Bass guitar pickup options vary considerably, depending on your musical genre and whether or not group dynamics or power are important to you.
Magnet-wrapped copper wire pickups are the most widely used electric bass pickup type, transforming string vibrations into amplified signals through magnetism. Other options available are piezo and optical.
Single-Coil Pickups
When it comes to bass guitar pickups, there are two primary varieties – single-coils and humbuckers are often the go-to choices; both offer distinct tones which suit different genres. So how can you select which pickup best meets your needs?
Single-coils will highlight your strings’ natural brightness and clarity whether playing through a clean amplifier or an overpowering distortion pedal, creating powerful high-gain settings while producing plenty of sonic dirt without losing their distinctive tone.
Fender guitars and basses often utilize pickups designed by Fender that consist of magnets surrounded by coils of wire wrapped around them, with more coil turns equaling more output power from this pickup type. Furthermore, passive pickups may also exist that do not contain electronics to boost frequencies or control output output levels.
Single-coil pickups can be an invaluable asset when playing any style of music, particularly blues, country and rock. Their distinctive twang is reminiscent of classic guitars such as the Stratocaster; used by legendary players such as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan alike. When played out of phase (between positions 2 and 4 on a Strat), single coils create a quacky tone perfect for swampy blues music.
Single-coils are great choices for many genres of music, but sometimes an extra boost to cut through the mix may be required. That’s where humbuckers can come in handy; this type of bass guitar pickup features two sets of magnets in a single case separated by metal to eliminate hum.
These pickups have long been a favorite of slap players such as Larry Graham and Jaco Pastorius, making waves in heavy metal, pop, and punk music as well. Although more costly than single coil pickups, these bass guitar pickups boast the power to blast through any mix with incredible sonic distortion.
Double-Coil Pickups
Bass guitarists seeking an increase in power may benefit from adding double-coil pickups (humbuckers). These feature two coils wound with reverse polarity to cancel out unwanted hum associated with single coil pickups; to achieve this effect, both coils must be wound with opposite polarities to cancel each other out and produce pure string signals without any humming noises. There are a number of variations of this basic principle available such as rail humbuckers, mini humbuckers, stacked coil humbuckers etc – each following a similar basic principle in operation.
Fender Precision bass pickups are perhaps the most renowned of these instruments, combining a P-style body with a humbucking pickup to create an instrument suitable for various styles of playing. Its electromagnet features four magnetic slugs – two per string – which staggered provide a good range of tones. Alnico V magnets add strength and focus to their sound for added strength and focus in sound performance.
Humbuckers provide more than power; they also produce a more even tone when used in neck positions where string vibrations travel the least distance, making humbuckers especially appealing to jazz musicians and those seeking an expansive sound.
Humbuckers can also be utilized in bridge-position basses to deliver more aggressive, punchy tones than single-coil pickups in this position. This feature can prove particularly helpful for heavier genres such as metal and hard rock music where more punch and distortion may be required to cut through the mix.
Humbuckers’ main drawback lies in their susceptibility to ambient noise, since both coils pick up electromagnetic fields generated by strings. There are ways of mitigating this effect with shielding and active (or “powered”) pickups which boost output so as to cut through dense mixes easier while simultaneously helping prevent interference from other electrical sources like radios, TVs, neon lights or computers.
Split Pickups
No matter how you want your bass playing to sound, from Jimi Hendrix or Jaco Pastorius-esque licks to signature styles like Jaco Pastorius’ signature sound; there’s a pickup designed specifically to achieve it. Bass pickups utilize various coil configurations and wiring arrangements to offer endless tonal possibilities that create unique signature styles – the main three types being P, J and Humbucker pickups on electric basses.
A bass guitar pickup’s primary function is to convert string vibrations into an electrical signal that’s amplified by your amplifier and sent through speakers. A transducer built of one or more copper wire coils wrapped around magnets detects when strings vibrate, altering its magnetic field and inciting its coils to generate current flow that then amplifies with your amplifier and speakers.
Most basses feature either a single-coil pickup in the neck position or a split-coil pickup in the bridge position, with either eliminating hum in single coil pickups by using two coils that work independently; this eliminates any potential hum that comes from single-coil designs, creating clear, focused tones with greater variations possible with split coil designs – each coil can be wound specifically to emphasize certain frequencies for different tonal possibilities, providing more choices of sounds from warm and mellow to bright and aggressive depending on personal taste!
Bass guitars also contain other pickups, including humbuckers and piezo pickups. Humbuckers resemble split-coil pickups but with an additional coil. Their unique hum-canceling design enables a balanced yet full sound without muffled highs; rock and metal guitarists often choose this pickup because it provides powerful yet deep tone that cuts through a mix.
Humbuckers can be found both passive and active pickups, with active models featuring an internal preamp for further tone shaping. Piezo pickups are less commonly found on bass guitars but sense vibration from strings to provide greater control of sound output.
Other types of bass pickups can be found on specialty basses, including stacked-coil humbuckers, mini-humbuckers, rail humbuckers, covered and uncovered humbuckers as well as split coil P-style pickups designed to enhance certain models such as the Jazz Bass V’s split coil P-style pickup with dual blade pole pieces enhancing its attack and emphasizing cool overtones.
Optical Pickups
Optic pickups take an organic approach to sound capture by modulating light beams off of an instrument’s body, eliminating electromagnetic interference for an impressive sound that works great with bassists who seek an acoustic tone. Compatible with steel, nylon and plastic strings (and even nonferrous metal strings) as well as nonferrous metal ones, optical pickups come both single coil and humbucker styles – providing versatile performance across a range of musical genres.
Optic pickups are much quieter than magnetic ones, enabling live performance situations without fear of feedback to take place without worry of feedback being heard back – ideal for use in recording studios and clubs alike. Furthermore, optical pickups do not generate magnet drag which means strings can vibrate freely allowing superior dynamic response as well as greater frequency handling than magnetic pick-ups (which often results in mudding and loss of clarity).
Magnet type and configuration has a major influence on tonality; for instance, neodymium magnets tend to add punch and clarity while ceramic ones feature upper midrange presence and brighter sounds. Furthermore, the type of wire wrapped around your bobbin(s) also impacts tone – alnico has warmer sounds while copper has crisper and more transparent ones.
Dependent upon the type of pickup used, there are various ways to alter its sound – from changing magnet(s) and/or wire thickness to employing various bobbin materials and winding techniques. Some bassists even like to experiment with various pickup types to find out which works best with their musical and playing style.
Many bassists opt for an external preamp as an enhancement device for their instrument’s signal. These battery-powered units add extra gain, clarity and low-end power while some models allow users to fine-tune output parameters or create custom tones they can store for quick recall.