Epic bass guitar pickups boast an expansive sound with plenty of punch. Additionally, their warm yet mellow feel can be adjusted via their tone control for added control and customization.
This set is perfect for rock, blues and country. With its powerful low end that cuts through dense mixes with ease and great chord and single note definition even at higher gain settings.
1959 Epic Humbucker
Bassists have many choices available to them when it comes to pickup types. From thunderous five-stringers that bring doom and doom metal, sleek four-stringers with tight bass sounds or understated classics; there are endless combinations to explore when choosing pickup types for bass guitar tone. Three stand out as being particularly influential – P, J and humbucker pickups have long dominated bass guitar tone over time and remain hugely popular today – these being P J H (P/J/H).
Humbucking bass pickups can create a rich and thick sound, as well as bright and sharp tones with some distortion. These differences usually stem from things like magnet size and pole piece alignment; therefore it is wise to listen to various basses with humbucking pickups before selecting one for yourself.
The Epic 1559 set by Robson showcases the breadth of options available when it comes to humbucking bass pickups. Robson uses period-correct brushed nickel covers with 42 AWG plain enamel wire in both neck and bridge pickups as well as Alnico III and Alnico V magnets that give this set its distinct sound, hand-aged coils to add warmth and character, with increased treble when using clean amp settings; plus they can easily meet punk/metal styles without succumbing to anemic qualities found elsewhere!
Switching over to the neck position, the Epic 1559s transform into more traditional PAF tones – this offers darker top-end bite than its P-90 counterpart but still provides plenty of top-end bite when played through a clean amp, and can even handle moderate levels of overdrive without changing its unique voice or adding harsh edges to your sound.
P-90 pickups can be utilized across many styles of music, but are especially suited for rock and blues styles. P-90s were instrumental in shaping the distinctive styles of legendary artists like James Jamerson, Green Day’s Mike Dirnt & Nate Mendel, as well as Leland Clark & Willie Weeks from country bass playing backgrounds.
1959 Epic Single Coil
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top made famous the early ’59 Gibson Les Paul, as popularized by this set of brushed nickel pickups favored by bass players looking to recreate its legendary tone. These PAF-style single-coils offer slightly less pronounced ice-picky sound with smoother harmonic swirl, making them highly responsive to bass guitar controls; quickly rolling from overdrive into an amp-snarling overdrive that cuts through even dense mixes.
These period-correct pickups feature 42 AWG plain enamel wire and Alnico II and IV magnets chosen specifically to deliver balanced response and reject what some manufacturers refer to as anemic tones. While they’re larger than vintage counterparts, their tonal balance remains intact without negatively affecting transparency; making these pickups an excellent option for minimalist players.
Humbucker designs work by inducing electrical interference between Coil A and Coil B, which then responds with differing magnetic fields that create phase cancellation effects that significantly decrease hum. A single coil pickup would not achieve such results.
This model features a Tune-o-Matic bridge equipped with two conductor wiring and a five-way switch for coil splitting options, along with staggered pickups whose higher frequency slugs are lower in frequency than their counterparts, creating an acoustic bass sound with rich harmonic overtones that’s particularly well suited to jazz bass styles.
A timeless classic, the J pickup has long been popular with blues artists and funksters before transitioning into rock and modern music. Nowadays, many contemporary bassists – from slap players like Larry Graham to Rage Against the Machine’s Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine fame as well as heavy metal guitarist Robert Trujillo from Metallica – use one.
The Epic 1559s offer what some consider the “quintessential bass tone,” boasting thick, chunky low ends perfect for anchoring bands aural foundation. Furthermore, they boast solid note fundamentals and not too bright of tones; chords and lead notes remain clear even at maximum output settings.
EMG PCSX
No matter your bass genre – from funk to rock and metal – there’s sure to be something amazing in its tone. Harley Benton’s short-scale offering features an Artec mini humbucker in the neck position for warm cleans or creamy distortion and an EMG PJ CSX at the bridge for plenty of brightness, along with three-way pickup selector and volume controls for active electronics bypass for passive tone shaping.
The P bass pickup is an integral component of any electric bass guitar and was initially created to create what many consider to be the quintessential precision bass sound. Boasting more pronounced, in-your-face low end than its counterpart (J) and an ability to cut through even dense mixes with ease, the P is perfect for styles that need powerful yet balanced bass tones without overshadowing other instruments – it has even been utilized by Larry Graham from Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rage Against the Machine’s Tim Commerford as well as Metallica’s Robert Trujillo so rest assured this pickup will serve your genre with ease!
