EMG Geezer Butler Signature PJ Set

[@cacadordorio]

you need repeat this demo on squier bass, because the stock pickup sounds really fantastic too

[@DISMISSED375]

I do agree bro...He has to try this stuff on a cheaper bass...

[@djeric1000]

caçador do rio the bridge stock pickup sucks

[@Ampher03]

djeric1000 I like it. I see exactly what you mean, but for some reason I like it

[@regimiro4888]

lol they'll sound exactly the same

[@toolate2112]

I put those pickups on my first bass a silvertone starter pack bass and holy s*** it sounds amazing those pickups are crisp in the high end, they're really robust in the low end, and they have an insane midrange punch

[@craigdamage]

Glad to see that EMG makes a more ballsy pickup. My experience with EMGs is from back in the 80s when they were known for their brightness and clarity. They were way too clean and modern for me back then. I recall a popular bass in the mid 80s was the GUILD "Pilot" Bass which had a p/j configuration. Some models arrived at music stores with EMGs and others had Bartolini p/ups. EMGs were for the slap-pop bassists and the Bartolinis had a warmer more "vintage" tone.

[@ugsdit5296]

as an owner of this same bass i have to say the stock pickups sound great too

[@ihateschool778]

I'm getting this bass in 2 days. Have you ever been able to compare it to an American made pj bass? Was just wondering how it stacks up to the pricier options

[@ugsdit5296]

@@ihateschool778 havent really had a chance for a direct comparison but this bass defenetily feels and sounds high quality, especially for the price

[@rban123]

I too own this exact bass in this exact color!

[@medlinenick2937]

I have this exact bass. I love the sound of it. I've recorded it but have not done any live gigging with it (Covid 19). Looking for the day when I can see how it fills up a room

[@medlinenick2937]

@@ihateschool778 How do you like the bass?

[@only1johnporter]

Got a set of these on my Squier Jag SS. Now it is awesome. Fab p'ups and pots too. Well Done EMG

[@davidcracknell2008]

Did your original SS jaguar volume and tone knobs fit on the new EMG pots ?

[@GregSturmon]

Some of the best bass pups I've ever played. Got mines in a Squier PJ. Love them!!

[@WoriusPL]

So do you think is worth to upgrade Squier PJ?

[@GregSturmon]

WoriusPL most definitely man. I can easily say these will give any pup out there there a run for their money if not plain beat em cold.

[@NickyHendriks]

If it is a brilliant playing Squier then why not? I'm planning on upgrading my Squier P somewhere in the next 6 months. I have a Squier J Affinity which plays amazing but could use a better bridge and proper pickups, then it would be a damn good bass for the money!

[@iamkyellow]

pbass stock fulltone 0:30, 5:23, 5:44, 6:04 vs pbass emg fulltone 3:08, 5:33, 5:54, 6:14

[@toolate2112]

I have those pickups on my cheap silvertone p bass and that bass now sounds like a monster

[@lucasiciliano]

Hello Chris ! What a sounding PJ Bass !!! Great updating with Geezer's PJ set ! Love it !

[@iliasballas3849]

How the GZR P/J set fares against -lets say- the SD Quarterpound P/J set ?

[@codyhansonbass]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqylmCheKqbnLc

[@SOswim1]

Installed these in a Fender Aerodyne and i cant seem to get a high output in these pickups. Is there a reason behind this?

[@IgnisIban]

The EMG GB have plenty more mids and less extended hi and lows, a particularly mid hump at around 1-2k that make them cut trough the distortion so well, overall more focus and compress spund, the stocks are more mid scoop and more balance sound with extended highs and lows, more open sound, love the GB for rock and Metal and the stocks for funk and more laid back stuff, great demo

[@avega2792]

Even through my phone speaker the Geezers sound amazing in comparison to the stock pick ups.

[@OroborosEternalLife]

I like the stock p pickups more but not diggin the stock j pickup. The p pickups did have more growl. The Geezer set, though, sounded a lot more consistent and a little more clarity. They really worked well together and separate, while the stock set didn't seem to mend well as a set. When the Geezer set was run through distortion, it became clear why Geezer has this set.

[@TheBassChannel]

Cruz Avila Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@RyanDenley]

I'd love to hear a comparison between the Steve Harris SPB-4 and the EMG GZR P-bass pickup. They both have a bit more push and grind in the lower mids that really screams classic rock tone to me.

[@TheBassChannel]

Ryan Denley That may be something we'll do on the podcast since Will's bass is equipped with the Steve Harris pickups and Chris's bass has the Geezer set.

