Hi,

I bought a used Mexican Jazz Bass yesterday. It's not the most recent version with the American RWRP pickup set, these babies are humming with either or both pickups on.

I'd like a pair of noiseless pickups that will fit with no woodworking required, and old-school JB tone would be just fine.

What's the best bang for the buck?

tia,

Gn

You might try fender's vintage noiseless. they come standard in deluxe mim jazzes. they sound pretty good and theres no hum.

Reverse Wound, Reverse Polarity pickups for the neck pickup? I always thought that RWRP was supposed to get rid of noise when the two pickups are used together. On Strats the middle pickup is RWRP and it does a great job, albeit with a nasal, honky, out of phase tone.

Would flipping the wires on one of the pickups help?

Glenn

1. Lindy Fralin
2. Nordstrand

Both make dual-coil J pups that still retain fantastic vintage tone.

RWRP does that trick IF both pups are at equal levels. if they're at different levels, they'll hum. The hum might also be an enviromnetal or grounding issue.

After reading through the replies and the various pickups FAQ's I decided to go with Dimarzio J's (DP123).

I found a store selling them on Ebay for $85/pair shipped, but noted the text of the ad indicated that one pickup was longer than the other. (My mexican Jazz Bass pickups check both 3.615") I called the store and the seller said they looked to be equal length, but he didn't want to break the seal to measure them closely.

I called Dimarzio and they were very helpful - they said his packaged pair would have a long (3.75) & a short (3.62) pickup, as that is the way Dimarzio ships them. He said I had 2 options:

- find a dealer willing to open two packages and send me two of the shorter neck pickups,

- or buy the $85 pair and send the long pickup to Dimarzio for a free exchange to a 2nd short pickup. That's what I'm doing.

Dimarzio is a class outfit if you ask me. I'll report back when I get them installed.

Gn :hyper:

I put DiMarzzio Ultra Jazz pups in a couple jazz basses of mine and really liked them. One had a J-Retro preamp and I don't remember the other. Good choice.

I'm surprised I haven't seen Seymour Duncan's Basslines posted. I have a pair of STK-J2's and also a pair of active AJJ-1's in another bass and they are both amazing! If you want a more classic tone I'd go with the STK-J2's or STK-J1's though.

I bought some DiMarzio J's this week and tried to install them today with my MIM Jazz bass. Indeed there is a "long" and a "short" pickup, and neither would fit into the neck pickup position (too large for the route). It was extremely disappointing considering how much I was looking forward to hearing these pickups. :crying: I'm going to my local repair guy tomorrow to see what my options are.

On another note, I bought a replacement Fender-made pickguard and noticed that only the "short" DiMarzio pickup would have fit into it, meaning I'd have to put the "short" pickup in the neck position and the "long" pickup into the bridge position. I have no idea if there's supposed to be any sonic differences between the two pickups, or even why they're made in two different lengths. There's nothing in the included instructions about it. I haven't checked if either would have fit into the pickguard that was on the bass originally. I should note that the replacement pickguard would not fit over the original MIM neck pickup, so there's something different about it compared to the one the bass came with (although both are Fender pickguards).

EDIT: Oops, I was wrong, the short pickup does fit into the bridge cavity (just barely). And I guess it's normal to need two short pickups for MIM Jazz's, and I have to send the long pickup back to DiMarzio for an exchange. I have to say that my dealings with DiMarzio of the phone and via email have been great so far. Now I just have to wait for the new pickup in the mail to see how it sounds.

EDIT: Oops, I was wrong, the short pickup does fit into the bridge cavity (just barely). And I guess it's normal to need two short pickups for MIM Jazz's, and I have to send the long pickup back to DiMarzio for an exchange. I have to say that my dealings with DiMarzio of the phone and via email have been great so far. Now I just have to wait for the new pickup in the mail to see how it sounds.


what year is your MIM? mines a 2003 and I had no problem at all installing the model Js... one long and one short. they fit right where they were supposed to with no modifications at all

Fender changed the pickup route sizes in 2001 from the two neck pickup type to the standard Fender Jazz routing.

If your bass is made prior to 2001, you will need to look for a special set of pickups, or do some routing.

what year is your MIM? mines a 2003 and I had no problem at all installing the model Js... one long and one short. they fit right where they were supposed to with no modifications at all

It's a 2001. Here's what DiMarzio said in an email (yes, I originally told them I had a 1999 bass, I had a brain fart when I was remembering my bass' year).

