To me I'm simply hearing the difference between Alnico and Ceramic. Ceramic can be harsh and boomy where Alnico has warmth and clarity but less volume. (sometimes referred to as more polite).
Hi Jonathan, I said I'd get back to you once the Wilde P-46 pickup had been installed in my Mini P - Firstly, I'm just a hobbyist and not technical! My local guitar tech fitted them and he did seem to suggest there was an option has to how you install them. In any event they fitted perfectly and I know he used soldering. To my ear they sound crystal clear and there is no hum. I think they give a 'fat' sound and for my tastes I have the tone set at around 30% - They are only available from the manufacturer's (worth looking at their website) and at £77 (Inc £19 shipping to the UK) I'm very happy with the results! Wish I could give you a little more technical information but it's just not my forte! All the best from the UK - Ps just enjoyed watching your video on the Luna bass
Thanks for all the vids. Long story short….I’m a right handed player with limited use of my left hand from an injury so I’m currently on a journey to see if short scale basses is a possible solution to my dilemma. I have been binge watching yours and Lobsters videos for info the last couple of days. So I took the plunge and ordered a mini p from Amazon (none in stock locally) along with a set of labella flats. Thinking strongly about just ordering a set of ToneRiders now as well, sounds like they have a great vintage tone without spending custom shop prices. Thanks again for all the vids and giving me the inspiration to try an alternate path to bass playing. I think if the short scale thing works for me I’m going to buy a Squier CV Mustang to mod or the Fender MIM Mustang PJ.
@@FMBasementStudio thanks so much for watching! If you didn’t already know, it was medical illness that prompted me to start playing short scale basses. Playing in pain sucks! I really like the Tonerider P! I’ve since installed it into a much more expensive bass and it has been great! Thx for watching and good luck!
Yeah! I quite like this Tonerider P! If I’m honest, I like the voicing better than some boutique models. It has a pleasant sounding midrange voice. Thanks for watching and glad you made a cool sounding bass!
You can't go too far wrong with MIM or CV. I have both and find them a bit different. Jonathan has put out a lot of vids on modding the Bronco, but I'm happy with the CV so far, although I might upgrade the PUPs at some point
Right on! Thanks for sharing your experiences! Re pickups in the CV squier mustang. Can I ask a favour? How wide is each pickup shell? 41 or 44mm? (Widest point). I’m planning a Mustang pickup series!
Nice thanks But now with tone riders coming in close to $60 with tax shipping another $10 or more ($70-$80 ?) total Reverb ,eBay ,etc , July 2024 For another $25 you can get a $90 DiMarzio
In terms of $, very very true. I think the Dimarzio Model P is their more affordable P offering. In terms of voicing though, I don't think the midrange in the Dimarzios are the same as the Toneriders. It's more modern sounding and less pokey to me. But in the end, I think it really comes down to getting the voicing to match what you hear in your head and one that compliments the natural voice of the instrument. Thanks for watching!!
Hi Jonathan, I've seen some very good reviews about the Wilde P-46 pickups. These should all Squier P basses including the Mini P perfectly. Just ordered some at a price of £77 and this includes £19 shipping to the UK. Just wondered if you had come across them yourself. All the best
My Mini P Squier bass has hardly ANY tone difference from the knob . I have taken it to 3 different techs and they say the volume needs to be all the way up on bass and lower the volume on the amp and then you can hear a difference but it is still so very minimal. Sometimes I just want to play quiet but there is no tonal change from the knob . I have a few other bass’s and the tone knob is so dramatically clear from the first 1/4 turn and when at 100% the brightness is amazing . The Squier has nothing . The pots have been changed also and it’s still the same . Does my Squier mini bass need an upgrade of the pickups ? I have a $63 Glarry micro bass and the sound and tone are just AWESOME . I have never heard a better sounding bass and the tone know is changing with every 1/10 of the knob turn . I love the Squier but the tone adjustment is non-existent. Also I did order a pickguard from UK that you had on your Squier . It looks great , it just needs the sound to match now . Thanks .
