Jules Jackson - P Bass Pickup Comparison - Fender vs SD SPB-1

[@rocker0304]

finally someone who demos on flatwounds good lord

[@warrenmorphis4208]

I know!! Flats / Rounds are an individual preference, but personally, I love the sound of flats. No "string chatter" - easier on the fingers - easy to clean - and for me, more inductive for very low action - which I definitely prefer. Also appreciate his use of simple, clean fingerstyle to demo - as opposed to "slapping" that beauty into submission, like a lot of cats on here do!! I wanna hear the strings' natural nuances - I don't give a rats ass about "chops" !!

[@tonynurrahman3467]

I swear I was about to say the same until I saw this! :))

[@McDoinky]

Also he plays real nice

[@Neodude991]

Yeah. Stuck with flatwounds since late last year and never looked back!

[@benjasilva7495]

I was just going to comment this lmao, really loved the demo

[@mattfoley6082]

Came for the pickups, stayed for the playing. You had me smiling in the first 30 seconds. Very tasty. 👍

[@JulesJJJ]

Thanks @mattfoley6082 - appreciate it!

[@oldgreentop]

To my ears, I prefer the Fender Original. Though I could make both work. JJ does some wonderful nuanced finger style playing here,. Thank you Mr. Jackson for not slapping or use of novelty techniques. From this video, I can compare the tone of the pickups. Yep, I'll take the original PU;s on the '73 P.

[@trulseriksen1781]

It should be pointed out that the pickup in this comparison is not the Fender Original pickup that is manufactured and sold separately by Fender today and supposed to be a sort of 60s reissue but an original stock pickup from a '73 Precision. Very different things. It's "original" not "Original".

[@spqr369]

@@trulseriksen1781 Just curious, how does the original stock pickup from a 73 precision compare to the original 60s reissue? If you can somehow describe it that would be helpful. Thanks

[@trappenweisseguy27]

SPQR the 70’s picup is usually considered brighter and barkier . Perhaps not coincidentally the bodies changed to ash with maple fretboards.

[@spqr369]

@@trappenweisseguy27These early 70's P basses sound awesome they have the punch and the grit. Check this out and let me know what you think. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2mWfp1poap8e9k

[@trappenweisseguy27]

That’s a nice sounding 73, even with what looks like an alder body/rosewood neck. Certainly a lot of people search out that tone on a P bass. Stainless strings ?.

[@alfieharries]

Keep comin back to this, the playing and tone is jst perfect.

[@tomvanderwulp5092]

de_dongle yeah man this is like the sixth time I went back

[@qbass00]

Nice! Both sound really good. SD's are more defined, and the old ones sound greasy and motown-ish. I prefer the old ones but it depends on context, can't go wrong with either.

[@vincentkoster6291]

qbass00 couldn't have said it better! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@ShazShaun]

I second this

[@ktown0173]

Exactly! Duncan makes vintage style pickups that emulate the 60's sound in both sound and construction process

[@ramencurry6672]

Both are great. If the SD is more defined than maybe an eq pedal or a low gain overdrive pedal can “muddy” it up a little for the appropriate situation.

[@joshuacase4927]

I really love the originals best, plus I’m a sucker for keeping it real however the SD sounds great too undoubtably! What year is that P bass friend? 74 ish?

[@DannySapko]

Great playing man! Fender sounds better to me.

[@warrenmorphis4208]

And....there's just something about a P bass - or J - in that "sunburst" finish that screams Real Fender......Gorgeous instrument!!!

[@samtt2001]

The fact that this is DI speaks for how good both these pickups are

[@ianrossmusic]

Aw man, finally a demo with some real playing! Thank goodness... and thank you! I'm looking for a replacement in a Standard P5 (my second) that came to me without the Fenders, which I like. This tells me kind of what I already guessed, which is that the 1's are a little bright and lacking in that gnarly midrange Fenders excel at for my taste. I think maybe the Antiquity II might be my choice from Seymour.

[@rogerlaro]

Really appreciate your time making this and love your playing. The SD’s were clearer and a bit more wide ranging tone wise while still having a vintage vibe.

[@ObraBass]

I'm coming back to this video over and over, the pickups here are second to playing

[@gleuberrodriguez5789]

Buddy, this is the tone of my dreams! Very impressive.