"Our pickups are direct replacements for US-made Jazz Basses, which have a short and long pickup in the neck and bridge positions. If you have a 1999 Mexican Jazz Bass, it requires a neck-length pickup in both positions."

Since the long pickup isn't fitting into the bridge cavity or neck position pickguard hole, I'm thinking exchange.

It's a 2001. Here's what DiMarzio said in an email (yes, I originally told them I had a 1999 bass, I had a brain fart when I was remembering my bass' year).

"Our pickups are direct replacements for US-made Jazz Basses, which have a short and long pickup in the neck and bridge positions. If you have a 1999 Mexican Jazz Bass, it requires a neck-length pickup in both positions."

Since the long pickup isn't fitting into the bridge cavity or neck position pickguard hole, I'm thinking exchange.

yes that what I would do. Dimarzio is pretty good that way

Tplyons-- thanks for the info!

Thinking of doing this as well and mine's a MIM Jazz 2002 - so the PU's are US and different lengths as well. I'm looking at the STK-J2 from Seymour or the Dimarzio 123-J's. I like the idea of the stacks as I have an Ibanez RD600 with a MM Seymours at the bridge and a Basslines J at the neck (+ active EQ - or not - it has a switch) - so I'm looking for another sound to add to the palette on the MIM Jazz.

I have installed Seymour Duncan pickups in several early MIM basses and while a little work on the pickguard and the rear route needed to be done it's really pretty minor.

I think the model J's have a more squared off corner radius on the covers so I could see how they may be a problem to fit.

Thought I'd follow on on my noiseless MIM thread -

I bought a pair of Dimarzio J's from an Ebay store for $85 shipped. The Dimarzio rep said it would have a long & a short, and he was right. When I received the pair I sent the long back to Diarzio for a free exchage for a second short pickup. (they even eat the shipping cost on these 30-day exchanges)

The 4 "bumps" on my pickguard were just a little too tight for the neck position Dimarzio, so I used a roundback file to remove a slivver of material from the inner corner of all 4 "bumps".

Similarly, the bridge pickup wouldn't fit the route...I got out my Dremel and softly broke the 4 inner corners of the body routing (the corners where the 4 reliefs for the adjuster screws are) Only a minimal amount of material had to be removed...it wasn't even enough to remove the factory finish at the rounded top corner of the routes - the ~.030" radius still has it's finish, so you can't see the corner-breaking when the pickups are installed)

I just wired it V-V-T using the tiny (cheap) factory pots. I may go to a V-B-T arrangement someday, possibly with a parallel/series switch, but I like it just fine for now.

Great pickups! Tremendous tone with none of the hiss. I haven't had any grounding issues either...a surprise because both my MIM strat & tele have the 'hands-off' noise and the clicking & popping in dry weather.

Thumbs up for Dimarzio!

Gn :hyper:

1. Lindy Fralin
2. Nordstrand

Both make dual-coil J pups that still retain fantastic vintage tone.

RWRP does that trick IF both pups are at equal levels. if they're at different levels, they'll hum. The hum might also be an enviromnetal or grounding issue.


Fralins and Nordstrands are the best pickup choice but not the best bang for the buck as they are a bit pricey.

It's disappointing to hear that there isn't a direct replacement for a 2001 MIM without modifications. Of course, that would have to be the model year I bought.

That's the sort of problem I'd give a professional repair man. I think when it comes to getting pick ups for basses where the cavity is not matching the PU, I'd go to a pro for an opinion/fix. There must be thousands of MIM basses out there like yours so there must be a solution and a PU that does fit. You just need to find a professional that knows where to get that information, or the fix that allows you to use one that needs adjustment.

6 hours extra practice will do you more good than fretting over this problem - you do the practise and let a luthier do the repairs. You got to specialise - you'll end up doing everything exept playing if you're not focused.

It's disappointing to hear that there isn't a direct replacement for a 2001 MIM without modifications. Of course, that would have to be the model year I bought.
Bartolini does it :)

http://www.bestbassgear.com/bartolini-4-string-j-pickups.htm

9J#1 S/SB - Split Coil Hum-Cancelling Pickups
Same as above, except for MIM J Basses that have two short J pickups. This is a true set, where the bridge and neck are wound to match. This is not two neck pickups.