That's really weird - the stock tone and cap on the mini I used for these videos had a decent sweep. It almost sounds like there's a bad cap or there's a bad connection somewhere. But if several techs have looked at it..... Another possibility is that (by accident?) there is a linear taper pot instead of an audio taper for the tone pot. That would give the audible sweep of the tone pot to potentially be scrunched up on one end. Great to hear the earl_pilanz made you a nice guard! They've been great to work with.
Thanks for the quick reply back . I am going to take the Squier to another tech and ask about a pickup change . I want the bass to sound as good as it looks . Love the look and feel of the Mini but there just is no tone change at all . The pots were both changed by a tech a few weeks ago and there was no change . I hate to pay for upgrades pickups if it still sounds the same after . I’ll keep you updated . It’s all very odd to me . I bought the Glarry 25.5” scale bass and the sound is one of the best I have ever heard . The tone knob works perfectly how you would want it to work . Thanks !!
This sounds like an electronics issue and less to do with the wooden instrument itself, so I really hope it gets sorted out for you! Quality pots, wires and cap makes a difference! Good luck!
You can fill in the screw holes if they get remmed out by placing a tooth pick with wood glue into the hole. I know it’s a concern for you. Enjoy and “be your own tech"!!
Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I have glued many tooth picks in the past, pickguard, strap locks etc. These basses typically get sold after filming, so I’m trying to keep them as good as I can for the next player. Thanks for watching!
Hi Jonathan. Excellent comparison. I wonder if you would ever consider trying the DiMarzio Sixties P or DiMarzio Relentless P pickup in this bass? They aren't budget pickups but I have heard good things about them. Love the content!
Thanks so much for watching! I haven’t tried the Sixties yet. They’ve been on my list. From the Dimarzio website they seem similar to the old Model P (in terms of tone) but in the new relentless shell. Looks interesting! Seem to be sold out in many places unless you want the chrome colour. I’ll keep my eye out for a deal, see if I can bring them in. I watched somebody else’s video on the relentless in a Mini P and it sounded on the harsh and aggressive side. Not sure if that hot pickup needs a warmer wood to compensate. Output for days though!
@@jonathanwong458music Yes, I think you are right about that. The Relentless P sounds pretty aggressive and maybe it's not a great match for most short scale basses. On another note, I'm curious about what you do with all these pickups? Do you keep them all?
A lot of what you see (basses and pickups) get sold off after I’m done filming. I have my core collection of gigging and recording basses, which aren’t going anywhere. TH-cam is a bit of a money pit/drain, but I enjoy making them for viewers like yourself!
I’d try these Tonerider pickups. Are you familiar with GFS pickups? They have P bass pickup for 32 USD. Used those pickups in the past in guitars. Am testing an overwound firebird pickup from them in my HB Shorty. Bought those 13 years ago. Quite boomy.
Good eyes! The Katana 110 was a recent acquisition in the past few months. I like it! It sounds good at low volume (which was the point) and it has a 'power amp in' at the back I could plug my Line6 into should I choose to (usually balanced out to a QSC PA speaker live). Not sure about a video as I only ever use one setting and only a small fraction of what it's capable of! It would be a super boring video.....I have it set flat, with the master volume at 9:00. No other effects, no compression. On & off switch. That's it. How boring is that? Haha! Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music I understand. Another one that interest me is the Spark line by Positive Grid. You don't see too many videos on it from a bass player's perspective. Positive Grid has a bunch of new accessories for it like a pedal board, FrFr cabinet and 4 channel FrFr combo a whole band can plug into called Spark Live 🍺
I'd like to hear/see an unbiased review of how the new Spark cab does for bass. I suspect it will be alright on a first-play, but how will it hold up to bass vibrations over the long haul? Thanks, Jonathan
@@MrDanalaimo if you didn't know, all the Spark models can be connected to a speaker. I have seen a bunch of players run them with JBL Partybox speakers.
