Great comparison! And it seems like there's a lot of agreement amongst the viewers that the stock Squier pickup is really surprisingly good and the Bill Lawrence and Fender are only slightly better (I prefer the Fender between the two, richer mids, more bottom end, and the Bill Lawrence is a touch too bright in the treble for my taste). And the Seymour Duncans have a very different character with their focus on mids and less treble. The Quarter Pounds are something special and I get why they have their fans, but they're not my cup of tea. I prefer a vintage P bass tone. So this is my ranking: 1. Fender Custom '62 2. shared between stock Squier and Bill Lawrence 3. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound 4. Seymour Duncan Hot Pickup
Thank you for the review! And awesome playing as well! I FELT something with that bassline! I can't put my finger on what it is. I don't know if it feels surf-esque, if it feels like a Bikini Bottom type deal, or a fast paced Latin vibe (samba or something, I don't recall), or a goofy chase, or something. WHAT IS THIS FEEL?!????? IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! All this and I'm not even done watching yet. Lol.
Ok, on studio monitors today and loving those Bill Lawrence P46....but for different reasons (more clarity). Fender's mids just have such a nice color to them....decisions decisions
@@sisupatExactly. The Fender mids have a nice tonal color to them. That’s why I like them. The only other precision that has a great mid frequency response is Aguilar’s AG4P-60. That’s my go to precision pickup when I’m not using a Pure Vintage’63.
Good work mate. It clearly shows that the hype about Duncan Quarter Pounders is totally nonsense. They seriously suck at the clarity department. Among the 5 tested, CS62 or the Bill Lawrence is the way to go. From personal experience, I would also add DiMarzio Model P and Rio Grande Muy Grande to the list. Both are great pickups. Way better than the Duncans tested here.
Thanks for this video! I'd bought some Bill Lawrench P-46 pickups, but was a bit worried avout how they'd sound (I mainly bought it because I appreciatd the man amd his pickups are surprisingly inexpensive). Now, i can rest easy that they sound great! Also, great playing
Wow, the Fender pickups were head and shoulders above everything else to me with the CS only slightly better than the stock pickup. Guess Fender knows what they're doing!
Great effort, i'm discovering your channel so thks a lot for these very informative comparisons Squier et CS62 great all rounder but the 62 seems more refined. Bill Lawrence very detailed, interesting but not too sure in band context. At contrario the Quarter Pound super meaty, a good upgrade for a too gentle cheap bass. The super solid playing help a lot for distinct these nuances, bravo !
Amazing what a bad pickup the SPB-2 is, CS `62 dominates, Bill Lawrence's is breathing down his neck. (almost no difference - in my opinion) SPB-3 dark with slightly different tonal character, Squier - nice, surprisingly nice, but with slightly inferior projection compared to CS `62, BL and SPB-3. Nice job!
Thank you for this great comparison! It has confirmed my hunch: pick ups don't matter much on bass. I heard subtle differences but nothing like the differences I've heard on guitars that have similar tests done.
Great video, thank you for posting !!! Clearly shows that those Classic Vibe Squiers don't need new pups, great strings is better spent $. The Duncans actually sound like a downgrade to be honest. Great playing btw !!
Thank you so much for the comparison. I particularly preferred the Fender and the Duncan SPB-2. Both the Squier stock and the Bill Lawrence sounded weaker, whilst the Duncan SPB-3 a bit muffled
Squire sounded really good. CS62 only a little better. Deeper and just a tad more wooly sounding. If you have a Fender Player Series would love to see that compared to the 62
The seymour SPB 2 for tighter mid-honk tone if that's what you want but the Bill Lawrence sounds like someone lifted a blanket off the amp compared to the rest..so well-rounded and balanced ... and for a great price as well. That's what's going in my build .
SPBs are nothing special, Bill Lawrence is a little better, the stock Squire pickup is better than all three, and the CS62 is the best but there isn’t a lot in it. Is it worth the cost to upgrade over the stock Squire? Probably not? Thanks as always for the video!
This is exactly what I was thinking. The stock Squire pickup sounds surprisingly good, the CS62 is a little richer and adds more bottom end. Both sound better to me than the Bill Lawrence, and I just don't like the dark, somewhat narrow sound of the Seymour Duncans. They might be a nice fit for rock sounds, but they lack openness and color for my taste.
