We all love the classic bass tones of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. They’re awesome and they are sounds that popular music has relied on for over 70 years to keep the groove going. 

But what happens if you’re looking for something different, for something that is decidedly not in the vintage camp? 

We’re here to let you know that some very creative pickup designers had the same thought as you did and have created pickups with tones that are not vintage-inspired. 

In this article, we’ll help you get a better understanding of what’s out there for bass players who are looking to explore the limits and take their bass playing into uncharted tonal territory. 

What is modern bass tone anyway?

For this article, we’ll define modern bass tone as any pickup that does not have as its main design objective to copy or reproduce the tone of a vintage design. Also, we won’t be including pickups that are like vintage ones, but better either.

This means that modern bass tone can be a lot of things, as there is no single unified modern tone. You’ll find that most of these modern pickups in this list sound different from each other. 

In our opinion, it’s in these non-traditional designs where the artistry and vision of these pickup builders are displayed at their best. Since they don’t have to adhere to any preconceived notions, they’re free to explore the possibilities. 

Here’s the list of non-traditional (modern) bass pickups for 2025

In this section, we’ll give you some background of the brands and pickup lines that they offer with non-traditional designs. 

Aguilar

Aguilar was founded in the mid-90s when they came out with their now iconic DB series of bass amps. Aguilar’s founders were real-world players who were trying to make better gear for professional bass players who needed performance and reliability from their gear. Soon after, they launched their line of bass pickups, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Although often referenced for their vintage voiced pickups, Aguilar also has some non-traditional pickup designs in their lineup. 

• DCB line: Aguilar’s DCB line is designed to be high output with an extended frequency range. Kind of what you would expect from an active pickup, but in a passive design. They come in Soap Bar, P, J, and MM pickup shapes. So if more of everything is the direction you want for your bass, Aguilar’s DCB line is one to consider. Check out all of the Aguilar DCB Series pickups here.
• Super Doubles: These pickups have a unique design that is only made in Soap Bar shape. The Super Doubles are humbucking pickups with alnico magnets and they have a unique sound to them. They have a moderate output and have a big and harmonically rich tone with a large dynamic range.  This link has all of Aguilar's Super Double series bass pickups.

Bartolini

Bartolini is one of the original innovators of aftermarket bass pickups. Ever since the mid-70s, the company founded by Bill Bartolini has created pickup designs that are original and have the goal of giving professional bass players pickups that sound great, are reliable, and are quiet.

In the process of building a better pickup, Bartolini created a sound that was entirely its own. Bartolini’s are described as thick, with a distinctive low-mid growl, and a smooth top end. You could say that all of Bartolini’s pickups are modern since they don’t aim to reproduce vintage designs. Also worth mentioning is that most pickups have dual, or quad coil designs, which you can then split for even greater tonal range. 

• Original Series: This line of pickups is faithful to the original designs of the late 70s. They all share the sonic signature of Bartolini. So if you’re looking for more growl and heft in your tone, the Bartolini Original Series bass pickups delivers this in spades. Also, they work great with onboard preamps since they don’t get spikey or boomy.
• Classic Series: The Classic series used the Original as a foundation but added additional high end presence. It still has all the growl and heft you’d expect from Barts, but if you favor brighter pickups, these are a great option. We carry 26 different versions of the Bartolini Classic Bass series.

Delano

Delano is a German bass pickup manufacturer that started building innovative pickups in the early 2000s. Even though they have several somewhat vintage-inspired designs, the majority of their designs reflect their vision of what the perfect bass tone should sound like. 

Delano has built a following of bass players who love the added clarity, punch, and dynamics that Delano pickups bring to their bass builds. 

• PMVC & JMVC: These pickups have been gaining a huge following in the past five years. They’re not vintage-inspired, but rather, they take a characteristic of the original casing of the pickup (J or P) and make it its own thing. The JMVC (J shape) is punchy and clear, but keeps some of the classic J bass growl. The PMVC (P shape) has some of the thump of a P but transforms it with bite and a tighter low end to give it its own character. This page has all of these large pole bass pickups from Delano.
• Xtender: The Delano Xtender pickups are one of the most unique shapes out of any pickups in the market. They’re oval-shaped, which allows them to have a unique configuration of their coils and windings. And the sound is equally unique. It has big lows that stay tight, plenty of mids to cut through, and a high end that adds just the right amount of presence to your notes. Also, you can split the coils and get even more sounds. Definitely worth considering if you’re willing to route your bass. 

EMG

When you think about modern bass tone, one of the first things you think about is hot active pickups, and EMG was one of the trailblazers in active pickup design. 

The main feature of EMG bass pickups is that they come with an internal preamp, so you always get noiseless operation and a low-impedance signal straight from the pickup. EMG has a wide variety of designs, even some that have a convincingly vintage sound. But for the most part, they stay true to their forward-thinking roots and have developed their own characteristic sound. 

• Standard and X series: EMG has several different designs that have their own unique sound, however their biggest innovation in recent years was the implementation of the X series preamp. The X preamp has an additional dynamic range and an extended frequency range as well. So this means that they’re very responsive to your playing and can give you all the lows and highs you might need. 

LeCompte

Bud LeCompte is the USA-based luthier and pickup manufacturer that runs LeCompte. Everything that comes out of LeCompte is genuinely boutique, as this is a privately owned small shop where everything is handmade and built to uncompromising standards. 

Initially, you could only get LeCompte pickups if you ordered a bass from him, but now he offers the pickups and you can fit them into your own bass. His pickups are uniquely designed and share his view of what a modern bass should sound like. 

• Triple Threat: These are LeCompte’s flagship pickup. It features a unique 3-magnet per string arrangement that has a wide sensing area and a very unique look to it. These pickups have a moderate output to maintain their dynamics and have a big balanced tone that has a unique clarity to them. The LeCompte Triple Threat bass pickups are available in soapbars, MM style and P pickups.

Nordstrand

Nordstrand Audio is the brainchild of Carey Nordstrand. A musician, luthier, and California-based pickup manufacturer. As often is the case for luthiers who are looking for a sound inside their head, getting into pickup design was a matter of necessity for Nordstrand since he was looking for a specific tone for his basses and guitars that simply wasn’t available off the shelf. 

Since its beginning in the early 2000s, Nordstrand has expanded into a pickup powerhouse and has created a range that covers everything from vintage to modern and every color in between. 

• Big Blademan, J Blade, Power Blade, and Zen Blade: Nordstrand’s blade pickups are some of the coolest sounding and looking pickups you can get for your bass. They use a blade-shaped magnet that comes through the casing, letting you know that they’re something special. From a tone perspective, the blade line of pickups could be described as aggressively balanced. They’re a magnificent balancing act of just about every adjective we love about pickups. The Nordstrand bass pickups are available in several blade versions.

In Conclusion

Even though it may seem that bass players are stuck chasing vintage tones, you can see that modern bass is alive and well. All of these manufacturers have ingrained their unique voices in each one of these pickups. 

We know, these are a lot of options to consider, and if you’re still on the fence about which one of these pickups will take your bass to uncharted tonal territories, give us a call or shoot us an email. 

We’ve helped hundreds of bass players find the pickups that will take their bass to the next level.