I have a Squier vintage mod series fretted J-bass. I love it to death and the duncan design pickups are pretty good, but i'm soon going to start playing quite a bit more and i want to make sure that my sound is top notch.

I'm not sure what pickups to go with and i'm wondering how much of a difference the maple body will make in the overall sound.

I'm really looking for a really solid bite in the bridge pickup and a good amount of punch in the neck pickup. Any ideas?

FWIW:

In my experience "Top Notch" is relative. Some pups work well to a broad range of styles, some to certain styles - all that's all else consistent.

Don't know what "quite a bit more means" - more with the same band/same style, different bands/different style?

Depending, you may want till quite a bit more comes to pass.

At any rate, see FAQ the Bass Mod link in the first paragraph of Dimento's Trouble Shooting Guide for how I select pups.

I too have a very nice-playing Squier.
Having fitted Rotosound flats and tricking-up the action it was just the small matter of looking at the electrics.

I first bought some decent quality pots and shielded the cavities.
I read lots of opinions here and on other sites and finally settled on DiMarzio DP126 pickups.
Straightforward to install. Pay attention to the earthing.

My Squier is now a really great bass.
It has exactly the qualities you asked for.

Moreover, the electrics are now absoloutely silent, largely due to the humbucking pickups, I think.

Good luck.

Lindy Fralins--period.

Norstrands w Aguilar in a Valenti J .. passive.. direct to board.... www.myspace.com/paththe

on the song " I will Be the One".

One of the sticky topics of this Forum is ALL ABOUT THAT!!!