EMG GZR Geezer Butler vs Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ set (SPB-3 & SJB-3)

Many of you have asked me to do this, well, here it is! Which one do you like best? Subscribe to the channel to help me release content like this and more!
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Seymour Duncan SPB-3:
www.thomann.de...
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Set:
www.thomann.de...
EMG GZR P: www.thomann.de...
EMG GZR PJ Set: www.thomann.de...
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[@johnwood9878]

Well you just made up my mind. Seymour Duncan QP's in one bass and EMG GZ's in the other. 😁

[@OliverTobyn]

My point exactly 😁

[@ryananthony4840]

lol RIGHT

[@PanaGringoBarefootBass]

I replaced the pups on my Fender PJ bass with Seymore Duncan 1/4 pound pups. Man...like night and day. So much more "umph" and crispier when needed. It's like a whole new bass. VERY satisfied.

[@hottestuglykid]

I think my preference might be the quarter pound neck and the gzr bridge 😮

[@bassman108]

I have the EMG pickup in my P bass and couldn't be happier with it!

[@benvin10365]

I'm usually an EMG payer, but these Seymour Duncan pickups sound great in this video. I think I'll buy some for one of my basses.

[@xdx2653]

my friend ,every SD pick up sound better than any emg .i am not speaking about active pickups coz i hate them all no matter brand

[@jeremyr1528]

Thank you for this I was about to order the emgs for a pj I picked up Sqp it is for me. Great vid

[@4unkb0y]

great vid, thanks! & I'm gonna go with... the EMG neck P pickup with the Duncan bridge J !!! (those are my two favorite sounds, but kids don't try this as home, I bet the impedance doesn't balance well!)

[@Wombatmetal]

This is really interesting. Both sound great. I just put a Geezer in my P bass and it's great, and I'm putting an SPB1 P and an Apollo J in my PJ bass. Not exactly the same but like I said, interesting. Thanks

[@bignosia]

Thanks for this "Oly T"! This reinforces my decision to go w/Duncs for my DIY PJ fretless J-bass - they deliver a classic Fender tone with the heft that I'm looking for, in order to play.....you know.....BASS parts. The EMGs sound great and surely have their place. If I played more solos, especially lyrical solos I would likely find them as appealing as the Duncs. Good work - thanks again!!

[@SJMotions]

I have the pj quarter pound with that same fender bridge. Honestly I love it better than the emgs way more punch

[@PerezBroz-p5o]

The geezers sound more clear and the qps sound a little boomy. I think i like the qp neck and geezer bridge.

[@iliasliakos6692]

exactly what I thought

[@chizorama]

That sounds like a nice set up.

[@trance9158]

Both are good in there own ways but I like the EMGs more. Try out some Delano pups.

[@andycorum2449]

Just the comparison I was looking for! Thanks. Made up my mind about getting the QP set.

[@chizorama]

Just the vid I was looking for, I already run QP's in two of my basses, have a build I'm doing for a PJ, & I have no soldering experience, so that made the Geezer's tempting, along with whole set up they come with. Both brands sound good, but the QP's have more growl, which suits my style. Can't go wrong with either, but man, them QP's are nasty, tis why I love them so.

[@billytai1096]

I liked the EMGs better. I prefer the character and grit.

[@ravelitschimo]

thank you very much for the video. the quarter pound sounds awesome.

[@twistdmojo]

Thanks I've been looking for this exact comparison.

[@michaelb.42112]

I am having a tough time deciding. I own both pair and a bass I'm working on. I think since I already have a bass with QP's, I will go ahead and use the EMG's. From your demo, the EMG's are a little darker, and the QP's are more present.

[@OliverTobyn]

I feel the QPs have more boom to them. The GZRs are better balanced

[@samsonlovesyou]

This is the comparison I needed. But it only made the decision harder 😢

[@palesama]

You should have included the Di Marzio DP126 here as well, I guess they have some good similarities with the Geezer set, they have that clarity that the 1/4P´s do not have. Don´t they?

[@Metalbass10000]

Anyone install a J bass pickup lately that would make a great "partner" to the EMG Geezer J bass pickup? I installed the Geezer Butler P bass pickup, out of a PJ set I had purchased, into a Squier bass, as part of a minor mod project for one of my neighbors, a bassist in a local metal band. He was blown away by how that P bass pickup sounded in that Squire played through his rig, and the rest of his band were nearly floored. The first time any of them heard it was as they were blasting through the opening chords of a Friday night gig, starting their first song of the night, and they ALL were eyes WIDE open, nodding heads in approval, gritting teeth smiles. I returned it to the bass player during the afternoon, about 3 hours before they were required to be set up for the gig, and as the second band playing, out of four bands on the stage that night, they did not get a sound check. All we had time to do was to sit down together and go through the modding work that I did on the bass, and my standard thorough inspection, clean-up, set-up, tune-up, and repeat inspection, with a full print out inspection report. So, and obvious choice would be to pair the geezer J base pickup with another teaser P base pickup, and I may just go that route, but I have installed that PJ set on three custom base builds already, and I was curious to if anyone had any specific recommendations of a passive J bass pickup, for either neck or bridge, as I think the Geezer J bass pickup would be great for bridge or neck position. Some ideas I have had are another EMG passive J bass pickup, and an EMG active preamp (likely the BQC system), the Aguilar DCB J bass pickup, a Nordstrand NJ4SE, , or a Billy Sheehan or Les Claypool signature P bass pickup. I have also heard that a music man pick up is a nice compliment to the J bass pickup. Finally, I am also building a custom base that is influenced by a Rickenbacker 4003, using maple in the neck through and in the body as well as Walnut, with a couple surprises, the hip shots USA Rickenbacker replacement bridge, and the thought of using the Geezer Butler PJ set in a base with some stylistic and compositional influences from a Rickenbacker would be cool and either using the full Geezer Butler PJ set, or the easier Butler Jay pickup paired with a Rickenbacker aftermarket neck pickup, such as the nordstrand, the bartolini, the Seymour duncan, or several others I have been looking into. Any suggestions are welcome. I've been playing guitar and bass for over three decades, and building instruments for many many years, but I always like to hear other opinions, and others ideas.