[@RyanDenley]

Awesome. Just became a Patron! I can't wait to dig into the extra content.

[@TheBassChannel]

Thank you very much!

[@drury2d8]

is there a link to the podcast ? confused between the SPB-4, EMG GZR and SPB-3. I feel that although the SPB-3 is really loud, its booming tone can be a letdown while playing live. I wonder why the SPB 3 is so popular ?

[@RyanDenley]

Audio version on Speaker: www.spreaker.com/user/9889548/tips-for-live-tone

[@ikigai47]

Very nice. You let me know I don't need to upgrade, my pups are just fine

[@sssidney]

Just ordered a set of these for my cv 70’s squire should be interesting to see how well they sound

[@sssidney]

Just answering my own comment I’m so glad I picked these as my bass sounds fantastic

[@Doodlebug1996]

The best pickups I have ever put in a bass.

[@jasondorsey7110]

I replaced the stock active electronics in my 95 jackson with this gzr set and a passive wiring harness with a blend pot and the improvement was huge, one of the most versatile basses in my collection now

[@ericthomas157]

Yeah, like some others have said, I’d like to see a cheaper bass upgraded with nicer pickups so you can see a bigger improvement in sound.

[@robertcuevas3062]

I've been thinking about throwing a set of these into my Yamaha TRBX 174

[@1thess523]

Just saw this again and thought you were playing Fugazi's Waiting Room in the very first notes 😃

[@ericj9160]

Stock pickups sound pretty damn good! Geezer's sound a little deeper and punchier. Like to see EMG'S on a Fender! Love to hear your comments on the tonal difference. Please oblige us, realizing you try to stay neutral.

[@TheBassChannel]

Eric J It was thought to have a preference on this one. The EMGs are fantastic. They do a great job at giving you more of a vintage Fender tone. A bit more clear in the highs and more traditional mid-presence with the P pickup. The stock pickups are much more modern sounding. I'll most likely put the stock pickups back in, but I'm going to play with these for a bit. I do love the stock pickups, though.

[@iamgribs]

The original pups sound good but god damn these emgs have some real authority. It sounds deeper and richer for lack of a better term too.

[@lowqualityguitarvideos]

Nice tone during the pickup install montage.

[@justinkline1294]

Yeah, I was thinking the same . . . .

[@jameslewis2635]

Suffice to say that the basic pickups on this bass sound better than the ones on my Squire P bass although I notice that the J bass pickup seemed really low output on the example shown. To my ears the Geezer set seems to give a slightly fuller sound where the original set seemed to have a very hollow sound and rang out in a piano kind of vibe.

[@Creed_fan_69]

It’s the noiseless. All fender noiseless (even strat) pickups are pretty low output. No hum tho.

[@prestong515]

I have these pickups on a regular pbass and they are fantastic well worth it

[@ryangoodrow8829]

I put these in a squire pj bass, and tbh I didn’t notice much of a higher output, but that’s because the only way I could get them to fit had them so far sunken into the body. I may need to add some more foam under the pickup

[@raphaelcote3577]

The emg rocks the stock ones imo.

[@sharktooth5000]

Great demo Will, i always prefer to see you on here as opposed to other people they occasionally have. I wish you would have included what you did or did not like about these pick ups as i am definitely considering to put these in my Mikro bass. Thanks.

[@TheBassChannel]

+sharktooth5000 To be honest, it's hard to find anything bad to say about these pickups. They sound great and are easy to install. Are you not a fan of Nick?

[@sharktooth5000]

Not opposed to Nick, just prefer Will, Great channel either way!!! Thanks.

[@TheBassChannel]

+sharktooth5000 No worries. Just curious. Thank you for watching!

[@PeterDesilvey]

Both Pickups are fantastic but EMG has it by a hair it was pretty close until towards the end when they were comparing direct input with distortion and it definitely came out that the EMG high ends are more clear and can make that kind of riff stand out in a metal bass riff where the stock ones would hide behind the rest of the distortion from the rhythm guitar. Almost wanna go get me a PJ bass just to put a set of these in it

[@bwj8]

The GZR signature P-bass pickup is available alone if you want to try it by itself.

[@ricardojmestre]

Get an Ibáñez Talman!

[@acprado67]

great sound BUT, I suppose that on the new pickups part in the video, the volume was louder, wich enhances the sound impression

[@TheBassChannel]

You would be incorrect. We have no other agenda than to honestly document all gear we check out.

