Solderless Pickups?! | EMG Geezer Butler Precision Bass Installation

Thought I would document myself bumbling my way around installing these Geezer Butler EMGs into my P bass! Please excuse the forthcoming tomfoolery and idiocy.
Stay tuned for the full review/demo!
Follow me on Instagram: @jonnydibble
jonnydibble

[@Metalbass1979]

Dang it...... now I want. How this channel does not have a gazillion subscribers yet is beyond my comprehension. You're in my top 5.

[@JonnyDibble]

Wait till you hear them later in the week 😍 Oh you, thanks very much man! 😁

[@Metalbass1979]

@@JonnyDibble Yeah, I just finished where you said that you'll do the comparison to the original Fender pickups. Dang......the suspense! I picked up a Dean Paramount (P bass copy) that is the most amazing P bass I've ever played. It was only $300 USD a while back. Maybe I'll find another and put this pickup set in.

[@JonnyDibble]

@@Metalbass1979 I've heard they're good! I'll be looking for a PJ set soon. Not sure what to go for!

[@ivarvanderheijden]

I bought the PJ-set to make this very cheap (the bass costed me €10 more than the pickups costed) Chinese bass, which plays really nice, specially for a cheap bass, to stop making it sound like a dirt cheap bass. Easy to install, no soldering, only the J-pickup cavity needed a bit of milling. The P-pickups sound huge!

[@chrisbishop874]

Had them for over a year for my P..loved them so much i got the PJ set as well.

[@JonnyDibble]

Awesome! They sound great 👌

[@1thess523]

My son and I learned how to do pick ups swaps, tone pot swaps, etc all by practicing on the guitars and basses we buy, it really does save a lot of money. Almost all the gear we buy is used and they usually have a straight neck and good string height action but this last Vintage Modified PJ i just got needed a little neck straightening so I was able to use a neck level tool I made years ago (never had to use it before) because i saw a guy on KZbin make one. What he did is bought a metal yard ruler and set it on the fret board and marked where each fret was, he then used a dremel tool to cut a notch on the ruler where he made the marks so the ruler could ait over the frets amd bingo it worked 👍. I was able to straighten the neck and now it plays very nicely. If I were you I would buy a soldiering kit and start practicing because it will save you a lot of money and you can swap out pick ups any time you want. Just make sure to get a good 60/40 rosin core soldier 👍

[@JonnyDibble]

DIY is the best way! Saves you a lot if you can learn to do things yourself 😊 I do have a soldering kit and have fitted pickups before but definitely need more practice. The advantage of shopping in the used and affordable market 😁 Cheers!

[@1thess523]

@@JonnyDibble kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZeWc5p6acaHhtk This is a video of my son and having a little jam session, my son is using on guitar but I just got a Gallien-Krueger RB700 head so we were trying it through my Classic Vibe Jazz loaded with Seymour Duncan Quarter pounder, I'm on drums

[@JonnyDibble]

This sounds SO nice! The GK RB is one of my favourite heads too. You're both awesome players 👏

[@neilfreeman5824]

Thanks for that I feel confident enough to try now.

[@gustavoblancolema3513]

Hi Jonny, how big should the volume and tone buttons be?

[@benleese7297]

Thank you so much for this mate, I had the exact same confusion with the bridge ground.

[@JonnyDibble]

No worries! 😊

[@nym053]

What I've done before to get the groundwire back in, is to take one of those strips you get with cables, and then strip off the plastic (I didn't have any steel-thread). Then stick it from the top and through the tunnel. Then twist it tightly around the ground wire and pull it carefully back up. This worked out quite easily opposed to getting frustratred after several minutes of trying to stick it back in. No puns.

[@earthling273]

Thanks for the tutorial. I really like that the pickups are solderless which makes the installation so much easier. I'm also planning on upgrading my Squier CV 70s p bass with the EMG ones. May I ask which knobs you ordered since the squier's didn't fit?

[@JonnyDibble]

Nice one! I still haven't ordered any knobs 😅😆

[@anaturalmusic_1983]

Had to end up replacing my knobs as well, but they've definitely been upgraded.