[@nayr87]

The emg JVHZ is essentially the geezers in jazz form I believe

[@bosquezguitars5392]

I’ve installed a lot of the Nordstrom’s NJs , they sound great. A bit more ‘strong’ sounding but a dang nice bridge J

[@nealhoward1825]

,

[@Metalbass10000]

@@bosquezguitars5392 thank you for the suggestion! I've heard quite a few Nordstrom pickups that I did like very much. Are you an instrument builder? A few months back my wife and I started a Facebook page for our custom and semi custom guitar and bass guitar building business we recently started. The website is currently under construction, and we are hoping to get a KZbin channel started soon, as well. We currently have nine guitar builds and three bass guitar builds in process.

[@ryananthony4840]

Holy shit the QP sounds AMAZING!

[@JERSEYTARPIT]

Thanks dude, this is truly a useful comparison, been debating which to get, now I know. QP’s for me!

[@OliverTobyn]

Thank you for watching! They are both great for different reasons, and I personally prefer the sound of the EMGs, which paired with the VT Bass they truly become monstrous!

[@Phantombeard]

Damn, both are great 😅 I do need that bridge for sure

[@8ballwil]

I'm new to bass and this might sound crazy but is it possible to mix with the QP P pickup up front and the GZR J pickup in the back? That would be a killer combo imo

[@OliverTobyn]

You can, but you'll risk having a very unbalanced sound with one pickup overpowering the other one. It is doable though through some adjustments

[@nunoharris]

Hi. Is the EMG Geezer Butler Pickup more similar to the Seymour Duncan SPB 1 or the SPB 3 ? Thanks

[@OliverTobyn]

I would say SPB1

[@AlexRVX8]

Heeey that Con Clavi con Dio riff!!!!

[@57precision]

Oliver, what's the pickup spacing on your PJ? It looks like 70s J position but it's hard to tell from the angle.

[@OliverTobyn]

You're right, the J pickup is in the 70s position, so it will sound a bit more harsh and burpy

[@EmanCarbone]

Was the QP split slightly closer to the A and D strings than the EMG? Anyway, the main tonal profile (and difference) is clear regardless. Jamming along, the soloed neck EMG sounds quite similar to my SPB1, which doesn't surprise me as they are often regarded as akin. With the VT Bass too, I have the Deluxe version. Do you remember what settings you used on your VT Bass for recording? My main doubt with the QP is that their "bedroom edge" might be not as effective when volumes get real, but they still have enough clarity and definition. The SCPB3 (QP single coil P) is rather good, btw.

[@OliverTobyn]

I tried to keep the exact same distance from the strings for both. If anything, the EMGs were maybe less than 1mm closer. I feel the EMGs are tighter than the SPB1 though, which can be softer and have blurrier, warmer dynamics. Yeah, the settings on the VT bass were: Level: 10 o'clock Blend: 100% Low: 2 o'clock Mid: 1 o'clock High: 2 o'clock Character 1 o'clock Drive: 10 o'clock The QPs have that effect, unfortunately. They always sound great on their own, but in the mix require a bit of tweaking on the mids.

[@davidschrader3257]

I expected to like the Geezers....it wasn't even close, loved the Duncan's ...quite an epiphany

[@chrisparker5278]

EMG GZR every time

[@1thess523]

I just got a Squire pj I'm thinking of upgrading, I actually like the brightness of the EMG and the low end of the QP's now if someone could make one set with both those qualities I would get them. I have some Jazz Quarter Pounders on my Classic Vibe and i really like them.

[@OliverTobyn]

I think the EMGs are well balanced, and I didn't EQ the sound in this demo, except when I used the VT Bass, and even there, it was just to bring out some character. Trust me, if you boost the lows on your eq, you'll have some floor-shaking lows with the EMGs as well.

[@palesama]

Is it possible to combine the Pbass EMG GZR with the Seymour Duncan J bass quarter pound?