[@acprado67]

​@@TheBassChannel I´am not accusing of fraud, but the level isn´t the same... You should had put the sound side by side, with same adjustments during capture.

[@TravelerofThailand]

an interesting concept....you get to play the guessing game of what settings are being changed to generate the sound being heard.

[@woah4848]

I never thought I’d like pj pickups besides the way it’s supposed to be but I really like the sound of them on my squire jaguar

[@justinkline1294]

Yeah, these are most badass when run with a natural overdrive (I use a BOSS ODB-3 pedal set per the manual). Sorry about the multiple posts, I'm just posting as I'm learning.

[@lemmykilmister1239]

i got the set but somehow it doesn't have the same high/treble as this video. I use Dr's DDT strings which are not particularly dark. Not sure what to make of this. I mean, the lows sound good but that's almost all I get

[@jamesreynolds4487]

I love these geezers man they are sick

[@danielhansen6991]

Mine just shipped today after being on backorder forever.

[@erockscott1184]

I wonder if you can get the replacement pots if they screw up.

[@thedreamstation]

Video, on how to install them?

[@robertanthony9079]

For the clean sounds, they are almost the same, but the Fender Noiseless sounds better in the bridge. However, with the fuzz added I vote for the EMG. They "warmed" the clipping better and would fit in a mix better with distorted or clean guitar. It may have been good to have a more comprehensive comparison with dirty /modified tones since, if you are getting these, you are a fan of BS (heavy rock) and are likely to use effects as part of your tone at some point. But good bass playing in the demo!

[@iamgribs]

Yes gzr sounds amazing with distortion

[@AlfaPegasii]

With my $10 headphones I have to say I have no freakin idea which is better

[@mr.phil.a]

Have some pride and get decent headphones. FFS.

[@hetul784]

Great testing apparatus man

[@whonnabeepotzilla6175]

I have put them in Marcus Miller u5. Overall bass with stocks sounded more balanced between both pups... GZR P mightbee nicer fuller some kinda way but J its just... dosent adds something to the table.. im kinda thinkin put back stock J back... with GZR P , might be im doing somthing wrong or its just tone or somthing that i dont like about this gzr P and J combination..

[@tanukibrahma]

Thanks for this review/comparison!

[@DouglasComical]

Sure the stock pups sound great too, but how in hell can nobody hear the difference? It comes down to preference, but there is a very clear difference in sound

[@Adam666...]

Yep, my aerodyne is having a set of these

[@marcoromero8552]

I own the same bass and have been considering these pickups! I might just do it now!

[@REMBRANTTUBE]

GREAT JOB!! ....LOVE THE GEEZERS!!!!!

[@TheGoldeneye1973]

i have the same bass. looking at some pickups to put in

[@TheBassChannel]

Do it! 👍🏻

[@brandondavidson2200]

Will these fit in a squier affinity p j bass?

[@ataconazi]

6:38 clear winner assuming no settings were changed besides pickups

[@TheBassChannel]

You are correct. The only thing different were the pickups.

[@jamesespinosa8882]

Love the tone !!!

[@brotherem1]

that tone is butter scotch

[@sidthebassist89]

I wonder how different mine would sound since my Alvarez has a reversed P pickup

[@joedecker3900]

Flats sound great too

[@burningkarma]

Geezer's are great if you're after that particular tone. I just happened to have liked the stock pickups more in my MIM Classic 50's P Bass.

[@Jack-pp2ng]

Sounds great

[@DonyaLane]

Can anyone tell me what strings they prefer for a PJ style bass? I just got one (the one in this vid), and I don't know how I want it set up, considering it kinda offers a mix between two worlds. Thanks.

[@TheBassChannel]

Donya Lane If it helps at all, we're using Elixir Stainless Steels on this one.

[@DonyaLane]

The Elixir Stainless strings are NOT the ones that comes from the factory, correct? You put those on, yourself?

[@TheBassChannel]

Donya Lane Correct

[@DonyaLane]

Thank you for answering. I do think I'm going to need to experiment with it. I was even thinking of mixing two sets, so I can live in P world and J world, depending on the genre I'm going for. Do you think that would work?

[@justinkline1294]

Just go with the Elixir's (even nickel-plated ones). The sound fantastic and last forever. Not too sure about your idea to mix.

[@Projamusic]

Which is better this or regular EMG PHZ?

[@sidthebassist89]

I really wish EMG would make a 5 string GZR set

[@scottyflamingo1413]

Geezer never plays a 5 string. They are keeping it authentic by not making a 5 string set.