I’m surprised how similar the Squire and the Fender ‘62 sound in tone. There are a few subtle differences between each pickup’s tone. But I would have picked either one out of all five choices. I think Seymour Duncan excels with their guitar pickups. There bass pickups are just ok in my opinion with the exception of the SP-1. That’s a good precision pickup. The SP2 rolls off too much of the high-frequency response and sounds compressed. The SP3 also sounds compressed and lacks a mid frequency response. If you like a mid scooped tone, then choose an SP3. A lot a players like that pickup, unfortunately I don’t. I need mids so I can hear myself on a loud stage. The Bill Lawrence is bright and clear. It would be a great pickup if you use a pick and want to hear the attack of picking strings. Sounds similar to EMG active P pickup in my opinion. Thank for doing this pickup comparison.
Awesome comparison! I don’t know how you switched out all those pickups that fast! You didn’t even change into a new shirt… Loved the eq analyzer made for great visual confirmation… The 62s are starting to grow on me. I thought the stocks were great too. I have the off colored, Dakota red, Classic Vibe 60s P Bass, with D’Adderio flats. Love the feel, but the top 3 frets on the low E string can be almost indistinguishable at times. Do you have a remedy for that? Thanks!!!🎸
I prefer the first one, the Squier pickup. Similar to the Fender pickup with the midrange response, but the Squier seems to have a little dirt/drive to it. Just what I want from a P bass. The Bill Lawrence by far has the most hi-fi sound, and for a different kind of bass I'd be looking into that brand. The others sound too muddy for my taste, which is what I expected from a quarter pounder.
with my in-ear monitors on, I could hear a little better between the pickups. There seems to be more note clarity with the Wilde P-46 compared to the stock Squiers, which I also have. Almost like the acoustic jangle versus a less articulate thump. All sounded good, just different, probably relevant to personal preferences. Perhaps the P-46's had a broader frequency spectrum.
The Squire pickup had a similar tone to the ‘62. There were subtle differences in tone, but both sounded good to me. I would have picked either pickup. Personally, I prefer the Pure Vintage ‘63 over the CS ‘62. It has a thicker mid-frequency response than the ‘62 in my opinion. But, the ‘62 is still a great pickup.
@@jojoba619 squier basses tend to sound thin and maybe this is why they need a thicker sounding pickup. It all depends on the natural tone & acoustic resonance of the instrument : any decent pickup will be more or less suitable for that matter
As a guys who's hotrodded the snot out of many basses, I have to admit there's not enough reason for me to pull my stock Squire vintage pickups. They sound great, even in a pretty expensive lineup!
Thank you so much for this comparison! The stock pickup sounds great and Bill Lawrence is to sterile for me. Can you share in two words your impressions on this (P-46) pickup?
Thanks for watching. First of all, I was so impressed with stock pickup as in fact with whole bass. Great setup, weight and feel all over the neck. As for the pickups, I personally really liked the Bill Lawrence P-46, but I think I would have a big dilemma whether to choose it or the Fender CS'62. They have a very similar character, but CS'62 has maybe a bit of nicer middles for my taste.
I quite liked the lower tilt of the spb3 balance. Very powerful bass even whilst slapping. You sounded great on all no one would complain (except the spb2 sounded off in this company). I have an Aguilar 60s hot in my CV and it seems a lot like the spb3. Different tone caps could probably tweak any of these in the direction you want. Great video thanks
@@ObraBass Sjajan video! I meni se najvise svideo stock magnet. CS62 mi deluje sjajno sa nesto vise srednjih ali sam bas prijatno iznenadjen sa originalnim. Ja pokusavam da slozim jedan budget bass ...pa da li bi mozda prodali Squier-ov magnet...ili neki drugi🙂🙃?
If it's quiet and doesn't have any weird quirks, I'd keep the Squier pickup in. It sounds like a P-pickup should. The Bill Lawrence and the CS-62 may sound marginally better, but not enough to start thinking about new pickups unless you've already got one sitting in a drawer. The SPB-2 has a mid hump right where I have to dial back my rig to avoid really disgusting stage murk. The SPB-3 is fine if you need more output.
Not considering the SD's. Stock is missing something, like a beautiful girl with no soul. P-46 is too technical, 62 would be a producer's favorite (and mine.)
Great job. Amazing effort. To me they all sound more or less the same. I think people should put more effort in improving their playing skills rather than geeking out on gear. A great player would sound amazing even on a cheap bass.
Too bad for those, who modded their P’s with SD’s. They are surprisingly lame. I liked the Squire and the Fender and would strongly recommend to buy a Squire, because it is probably the best bang for the bucks.
