EMG Bass Pickups A/B Demo • Warwick Thumb Basses

[@abowla7187]

The EMG's have a great punch. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but the MEC's have that distinct twang and clarity. Just boost the bass frequencies and you're good to go. Nothing compares to the texture of the MEC's.....

[@SirMavender]

I actually liked the double 45JX setup. Very nice video

[@zenzenzen4741]

Man, years later Mark and you’re still probably my favorite Warwick player! I always can count on your videos to put me in the Warwick mood and to remind myself that they’re the best hands down! Don’t ever stray away from Warwick and whatever you’re doing I hope you stay as cool as you have always been, keeping ME in line with my Warwick 6 string!!

[@LowEndUniversity]

Thank you so much!

[@myopicshah]

1. Thumb with MEC is what Thumb suppose to sound. 2. Burl top one i think sound aggressive 3. Green one i think more powerful n versatile

[@neilfoodguy8667]

Crazy, each combo of pickups each worked best when a different style/technique was used. Great vid, well done.

[@iamgribs]

i agree 100 the pj Sounds great for slapping on the B string but, fingerstyle it sounds too boomy in my opinion the jj was the most balanced for all techniques

[@gergelynaske2425]

The 45 PX & 45 JX combo are wicked. Far the best for me. Second place goes to the another EMG, and the third place goes to MEC. ;)

[@Eugensson]

It sounded very Dongwally, not gonna lie!

[@AmbientFellow]

That lime green combo sounds great

[@Jackal_Blitz]

The MEC was best by far. The EMGs took away what makes Warwicks sound so good.

[@EJSjjh]

Which is proof that most of the warwick sound is in the mec pickups

[@russelblacker2562]

@@EJSjjh well MEC is warwicks's company. So you could say that most of the warwick's sound is warwick in a way.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

I agree, I would never change the MEC out of a Warwick, but Mark is endorsed by EMG so it’s understandable

[@jacobsmith1877]

I like the 45JX the most. Also thank you so much for this awesome play through. I have been listening to Horizons on repeat for the last week or so; amazing album

[@domagojoinky8262]

I like the midrange growl and low B string on MECs soapbars better.

[@sidewindersith]

The lime green combo had to be my favorite. Lots more dynamics came through on that combo! If I win, I'd probably go with those and put em on my fender jazz deluxe precision.

[@samuelkilik8233]

the 45 jx seems to be the best in my ear ... it would love it if i win that :)

[@VladicD]

Green bass sounds very Spector-like. It has that Spector grunt :D

[@Denver077804]

45JX all the way for me. Love the clarity and growl.

[@alexeyzavolokin]

Golden bass sounds fuller and richer for my taste

[@tvpsarchive2958]

Emg 45jx: darkest sounding, warm, punchy, growly, dense, balanced, cuts through in the mix. Good lows, good highs, good mids. Most mids of the three. There's something about this one to me. This one has breathe. Emg pxjx: boomiest, roundest sounding, most low end of the 3, kinda muffled and muddy and hollow at times but still thick. Good strong mids and highs, clean and clear. Overall sounded good. Def the fattest, beefiest, rumbliest one. The lows are really nice on this one. Mec: clearest, crispiest, hardest, tightest, growliest, bouncy-iest, notes really mwah and stand out. Them mids and highs whoa man while the low end is still strong and present. Stiff sounding impactful growling, attention grabbing lows. Most attack of the three. Some people were right it's the rawest one. It's a tie for me between Emg jx and Mec.

[@davidderosi5552]

Three are pieces of art, they sounds amazing, killers! I wouldn't know how to decide on one of the three

[@BassRacerx]

P J combo has such a unique presence in long scale extended range basses. But you can't go wrong with either of these three combos.

[@ryanbirabent-genone9219]

I liked the bass with the 45jx set best, awesome comparison, thanks!

[@oscarmorales-cn3hz]

EMG 45JX, that's an amasing sound for me, it just cut rigth in the mix, awesome!!!

[@bassnate7639]

I have a '06 thumb NT5. A lot of people don't like MEC, but I do. But of the EMG pickups, I would have to say green bass.

[@Gothanist]

I agree, MEC is wery good and i would not trade mine for any other mic out there.

[@cedarandsound]

It looks like the neck pickup is closest to the neck on the green bass in comparison to the others

[@danielcorrigan8805]

MEC clarity for live playing. JX for studio to get those deep rumble the subs lows.

[@CorvetteCoonass]

I'm loving the P & J X combo. I have 40DCs in my bass that I'm not a big fan of, the midrange presence is lacking I feel and the treble is waaaay too much. I think I'll go for the P&J X combo.

