Lindy Fralin P-Bass

Split coil precision bass pickup. It's passive, and it's stock wound at 10k. It has cloth covered wires. It's a nice touch, but my wire stripper didn't like them. :)

The Fralin P is replacing the stock pickup on my MIM Standard Precision bass. I'm using the standard P wiring, and not using the ground plate that it came with. The Fralin pickup covers did NOT sit well with my pickguard. So, I ended up putting the stock pickup covers on the Fralins, no problem.

The output on the Fralin compared to the stock pickup is way low. The stock pickup tried to be "modern" by just being loud, and having a ton of high highs and low lows. It was harsh sounding, and it seemed like it was missing the mid lows that this Fralin delivers. This pickup took away the fakeness, and brought that organic round sound. It sounds fatty and gritty. It does wonderful Jamerson. I use the MIM bass straight into my Little Mark II head, then into two Aguilar GS112s. I play in a 80s style punk band. I know the Duncan Quarter Pounders are "industry standard" for punk, but I knew I wanted that old school sound, and this definitely does it for me. I give it a 10, because it does what it's supposed to do.

If it gets stolen, I'd try the Duncan SPB-1 first, 'cause it costs half of what the Fralin costs. I KNOW I like the Fralin, but I'm curious to see what the SPB-1 can do as well. A few months ago, I got to play the Lakland Glaub signature bass. It has the Fralin pickup from the factory, and I loved how it sounded. When I got my cheapo P bass, I knew I wanted to get that Glaub sound out of it, and this gets it done. I love it. I give it a 9, 'cause it's about the most expensive P pickup you'll find.

Good old fashioned split-coil precision pickups.

They came stock in my Lakland Duck Dunn P-bass.

The output is about average for a P-bass. It isn't hard to kick my Aguilar preamp into overdrive but the pickup definitely stays clean when I want it to. I've never had the pleasure of having an actual vintage 60's P-bass in my hands, but my parents raised me on classic rock so I'm very familiar with the sound (mid-20's now). I wouldn't say this pickup is a dead match, but I think is has a more defined midrange and top end for a little bit clearer sound. It's not a night-and-day difference, but noticeable. I think the old vintage enthusiasts would be pleased with it.

Styles of music - whatever style of music you would use P-bass for...so pretty much everything.

If I had to buy a pickup for another P-bass, this one would definitely be towards the top of my list. I wouldn't say it's the absolute best ever, but close enough for all intents and purposes.

The only thing I wish it had...nothing really. It's pretty much a solid, all-around precision pickup.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: n/a

Model of guitar or bass: Parts bass P-clone
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: no
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues/funk
Reason for pickup change: Building a P-bass clone, thought I'd give the Fralin pickups a try since I heard so much about them.

Perceived output level: medium
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Install in an Alder body with rosewood/maple neck, typical P-bass combination. Played through an Eden amp with Eden 210 and Meas Boogie EV 15 speakers. My best description is that they are very smooth reproducing all frequencies equally, not harsh when you crank the tone control. If you are looking for more mid punch a stock fender pickup has more mids. I've owned/own many original fender P's. The Fralins are more of,I guess you could say hifi and less organic like an aged Fender.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues/ funk, better for funk

Comments: These pickups have giving me a broader range of sounds on the P. they actually are pretty damn good for slap. BUT if you are looking for that muddier mid vintage tone of a Fender just stay with a stock pickup. There are pricey.

Pickup features: Standard passive P-bass pickups
Impedence or other specs: 10k

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Precision Bass
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Metal, blues, funk,other.
Reason for pickup change: Rebuilding entire bass.

Perceived output level: Hotter than stock
Tone: Deep when tone knob is cut to bright when wide open.
Sonic evaluation: I use and Eden head through an Eden 2x10 and Ampeg Pr-115 cabs. The bass is a Frankenstien P-bass the only orginal item is the body and bridge(for now), maple neck, and 70's Gibson bass tuners. Great freakin sound!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups seem great for any style, with proper amp tweaking.

Comments: I've been playing bass now for 7 years. This P-bass was my first bass and about 5 years ago the trussrod broke so I decided to rebuild it one day. I've got a cheapo dean, a mockingbird, and a Fernandes Tremor Deluxe 5 so the repair was on hold for a while. I decided it was time to get it back to where it could play again. When looking for pickups I heard from friends that Fralins were some of the best to buy and after reading reviews online I decided to give it a shot. That was the best money I have spent on that bass! If they were stolen I would either find out who got them and make them pay, or I would fork up some dough for another set. The tonal variety from these pickups is great! They go from dark and deep to punchy and bright. If you are trying to decide between Fralins or some other pickups...get the Fralins you won't regret it.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender USA 75 P Bass Reissue
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Fender 62 Reissue P Bass
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Modern rock, classic, rock, and funk
Reason for pickup change: Had heard the Lindy's were great with Fender P Basses. My USA Fender '62 P basses sounded OK, but no match for my '78 original P Basses.

