I just wanna say, as someone who watches mods on KZread a lot, THANK YOU FOR MUTING SOUND WHEN USING DREMMEL!!!!!!! The pain coming through headphones when other channels use tools is no joke. Seriously. Thank You.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha absolutely! I know this pain as well

I give you a A for effort, stock pups sound just as good as upgrade.

Hey man, I appreciate all the work you did, and I hope life is good for you now. Peace!

Amazing how much more of a P-Bass sound it gets with the new Pickup!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@ignacioibanez6138

Жыл бұрын

More like a Humbucker 60’s P bass, not like an original early 50’s single coil pickups anymore, for that better get a 60’s P bass, something that I like is the original single coil clear, bright and raw sound of a single coil 50’s P, Lindy Fralin make an awesome split hum canceling (not stacked) version that still sound like a single coil

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I actually have a Lindy that will go in the D5. Not super pleased with the Duncan tbh due to the pole heights causing volume differences between strings

Maybe it's something with the recording, but I (and some others, I can see by the comments) don't hear too much difference with the pickup upgrade. Better? Yes, but not $180 better. Looks like there's several other options from Fralin, Nordstrand, Aguilar, and SD for around $100 or less, and I'm sure any of those would probably sound just as good for less money. Either way, as much as I love (and have always loved) the design and mojo of the original 50s P-bass, this whole process has helped me see that a modern p-bass is a better fit for me tonally. Thanks Lobster!

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Check out my comparison the SD and the Fralin from this past December! The differences between the two pickups are much clearer

Sure wish my D5 would come in (same color). Been on order from SW since June. I have a Lindy Fralin split '51 P pickup sitting here ready to go. It's "supposed" to be hum free but sure looks like I need to plan on installing some copper tape while I'm in there. Thanks for the videos Lobster. I check daily for new ones and sure learn a lot from them, especially these upgrade videos.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michrun! So glad you're finding the videos helpful :)

@michaelplaysbass

2 жыл бұрын

The Fralins are great pickups, and will definitely be hum-free. It'll just be the bass itself that likely needs some love on that front

That Seymour Duncan '51 sounds so good. Thanks Lobster! 🦞

Great mods. That bass sounds fantastic!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Darvin!

When I had a parts 54 style bass I had the Fralin split coil with a 5% overwind. I found it sounded more traditional P instead of a Single Coil type tone. Nice demo.

Great stuff, Lobster, as always! I don't know how feasible it'd be for your setup/rig over there, but it'd be cool to hear a mic'd up tone from your amp occasionally. I feel like the DI sound doesn't always represent the bass end of the EQ that great, and can often over-represent the treble frequencies. Case in point; that Dusty pickup looks like it was *really* filling up the room there for you, but it seemed a lot harder to tell from the direct signals we're getting here. No matter what, love that you're doing what you do! Keep it up, brother.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael! The only reason I don't mic it up is to avoid introducing additional variables when it comes to the whole A/B thing. I hear what you're saying though and will probably do some sort of mic thing if we ever get into the realm of amp/cab testing. I appreciate the suggestion very much!

@michaelplaysbass

2 жыл бұрын

I totally understand! You're already way more in depth than I could hope to be with these videos, and it's enough of a task for me just rigging up a simple DI line... I'd probably lose it trying to get a good mic'd signal over here! Either way, you are doing fantastic work :)

Dig it. Big improvement Lob.

Great modding and playing! You inspired me to buy this bass and mod it too. Pickup and black tapewounds for sure, maybe bridge later on. But first I'll check out if it is comfortable bass to play 😉

Sounds great now that you have done both phases of the mod's on this bass!

Nice results. I really like that bridge. I may get one for mine as it has a standard fender repo unit on it.

I can clearly hear the differance, it is so much better. Now I have to get one of those pickups and built something around it!

Sounds nice n quiet but strong and loud.. love it man

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert!

Excellent pickup swap.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Phil! I am pleased with the results

I've got this exact bass in my shopping cart on Sweetwater.

Excellent Lobster 🦞🦞 thanks for sharing

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Paul!