Thanks for watching! I’ve been swapping the pickguard and pickups a lot. The body wood is pretty soft so repeated screwing in and out will strip the holes. So the painter’s tape prevents that.
Mods aside, that is a really great playing example. Calm competent and groovy!
You’re so kind! Thanks so much!
Always appreciate your quality content and scientific method of testing things. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much! Your encouragement and viewership is appreciated!
I have a Squire Mini P and I'm watching these videos with great interest! I preferred the Tonerider as well. Especially when the tone was set at 0%.
Thanks so much for watching! The tonerider exceeded my expectations!
huge improvement, sounds great man
Thanks and thanks for watching!
P bass man , we loved it ,big or small.😊
Yeah man! A good P bass can get you through most gigs. True work horse of an instrument.
Thanks for watching!
To me I'm simply hearing the difference between Alnico and Ceramic. Ceramic can be harsh and boomy where Alnico has warmth and clarity but less volume. (sometimes referred to as more polite).
Cool assessment! Could be the defining difference. Thanks for watching!
Excellent video very informative thank you. I am building a budget base. I’ll try and set myself thank you again.
Thanks so much for watching!
Hi Jonathan, I said I'd get back to you once the Wilde P-46 pickup had been installed in my Mini P - Firstly, I'm just a hobbyist and not technical! My local guitar tech fitted them and he did seem to suggest there was an option has to how you install them. In any event they fitted perfectly and I know he used soldering. To my ear they sound crystal clear and there is no hum. I think they give a 'fat' sound and for my tastes I have the tone set at around 30% - They are only available from the manufacturer's (worth looking at their website) and at £77 (Inc £19 shipping to the UK) I'm very happy with the results! Wish I could give you a little more technical information but it's just not my forte! All the best from the UK - Ps just enjoyed watching your video on the Luna bass
That’s so awesome to hear that you are happy with them!! I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for letting me know!
Pick playing will be beneficial
I'm not a great pick player, but I'll try to add it on the next episode! Thanks for watching and for the feedback!
Keep them coming, Jonathan. Tonerider is an ugrade over stock, but not enough for me
What sort of tone are you looking for? Are you looking for a departure from the P sound?
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458musicMid to low (or lower, like that G&L OMG setting). I'm partial to picks, not slaps
You might want to try the Dimarzio split P. It’s fat and thick but sounds nothing like a traditional P. Might be what you seek!
Thanks for all the vids. Long story short….I’m a right handed player with limited use of my left hand from an injury so I’m currently on a journey to see if short scale basses is a possible solution to my dilemma. I have been binge watching yours and Lobsters videos for info the last couple of days.
So I took the plunge and ordered a mini p from Amazon (none in stock locally) along with a set of labella flats. Thinking strongly about just ordering a set of ToneRiders now as well, sounds like they have a great vintage tone without spending custom shop prices.
Thanks again for all the vids and giving me the inspiration to try an alternate path to bass playing. I think if the short scale thing works for me I’m going to buy a Squier CV Mustang to mod or the Fender MIM Mustang PJ.
@@FMBasementStudio thanks so much for watching! If you didn’t already know, it was medical illness that prompted me to start playing short scale basses. Playing in pain sucks! I really like the Tonerider P! I’ve since installed it into a much more expensive bass and it has been great!
Thx for watching and good luck!
I put toneriders on my very very cheap bass (70 quid new cheap) along with some very cheap flats (16 quid), it really sounds like a double bass now.
Yeah! I quite like this Tonerider P! If I’m honest, I like the voicing better than some boutique models. It has a pleasant sounding midrange voice.
Thanks for watching and glad you made a cool sounding bass!