[@pudgeezudgee2309]

loved the b sound on the lime green bass and the other strings was good enough to make the lime green the winner. the mec was runner up.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Thanks!

[@dangiampietro6606]

I'll agree with what others have said about how each pickup combination was stronger in certain parts. I'd say the 45JX pickups were easily the most balanced. THE MEC were quite burpy and mid focused, and 45Px and 45JX combo was the most extended in the lows and highs, without necessarily being "scooped" per say. Great stuff.

[@Roman_Kryachik]

Incredible sound all of these basses!

[@Somelights_NL]

I love the J+J sound combination, I think it is the most rich sound between these basses. I can feel through my sound system how the yellow bass growls my arse and the intestines with turds too, EMG-J turns out to be a great pickup! The green one and the MEC one has too aggressive midrange, too crispy and raw, I don't like that crap in the sound. But yet the green bass still sounds better than the MEC one. Sorry to disappoint you, Warwick folks! :)

[@Arael4]

i'm loving the extra growl of the first bass (45PX & 45JX) , 2nd place going to 45JX x2. EMGs all the way for me. Great playing BTW

[@LowEndUniversity]

Thanks so much!!

[@chrismorgan7020]

I liked the dual 45jx good punch and still nice high end cut

[@ashplaysbass]

The MEC pickups sound really classic and have that Warwick zing, bur I really thing the JX set takes what's good about the MEC's and breathes life into them. They're actually making me second guess what pickups I want to put into my next bass

[@carlosbaez2555]

The original thumb sound calm, the double J sounds more in your face and the green between both. Especially at the low B parts.

[@scottyshepardthesmoothdeep3081]

Hey I liked all the basses and the sound on all of them, your cool dude,

[@marco271185]

I like them all...it depends on what kind of tone you wanna get. I have a Warwick GPS Thumb 6 String with MEC Pick Ups, it kicks ass.

[@VeitLehmann]

This demo shows something interesting: Pickup position is really crucial! I found the two basses with the neck pickup further back to sound very similar in the mix. Even though they have very different pickups. You could make them sound pretty much the same with some small EQ tweaks. The golden bass with the neck pickup closer to the neck sounds very differently, even though it's equipped with very similar pickups as the 2nd one (EMG PJ vs JJ shouldn't make such a huge difference by itself).

[@LowEndUniversity]

Yeah! It is one variable I couldn’t really remove, but still shows a different perspective on the tones. Thanks for watching!

[@worldpbrasil]

I loved 45jx setup.

[@szalame631]

MECs sound like a real warwick. They are in a perfect place tonaly.

[@robertmolldius8643]

I'm going for the 45jx, but they all sounds great.

[@OlliSyrjakari]

I think the MEC's have the Warwick signature sound, which is great!

[@LowEndUniversity]

They do!

[@miguelolavarria1793]

I'm playing the warwik jazz bass and fat beans string great sound .

[@candrabalimirage]

The Two EMG 45 JX and 45 PX are More Wide Frequency. While EMG 45 JX neck & bridge are Solid Sound.

[@easygarden777]

I prefer the 2 x JX pickups in your wood colour custom .... more body and clearer over the whole neck. I have an old Warrick fortress one with MEC pickups and find them lacking in lower register and have had problems with the active cutting out and having to play passive😪 .... Although over all it's a great bass to play and done over a hundred gigs. Would love to try some EMGs in it 😀

[@trackerbuckmann1627]

I can't pick a favorite, but it all sounds amazing.

[@cyril_jq]

IMO Slap MEC>Green>Burl, Finger Green>MEC>Burl, High notes Burl>MEC>Green

[@stewartross13]

MEC for me.

[@BlackRootsAcademyOfSoul]

I'm going for the EMG 45JX. Hands down.

[@cfaibah]

I'd NEVER expect to see Tetrafusion here.

[@VenzGF]

they sounded sooo different for me, i can't choose the best cuz they all are so good :0

[@surfj9009]

I gotta say, I love the growl of the mecs

[@jamesobrien1614]

You can definitely tell a difference between the EMG's and the MEC's. The Emg's have a little more bass to them.

[@gingaleanda]

I’ll choose MEC 1st, wouldn’t complain with any of though👍

[@federicoalbanese2858]

Very nice video and comparison, thank you!!! Let's say, I enjoyed every tone you got from every bass, they are very nice in their own way. Probably the JJ is the one that cuts better in the mix, while the PJ is the heavier, in a good way: it gives you a fatter tone, while reteining a lot of clarity on low notes. The MEC combo is what I immagine as the classic Warwick tone, but I have to admit that the character of Warwick basses is very clear on every model that you showed here. If I have to pick only one, I would choose the PJ model, as it will give me more sounds by blanding the two pickups in different ways.

