Aguilar welcomes two new 5-string bass pickups, the “AGP 5P-60” for P-Bass and “AG 5P/J-HC” for P/J-Bass.
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These new pickups are based on their popular 4-string P-Bass pickup AG 4P-60, they are inspired by classic ’60s era bass sounds.
5-string bass guitars offer extended range and modern playability, however they typically come with clean and modern sounding pickups. These new replacement pickups are meant to allow 5-string players to enjoy vintage voiced bass tones while keeping the other benefits of their modern instruments.
Aguilar AG 5P-60
The Aguilar AG 5P-60 is a split-coil pickup designed specifically for 5-string Precision style Basses. To nail down authentic ’60s tones, Aguilar built this pickup using period correct parts, including Alnico V magnets and Heavy Formvar wire. The resulting sound produced by this pickup has the right amount of mid-range “nose” for cutting through a loud band while still providing low frequency support.
Aguilar president Dave Boonshoft comments: “The AG 5P-60 pickup truly brings the classic sound of the ‘60’s to today’s five-string Precision basses. The five-string P-Bass has become much more prominent over the last ten years. After the massive success of our four-string AG 4P-60 we knew we had to bring the AG 5P-60 to fruition.
Aguilar AG 5P/J-HC
The Aguilar AG 5P/J-HC pickup set is designed for hybrid bass guitars that have a P-bass neck pickup and a J-bass bridge pickup. It comes with the AG 5P split-coil pickup and the AG J-HC Jazz bass bridge pickup. This pickup set features Alnico V magnets, the split-coil pickup is crafted using 42 gauge Heavy Formvar wire, while the bridge pickup is a bit hotter with a Formvar wire gauge of 43. This set provides a flexible array of Precision and Jazz Bass bridge pickup tones, without the 60 cycle hum problem found on conventional pickups.
James Cook, bassist for country artist Luke Bryan, recently had a 5-string P/J style bass built for him by Roscoe Guitars. To meet his tone demans, the bass was equipped with the first set of AG 5P/J-HC. Here is what James had to say about the hybrid pickup set: “I was immediately taken back by how warm, crisp and transparent these pickups are. I finally have all the tonal control I need in one bass because of Aguilar’s pickups! I can go from that ‘Jamerson sound’ to ‘Jaco’ with just one turn of a knob!”
Aguilar Amplification builds both pickups at their NYC factory. The pickups will be available for purchase on September, the AG 5P-60 will have a street price of $119, while the AG 5P/J-HC pickup set will sell for $209. Visit Aguilar Amp for more information.
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