Splitting P-Bass pickups?

Posted by John Mark Perchalski on January 29, 2020 at 9:14am

I vaguely remember mention of this on some youtube video, somewhere, in order to provide a 4-pole pickup for a 4-stringer, but I can't find the video in question and may even be misremembering who it was (likely!).

I remember it sounded good.

Has anyone tried this? Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations? I can follow a plan and can avoid making a huge mess with a soldering iron but I'm hardly an electrician!

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  • Paul Craig January 30, 2020 at 2:40pm

    306682277?profile=RESIZE_710x3840707030?profile=RESIZE_710xI split a set of PBass pickups that I got from C.B.Gitty and placed them in neck and bridge positions. I wired them to a 4-way switch I got from Stewmac.com that gives me each pickup separate, both in parallel and both in series. These pickups work great for guitar, they're like little P90's IMO.

  • David L. January 29, 2020 at 5:53pm

    Hi John,

    The PBass pickups are two single coiled 4 pole pickups where one is reverse wound and the magnet flipped so together they make a humbucking pickup that cancels out the electric hum that single coil pickups get.

    So to answer your question if you cut the wire that joins the two pickups you will get two single coil pickups that each have two wires going into them.  Wired one per guitar you can wire them into any wiring diagram (substitute your 4 pole pickup for a single coil pickup).

    Points to consider - they are usually fitted via 2 long screws through the 2 side lugs, each screw through a spring and into the back of the routed pocket in the solid body.  They are not meant to be suspended from a pickguard (or box lid). Previously I added a block of wood to the back of the box and screwed into that.

    They sound good - like any single coil you need to ground the guitar strings to help reduce mains hum.

    This is a guitar I built a couple of years back - the P Bass pickups were split and wired separately via switches. The concept being that to the middle pickup (minihumbucker and a single coil) the neck bass 4 coil PUP adds more bass notes punch to the mix, the bridge P Bass PUP adds more treble and together it adds both plus a little more from the middle 2 strings due to the overlap.  The best sound on the guitar is from the two PBass PUPs in my opinion.

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    • John Mark Perchalski > David L. January 30, 2020 at 8:55am

      DavidL, thank you very much for that detailed response!

      That gave me everything I needed to know and helped me to understand PUPs a little better, too. I remembered vaguely that humbuckers were paired singles that were modified to cancel each other, but I didn't understand the modification, or that the modification was such that it'd allow the two to function separately...without having to tear them down or do any weird hacking of the wiring.

      Also greatly appreciate the installation tips, though 'making it fit' is a pretty early addition to a CBG builder's toolbox, I dare say. :)

      Much appreciated! Hope you have a great day!

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