[@21DaHoagie12]

MEC def has that Warwick grit to it, but I thought it always sounded a little thin and scooped for my taste; I know it’s not as much a “Warwick” sound, but the two jazz pickups was the best sounding for my personal taste

[@mzg1237]

Both EMG pickups sounded better than the MEC soapbars, but I'm going to say my favorite was the 45PX & 45JX combo. Had the most low end to my ears and just sounded very clear. I will have to invest in those myself! Thanks for the comparison :)

[@stoodworks8823]

EMG PX got a bulldoozer sound,,the best

[@rockereivanivan]

cream: throaty lime: thick and warmer brown: thighter

[@robsantorobass]

Really liking the PX and JX.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Good! Because that's the only one I have left of those 3 basses 😭😅

[@Carterfredriksson]

The mec and the emg 45jx set sound similar. But the mec are still my favorite

[@DavidMGarens]

45JX seems to be the best - more range, more difference in sound, more character.

[@cedarandsound]

Once he stopped talking and started playing I was satisfied.

[@eidetecker]

Everything coming out of that green chrome baby was warm and clear and tight. The other two lacked warmth; the second Thumb was warmer than the MEC. The Green machine's pickups win, hands down, for me.

[@LowEndUniversity]

I agree! It has a subtle warmth!

[@alexquiroz6443]

good job,,, emg 45jx is very cool, great definition on low tones,, mec sound is fantastic minor gain that emg but mec are fantastic... know mix emg jx - emg px is very good also, px have tone high on 5th string good.

[@victor706103]

I personally do not like MEC, however it sounds uniquely good on thumb nt. that s very interesting. I guess it s because of the full hard wood construction. Bubinga+wenge. maybe

[@florinbaiduc]

Yeah, I'm good with the MECs, thank you...

[@LowEndUniversity]

You’re welcome!

[@-Ry-Guy]

badass!!!

[@TH-gu4wj]

The 45Jx set were my favorite, but like, who wouldn't take ANY of those sounds?

[@iamgribs]

i like the double j setup. The pj sounded boomy to me on that particular bass. the mec are very "clacky" and thin sounding by comparison. i am not really crazy about the low mid thing that a thumb does anyhow.

[@mikefaust87]

Def the jazz pick up set to me sounds better on those 2. The EMG pick to me has a little more bright sounding then the MEC. I love both, I think I depends on ur own sound and style. I have both brands of pick ups and use just depends on what the song calls for LOL great video than and sweet custom shop thumbs hell ya

[@eduardoteodoro2300]

Between these, might be more of a personal thing. I love the sound of the MEC.

[@punman5392]

I did not expect this dude to play some prog metal tbh

[@LowEndUniversity]

Ha! I’ve had an ongoing prog metal band/project since 2006 named Tetrafusion! That’s one of our songs in the video.

[@robdubent]

MEC seems to make the Warwick growl shine….?

[@LowEndUniversity]

Definitely the growliest option, but lacks fullness at the same time! But they’re still phenomenal pickups

[@sethnicholls7861]

Very much prefer the JX ON THE THE 2ND BASS! Best balance and punch! Easy pick btw..Great playing and tone.

[@bassman71]

I prefer the growl in the Mec pickups

[@TheEvilGrandmother]

Yellow bass the best 👌

[@runehagen5373]

I like the PX and JX-combo best

[@YanDoroshenko]

There's a mistake in the video. Thumb doesn't have a neck pickup in the standard configuration, it has a bridge pickup and an even more bridge pickup.

[@LowEndUniversity]

ok

[@klaymeister]

Weird opinion: The 2 basses with pickups closest to bridge sound better for low chugs, but I like the P/J for slap and higher notes.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Fair!

[@LukeBass1000]

Really cool demo! Mark in your opinion, how much difference does the pickup position in your new bass affect the sound? Definitely had a fatter tone with less of the distinctive Warwick high mid growl...

[@LowEndUniversity]

As I responded above, it definitely adds more bottom end and "fatness", but I tried these pickups in my buckeye burl bass too and it still yielded a "rounder" tone - the placement and pickup type both contribute about equally to these results in the green bass!

[@MisterKaribOfficiel]

double 45JX setup !

[@MisterKaribOfficiel]

2 years later, I still like this setup the most

[@drakecanova69]

For clean, I'd say the lime green sounds good but for me as a fuzz/darkglass distortion bassist, I say the MEC. the double Jx sound a little to dark and warm to my ears.