The PJ CSX pickup offers increased headroom for an open, organic sound while maintaining EMG’s legendary clarity and response. Utilizing ceramic magnets with short, squat coils powered by an innovative preamp, the PJ CSX delivers incredible low end punch, lush midrange harmonics, and superior definition – an exceptional offering from EMG.
The Epic is a premium bass that comes in several wood options to allow you to customize it to meet your exact requirements. Choose between flame maple, mahogany or vermilion for its body material and select from active or passive pickup options that include humbuckers or single coils in standard or vintage styles for pickups – and these customizations won’t add significantly to its delivery time – giving you plenty of time to start enjoying it as soon as it arrives!
EMG LJAX
The EMG LJAX bass guitar pickup set is an unparalleled bass guitar pickup that brings all of the power and clarity of EMG’s X series pickups to a classic Jazz Bass guitar. Perfect for bassists looking to bring out their instrument’s full potential and capable of covering various musical genres such as jazz, rock, punk or metal music genres.
The LJAX single-coil pickups offer you a broad spectrum of tones, from warm and thick in the neck position all the way through bright with punchy attacks in the bridge position. A 3-way switch allows for endless customization allowing you to find exactly the sound that matches your music style.
P pickups differ from many other bass pickup types in that each half features two magnetic slugs that are staggered for optimal response and balanced tone across all strings. They’re wrapped with hundreds of wraps of feedback-dampening copper wire, transmitting more harmonic overtones than fundamental tone to create a vibrant yet powerful bass tone that cuts through any mix effortlessly.
This bass was the go-to instrument of surf bands for decades; Jet Harris of the Shadows used one on hits like “Besame Mucho” and the main title theme from The Man With the Golden Arm, while Jack Bruce used one during recording sessions for 1966’s Fresh Cream album. John Lennon himself used one to record his own slap-funk masterpieces like “Helter Skelter Slap”.
The Bass VI is an incredible instrument for beginners, offering plenty of tones at an extremely reasonable cost and being easily customizable by adding an upgraded pickup set like EMG PCSX/LJAX pickups for optimal tone at every position – providing thundering chest-punch with articulate growl in both neck and bridge positions for diverse genres such as punk/metal playing styles.
The bass guitar is an integral component of all styles of music, creating the driving rhythm behind all genres and genres. No other instrument can make you shudder as powerfully.
Epic bass pickups give a big rumble while minimizing mains hum noise, often featuring single coil designs with some exceptions such as lipstick tube humbuckers seen on lower end Danelectros.
J Pickups
A timeless single-coil pickup design, the J has long been a mainstay in bass guitars since its introduction in the 1960s. Characterized by clear tones and punchy low end frequencies, they excel at percussive bass playing as well as melodic lead lines and chords, making them suitable for many different types of music styles.
No matter the sound you want to achieve – from powerful cuts through a mix to subtle tones perfect for playing any style of bass – our J style pickups offer something suitable. We carry different varieties so you can find one which best meets your needs.
The difference between P and J-type bass pickups lies in their magnetic configuration: size, alignment and positioning within an instrument’s body. P pickups tend to have larger magnets that produce deeper and more powerful tones than J pickups; their larger magnet size also means they feature additional pole pieces than single coil pickups for increased strength and clarity.
One key difference between a P and J pickup is its dual coils, each string being picked up by its own coil. This configuration acts like a humbucking pickup to cancel out mains hum and transfer more harmonic overtones than just fundamental tone of strings.
Because of this, a classic P has a fuller and thicker sound than its J counterpart, making it a fantastic choice for hard rock and heavy metal music styles. While classic Ps are great choices for any kind of genre, they shine particularly when used for these genres.
Our EMG J Set brings the best of both worlds. This kit consists of both long-winded (LJ) and short-winded (SJ) J bass pickups that can be used in either position on your guitar – the LJ being longer for bridge use, while its counterpart, SJ, works better in neck positions.
If you prefer using your LJ in the neck position, try pairing it with a bass preamp and 3-band EQ to achieve more traditional P tone, while your SJ may come in handy when needed to cut through any mix.
P Pickups
One of the primary considerations for bass players is whether to choose between single-coil or humbucker pickups for their bass guitar pickups. While single-coils offer traditional, straight tone that works with many musical genres, humbuckers may offer powerful sound that can handle high amounts of gain while still remaining clear and harmonically pure. Sweetwater offers both options so that you can find exactly the sound you’re searching for from your instrument.
