Bass guitar pickup single are magnetic pickups designed to convert string vibrations into an electrical signal, typically one of two basic construction types: single coil and humbuckers.
Single-coil pickups consist of coils of copper wire encasing one magnet per string, providing clear sound but being susceptible to external influences like radio waves or fluorescent lighting.
Sound
Your bass guitar’s pickup can have a dramatic effect on its tone. Some types are better suited to specific genres or playing styles than others, so it is essential that you consider how and why you plan to use your instrument before selecting one from two broad categories of pickups: single-coil and humbucking.
Single-coil pickups consist of a coil of copper wire wrapped around a bobbin that contains magnetic pole pieces adjacent to one another. When string vibration causes magnets to cause resistance changes within the coil that are then picked up by microphone and fed directly into an amplifier for further processing and amplified as sound waves.
Single-coil pickups typically boast a very crisp sound with plenty of treble response, the amount of which depending on how tightly the coils are wound as well as what type and strength of magnets are utilized in their bobbins.
Other types of bass pickups include split-coil pickups, stacked coil humbuckers and even piezo pickups – though less popular but nonetheless found on certain electric basses – which don’t use magnets but instead detect vibration at string contact points with bridge.
Most electric bass players opt for either single-coil or humbucking pickups when selecting their guitar’s pickup system, with the latter offering several advantages over its counterparts in terms of eliminating unwanted hum and buzz from single-coil pickups when connected to an amp. Humbuckers tend to produce dull and flat tones; as such, some players opt for two single-coil pickups wired together parallel in order to produce more natural sounding single-coils. Other means of producing a humbucker sound include wiring the coils in series or having one coil be ‘covered’ while another remains exposed – these options offer distinct sound characteristics and may provide alternatives to more common single-coil pickups.
Controls
If you want to customize the sound of your bass guitar pickup single, there are numerous controls at your disposal for tuning it up. These include a switch that allows you to choose between active and passive electronics as well as two inset control wheels which allow for fine adjustments of bass cut and treble cut settings as well as overall level adjustment of your pickup. These switches and wheels may be located behind its cover or on a small switch panel depending on make and model of instrument.
Your choice of bass guitar pickup depends heavily on your musical style and preferences. Single-coil pickups tend to create brighter, funkier tones while humbuckers provide fuller and heavier sounds; both options have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Single-coil bass guitar pickups feature magnetic fields encasing polepiece screws to generate an electromagnetic signal when strings vibrate, producing either a twangy or murky tone, depending on magnet type and feedback-dampening coil counts for each magnet. They’re also sensitive to ambient sounds created by radios, transformers, or neon tubes emitting electromagnetic emissions – providing another source of noise pollution for single-coil pickups.
Dual-coil humbuckers are the go-to pick ups for electric bass guitars. Their dual coil design listens to each string from two points simultaneously, cancelling out mains hum without losing their distinctive sounds – an essential feature of Motown bassist James Jamerson’s trademark sound; also used by Fender Jaguar and Strat basses, Mike Dirnt of Green Day/Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters/Parliament bassist Billy “Bassman” Nelson as well as Parliament’s Billy “Bassman”.
Piezo pickups, which do not utilize magnets at all, are less common than their magnetic counterparts but increasingly becoming popular. Piezos sense the vibrations of strings through contact with bridge and can even be found on acoustic bass guitars – however they require preamping but offer an organic, more natural tone than magnetic pickups do.
Weight
Single-coil bass guitar pickups are magnetic transducers that convert the vibration of your strings into an electrical signal. Constructed of copper wire wrapped around a bobbin that houses magnetic pole pieces aligned beneath your strings, it sends string vibrations directly to an amplifier which amplifies them and creates sound – single-coil pickups are one of the most widely used designs among electric bass guitar owners, along with dual-coil (P-style) and humbucking pickups.
Most modern basses feature at least one single-coil pickup, while some models boast two or even three. Fender Precision Bass models are particularly favored among bassists; other popular choices are Yamaha BBNE2 Nathan East Signature model or Fender Jazz Bass models with such pickups as well. You may even come across vintage basses dating back to the ’60s or ’70s featuring one.
Single-coil pickups come in various styles and come equipped with different winding options. From underwound to overwound models, and using various materials such as vulcanized rubber or glass-filled nylon; some manufacturers even create pickups made out of Alnico material that produces more natural tones.
Popular basses used in metal music typically feature a single-coil pickup in the bridge position, providing high output and low end response for this genre of music. You also have flexibility in terms of volume control and frequency adjustment to reach your desired tone.
Single-coil pickups make an excellent addition to any bass guitar. From jazz and rock to metal music styles, single-coil pickups can give a wide variety of sounds when combined with split coil (see below) in either neck or middle positions, giving an almost limitless array of sounds and options for creative expression. They can even serve as replacements for Music Man 4 pickups in older instruments.
Aero Travis Bean replacement pickups are an ideal option for new basses or as retrofit replacements in older instruments featuring existing Music Man 4 pickups. Available with both single-coil and dual-coil designs, they can be wired in parallel or series to produce a hum bucking effect and come equipped with either an exposed pole piece or sealed bobbin for optimal results.
Cost
A bass guitar pickup single is a magnetic transducer that converts string vibrations to electric signals for transmission to an amplifier. There are different kinds of pickups available, including passive and active models; passive models require no battery and can be directly plugged into an amp, producing warm, dynamic sounds suitable for blues and jazz music while active ones do require one for clarity, power and potentially adding a humming tone to your tone.
Passive pickups were originally used on bass guitars, and remain one of the most widely-used options today. Made of copper wire coils wrapped around one or more magnets, passive pickups vibrate when string vibration occurs from metal pole pieces moving coils which cause interference waves that generate electrical interference that can be heard as hum from amplifier output. You can reduce or even completely eliminate such noise using various adjustments.
Humbuckers are another common type of bass pickups. Usually composed of two coils with reverse polarity and opposing windings, this design allows the pickup to produce powerful yet thick tones with good mids and highs, hum-free performance. There are various varieties of humbucker pickups such as mini-humbuckers, rail humbuckers, stacked coil humbuckers as well as covered and uncovered versions available.
Piezoelectric pickups are another emerging type of bass pickups, commonly found on acoustic bass guitars but also suitable for electric basses. These sensors detect actual vibrations of string vibration by sensing changes in pressure at bridge contact points; though more expensive than magnetic ones, these pickups have greater dynamic range and superior response capabilities.
There are also bass pickups that allow for switching between single-coil and humbucking modes, giving you more choices between full, thick fingerstyle playing sound and cleaner, more focused slapping sound. Some humbuckers can even be tapped so you can achieve single-coil sounds while keeping all their benefits.