[@Ralferator]

Great playing! For me the original Pickup sounds sooo much better!

[@bassworship50]

2 years later from my first comment I see that 7 people gave this video a thumbs down and I say those seven people should be banned from KZbin

[@garrettwaite8281]

This was amazing- thank you. The SPB-1 is in the right ballpark, but clearly has more treble. It's a good tone but all things equal, the original pickup was the winner for me. I have an SPB-1 in my Precision and with a little mid-range boost and the tone rolled off a bit it's a great tone. Gets me pretty close to this style vintage tone without a vintage price tag. Thanks again for some great finger-style playing without a bunch of overdrive, slapping, or other jackoffery.

[@vincentkoster6291]

Garrett Waite thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Do you use flatwounds or roundwounds?

[@garrettwaite8281]

Vincent Koster Flatwounds. Rotosound Jazz Bass 77.

[@mattrodela2030]

Really beautiful playing. The Original Fender pickup for me. Thank you for sharing.

[@jackowens1946]

Your playing is on point! For me its the original Fender Pickup. Nice one Jules!

[@paolozak3014]

Very nice playing, thank you for showcasing the essence of the p-bass ! A few times I have made the mistake of falling for pickups with a brighter tone, for the sake of so-called definition, but what is definition ? In fact the problem is that this increased brightness is too obviously yet deceivingly leading to think oh yes the definition is better, and it might perhaps be so when you play on your own without any other instruments. But sitting well in the mix is an entirely different story : here the sound brightness is not your friend for it puts the midrange in the muddy shadow, unless you want the bass to solo on top of everything all the time, like Marcus Miller or Mark King ...to me utterly annoying, really can't be bothered with that egocentric virtuosuousness relentlessly going about. So it's the Fender stock pickup that sounds best to me, for there is more focus on the beautiful midrange than the upper register, and the pickup's lower resonance peak definitely fits better to the tonal character of Mr Leo Fender's mighty Precision Bass. This is also why I don't care much for Lindy Fralin pickups, excessively pulled towards treble frequencies...

[@garrettwaite8281]

Amazing video- thank you for uploading AND playing FLATS! Duncan has a bit less bass, and is a bit brighter. Solo- i like the original Fender pickup a little more. The brightness of the Duncan may be useful in more musically "busy" situations. Both are nice sounds.

[@gianniorlati9275]

Re-listened to it again ... super cool and precise playing ! I changed my mind again ... Fender original wins ... :-(

[@Anthony-ns4fn]

Great playing. I'd go with the original Fender pickups. They sound very musical.

[@Meddled]

Finding an actual musician showcasing bass pickups is something of a rarity.

[@Alexandar.Rebula]

My god, It's Amazing. So Smooth and touching. So good, man.

[@kennedyjones4039]

Wow, great fingerstyle. Both sound great but for me the Fenders take the prize.

[@ChurchillCigar]

Very enjoyable 2 and 1/2 minutes. Excellent playing, can't go wrong with a Precision Bass with flatwound strings. The old pickup has tad mellower tone to me. I prefer that.

[@expurple]

For this kind of music, it's the original pickup

[@GiacomoPelagatti]

Superb playing on a very nice looking and great sounding P-Bass! I prefer the stock pickup; the SPB-1 sounds a bit too nasal to my ear. Thank you, Sir, for sharing this comparison.

[@deanweld]

When the playing is this good, it will sound amazing with any pickups. Fender sounded slightly warmer and SD a little more punchy, but not drastically different to my ears. Both are very good sounding to my ears.

[@telecasterbear]

Wonderful sounds. I just bought an SPB-1 for a 1972 precision that I just bought that needs a bit of love.

[@powerforward1955]

Brother Jules, thanks for sharing. Your smooth finger-style playing is refreshing. My preference is the original P/U. The SD SPB-1 has more clarity on the higher register, but sonically the original is more pleasing to my ears. Be well.

[@saz123ful]

Fenders Original 100% !! That is a p classic sound... The SDs have lost a lot of the p character and have more punch at hi mids that I don't like.. Thanks a lot for the comparison..

[@DarrenSaw]

Somewhat late to the party but that's a fabulous piece of playing! Original Fender wins for me, fwiw. Love how this kind of back to basics flatwound vibe has made a comeback, this is how bass should sound. The likes of Pino and Sean Hurley are probably my favourite players right now so this hits the spot!