One option many bassists opt for is the EMG P bass pickup set. This popular model combines ceramic magnets and short, squat coils to produce an impressively full and warm tone while remaining extremely defined at once – creating a powerful bass pickup ideal for use both live performances as well as studio recordings sessions.
Squat coils help make this bass pickup very responsive, giving you plenty of dynamic range while being able to easily switch your playing style without losing clarity or overpowering the mix. This makes the EMG P ideal for many different genres such as classic rock or modern metal music.
Lace Sensor S bass pickup is another solution, featuring high output, low resistance, dynamic response and clarity. Utilizing an innovative winding technique with very little magnetic leakage, the Lace Sensor S bass pickup creates its unique sound while being resistant to feedback distortion feedback while still producing crisp high end frequencies sounds.
As with the other bass pickup types mentioned here, the Lace Sensor S is suitable for most styles but especially ideal for players of slap funk and hard-rocking music.
No bass guitar would be complete without one of three commonly-used pickup types; each boasting its own signature tone and loose suggestions as to which styles it works well with. At Sweetwater, we offer easy tools that help you narrow down your options based on various criteria – just enter your specs into our pickup filtering tool to see what options are available!
Model One
The modern bass guitar has come a long way since the days of large acoustic instruments with basic electronics. Now with a variety of body designs and pickup types to choose from, enabling you to craft a sound uniquely your own. No matter if it’s five strings for doom-inducing thunderousness or four for shredding slap, there is now an extensive range of high-quality pickups available that make choosing your sound easy!
As soon as you start shopping for a bass pickup, the first decision should be whether you prefer an active or passive model. Active bass pickups require power (usually from 9v batteries) for use, and may handle more gain. On the other hand, passive models tend to offer greater subtlety and character than active versions.
Passive bass pickups offer more traditional playability with plenty of dynamics available, making them suitable for high-gain applications as well. Unfortunately, however, they won’t respond as effectively to your picking style than an active model would.
An equally essential factor is where to mount your bass pickup. Most basses use split coil humbuckers, in which two coils pick up sounds from each string simultaneously. While this provides richer overtones with the bass sounding more harmonic, it may affect how it sounds in certain styles of music.
For a pickup that offers punchy, solid tone with strong bottom end, look no further than the Lace Alumitone bass pickup. With two single-coils in its bridge position and two dual-coils in its neck position allowing you to switch between them as desired for varied bass sounds suitable for jazz, rock, or blues styles of music, it makes an excellent addition to any set up!
The Model One bass pickup is an impressive humbucking humbucking bass pickup, perfect for rock and jazz bass playing. Crafted with Alnico V magnets that give a warm vintage tone with plenty of output. Ideal for players seeking to cut through the mix in rock bands. Though more expensive than other options available on the market, its versatility more than makes up for its higher initial cost.
DeArmond
DeArmond is best-known for their easy-to-install guitar pickups. Their Rhythm Chief fingerboard-mounted archtop guitar pickup and RHC soundhole pickup for acoustic guitar were used by top guitar brands including Guild, Gretsch, Epiphone Silvertone during the 50s and 60s eras – DeArmond still offers vintage inspired user friendly products today that allow anyone to quickly bring back life into their bass with new pickups!
DeArmond P-90 bass guitar pickups stand out with their distinct look and tone. Commonly found on old Guild, Gretsch, and Epiphone basses; however they can also be installed into any bass with pre-cut f-holes. What sets DeArmond apart from standard single coil pickups is its construction; rather than using just one coil stacked upon itself like traditional single coils would, DeArmond uses two individual coils that stack on top of one another which helps eliminate interference between coils for pure single coil sound without any hum.
DeArmond speakers excel in many genres of music, but country and rockabilly are two genres in particular that often call for high output designs that produce crisp sounds with plenty of bass – something the DeArmond excels at providing.
DeArmond TriSonic bass guitar pickups provide something extra than your average single-coil pickups – perfect for those seeking something special in a bass guitar pickup! This particular pick doesn’t use a traditional bobbin. Instead, its construction resembles that of lipstick pickups in that its wire is wrapped around magnet and then contained by metal casing just like in lipstick tubes!
These versatile pickups can be highly effective across a range of musical genres, making them a popular choice among bassists. Furthermore, they’re an excellent way to increase low end volume.
If you’re considering the addition of a DeArmond bass guitar pickup to your bass, we suggest visiting your preferred instrument store to explore their selection and speak with an experienced salesperson about your requirements and the possibilities for installation. They’ll help find one that perfectly suits both your style and budget!