P-Bass Pickup Questions

[marnold***]

As a former bass player, I've always wondered why the P-Bass pickup is split. I've seen some guitar single-coil pickups that are like that too, but it's pretty unusual. Also whereas guitar pickups are usually right by the neck or right by the bridge (three pickup guitars obviously excluded), the P-Bass is pretty much right in between the two. The J-Bass has one in that same position and one at the bridge. I'm sure Leo had some reasons for those decisions when he designed the bass, but does anyone know those reasons?

[r_a_smith3530]

As a former bass player, I've always wondered why the P-Bass pickup is split. I've seen some guitar single-coil pickups that are like that too, but it's pretty unusual. Also whereas guitar pickups are usually right by the neck or right by the bridge (three pickup guitars obviously excluded), the P-Bass is pretty much right in between the two. The J-Bass has one in that same position and one at the bridge. I'm sure Leo had some reasons for those decisions when he designed the bass, but does anyone know those reasons?

Why is the pickup split? Because they are connected in series, like a humbucker. They are not a true humbucker, in the sense that Seth Lover's design is, but they kinda sorta function that way.

As to why Leo chose that particular location for the P's split-coil pickup to be mounted, I'm going to guess that it's over a harmonic.

Remember that Leo Fender was an engineer, not a musician, and that he would have looked for a logical location for the pickup. The sound wave created by an open E string on an electric bass is huge. Leo would have known this. He also would have known that the amp he was working on to go with his new invention would have limitations due to the materials available at the time, in a quite real sense. As an example, look at an early P Bass (1951). There is a cover over the pickup. It is there to protect the wire wound wrap that Leo had to put on the GUT strings, the only bass strings available at the time, so that he could get them to work with an electric pickup! Anyway, when you strike a string, you not only get the tone of that string, but you also get harmonics as a side benefit. This is how you are able to hear a low E string plucked when plugged into a 15 watt bass practice amp with an 8" speaker. You are not really hearing the main sound wave, but rather one of its harmonics. Knowing this, and realizing that getting a sufficiently powerful signal out of a gut string wrapped in steel wire was going to be a challenge, I would imagine that he would want everything in his favor, from an engineering point of view, and it would only make sense to mount the pickup over a natural harmonic point.

Now, here's the question that you REALLY should be asking. Remember that Leo Fender invented the electric bass guitar. At the time, all basses in general use were standup affairs, either 4/4 double basses or 3/4 sized, but they all shared one thing in common. They didn't have any frets! Why did Leo choose to fret the necks on an instrument that was clearly designed to be played by musicians who were used to playing fretless necks?

Today, less than 10% of all bass guitars sold come with fretless necks, yet prior to 1951 virtually 100% of all basses featured fretless construction.

[marnold***]

Another interesting aspect of this (to me anyway) is that some p-bass pickups have the top part on the neck side like Fender's. Others have the top part on the bridge side. Without having a bass to test it on, I would guess that there is a harmonic right above the pickup, perhaps over an imaginary 29th fret.

Ideally, though, I'd like to get one of these.

[r_a_smith3530]

Another interesting aspect of this (to me anyway) is that some p-bass pickups have the top part on the neck side like Fender's. Others have the top part on the bridge side. Without having a bass to test it on, I would guess that there is a harmonic right above the pickup, perhaps over an imaginary 29th fret.

Ideally, though, I'd like to get one of these.

If you notice, Fender P Basses are all set up with the pickup mounted as Leo designed it. Other manufacturers, more for aesthetics than any other reason, have chosen to "flip" the pickup. Leo was an engineer, not a musician. If there was any sonic advantage to doing it the other way, he would have done it!

This is OK, but you should really check out one of these! Leo Fender designed the P Bass, the J Bass, the Musicman Stingray Bass, and finally, the G&L's. Leo was 'Da Man, and this was the pinnacle of his design work! Three pots control volume and (2) tone. Three switches control (1) pickup selection, (2) series/parallel, and (3) active electronics off/on/on w/treble boost. It is said that Leo had just finished with a new bass design on the day that he died, and it was supposed to be ready for him to inspect the following day. That instrument was never released by G&L. VERY reliable sources say that it was actually a baritone.

Here's one of the one's I'm looking at buying. Extremely rare! If you check the registry, there are only 11 of these listed. The L-2000E, the fretted early active version, is represented by 114 instruments. The L-2000 model, representing early passives, plus all actives from 1984 up, shows 429 registrations.