[@monolith385]

The best p bass sound on youtube.

[@MrToonfish]

I put some SD pickups on my Fender P bass and a replacement SD pickup + 3 bands EQ electronics on my 1991 Musicman Stingray MM20 bass... Guest what, just a few weeks later, I got back to the original pickups on both basses and I sold them on ebay for a few bucks. Nothings like good and original pickups to my ears.

[@bluesdawg8014]

I agree, I did the same thing SD 1/4 pounders Bye bye Originals is what I put back in to my 63 P bass. Los Angeles

[@gbvoul]

original '73 PU all day.

[@alfieharries]

So similar. SD was cleaner, bit more even, but it doesnt sound like a fender p if u dont get that slight distortion. Both sound great, the playing is the real star here.

[@topcturvee1]

I Love my SPB -3 in my MIM Jazz. I bought the Bass in 2005, and changed out the pups in 2011, but the original pups sounded very good as well!!!! But for this Beautiful '73 P....I have to pick the original pup!!!! I bought a mid 70's Fender P in about '02 and when I took it to a gig for the first time....Wow!!!!!! it had that "Real" P Bass sound we all know and Love.....I will never change the original Pickup in my P Bass!!!!

[@Oscaraha]

It was the right thing to do all right. Really nice playing, seems like you have both heart and taste in the right places.

[@soultabs]

Wow.. great playing... Just got a SPB-1 to pair with a set of TI's Flats and it's a new sound for me. Not super heavy, sits higher in the mix... don't know what to make of it as of yet... Almost sounds like rounds to me.. far from the Ori62+labella sound i'm used to

[@HaevyGlow]

I spy with my little ear "D'angelo - Send it on" baseline by Pino Palladino :) Great take on it!

[@McDoinky]

D'angelo actually wrote all his basslines He may have even recorded "send it on" himself

[@theehehron-1634]

I'm hearing daughters by john mayer, the version from the Try! album with Pino

[@vincentkoster6291]

I love how nuanced the comment section is. No people yelling "[PICKUP COMPANY] IS THE BEST AND EVERYONE WHO DISAGREES IS DUMB"

[@francisromero6300]

Great playing. Original pickups wins for me!!!

[@ChazJazzNY]

The Seymore Duncan sounded more vintage to me. But that is what they were made for. Just sounded so good as compared to the stock pickups. A wonderful upgrade.

[@KevinMajka]

Great playing Jules! Thanks for doing this. I have advocated for the SPB-1 for a long time as a toneful pickup and this proves it. The original pickup kicks butt too but if you need to make your squier sound great - these have worked well in Classic vibes and player precisions for me.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

flats on a P and played with actual human hands finallyyyyyyyyyyyy

[@gianniorlati9275]

Jules, thank your or the clean comparison and playing style ... I agree with the majority of the answers provided below ... the Fenders sound warmer and/or fuller but, I have to say, the SD are very similar in tone and, being the comparison carried out between them and true vintage pickups, the test is very interesting and yielded good results for SD .. I wonder how the Antiquity I or II (don't know whether both models are available for the P bass) would have sounded though ...

[@jhonybotacio]

Man that was sweet! You got it going on! Damm! Awesome video! You can play!

[@Alex-fs7cf]

You deserve so many more subscribers , holy hell. Amazing demo, thank you!

[@J--5]

this is absolutely beautiful playing. really magical, my dude.

[@AvatarSounds]

I prefer the Fender original it is subtle & has more nuance to my ears.The SD by comparison sounds harsher & even somewhat processed . The tone you produce using the Fender original is beautiful ,one of the nicest I have ever heard. Your playing is sublime :) Great demo thank you :)

[@giannisskokos]

Pure Magic this playing mate... I think Fender pickup penetrated deeper in my heart ! Mercy...

[@337camo]

I really enjoyed your playing! As for pickups, I preferred the original Fender pups, I think. Tough choice. SD sounds great with less tone, but I wasn't a fan of the sound with tone @ 100%. I'd say my favorite specific sound was SD tone rolled off but my least favorite was SD tone @ 100%, while I enjoyed the original Fender pup entirely.

