resulting in hum-cancelling.

I don't know why more folks don't use that kinda design, G&L makes a guitar pickup like that, but that's about it...

Cheers, Tim

got a Fender Precision Bass a few years ago from MARS before they closed. It's one of those Midnight Wine ones.

Sounds like a MIM Standard P-bass to me. I was surprised a few months back to find out that the split coils are humbuckers. I never knew that. :roll:
Not what I thought of when it comes to them.

Well, I noticed that the Paisley P Bass is a lot noisier than the one I've had.

Is there a replacement humbucker PU that you can put in the 51 style P Bass?

Is there a replacement humbucker PU that you can put in the 51 style P Bass?

Stewart-Duncan (SP?) makes a 'stacked' pup that is supposed to be quieter.

Well, I noticed that the Paisley P Bass is a lot noisier than the one I've had.

Is there a replacement humbucker PU that you can put in the 51 style P Bass?

Fralin makes a "Precision" Style humbucker in the Jazz bass shape. It is two coils, one for EA, the other for DG. It sounds great, but is expensive. I'm not sure of any other manufactures that may make 51 style hum pickups.

Shoot....my older Fender P Bass sounds a lot better through my new amp!:shock:

Chet, try adjusting the pickup height, maybe it's too close or too far from the strings.

If that doesn't help, well, maybe you're finding out why Leo changed the pickups in 1954....

Yikes!

Tim

I first noticed that I had to be careful about how high I set the volume/gain/boost etc. before I got too much noise with the Paisley.
The newer version P Bass just sounds clearer and louder. :confused:

Chet, try adjusting the pickup height, maybe it's too close or too far from the strings.

Don't think that will help Tim, it's just the ol' SCPB problem. :cry:
I would check out SD's stacked pup. I've heard they really work.

I'm going to run a ground wire from my pup cover to the control plate, I play between the covers most of the time, so when I rest my thumb on the cover, I'm completing the ground and some noise goes away.
(I lost some grounding when I put the tapewounds on.)

The oringinals (51's) had a ground wire from the pup to the control cavity.

It's funny that I've never read any comments about the PU noise in any of the threads about the 51 P Bass RI.
The noise i get might be because I have my amp set up right next to my tv set in my living room. Maybe it isn't too bad in gigging places/studios.

Chet, my regular gigging bass is a Vista Series Musicmaster with an almost identical pickup. It isn't particularly noisy, but it does buzz around neon lights and TV sets (and my old computer monitor, since replaced with an LCD monitor), all the same places that my Tele gets buzzy...

If you have the problem all the time, it may be a ground wire needs resoldering.

Cheers, Tim

The noise i get might be because I have my amp set up right next to my tv set in my living room. Maybe it isn't too bad in gigging places/studios.

Oh yeah, that will add to the noise for sure! Well, not the amp, but having the guitar near TV's, computer monitors, florescent lights, like Tim already mentioned, will add to the buzz.

buy emg's. then say goodbye to that 60 cycle hum.

I put Bill Lawrence's p-bass replacement in mine, they are fantastic, super quiet.
And that's Bill and Becky, not the plonker using their name.
Clive

I'm another user of the Lawrence P-46 - a very under rated pickup.

+1 for the BL P-46 pickup (additionally, I have a bass Q-filter in there); I also use his J-45's in my Geddy Lee.

The bass Q-filter actually makes the tone knob quite useable

Just fwiw, Chet was asking about replacement pickups for a '51 P-Bass, the old single-coil variety...

Cheers, Tim

I see what you mean Tim...I also have one of the Vista Squier Musicmaster basses (BTW, I love it). I installed one of Bill's L-250XL pickups (single coil size, double blade) that I found on ebay, and then coupled that with a bass Q-filter.

In a recent post on the Wilde-Gate forum, I see Bill is planning to launch a new single coil size humbucker (L-45) that may be suitable for this application.

I see what you mean Tim...I also have one of the Vista Squier Musicmaster basses (BTW, I love it). I installed one of Bill's L-250XL pickups (single coil size, double blade) that I found on ebay, and then coupled that with a bass Q-filter.

In a recent post on the Wilde-Gate forum, I see Bill is planning to launch a new single coil size humbucker (L-45) that may be suitable for this application.

That's good news! I've been thinking of getting one of those GFS twin blade pickups, but I'm kinda digging the stock Vista Series pickup...

Cheers, Tim