[@Infectedbyevil]

Green bass and thumb nt , sound's grate for me. But I prefer the mec sound. I trust Warwick manufacturing , they know what they do. they put mec pickups on their serial models and this is exactly what I call "Warwick sound".

[@Big_Boi23]

MEC a bit anemic as usual with more bark. The EMGs sound more finished/processed.

[@MrPatounet0007]

For me best is the EMG on the Green basse.

[@xxXthekevXxx]

I prefer the tone on your light-up bass. That bass tone is what made Scale the Summit stand out so much to me. They're not as good without you :)

[@franciscoreyes1841]

they all sound great tbh idk much about bass guitars just started learning any tips?

[@IntoTheMystery13]

Mec or 45jx. The 44jx cut through better, but I’m just with the right eq the mec could cut through just as well. It wouldn’t be worth the upgrade from mec for me

[@ryanhoward3028]

I think the green(and ugliest) one sounds the punchiest by far, the lighter wood one has a godly low end presence, and the MECs are lacking in high-end. I think EMG just found themselves a new fan.

[@punman5392]

The MECs sounded thin. I liked the green one best tbh

[@Zeusren]

Me encantan los Warwick para tocar rock o metal

[@lanceunderpants]

Are those cracks in the paint from wear and tear? Looks really cool

[@LowEndUniversity]

Yes, but the bass was purposely made that way. It was aged during manufacturing. Thanks!

[@jordanm1053]

Lime green chrome, tasty. I love the rotten banana bass tho.

[@oscarsantos2608]

MEC for me!

[@MDCCLXXIV]

Both EMG pickups combined; what strings and amp are you using? Also how can someone get a sound alike to both pickups in one pickup???

[@LowEndUniversity]

Just going direct here through DI, but was using Dunlop Super Bright Nickels for these. And, I’m not sure if that’s possible - each pickup brings different qualities to the table and are blended together for the final sound. Tons of options out there, and worth experimenting with!

[@cavanray6742]

Did you know you can get the soapbar jazzs in the alnico versions, even though the emg website doesnt show it. My main player has the 40jaxs in it. I used to have 40jxs and this video was what pushed that choice. The alnicos are much more balanced between the mids and highs. Smoother highs, full mids, lots of grunt and grind. The ceramics are just too scooped and can get a bit lost. Speaking of which, why aren't you more prominent in the mix of this song on bandcamp?

[@LowEndUniversity]

Right on, I think I've tried them! I've been with EMG since 2012 and think I've tried every soapbar they have - I still keep returning to the P/J standards. As for the mix - man, the bass is LOUD on that album. You sure about that? Haha. I was super happy with the mix, might be my favorite bass tone on any album I've done. Tough choice between that and STS "The Migration".

[@cavanray6742]

@LowEndUniversity I guess I think more fat low mids. I love mids haha, it's why I prefer the alnico emgs. Much grinder more full bodied then the standards. If you love it that's all that matters really.

[@cavanray6742]

@LowEndUniversity I guess I think more fat low mids. I love mids haha, it's why I prefer the alnico emgs. Much grinder more full bodied then the standards. If you love it that's all that matters really.

[@DiegoEstevezSitar]

MEC all day, any day!. The Emg make the signal too colored. That thumb sounded at its best with the MEC's here; that distinctive growl and throaty midrange gets lost with the emg's

[@MrVyrtuoso]

The MEC is best. It has both a mid range quality and high end sparkle that are scooped out of the 45PX. It's not to say that these tones are what makes the MEC best, but the presence of these tones that will be easier to EQ out if unwanted is what makes it preferred over the 45PX that doesn't have them and would be harder to EQ in if wanted. And it's these tones that are desired for overdriving and distorting in a rock/metal context. The all 45JX has the mid range but lacks the high end sparkle. Not sure if this is the pick ups or differences in strings.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Strings are all the same! But great points otherwise!

[@mrbodybuildingful]

MEC wow love it

[@lukemc9090]

They also sounded awesome but I like EMG 45px seemed more mean and more booty !

[@gabrielazevedo5802]

I loved the EMG 45PX, but when you slaped the 45Jx was much better, 45PX was too bright

[@shelsd64]

Where to find the mec soap bars

[@pgpete]

just wind in a little more booty using the on-board eq on the MEC thumb and you'd retain the midrange growl AND match the low end of this EMG's

[@LowEndUniversity]

Probably right! I usually go for that. The custom plays so much better though, so I'm partial to it!