I purchased one of these a year after your video. Pleased to confirm the wiring issue was non existent on my model, electronics perform great!! Did however switch the pickup out for an SCPB-2 (hot model). The D5 now sounds like a full fat P bass. Handles pedals/gain great and required no modification to the pickup or bass! It's now my go to 😎

Thanks! I've got this bass and I'm going to try to fix the buzzing

Thanks for these supaer-helpful videos on the Sire D5. Just received mine a month ago after waiting a year on the pre-order. Put on flats, adjusted the intonation and everything was great - except the noise and loss of signal to my amp! I just ordered a Fralin Split '51 and will have it installed (the right way) with shielding in a couple of week. Can't wait!

@carmineanastasio

Жыл бұрын

Was the Fralin a big upgrade? Did it fit?

That was a great sounding bass. Thanks

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I spent the initial lockdown making two Glarry Jazz IIs playable Chenders including reshaping that neck, oy, teaching myself full fret leveling, replacing pick-ups, wiring custom controls, all that fun stuff. One's a hot output double jazz HH, sounds like it's active actually, the other's a JPJ, also high output when they're all lit up. One of these D5's finally got here last week, I just installed the new Albridge and flat wounds today, shielded the control cavity and bottom of the p'up, and I'm stopping there! It's gorgeous. I love the laid back stock pick-up, the neck is delicious & playing with the tone rolled down is like the soundtrack to a beautiful f'ing dream! 🤤

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

@oldasrocks9121

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster Give the LaBella low tension flats a try

Love the bass. Not sure how much more bass the new pickup has over the old but it for sure has less mids filling up the sound. Great end result though.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Meyers! I found the new pickup to be a bit more even sounding with more representation in the lows

Thanks for using a pick to play with in your videos. 😎

Sounds a lot fuller. Great bass for the money. Nice job lobster.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rich!

That bridge looks and sounds so good. I put a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder in a 50s classic vibe and it sounds great. I think Seymour Duncan does a great job with passive bass pick ups. They are probably under-rated. This review has convinced me that I need to try their custom shop offerings. Great review as always. Thanks!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mark!

I too had to modified my Seymour Duncan vintage single coil in my Japanese 54 reissue pbass. This looks to me to be a common issue. That being said I love the sound of that bad boy.

Wow man. Thank you !

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

New pup def had more low punch. Great sound all around. Just finished my bronco mod proj. Might be time to give new life to the bronco you reviewed previously.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks James! Indeed we do have some fun stuff planed for that Bronco :)

I love the bridge. The system is so helpful to do any change without having to take all the strings out of it.🎃

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I agree! It's a great upgrade

Wow that was a big difference.

That Stinger really growls - I think it would sound great in a full mix.

It was quite good to begin with but with your mods it really is closer now to a Premium sound. La Bella's Deep talking with a good pickup generally do the trick! And the look in this is amazing

That is great!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm very happy with the results. Still has most of the 'bite' but with much more bass presence.

Don’t know if you or someone else may be interested, but it seems the pickup cover for a 51p Japan reissue will fit the D5 great. Waiting for a new pickguard but checked it against a template. Thanks for a great informative channel.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the channel

Less clank, more groove. Sounds really good now, especially with some tone rolled off.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Another great mod project! The new pickup sound much better. Maybe swap the tuners for hipshot ultralites?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! We could do ultralites, I just didn't have any sets handy at the time.

new to you channel... and just come across this video...and im thinking about getting one of these basses... and modding the bridge was it easy enough to do,,,

Hey Lobster I got the same bass The pickup was very weak. I popped some DiMarrio Relentless P picks ups in it. Your bass definitely sounds better than it did but with these Relentless pickups my bass is transformed into a snarling monster!

Sounds like the pickup is pretty hot.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Bevin! It really does have some kick to it

Thanks for the great content once again. I have a question regarding shielding and the grounding. Taping copper seems straight forward, but what are additional steps ideally?