Perceived output level: Hotter than the stock Fender 62 Reissue Pickup.
Tone: Major improvement. Want a richer, deeper, and fuller sound for your P bass. Look no further than the Lindy's
Sonic evaluation: Mesa M-Pulse 600 with the newer "improved" Mesa Powerhouse cabs.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: modern and classic rock covers

Comments: The Lindy's in a word are "fantastic". I replaced the stock pickups on my two USA '62 Reissue P basses (see my review on Harmony Central of my two Fender 62 reissue P basses upgraded with Lindy's and Leo Quan's excellent Bad Ass II bridge). I love the Lindy's so much I recently ordered a pair for my Fender '75 Reissue J Bass. I have used Fender passive basses off and on for 25 years, but had favored active basses over the past 4 years for live performance. I have several MM Stingrays and Lakland active basses. But with the Lindy's having replaced the stock Fender PUPs on my USA reissue P basses, I don't really miss the onboard active preamp. Lindy Fralin knows how to make the perfect pickup for a P bass. Now to get Fender to use Lindy's in their higherend basses.

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 96 Fender American P Bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock pick up
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Heard a Fralin Jazz bass pick/up and was so impressed I orderd this

Perceived output level: Somewhat Hotter
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: I play this through a G/K 700RB into 2 single 12" cabinets. This pick up struck me the same as the Jazz pick up. Much more musical and articulate. A completly superior Sound in everyway. I have heard goos things about the Duncan Vintage. and it is cheaper, but I have heard Fralin's in 4 diferent instruments 1 guitar and 3 basses and I would not considere another manufacturer. This guy is the real deal. You get a 10 year warranty, but more importantly, he will rewind any pick up purchased from him, at NO CHARGE. This is an great advantage

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I love everything about it. I put a Fralin in my Telle. I will put Fralin's in everything I own. I am giving this a 10, it is not cheap, but how much are you willing to pay for tone?, is it worth an extra 40 or 60$? To me it is

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 5% overwound

Model of guitar or bass: Warmoth "p bass"- alder body, fretted maple neck
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Fender
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock
Reason for pickup change: Looking for better sound(what else!)

Perceived output level: Hot output
Tone: Clarity-cuts!Nice tone! Sufficient treble.Unnacceptable mids-NO THICKNESS!
Sonic evaluation: B100r Ampeg amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for rock.It like kicks ass man!

Comments: Ok,I took a chance and bought these instead of the SD antiquity pickups because I wanted to see if I could improve my sound with a quality pickup. Well, the results are mixed. First the good stuff: the clarity is Extremely good and I can hear the actual notes as I play so I can better discern what is happening harmonically and rhythmically.This is a very musical plus.These pickups CUT-you will be heard. Also, there is MORE than enough bass output for useful purposes so I practically keep my bass knob at mid setting at all times.In fact, I can keep all my settings at mid point and the TONE will be good/acceptable. It seems like the TONE of this Pu was designed to sound good without tweaking, and it has a nice growly musical quality to it. It is much hotter than a normal Fender pickup so if you like a light touch it will be available.
Now the bad stuff-there is NO MIDRANGE THICKNESS like you have come to expect from a classic sounding bass pickup as per fender,et al.It's as if this was designed as a guitar pickup and then forced into bass mode. In the context of BASS playing this lack of thickness almost kills this pickup in that if you use the wrong strings you will get what the singer in a band I was playing with called "canny" sound(it was!)-bass and highs with no mids. I was using d'addario slowounds which are not strong on mids(more on this later). Usually with a fender pickup I can hit the midrange scoop/cut button and get an acceptable old school sound.That is not possible with the Fralins as you must leave what weak mids are available in to get an acceptable sound.
So what to do? I found that my favorite strings(d'addario xl's)have a strong mid range thickness and will work well with the Fralins to make
an acceptable thickness bass sound that cuts-especially good for rock.
It's too bad because for this price you would think that THAT detail would have been considered and taken care of instead of the consumer/musician taking care of it with the right string choice(and again, I am talking in the context of classic fenderish bass sound). In closing, these Fralin Pickups are an instrument in themselves, not a replacement for the fender sound, but a sound unto themselves. Be aware of this before you buy.

Pickup features: passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Custom p-bass
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: standard Fender P-Bass pickup
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: many
You musical style(s): Blues, RnB, Funk
Reason for pickup change: seeking a certain tone that I would be happy with.

Perceived output level: hotter than expected
Tone: perfect mid sixtes, seventies Fender sound
Sonic evaluation: I use it with a Sadowsky preamp (though not nesssesary, a
Trace Elliot AH 200 amp and Trace 4 ten cabinet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues RnB,Funk

Comments: I have been playing for 15 years and have allways favored the Fender sound for most of that time. With this pickup I have found the closest thing to true Fender tone as I percieve it. I will buy another. The people at Fralin will do anything to help you. Lindy will answer your questions personally. Look no further!