[@howardbillany]

Saw that you had to get new control knobs Jony for your squire what did you replace them with? in case mine dont fit also(Korean P Bass)

[@emilornkloo349]

Hi, I just installed these pickups on my bass and i´ve got the same problem as you with my pots. Which pots did you buy to make it work? How thick of a spacing do you need inside to make them fit?

[@jodrel3]

Good fun non pretentious video by a proper bass player. With affordable basses 👍👍😊well done 👍👍👍 I wonder if I should fit them in my encore or save up for a squire 😊Ps I really do have an encore. 😊

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks man! I like to do phone filmed vlog style videos on the weekends aside from "main" uploads 😊 I'm thinking about getting an Encore on the channel! If your Encore plays well, I'd say pop them in! 😁

[@jodrel3]

@@JonnyDibble The Encore plays fine its just the player who leaves a little to be desired.. haha

[@troychrisman2035]

Well, I have to solder because my input jack is a long one... Ugh. Also, are you using springs and foam under the pickups? I have the PJ set and now on hold while I learn to solder.

[@Klaus80804]

I am not a big fan of replacement pick-ups, but I was unhappy with the pick-ups of one of my Squiers, and tried these .... they are AWESOME. Much better then I ever expected. The tone is better then my original 78 Fender P-Bass and they even beat the pick-ups of my original 74 Fender P-Bass. The EMGs really got it. I hope they will make a JJ set one day, even so I know that Geezer is not playing Jazzbass.

[@JonnyDibble]

Oh wow! That's awesome. Glad you've found the set that work for you 😁

[@nuerha85]

Can I ask You for one thing? Grounding cable which is going from the bridge- did You use the one which was earlier in Your bass? Or You took one cable from the GB set and stripped it down from the tip? (I'm before installation, and I watched Your clip just to be sure that I'm not doing any mistakes). In my set there are 2 grounding cables- 1 with tip, and 1 without. So I think that I need to use the "original one" from bass- or as I mentioned- cut 1 tip from GB set and put it in this orangy thing. Am I right?

[@Doodlebug1996]

Great pickups ! Have them in my P wasnt disapointed

[@JonnyDibble]

Same! Really enjoying them

[@jimalbruzzess2445]

DIY is the best way to learn. Here's a little tip, use a screwdriver and touch the magnets gently and you will hear if they are working. If you invest a small amount in tools you can do an entire setup. It just takes some practice. Excellent video Johnny !!! Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@JonnyDibble]

Totally! Thanks man. Dont know why I didnt think if the screwdriver test! Got my set of tools for setups, releasing a video on simple set ups soon! Thanks again 😊

[@FunkyCrime0490]

i love this emg!

[@JonnyDibble]

They're great! I've done a review on them since 😊

[@allghilliedup21]

So the pickup set did not provide you with an extra ground wire to bridge? You have to use the one the bass originally was wired with? bugger

[@LowEndLobster]

Breaking news: Dibble shoves a geezer, second victim disemboweled. Great vid my friend!

[@JonnyDibble]

UPDATE: Bass player Jonny later fingers the body! 😅

[@samuelsmith6281]

What picks do you use Jonny? I'm just starting out learning to play bass and though I know it's heresy I quite like the sound (attack?) you get when using a pick but have no idea what thickness and brands work for bass usage. Thanks and keep up the good work. :)

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi Sam! Thanks for reaching out 😁 I use Dunlop .73mm (the yellow ones) but I've changed lots over the years. I'd recommend getting a few and then seeing which fits best with your playing style 😊

[@TheBeardofDOOM]

Love those. Have em in 3 basses

[@JonnyDibble]

Niiiiice! I've since finished putting together my video of them. Dayum they good 👌

[@christosfragias592]

Thanks for posting, and very informative. Do you know what measurements (in mms) are for the replacement knobs?

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks very much! I don't. I still haven't got any! Their website should say though? I'll try to remember to measure the poles when I can 😊

[@mrlovegod21]

6.3

[@brentheathersimons7042]

Nicely done Jonny and you;re talking to the least handy guy here! :) Best wishes-Brent

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks man! Haha we'll get there!