Oh golly, you know what I wonder-- how the coils in the stock split p'up are wired. I'ma take this one apart this weekend and see how easy or hard it might be to install a push pull series/parallel pot. If it's in parallel stock series will certainly boost the lows

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

You should be able to see the other two wires form a tiny X to connect the two halves. You could totally turn this into a four conductor pickup with a steady hand and a soldering iron. Best of luck!

with the new pickup the bass played instantly faster and more complicated lines...

I love your puns heh. It would have been interesting to see what a series/parallel switch would do to the sound. The space between the two knobs looks like just enough for the necessary TPDT switch. BTW I liked the original pickup more. More clarity. But then again I like the D-Taylor "Stratobass" of yours sound more than anything else in your collection so maybe I'm just a freak.

Hey Lobster , the new pick up does sound better then the stock on but I still think I like the single coils better for the 51 . Like the single coils on my Sting bass. To me the 51s sound as different from the later split coil p bass as do the Jazz basses. I would love if Fender (or Sire )would do a remake of the Telecaster bass with the Gibson like Humbucker.

@E_MZ_

Жыл бұрын

So I just bought a sting bass and I’ve been having issues getting the e sting to sound full, resonant, and warm. Don’t have that issue at all on the top strings. Have you encountered the anything similar?

New PUP sounded chorused when you played in the upper register (around 9:30 in your video).

I think I'll try Lollar original 51 pickup. I think it's more vintage 🙂

Love your bass videos! How long did it take Seymour Duncan custom shop to make your pickup? Thanks!!

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I bought it already built, so unfortunately I can't comment

Perhaps the stock pickup was wired in parallel? And you wired the new one in series. Could probably have gotten the same result just by rewiring the stock pickup

Actually dug the tone of stock Sire pickup. But the Seymour clearly kicks out some nice low end! Was wondering how a Seymour Quarter Pounder SCPB-3 might sound compared to the 51 P Stinger. I was guessing the Quarter Pounder might have higher output and even more end. But could it potentially noisy? Any experience with that beast?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rob! Yes, I've done some stuff with the quarter pounder early on in the channel. My 'proof of concept' strat bass featured 3x quarter pounders. They were single coil however, where the stock pickup is a split coil. I didn't want to lose the hum cancelling during the upgrade.

Would it be better to modify the pick up cavity?

An improvement over stock… but muddier than I expected.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rev! I wonder if that's due to the stacked instead of split config.

@revlewisrees9880

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster - That’s what I wondered. I expected it to be ‘darker’ in tone due to it essentially being a humbucker. But it reminded me of the tone you get from a sidewinder style of pickup.

As soon as I heard how thin the Squier 51 P Bass pick sounded... I purchased a Seymour Duncan PHAT - n never looked back - What a creamy sound with my Rumble 500 n 200 I have some great bass's n anyone will do but I keep going back to the 51 - last three gigs anyways - Interested in this line of Sire's - anyone speak to the neck on a new P5 ? thx

Try a Harley Benton PB-50 ,i have one and i put a guitar pickup ( a hotrail) and sounds killer

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Vlad! Great suggestion. Hoping to do a Harley Benton Holiday Haul in the near future :)

Nice mod of a decent bass, Lobster. I like the sound of the new pick up. Is it more efficient?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Philip! I now get up to 37 plucks per gallon heheh

@philipmcadam5339

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster In my opinion, That's plucking good!

Really nice. Does Sire make this thing in a lefty? (Please please please...)

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Looks like they only do a lefty P5, but I would reach out to them directly to confirm.

Real nice not to bad i want to hear this bass blow 🙂☕

Great job Lobster and it does sound a lot fuller & fatter all around. I wonder if a capacitor upgrade (100 nF) might even make it better? Thanks

I would say the tone is greatly improved in all areas except slap, but this isn't a bass you would choose for that most likely. I am considering a similar project on a late 70s Musicmaster bass I own but I don't have the modding skills of Lobster. I do have a more competent buddy though who is willing to help?? I have been liking the DR Legends for flats lately but have never compared them to the La Bellas.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mark! Hey man, just like with everything - you gotta start somewhere. Get yourself a solid soldering iron and a glarry or something and you'll have the perfect platform for practice. I believe!

