EMG mines some fresh bling for bassists with the new Les Claypool ‘Pachyderm Gold’ signature P Bass pickup

GEAR 2021: EMG Pickups has unveiled an eye-catching signature pickup for the legendary Primus bassist Les Claypool, plus three new Metal Works finishes for Metallica man Rob Trujillo's Rip Tide custom Jazz set.

The Les Claypool ‘Pachyderm Gold’ P Bass pickup is not made of cheese but it is the next best thing, putting a custom spin on the EMG PA pickup with a brushed gold cover. 

Claypool's pickups is offered in a standard 4-string P-bass format. Under that winsome metal cover, you'll find Alnico 5 magnets, with "short, squat coils" endowing it with a warm, thick tone and noise-free performance.

And there is good news for those who are a danger to themselves and their bass guitar when they pickup a soldering iron: the set is super easy to install, with no solder needed.

• NAMM 2021 is cancelled, but we'll be covering all the big January gear announcements right here on MusicRadar.

As for Rob Trujillo's Rip Tide set, you now have options, and they all look pretty neat. There are three new Metal Works finishes, with brushed black chrome, chrome, and brushed chrome joining the original black chrome pickup. 

Finding one that complements the finish of your favourite bass guitar shouldn't be too hard. 

The Rip Tide is a custom-wound jazz set that, again, is fitted with EMG's solderless wiring harness, and while they are designed for four-string basses they can do a job for narrow five-string basses, too.

Trujillo's Rip Tide J set is priced $219, while the new Claypool Pachyderm Gold pickup is priced $149.

See EMG Pickups for more details.