[@keithgray7593]

Should have used the original bridge ground wire. There is no need to remove the bridge. Also, did you put some foam under the pickups for height adjustment? The pickups should follow the radius of the fretboard with approx 1/8” gap between the string and the pole under each string when fretting the string at the last fret....slightly closer on the treble side.

[@JonnyDibble]

I realise this in the video and put the ground wire back in. All about trial and error! Foam is in there too 😊

[@billgreenly5522]

Great video, what knobs did you end up getting?

[@JonnyDibble]

Hi! So I didn't in the end. A viewer actually 3D printed me some and sent them to me! They're in my latest video 😊

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

To be honest if I was installing these I would run a fresh and longer wire to the bridge, then cut it to length once I had threaded it through from the body top. You could also pop a little piece of copper tape underneath the bridge and poke the wire through that. Less hassle that way perhaps?

[@Meddled]

I stick a bit of copper tape under the bridge and solder the ground wire to that, at the mouth of the wire channel. This stops the bridge from riding up off the surface of the bass on the wire.

[@Hellion73]

Have zero knoledge about the solder deal, never learn how to do it. I wanted to try the Gzr's since i knew about the solderless feature, to upgrade an old Yamaha Pb of mine, but that bass haven't a scratch plate cover, all the wiring is thru his body, as the bridge cable from your Squire, which made me think twice to buy them, cos I am one of those "spoil hands" on everything kind of guy🥺😒

[@thecrayondemo]

What knobs did you go for in the end? Really want to add in EMGs but I thought they would have standard knobs fitting?

[@JonnyDibble]

Truth be told, I still haven't bought any!

[@thecrayondemo]

@@JonnyDibble ok cool Would you recommend the classic vibe, as at the moment they are under £300

[@JonnyDibble]

@@thecrayondemo Definitely! Really really like mine. I've heard a few people getting QC issues, but I've not experienced that and I bought mine from a shop

[@thecrayondemo]

@@JonnyDibble good deals at the moment. Seen a few QC issues or a mim Mustang for under £500 How do the necks differ of the Mustang and p bass. Love the channel

[@JonnyDibble]

@@thecrayondemo Mustang neck is way slimmer, being a short scale its faster to get around but the Squier P neck is slimmer than the Fender Player P bass. Thanks very much! 😁

[@kelvinels]

What watch is that ?! Looks coooool

[@JonnyDibble]

Thanks! It's just a £30 one I got from ASOS a few years ago! 🐙

[@heyment1]

Is active set?

[@JonnyDibble]

No they're passive 😊

[@Chattosaurus]

Hypothetically speaking, is it possible to just wire the pickups straight to the output jack without having to connect the volume and tone knobs?

[@Meddled]

Yes. My grievance with solderless stuff is that it obscures what you are doing, electrically. You could take the wire from the pickups that you are meant to connect to the volume pot, cut off the connector and end up with one hot and one ground wire. Solder these to an output Jack and you would have a direct connection to the pickups.

[@nellsonogmore5938]

No sound demo?

[@JonnyDibble]

This was just an installation video, the demo has since been released! Cheers

[@wallfishmusic8063]

lol such a flippin' idiot - I loved this enuff to order my own. nicely done mate

[@JonnyDibble]

Haha bloody ell! Thanks very much ☺

[@jordansanoy3352]

is that dandruff on your shirt

[@JonnyDibble]

Yeah probably mate, skin condition innit

[@jordansanoy3352]

@@JonnyDibblehead and shoulders shampoo got rid of my dandruff

[@JonnyDibble]

@@jordansanoy3352 unfortunately makes it worse for my psoriasis

[@grimey7011]

Man, why don't they just make basses like this nowadays :/

[@JonnyDibble]

I wish all pickups were this simple haha

[@basswaves838]

You forgot to iron the bass.

[@JonnyDibble]

Thats how you get Hot sounding pickups!

[@DoomOfConviction]

Wtf you shouldn’t DIY??? I ordered a P bass build kit for 100€… I will upgrade the pickups with EMGs, equip a hi mass bridge and have my own build instrument for around 200€, what’s more cool?

[@JonnyDibble]

Nice one!