OK, where I can get this t-shirt X.X I need it!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Here you go- www.amazon.com/Bass-cat-kitty-guitar-T-Shirt/dp/B07RBFK7K4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=bass+cat+shirt&qid=1637330353&sr=8-2

I'm torn between the P5 and the D5, maybe I need both...

Not sure if I liked the pickup upgrade. I liked the stock pickups especially when you were slappin it

OK so after the initial review of the D5 you said the P5 was better. How do they stack up now against each other?

I haven't watched both videos yet. Do you mention at some point what additional cost we're looking at for all of these mods? I've seen the pickup for 160 bucks (gulp), but how much did you invest all together? I worry that this bass is quickly leaving "affordable" territory with all this great extra stuff ...

Mr. Lobster... how can you fix the copper strips? just by pressure?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

It's shielding tape, so there's an adhesive on the back.

Dig the new tones, the Seymour is hotter.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks John!

Maybe next up, modding the tone pot?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea, Pim. What kind of mod would you like to see?

@pimcramer2569

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster well you can do a simple passive DIY mod. I'm using cadfaels bassschaltungen for (historic) wiring diagrams. Otherwise I prefer an EU party because transport and import tax are horrible😉

Have you tried Fralin pickups? I read a lot great stuff about them

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I have one primed to go into the D5, it's on my to do list :)

@chrismorris3897

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster That sounds awesome! Thank you!

Did you still need to shield it since you were switching to a humbucker?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. Stock pickup is a humbucker too (split coil), website lists it as single though

Video part 3 - headstock reshaped

I don’t know. Is tone down 50% on the new pickup? Just sounds more rolled off/shelved down compared to the original. Maybe no difference in the low end in this demo.🤷‍♂️

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Martin!

Still three claws now? Does it stay or go?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

I think it's safe to say we've fixed the weak points that I mentioned in the video.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Also Sire has announced that they have addressed the QC issues that we saw in the review

Hi Lobster, modded D5 or standard P5?

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

I'd mod both honestly. Their pickups suffer from the same slight lack of booty. Between the two, I like the P5 because of the color and style. The bright red w/ tort paired to the roasted maple neck is just beautiful

@MrJohnnyorange

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster A bit like the Pino custom shop. at least the colour.

nice job, now it really sounds like a P bass!

Is this bass already avaiable ?

@paulpsycho78

2 жыл бұрын

Super long backorder 4 months 6 months who knows

mmh... The Seymour Duncan has more treble presence and sounds more "present" but to my ears the stock pickup is much better.

Nice work, but pls cover up that nice bass while working on it 😬

You know this is gonna do the boop boop boooooopedy boop after lol

@russellzauner

2 жыл бұрын

butterscotch caramel puddin

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

LOOOOOOOOOOL

@russellzauner

2 жыл бұрын

okay, right off it's going to be different because even though you're shorting the two things together it's still a split coil somehow - like the Area J it's a 4 wire and that means there are two loops of wire. You have options!

@russellzauner

2 жыл бұрын

so by those specs it should sound VERY close to a p bass split coil, just not staggerable.

@russellzauner

2 жыл бұрын

You should totally at least test a push/pull (or as I like, the push/push) switch.

Stock pickup sound way clear and bright, open and crisp as the single coils just shine on, the duncan sound fat, dark, compressed and somewhat dull, more like a humbucker split style pickup, loose the 51 single raw sound in mu opinion, matter of taste

@LowEndLobster

Ай бұрын

Definitely. I did a follow up a while later on the fralin 51p overwound that worked much better on that bass lol

It sounds better but for 150 bucks you would think it would at least fit not to mention it looks like hammered dog poop! 💩 (stock pick-up fit included)

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah there was something up with the housing. You could see the spaces where I had to remove some material. Very odd! Thanks BP!

@Bass.Player

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster The one that came in it looks like it was made for something else. It really did not fit the cavity well

My honest opinion: The bridge is a wash. I see no benefit to upgrading as they are essentially the same design. The pickup is different but simply not better. The strings are where the tonal changes come from. LaBella make a great flat, only outdone (arguably) by Thomastik.

Not worth the money didn't sound much better