That's the sort of problem I'd give a professional repair man. I think when it comes to getting pick ups for basses where the cavity is not matching the PU, I'd go to a pro for an opinion/fix. There must be thousands of MIM basses out there like yours so there must be a solution and a PU that does fit. You just need to find a professional that knows where to get that information, or the fix that allows you to use one that needs adjustment.

6 hours extra practice will do you more good than fretting over this problem - you do the practise and let a luthier do the repairs. You got to specialise - you'll end up doing everything exept playing if you're not focused.

You're absolutely right. I intend to have a professional do the change, if in fact I even do it. You know, you can drive yourself crazy with the endless discussion about 'chasing perfection.' Like you said, my time would be better spent with extra practice. Thanks for some clearheaded thinking.:bassist:

Bartolini does it :)

http://www.bestbassgear.com/bartolini-4-string-j-pickups.htm

9J#1 S/SB - Split Coil Hum-Cancelling Pickups
Same as above, except for MIM J Basses that have two short J pickups. This is a true set, where the bridge and neck are wound to match. This is not two neck pickups.

Thanks for pointing the Barts out, Penguin. I'll admit I hadn't thought of them and will mention them to my guitar tech.

It's disappointing to hear that there isn't a direct replacement for a 2001 MIM without modifications. Of course, that would have to be the model year I bought.

Aero makes some direct replacements ...

Since I gave up 'real' work and started to play full time, I've found it so easy to drift into things that seem real interesting - like changing PU's, new basses, going to shops to try new things - and all the time I really should be practising, teaching, and playing to audiences. It's such an enjoyable career to play music that sometimes we forget it's also supposed to be supporting our basic material needs like, heat, drink, food and transport. I find it so easy to get talking about all the technical stuff and options that it takes me away from the actual playing and learning.

I recently spent a load of time looking at gear; thinking and planning about changes I was going to make. Just by chance I had to plug in the bass in a lesson and the only amp near to hand was a '81 Fender DeLuxe valve guitar amp. Wow, did it sound great. After the lesson I set about AB'ing the DeLuxe against an Ashdown I'd used the night before. I couldn't understand why the guitar amp sounded so good and the Ashdown was just 'average'. After turning this dial and that for a while I got a good near match so the Ashdown sounded about the same. Next gig a couple of days later the amp was all set like the sound of the guitar amp with the knobs all in unusual places - at least for me. OUTSTANDING! The soundman commented on what a great sound I'd got, the guitarist said it sounded on the money - keep that sound. And the tone so much better to me - and so much clearer and with loads of volume headroom. I was really driving the pre-amp now and cutting out the muddyness.

So out went the plan for the new PUs, the new Bass, the new effects pre-amp.....saving about $1000. If I'd concentrated on getting the best from what I already had I'd have never wasted all that time thinking about what I thought would be better. Sometimes I don't do what I say in my sign-off and just get on and play the best I can with the equipment I already have!

I recently installed a set of DiMarzio DP149 Ultra Jazz pups into my MIM. Dropped right in, no routing. While I had it apart I did the shielding/ground wiring job that's on this site on a sticky - higly recommended!!! My Jazz was very noisy before and now it's silent. Truly. And the DiMarzio pups have some balls. Pups - $85 shipped from eBay, spool of coper shielding $6, also from the 'bay, not making a sound wide-open: priceless ;-)

The humbuckers would have cut the noise significantly, but the sheilding is something that's mostly skipped on the less expensive basses and well worth doing. Dan Erlwines books on guitar repair and maintenance are good on the subject - but there's many web pages that describe the process.

But don't try to do the job with lead roof cladding! Ha ha.

The noise thing is a problem you'll especially get if you are playing near to neon tube lighting (you'll also find these in bar taps and signs), computers (like games machines and cash desks), a cell phone (they'll be all over any room you play in), a broadcasting radio mast (like a cab company or the police etc). So sheilding is a bigger issue than most players realize. So why don't the comapnies get this problem fixed? It's manufacturing costs - it takes a lot of trouble to shield cavities - even an hour adds significantly to manufacturing costs - it could even double your ex-factory selling price on low cost basses - so it doesn't get done well. So there's your chance to upgrade your bass without having to use a soldering iron, hammer or a chisel! Just a bit of time and care.

I have two basses with fender Cobalt samarium noiseless pickups and a 5 string with Nordstrand split coils.I think both pickups are incredible sounding.