[@troychrisman2035]

Will these work in an Ibanez Mikro bass?

[@luissillas56]

I have a question,does any PJ pickups can go on any bass with PJ pickups system?? I have an Ibanez GSR200 and I'm searching other pickups,but Idk if those pickups can be installed on my bass, another thing is that I can't find any diagram of the GSR 200 pickups system connection,so Idk what to do,if someone knows something I will appreciate it so much!

[@BassRacerx]

just measure the pickup cavities themselves the demensions of the pickups should be there on the manufacturer website. but if my fuzzy memory serves me the ibenez GSR200 uses same size pickups as fender

[@crissnero3794]

I replaced the stock pickups in a cheaper bass with these and honestly the stock pickups were much louder. These just don't have the same output. Great tone though! I don't know why this is. I installed them myself, maybe I just need to make some sort of adjustment. Any suggestions would be much appreciated

[@christophecasse1006]

maybe adjust the height of the pickups ?

[@crissnero3794]

Yeah I sort of tried that. The problem was they were then way too lose. Maybe if I got longer screws

[@BassRacerx]

trust me lower output is not a bad thing. unless you are using a 100 foot guitar cable its not that big a deal. lower output from the bass lets you drive your amp harder without clipping.

[@justinkline1294]

God--damn, those EMG Geezers sound mean as fuck.

[@turbinexman]

Are these passive or active, and does this set, utilize 250K audio taper pots? Thanks.

[@1thess523]

I like the stock better, I tried this bass at guitar center and couldn't believe it was on $600

[@woah4848]

Are emg pickups easy to install beside the removal of the old hardware in the bass

[@TheBassChannel]

Very easy

[@michelangelomacaluso7679]

Did you used foam under pickups?

[@arissp4950]

Care to do the same demo on a Squier bass?

[@bass7string7]

Great review! Those Geezers have a bit more snot on 'em! Snarly man thanks for the hard work.

[@rommelrivera1186]

Where's that delicious crunch starting at 6:27 coming from? I know you're going amp+direct with both pups, but that sounds like an effect of sorts. Great review! Tx.

[@TheBassChannel]

That’s the onboard overdrive on the Fender Bassman 500.

[@edgarverduzco3638]

I have the same bass but a prior model I believe because the pick up selector is a toggle switch, will these pick ups work on mine, and will they be plug and play out the box?

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Nice demo Will excellent demo Paul Liverpool UK

[@arissp4950]

would you recommend this as a replacement to my squier vintage modified p bass? i play souther, stoner doom on C# and drop B. Considering Black Sabbath play on lower tunings these pickups are gonna shine in this tunings? my bass is strickly a studio instrument I don't play live

[@BassRacerx]

drop tuning go PJ active set!

[@nated2922]

I love these things for low tuning. The growling midrange helps keep things clear.

[@biconditionals]

TBH the best sound for me was 6:04 ... the stock pup. And this comes from someone trying hard to convince themselves on the EMG set!

[@MisterStabby]

Wowza. They sound beefy

[@jhill0962]

i think fender pickups sound good squiers are always to bright and pingy sounding to me emg has a flatter more subtle warm more mid range sound i have emg on my jazz bass i wanna replace the pick ups on my 84 squier bullet and was thinking fender maybe

[@fredmillard5018]

Will this set of pups work with an active preamp?

[@JohnBrown-km1by]

Is that a geezer butler bass line?

[@lukemccoy75]

Are these pickups active?

[@NUCornhusker]

Late to comment here, but do you have any recollection of what strings you were using here? I have the same bass and the same amp/cab set. Thank you. Love what you guys do here.

[@TheBassChannel]

These were Elixir Stainless Steel 45-105

[@sidez81]

Man that J sounded massive!

[@ryansvend8647]

What bridge is that on there? I have a red squire, wouldn't mind that upgrade. Thanks.

[@TheBassChannel]

Ryan Svend It’s a Fender High-Mass bridge. Similar to the old Badass-style bridges.

[@ryansvend8647]

Bassic Gear Review thanks! Do you know if they fit on a squire standard PJ (5 screws on the bridge).

[@TheBassChannel]

Yes, it should fit.

[@danadane2501]

The stock pickups are fine . You're looking at around 350 total cost after order installation . Good review but save your money .

[@aarondavis4341]

Gotta get me a set of these

[@seaskiff20]

What’s with the huge hole under the pickguard between the volume pot and lower horn?!?! Ouch! Geezers all the way.