You can't go too far wrong with MIM or CV. I have both and find them a bit different. Jonathan has put out a lot of vids on modding the Bronco, but I'm happy with the CV so far, although I might upgrade the PUPs at some point
Right on! Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Re pickups in the CV squier mustang. Can I ask a favour? How wide is each pickup shell? 41 or 44mm? (Widest point). I’m planning a Mustang pickup series!
@@jonathanwong458music Ack! You're asking a U.S. guy to measure in metric! 😊 Looks like 38
Thanks! Smaller than the reissue sized shells. Was what I thought. Makes getting pickups trickier.
Tonerider Wins!
Yeah! I think the tonerider sounds great!
Hi, ToneRider seem to be up and coming, unfortunately £42.00 in the UK, so 72.00 Canadian, we always get ripped off!
Shipping and duty/taxes really gets me! $ conversion isn’t great these days either…
I liked this tonerider! Thanks for watching!
Nice thanks
But now with tone riders coming in close to $60 with tax shipping another $10 or more ($70-$80 ?) total
Reverb ,eBay ,etc , July 2024
For another $25 you can get a $90 DiMarzio
In terms of $, very very true. I think the Dimarzio Model P is their more affordable P offering. In terms of voicing though, I don't think the midrange in the Dimarzios are the same as the Toneriders. It's more modern sounding and less pokey to me. But in the end, I think it really comes down to getting the voicing to match what you hear in your head and one that compliments the natural voice of the instrument.
Thanks for watching!!
Hi Jonathan, I've seen some very good reviews about the Wilde P-46 pickups. These should all Squier P basses including the Mini P perfectly. Just ordered some at a price of £77 and this includes £19 shipping to the UK. Just wondered if you had come across them yourself. All the best
I haven't yet! I'd like to, though. The pole piece design looks very interesting. How did you find the output of these?
Thanks for the suggestion!
@@jonathanwong458musicHi Jonathan - Delivery 2/3 weeks - Will let you know once installed.
Awesome. Thx!
Can you also try a Guyker Ceramic Rail P Bass Pickups? It is also affordable but is made with high quality. Thanks.
I’ve wrapped up this particular series, but I’ll see if I can check it out in the future. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
Have you heard of GFS pro series precision pups $33??
I haven’t had a chance to try them yet. I’ll try to get them in for an upcoming series. Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music
Thanks much enjoy your demos
Thx for the encouragement!
My Mini P Squier bass has hardly ANY tone difference from the knob . I have taken it to 3 different techs and they say the volume needs to be all the way up on bass and lower the volume on the amp and then you can hear a difference but it is still so very minimal. Sometimes I just want to play quiet but there is no tonal change from the knob . I have a few other bass’s and the tone knob is so dramatically clear from the first 1/4 turn and when at 100% the brightness is amazing . The Squier has nothing . The pots have been changed also and it’s still the same . Does my Squier mini bass need an upgrade of the pickups ? I have a $63 Glarry micro bass and the sound and tone are just AWESOME . I have never heard a better sounding bass and the tone know is changing with every 1/10 of the knob turn . I love the Squier but the tone adjustment is non-existent. Also I did order a pickguard from UK that you had on your Squier . It looks great , it just needs the sound to match now .
Thanks .
That's really weird - the stock tone and cap on the mini I used for these videos had a decent sweep. It almost sounds like there's a bad cap or there's a bad connection somewhere. But if several techs have looked at it.....
Another possibility is that (by accident?) there is a linear taper pot instead of an audio taper for the tone pot. That would give the audible sweep of the tone pot to potentially be scrunched up on one end.
Great to hear the earl_pilanz made you a nice guard! They've been great to work with.
Thanks for the quick reply back . I am going to take the Squier to another tech and ask about a pickup change . I want the bass to sound as good as it looks . Love the look and feel of the Mini but there just is no tone change at all . The pots were both changed by a tech a few weeks ago and there was no change . I hate to pay for upgrades pickups if it still sounds the same after . I’ll keep you updated . It’s all very odd to me . I bought the Glarry 25.5” scale bass and the sound is one of the best I have ever heard . The tone knob works perfectly how you would want it to work .
