Wilkinson P Bass Pickups

[METAL Rulez 4ever]

Hi all,

I hope you and families all had a Happy Easter.

I am looking at purchasing Wilkinson P Bass Pickups. Can anyone tell me the difference between MWPB and WPB please ?

[Simon Barden]

The MWPB has ceramic magnets, the WPB has alnico V magnets, so the WPB has the more authentic Fender construction and most classic Fender P-bass sounding pickup of the two (and the alnico puts the price up in comparison to the ceramic). I can't be certain, but I'd assume the MWPB has steel slug pole-pieces with a ceramic bar magnet stuck to the underside (in typical budget pickup style and as often used by Fender in their Squier and MIM bases), whilst the WPB will almost cretainly have alnico v pole-pieces.

I would expect the MWPB will sound a bit brighter and probably has a slightly higher output than the WPB.

Wilkinson don't list the MWPB on their section of the JHS website, so I'd imagine that it's the pickup they fit in their budget range (Vintage brand) of instruments, whereas the WPB is the one they would normally sell as an after-market fitment pickup, or use in their more expensive (Fret King) instruments. I'd imagine that the MWPB is available to OEM retailers who buy in bulk from Wilkinson, which is why it appears on the market from eBay and Amazon sellers.

[METAL Rulez 4ever]

The MWPB has ceramic magnets, the WPB has alnico V magnets, so the WPB has the more authentic Fender construction and most classic Fender P-bass sounding pickup of the two (and the alnico puts the price up in comparison to the ceramic). I can't be certain, but I'd assume the MWPB has steel slug pole-pieces with a ceramic bar magnet stuck to the underside (in typical budget pickup style and as often used by Fender in their Squier and MIM bases), whilst the WPB will almost cretainly have alnico v pole-pieces.

I would expect the MWPB will sound a bit brighter and probably has a slightly higher output than the WPB.

Wilkinson don't list the MWPB on their section of the JHS website, so I'd imagine that it's the pickup they fit in their budget range (Vintage brand) of instruments, whereas the WPB is the one they would normally sell as an after-market fitment pickup, or use in their more expensive (Fret King) instruments. I'd imagine that the MWPB is available to OEM retailers who buy in bulk from Wilkinson, which is why it appears on the market from eBay and Amazon sellers.

Thank you Simon for your information, much appreciated Mate.

I am looking for a brighter bass sound so i can control the bass / low end to add to the bright sound with the control pots and amp settings. Whereas, i have a few basses that are very dull and bottom end in sound which is hard to brighten without it sounding farty...unless i just go ahead and change the pots and caps. So ideally i should be purchasing the MWPB, however, the WPB pickups seem to be a better pickup according to reviews and what you are saying Simon. And most bassist recommend Alnico compared to Ceramic.

[Simon Barden]

I'd go for the Alnico one myself as well. A well-made ceramic pickup can sound very good, but at the budget end of the market (which the Wilkinsons are), then I'd certainly go for the WPB. Maybe try 300k pots rather than 250k?

[METAL Rulez 4ever]

I'd go for the Alnico one myself as well. A well-made ceramic pickup can sound very good, but at the budget end of the market (which the Wilkinsons are), then I'd certainly go for the WPB. Maybe try 300k pots rather than 250k?

Thank you Simon I may get one of each to hear the difference in sound produced. I usually use 500K pots.

[Simon Barden]

So they should be pretty bright then. Good luck and I hope you get the sound you are looking for.

[METAL Rulez 4ever]

So they should be pretty bright then. Good luck and I hope you get the sound you are looking for.

Thank you Simon, much appreciated. I will let you know how i go. I found some 1000K pots, but havent installed them in a bass build / project yet. I am eager to hear them.

[Simon Barden]

You'll probably only notice the difference between 500k and 1 meg if you've got a cab with a tweeter in. For most pickups, the extra frequencies that will get through are above the frequency response of a 12" or 15" speaker. But it won't do any harm to try it out. If you notice anything, it's going to be a lot smaller difference than between 250k and 500k pots.

[METAL Rulez 4ever]

You'll probably only notice the difference between 500k and 1 meg if you've got a cab with a tweeter in. For most pickups, the extra frequencies that will get through are above the frequency response of a 12" or 15" speaker. But it won't do any harm to try it out. If you notice anything, it's going to be a lot smaller difference than between 250k and 500k pots.

Thank you Simon. All my 4 x 10 cabs and 8 x 8 and 8 x 10 fridges all have tweeters. I do not use any bass cabs without tweeters as the tweeters help cut thru the bottom end to give clarity to the bottom end tone that the bass produces. Otherwise the bass sound will be too muddy for my liking. I also have a 12, 15 and 18 inch cabs i use as well.