[@bwj8]

The hole is where the computer controlled cutting router holds the bass body while it does its work. The American ones have them, not sure about all of the imports.

[@JohnBrown-km1by]

I like the stock pickups better

[@anthonyfelker1712]

What kind of bridge is that?

[@TheBassChannel]

+anthony felker Fender Hi-Mass Bridge.

[@anthonyfelker1712]

Bassic Gear Review :Thank you, it looked almost like my Leo Quan badass II Bridge that I had installed on my '75 P bass.

[@bremsnix]

Apart from a dofferent Name on it, it's basically the same but doesnt set you back as much.

[@mikesperling9878]

Those sound amazing! O_O

[@ivarvanderheijden]

Installed these pickups into a very cheap Chinese bass, and now it doesn't sound like a cheap Chinese bass anymore... Pickups costed me €119, the bass was €129, so it's a double value now. But it plays really nice, for a cheap one. Now it doesn't sound cheap anymore. Only, the cavity of the J-pickup was (a bit, 4mm) too small, so I had to do a bit of milling on that, and the holes for the pots.

[@ericjin9076]

I thought soldering was required for installing pick ups

[@iann8733]

Usually, yes, but EMG brand pickups (guitar and bass) have a solder-less installation system.

[@Rockbasscovers]

Is that the Fender Deluxe p bass special? Thank you!

[@TheBassChannel]

Fender Deluxe PJ Bass.

[@enriquedelapaz7002]

Those growl!

[@juanpablorb7150]

Will, I just bought that bass! Im having a really hard time finding alternative pickguards tho, you know where I can get a pickguard that will fit? Fender doesnt even have em (special deluxe p bass MIM pickguard)!

[@TheBassChannel]

+juan pablo redon Check out pickguards.com or pickguards.us

[@juanpablorb7150]

Cool thanks!

[@genapathy4463]

www.wdmusic.com/pickguard_pbs_400.html and pick the Mexican standard. There's an option for a 4 knob option. When I looked at the screw hole placement, it looked right.

[@juanpablorb7150]

I got one from greasy groove, www.greasygroove.com/proddetail.php?prod=13620-PG-P-S-C-PB thanks for the help anyways!

[@bwj8]

WD will also do custom jobs or leave holes off by request. They will also replicate what you send a template for.

[@SprunkCovers]

These pickups are active?

[@TheBassChannel]

No, they are passive.

[@justinkline1294]

Man, these sound awesome. Just got them installed last night on my Lake Placid Blue Squier VM P/J bass. Now looks and sounds pretty fuckin' mean. But, Squier VM owners please be advised: This bass uses a long barrel jack, not the "standard" outfit that comes from EMG. So, you need to use your old jack and that requires two solders. Totally worth it, even if you have to pay GC $30 to do it (like me). Another issue is maybe not so easy to solve. The P pickup cut-out in the pick guard is too small for the entire pickup(s) to be adjustable with respect to height. Rather than raising up when you loosens the screws, the sons of bitches just hit the bottom of the pick guard. Good luck widening those cut-outs to allow proper adjustment. Last thing, the hole in the stock knobs is too small to accommodate the new wider pole piece (just barely). So you have to buy new knobs with a stress to loosen the tighten them down. Just a few things that I had known prior to going into this project (which it is), so that I could have set my expectations accordingly. Hope this helps to do so for you all.

[@christophecasse1006]

I installed the PJ set on a recent (made in 2017) Squier VM PJ bass and the install was easy. I had to reuse the original jack (solder). The rest was without problems : no pickguard issue. Yes, I had to use new knobs (with a grub screw) but I knew this.

[@jimclaypool2662]

i like the stock pups more! it has more growl.

[@nategin9009]

You're crazy haha

[@brotherem1]

love it

[@stuartanguish5111]

Geezer based them on his fender pups from 70s I think so hardly surprising they sound like fender pups

[@sonic-excess]

what strings are you using?

[@TheBassChannel]

Elixir Stainless Steel

[@Facu_Roldan]

Can't tell the difference, stock pickups sound great

[@Elderscrollsgamer9625]

The stock has less output and sounds thinner the emg has more output and sounds fuller and has more grunt to them. Trust me I was diagnosed with autism and one of the things that doctors said after going through a hearing test was I can hear things that most can’t so take my word on it

[@mikechecka292]

You need better headphones

[@Facu_Roldan]

@@mikechecka292 the difference is almost unnoticeable. In a mix with other instruments all of that is lost.

[@marike1100]

Save some money and keep the stock Fender pups, they sound way better.