Thanks !!
This sounds like an electronics issue and less to do with the wooden instrument itself, so I really hope it gets sorted out for you! Quality pots, wires and cap makes a difference! Good luck!
You can fill in the screw holes if they get remmed out by placing a tooth pick with wood glue into the hole. I know it’s a concern for you. Enjoy and “be your own tech"!!
Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I have glued many tooth picks in the past, pickguard, strap locks etc. These basses typically get sold after filming, so I’m trying to keep them as good as I can for the next player.
Thanks for watching!
Hi Jonathan. Excellent comparison. I wonder if you would ever consider trying the DiMarzio Sixties P or DiMarzio Relentless P pickup in this bass? They aren't budget pickups but I have heard good things about them. Love the content!
Thanks so much for watching! I haven’t tried the Sixties yet. They’ve been on my list. From the Dimarzio website they seem similar to the old Model P (in terms of tone) but in the new relentless shell. Looks interesting! Seem to be sold out in many places unless you want the chrome colour. I’ll keep my eye out for a deal, see if I can bring them in.
I watched somebody else’s video on the relentless in a Mini P and it sounded on the harsh and aggressive side. Not sure if that hot pickup needs a warmer wood to compensate. Output for days though!
@@jonathanwong458music Yes, I think you are right about that. The Relentless P sounds pretty aggressive and maybe it's not a great match for most short scale basses. On another note, I'm curious about what you do with all these pickups? Do you keep them all?
A lot of what you see (basses and pickups) get sold off after I’m done filming. I have my core collection of gigging and recording basses, which aren’t going anywhere. TH-cam is a bit of a money pit/drain, but I enjoy making them for viewers like yourself!
@@jonathanwong458music Much appreciated. I certainly do like watching the videos!
Very much appreciate your viewership!
I’d try these Tonerider pickups.
Are you familiar with GFS pickups? They have P bass pickup for 32 USD.
Used those pickups in the past in guitars.
Am testing an overwound firebird pickup from them in my HB Shorty. Bought those 13 years ago.
Quite boomy.
I’ve only tried GFS in other people’s guitars. Firebird is a cool mod! Thanks for watching!
I spot the Katana. Video coming? Thanks Jonathan 🍺
Good eyes! The Katana 110 was a recent acquisition in the past few months. I like it! It sounds good at low volume (which was the point) and it has a 'power amp in' at the back I could plug my Line6 into should I choose to (usually balanced out to a QSC PA speaker live). Not sure about a video as I only ever use one setting and only a small fraction of what it's capable of! It would be a super boring video.....I have it set flat, with the master volume at 9:00. No other effects, no compression. On & off switch. That's it. How boring is that? Haha!
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music I understand. Another one that interest me is the Spark line by Positive Grid. You don't see too many videos on it from a bass player's perspective. Positive Grid has a bunch of new accessories for it like a pedal board, FrFr cabinet and 4 channel FrFr combo a whole band can plug into called Spark Live 🍺
I’ve had a few viewers ask about these! I should look! Thanks!
I'd like to hear/see an unbiased review of how the new Spark cab does for bass. I suspect it will be alright on a first-play, but how will it hold up to bass vibrations over the long haul? Thanks, Jonathan
@@MrDanalaimo if you didn't know, all the Spark models can be connected to a speaker. I have seen a bunch of players run them with JBL Partybox speakers.
Well done, thank you!
Why the blue tape?
Thanks for watching!
I’ve been swapping the pickguard and pickups a lot. The body wood is pretty soft so repeated screwing in and out will strip the holes. So the painter’s tape prevents that.
@@jonathanwong458musicCool idea.
Thanks!
Overall same same…🤷♂️
Thanks for watching and for commenting!