Seymour Duncan SCPB-3

1/4" poles
Lower insulator under the coil is about 1/16" larger in diameter than the stock model that came with the bass.
I used a flat file and carefully took some off the edge so the pickup would fit. It is such a small amount that it doesn't require much effort at all.

Fender 51 P Re-issue (CIJ)
The original pickup had raised A and D string poles. This required the strings to be arched a little too heavily for my tastes. Just didn't feel quite right to me so I had two reasons to put the Quarter Pounder P bass single coil pickup (SCPB-3)in to replace the stock.
a. The fact the poles were perfectly flush I could lower the strings to a more natural slight arch with the fingerboard.

b. Bigger, bolder, fatter sound with more sustain using in conjuntion with .100 DR High Beams Stainless Rounds.

Higher, yet still clean than stock pickup.
Less buzz noise.
Cuts through the mix without any effort at all.

I have played guitar off and on since 1964. I played Bass in 1974 with a country band and picked a bass up for doing personal recording with my guitar. Boy was this a big mistake as I fell in love with it and it is my main instrument of choice now. I only rated this pickup 9 due to the fact some slight shaving of the lower insulator is require, otherwise it would have received a solid 10 in my book.

This is a single coil, passive pickup that drops right into the first generation Fender Precision bass ('51 Reissue, Telecaster bass etc). The specs are available from Seymour Duncan. In appearance the main difference it the Basslines logo and the larger polepieces, compared to the original.

I installed it on a Fender CIJ '51 Precision reissue to replace the stock pickup. This bass has a single pickup which is placed a few inches closer to the bridge as compared to the split-coil Precision.

I changed it because of positive experience with other SD pickups and the remarks I had read on internet bass forums.

Output is greater than the stock pickup, and it sounds like the original, with more of everything. Unlike the later, split-coil, the single coil is more hi-fi sounding, with deeper lows and more chime to the top end. It's a very well balanced sound difficult to find in other production instruments.

The split-coils are more mid-rangey and sustain more, so this one starts to feel like the Thump King after you've been playing a second-generation P.

Players miss out because they are put off by the other quirks of the '51-style bass (non-contoured body, chunky neck, backwards tuners, small frets). Players who rest their hands on the pickup find it difficult to accomplish on the '51, and many are the stories of damaged pickups from those who try. I support my wrist against the body of the bass, so I don't have that problem.

The standard single-coil sounds pretty good: the replacement enhances its good points and does not detract in any way.

I'd like to add that I string my basses with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, and the combination with the pickup is a very attractive, thumpy and percussive sound.

It's a retro sound, but musically very useful. It will drive a rhythm section with authority.

I've been playing since 1970 (bass since '81) and this is one of three basses I have settled on as my ultimate great sounding basses that allow me to do a variety of material (the others are both split-coil Precisions, fretted and fretless). I gigged with this through an Ampeg B100R, and it now gets played mostly through a '70s B15N a friend owns (he has taken custody of it, being in love with the sound).

I've not had a problem with noise, but if I did, I'd shield the body cavities.

I'd hate to lose this one: it has tremendous punch and personality. There's nothing else I need to go with it: I prefer gear that has a voice, rather than generic sounding instruments designed to rid the world of all potential issues. Part of being a musician is adapting to quirks (although in this instance the quirks are all in the bass, not in the pickup.

Single coil so called "quarter-pounder" stock pickup replacement for Fender Precision 1?? model (before the well-known current model that has been running since 1957 or so I guess). It features larger diameter pole pieces which is supposed to provide for a larger frequency spectrum. More info at Seymour Duncan's website ;)

Fender Precision '51 japanese re-issue

It definitely sounds like a P-bass. Stock pickup was sounding a bit thin and harsh, yet very nice for aggressive P-bass sound. With this Basslines SCPB-3 pickup, the tonal balance is fuller: more low end, more low mids and a more refined top end, yet maintaining the P-bass midrange grind. It definitely gets closer to the typical split-coil P-bass sound, but it gotta be said that it's not quite the same: there's something in that very low-mid sweet spot that still makes the split-coil P-bass pickup unimitable in its testosterone-driven bark.

It definitely does the job for what I bought it for: more balanced tone, more low end and less treble harshness, without losing the character of the P-bass. But if what you really want is the very P-bass split-coil tone then -well - get yourself a split-coil pickup(But this will require machining of the wood, hence an irreversible job) or a since-1957 P-bass !
I also installed an SMB4A MM-style pickup in order get the Stingray tone as well, but even if the result is quite nice it does not really sound quite as a Stingray and for slapping it's limited by the vintage-style small frets. Oh well !

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: D.C. Resistance 11.81K

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Reissue 51 P-Bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender pickup
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Blues, Jazz, Rock, Fusion, Swing etc.
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was very thin and weak with virtually no low end

Perceived output level: Definitely hotter than stock
Tone: Perfect, very balanced across tone spectrum with great low end
Sonic evaluation: Using with Ampeg SVT-4 Pro and Hartke 4.5XL , 2.5XL cabs. Fender Reissue 51 P-Bass (Butterscotch)--great bass for the money but replaced stock bridge with American Deluxe Jazz bridge whick is a direct replacement (No drilling etc.)

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

Comments: This is the perfect replacement pickup for a vintage or reissue single coil P-Bass. I did not go with the SCPB-2 (hot) because I was afraid it would muddy the tone. The SCPB-3 (Quarter-Pounder) is as good as it gets with this bass.