[@bassplayer9432]

Very nice playing and great P-Bass tone 👍

[@TheDustbowlblues]

i think this is the best example of 'tone is in the fingers' lol

[@STudio808A]

This is so helpful! Thank you for useful information and beautiful tasteful bass playing. I just ordered an SPB-1 for a parts bass build I'm working on.

[@lostkarkeys]

Beautiful playing 🔆❤️

[@edtaylor7816]

Great demo! Great playing! Do you have a tab for this?

[@gianniorlati9275]

Maybe it was asked somewhere else but it would nice to know which kind of flat wound strings you had on the bass when you recorded the video Jules

[@delf0s5781]

Could you please send me the tabs to that song?? Love it

[@mattrusakiewicz1369]

Very refreshing to see this. No "Hi, I'm some asshole with some shitty company who's gonna play poorly and talk about shit you don't care about for 25 minutes." Short and sweet.. Great playing and very helpful. Thank you, sir.

[@bassworship50]

First of all thank you for doing this comparison especially being such a prolific player As You Are. But I think I prefer the original pick up although the second one was louder as far as output and more open but that Fender original pick up touched me deep inside. That pickup had more expression and told me that was a p Bass.

[@totolitoto8549]

A bass line that makes your fingers tingle and an irresistible urge to throw yourself on your instrument to improvise ! Regarding the microphone, I admit not seeing a glaring difference - The conservative side of the musician with regard to his instruments pushes me to choose the Fender mike The flatwound strings are decisive in this comparison (sorry I'm french and my english is sometimes a little short ...)

[@gutbucket260]

Nailing that Roger Waters "Money" tone. Prefer the stock Fender pickup.

[@ニマメ]

Seymour Duncan is mounted on my base. It has a lot of high notes. For the fender, the middle is boosted and I like it.

[@jrosner6123]

This guy could make a $10 set of Ebay specials sound great. That being said, the fenders seemed nicer to my ears.

[@okxtan2648]

?😨❓?.. ça ne me viendrais pas à l'idée de changer une pièce originale sur une fender de 73. . Merci quand même du partage de la démo. . Très cool et bien interprété du reste. . J'écoute cela depuis un pauvre téléphone avec un casque bas de gamme. . Mais à priori pas beaucoup de différence. . Ça ne vaut vraiment pas le coup de risquer de faire chauffer les pièces en soudant, et de riquer la démagnétisation du micro. . (Peut-être le micro fender plus subtil et moins sec que son acolyte. .)

[@Mr.Steve-O]

Jules, quick question, it's quite clear that the Duncans are a bit more crisp and rounded due to them being slighter higher output. I do love the Fender Original VIntage flavor, but think that dialing back the tone on the SD's and adjusting the EQ a bit on both the amp and guitar you have the best of both worlds with the Duncans, ( smooth Jazz and Motown and also rock style music ) thoughts on that ? Thx for the great clip !! New Subscriber

[@anyday82]

Both were so good!!! I think I prefer the SPB a tiny bit more, sounded clearlier and tad more thumpier

[@bapt_andthebasses]

I wish my D'addario Chromes sounded like that! how long have you got these? great video

[@thesanfordmethod1905]

Great playing, but please put the original pickup back in, it also sounded better.

[@67NewEngland]

I prefer the slight bit of extra clarity on the SPB-1

[@sympa335]

Hello Jules I like your impro Could you tell me on what your impro is based on ? Scales Modes Chords Can i find the score somewhere? Thanks

[@GoldStar5XL]

Awesome playing and comparison. My Fender P has the Custom Shop 62's in it at the moment and to me they are fairly darker sounding. Meaning more emphasis on the the low and low mids. I think I am going to try the SPB-1's but still keep the custom shop. Actually i want to swap the pickups on my american J as well with SJB-1's.

[@jimmymiller9524]

Don't know how I missed this demo before now, but it was brilliant playing and a great comparison of two really good pickups. But for me, the extra little mid bite of the original pickup wins out for me, especially when you started working the tone knob. It totally reminds me of the EMG Geezer Butler P, which I use in all my Fenders because the oldest Precision I have is a 76 that I bought new when I was a teenager, and its original pickup wasn't nearly as good as the one in yours.

[@HilHPS]

Awesome playing! Fender sounded moody to my ears. IMO SPB-1 wins! Open sound and adds more harmonics keeping the vintage characteristics. Can't tell really, but there is a thing that makes me choose SD as a winner.