[@OliverTobyn]

Yes, you just need to mess around with the wiring a bit, since the EMGs are solderless. Depending on what you prefer to do, you can cut one of the wires, removing the plastic plug and treat it like a regular one, soldering it to the pot

[@palesama]

@@OliverTobyn Thank you. So the EMG GZR are the only ones that doesn't need soldering? Does the Seymour 1/4 Pounds, the Di Marzio and the Steve Harrys need soldering? And so the easiest to install might be the EMGZR?

[@OliverTobyn]

@@palesama Exactly. The whole GZR set doesn't need soldering, but if you're going to combine stuff, you probably will need to

[@heltonsimionato3574]

Before anything, your videos are great! Let me ask you one thing : In your opinion, to play things like KISS, ACDC, Sabbath e Maiden, what would you suggest? But you can’t stay on the fence hehehehe... Tks for all

[@OliverTobyn]

Ugh, though one. The SPB3 is a good rock pickup, but maybe lacks some upper mids. On the other hand the GZR has plenty of them and a nice clean and balanced tone which in my opinion makes it more suitable for classic rock

[@chrischicoine18]

Um it should go with out saying the geezers are better for playing Black Sabbath. Considering they are aimed at making you sound like geezer the bassist for Black Sabbath

[@iamgribs]

Emg has more high end ping, upper mid action but a very classic P sound otherwise..just more sting. Sd are boomy and fat sounding, the J in the equation has a nice ping to it. It certainly has some aggression. They both sound nice.

[@tcollnz68]

Are the QPs hum cancelling (or noiseless)?

[@OliverTobyn]

All P-style pickups are hum cancelling

[@chrisprecision]

Ciao e grazie per questo confronto it really depend what you play and how you play sometimes Duncan sounds better ans sometime EMG sounds better but i prefer Duncan, o think the sound is warmer than EMG

[@OliverTobyn]

Ciao a te! Yeah, it's a hard choice! I like both for different reasons

[@fullhd6598]

To play live? What do you prefer? Hard Rock Style?

[@OliverTobyn]

Personally my favourite are the EMGs

[@jkf9167]

The Dimarzio Model P/Model J set (other vid) sounds better than the Quarter Pounder set, which sounds better than the Geezer Set.

[@jkf9167]

Then again, the GZRs seem like the kind of kit that sounds better in real life than in KZbin A/B demos. See DOD Carcosa & DiMarzio Area guitar pickups.

[@Projamusic]

Which is better for high gain? Thanks for video

[@OliverTobyn]

QPs have higher gain, but I personally prefer the more balanced sound of the EMGs

[@Projamusic]

@@OliverTobyn Thank you for answer. I will buy EMG for more balanced sound, less gained pickups is better in band mix and I will get more stuff in package with EMG. Pots, jack, cables... 🙂

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

Can't go wrong with either.

[@rickiedrizzle1431]

you know you have a time knob right? you can turn down the treble

[@dennisdreler4057]

A like from me just for the Ghost Riff!

[@bDoom88]

Certo che i Duncan hanno davvero un timbro caratteristico, ma devo dire che i GZR hanno un bel suono (cristallino a tono aperto) che li differenzia un bel po' dalla classica coppia P-J .

[@OliverTobyn]

Concordo, i Duncan hanno il solito svantaggio del suonare bene da soli, ma nel mix hanno sempre bisogno di qualche ritocco, specie sulle medie. Gli EMG li preferisco, anche perché si prestano a tante sonorità diverse, e sono ben focalizzati sulle medie

[@vitorusso3193]

Concordo con il suono degli EMG GZR per me sono superiori..

[@craighill3715]

Are the GZR's passive or active?

[@OliverTobyn]

They are passive

[@craighill3715]

@@OliverTobyn Awesome! And again, great demo!

[@EricRShelton]

I preferred the QPs the whole way through; the GZRs just don't seem to have any low end, which strikes me as counter-productive in a BASS, y'know? But everything you played from 2:50 on just cemented my opinion. Different strokes for different folks, but it's not even a contest for me. Seymour Duncan, all the way. Thanks for the video.

[@OliverTobyn]

Thanks for watching! Bear in mind that this is the "raw" sound of the pickups, with no sound processing at all. The QPs are definitely beefier but the EMGs have clearer dynamics and going through an amp, you'll get as much low end as you want! ;)

[@rocketpigrecords3719]

The GZR is a 60s P pickup wound for more mid push. It isn't lacking. I've owned one for about 6 years now, and it does what it says on the tin. Many non Sabbath fans also love it The Quarter Pounders are a hot wind, big magnets, and also sound glorious - so, 2 P basses it is, then.

[@whizwerx]

GZR has better clarity. Will fit way better into a mix.

[@666rbr]

Con Clavi!

[@iliasliakos6692]

Seymour won this round

[@adand824]

Duncan more life more organic tone

[@am0ungth3l1ving]

Duncan’s won

[@joergl562]

I just ordered the QP-set for my cheap, but really loved Cort PJ (since 14 years now!)...I like them better because tomatoes! No, really, I tested the Quarterpounders several times at several basses from cheap to not so cheap, and they were always a winner compared to the original ones. They are my - passive - favorites, absolutely. Slap it...and vape on!