[@timbuk1126]

Both sound good. The SD are brighter and more modern.

[@romyaz1713]

hi, Jules. the music is very beautiful. i'd like to learn to play this. do you have notes for it by any chance?

[@romyaz1713]

coming back to this video over and over. this is very good. playing it on my jazz bass and it sounds a little off. thinking of buying a p bass for the tone

[@mattseymour8637]

I thought that the Seymour Duncans were slightly better sounding but still a P bass!

[@MN-de]

woahhhhhh - both are really good sounding pu's!! I prefer the fender

[@reggaebass1857]

Great video, I’m looking for a 73 at the moment and this is really helpful as to how it sounds with the original pups, really great playing too 👍

[@spqr369]

Why not a 72 or 74?

[@reggaebass1857]

@@spqr369 hi, I already had a 72 , I’ve got a 71 now and really liking it

[@spqr369]

@@reggaebass1857 Awesome! The early 70s p basses with a rosewood fingerboard are my favorite and I prefer the stock pickups. They have more meat to the sound. The kind of sound that sticks to your ribs.... Hahahah

[@reggaebass1857]

@@spqr369definitely, I find they have a nice comfortable B width neck too, I’ve been looking at some 60s ones which have a wider nut width but until I play one properly I’m not sure

[@spqr369]

@@reggaebass1857 You may be looking for some grief. Stick with those early 70s B width necks. IMHO they have the most comfortable playing feel.

[@taylorgroove]

diferent tones, both sounds amazing, thanks for the video i need some new pickups...soo for my need must go whit de SD..greetings from Ecuador.

[@pacolazo123]

Amazing Groove

[@marcusparnell2403]

Can you still buy the Fender pickups? If so can you post the link? They sound great.

[@coopja3330]

Making that thing sing I love it!!!

[@mrmountain73]

Original Pickup sound smoother to me. At least with flats my preference.

[@justinstratford]

I'll listen to this guy play on any set of pickups

[@larsetom1]

Beautiful playing! The SD's seems to have a little upper mid punch and top end bite. How do you hear them? Are these the Quarter Pounders?

[@trappenweisseguy27]

No, their basic Fender copy model.

[@PapawCulberson]

I have a Jazz Bass when I want a different sound from my P-bass

[@gregbaker371]

I have the SD SPB-1on my 1985 A series MIJ Precision (I bought it that way) and omho I think the original Fender pick-ups sound better.

[@lulukeke2290]

Amazing tone!

[@HenryGonzalez]

You sound amazing! I wish you would have played them side by side (i.e. 100% tone on Fender then 100% tone on the SD's, then 50% on each etc.) But great video nonetheless.

[@rayrhodes2042]

how old are those strings - what a absolutely fabulous sound and lovely playing as well - thanks

[@garethhjones]

Both sound good. Seymour Duncan has a bit more mid. By the way, it took me a while to figure out where I'd heard that tune before? It's 'Cheers Darlin', by Damien Rice.

[@sebastian.arancibia]

Hey Jules, The original pickups are alnico or ceramics?

[@Inkawgneegrow]

That sounds great, man.

[@garymorrison4139]

Heard by themselves the stock Fender or even the better Squire P bass pickups sound fatter and fuller than the pricey "upgrades". In an ensemble setting however getting a signal boost and a sharper attack becomes a consideration. I put a set of EMG Geezer Butlers in Affinity PJ and it rips live. These Duncans lack both the fat and the plank although the Jazz bass version is better.

[@GabrielShaid]

"Daughters"-John Mayer, right? Beautiful!!!

[@JulesJJJ]

Exactly! Thanks Gabriel

[@tomvanderwulp5092]

This was amaizing

[@warrenmorphis4208]

The song is Daughters by John Mayer.....Not Send It On.

[@neilmorrow9756]

Thought it was Elton John sorry is the hardest thing

[@gianniorlati9275]

Second comment after 1 year and listening back to the video ... the SPB-1 seem to have that bit of mids more (just a tad) that provides to the pickups a slightly different flavour, that bit of bite that may make a difference for certain players ... I changed my mind (can I?) ... i prefer the SPB-1 now ... : -)

[@REM1956]

Great sound from the player. Both sounded good to me.