JB2 pickup swap

**Chef** · #1 07-16-2008, 07:54 AM

I've had my 2001 JB2 for some time now.
Never played it much becuase-IMO-the stock pickups *suck!*
All ganky top end, not luch low end...even with flats and the tone rolled off, I just couldn't buy into the tone.
When I needed a Jazz tone, I'd grab my Fender Jaco, Lakland JO5, or my older G&L SB2 JJ's....which just rawk!
I dunno why G&L decided to chuck perfectly awesome hot-rod J pickups for the ones they put into the late model JB2...blech!

The build quality and playability of the late model JB2 is just outstanding, and I didn't want to give up on it. After mulling over what to do for some time, I called the fine folks at Nordstrand and chatted with them about what I wanted. While they'll be happy to wind anything you want, they felt like a set of their NJ4's was gonna cure all my problems...so I ordered some and chucked 'em in.

I've had a chance to a/b/c the bass against my fender Jaco relic with the custom shop vintage alnico's, and the lakland joe osborn with fralin alnicos; all three basses wearing stainless rounds now...I'm impressed! Nordstrand wind a great vintage J pup! The low end is deep and authoritative...very nice. Bonus: the edges on the NJ4's are nicely rounded, making them a very nice place to rest yer thumb.

Both the Fralins and Fender CS pickups have a more present top end-but that's not a bad thing. The highs in the NJ 4's are smooooth. The NJ4's seem to respond more dynamically as well: dig more, get more. The slightly tamer top end promotes the use of their extra dynamic range; additionally, they bark real nice under a pick! The Fralins and Fender CS pups demand some tone be rolled off to sound as nice under the same uses.

The NJ4's sit very, very nicely in a live mix. They hold down the lows, and are nice and clear on top without being overly grindy. Very well done.

cheers;
alan

(this pic shows the stock pickups...I'm a slacker, I'll get some cu's of the new Nords soon-ish...)

Ain't she purty?

bassclef29 · #2 07-16-2008, 11:27 AM

Based in part on advice I got from Chef, I bought a set of Nordstrand NJ4s for my JB-2 last week. I have the same reservations about stock pickups -- 85% of the instrument's tone is great, but it lacks some bottom 5% and has too much clank on top 10%.

My bass tech just got back into town from working in Europe, too jet lagged to think about installing pickups. After it's done and I get a chance to try the new setup in a real world situation, I will report back.

Cheers,
Joe in San Diego

lovenotfear · #3 07-16-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

I've had my 2001 JB2 for some time now.
Never played it much becuase-IMO-the stock pickups *suck!*
All ganky top end, not luch low end...even with flats and the tone rolled off, I just couldn't buy into the tone.
When I needed a Jazz tone, I'd grab my Fender Jaco, Lakland JO5, or my older G&L SB2 JJ's....which just rawk!
I dunno why G&L decided to chuck perfectly awesome hot-rod J pickups for the ones they put into the late model JB2...blech!

The build quality and playability of the late model JB2 is just outstanding, and I didn't want to give up on it. After mulling over what to do for some time, I called the fine folks at Nordstrand and chatted with them about what I wanted. While they'll be happy to wind anything you want, they felt like a set of their NJ4's was gonna cure all my problems...so I ordered some and chucked 'em in.

I've had a chance to a/b/c the bass against my fender Jaco relic with the custom shop vintage alnico's, and the lakland joe osborn with fralin alnicos; all three basses wearing stainless rounds now...I'm impressed! Nordstrand wind a great vintage J pup! The low end is deep and authoritative...very nice. Bonus: the edges on the NJ4's are nicely rounded, making them a very nice place to rest yer thumb.

Both the Fralins and Fender CS pickups have a more present top end-but that's not a bad thing. The highs in the NJ 4's are smooooth. The NJ4's seem to respond more dynamically as well: dig more, get more. The slightly tamer top end promotes the use of their extra dynamic range; additionally, they bark real nice under a pick! The Fralins and Fender CS pups demand some tone be rolled off to sound as nice under the same uses.

The NJ4's sit very, very nicely in a live mix. They hold down the lows, and are nice and clear on top without being overly grindy. Very well done.

cheers;
alan

(this pic shows the stock pickups...I'm a slacker, I'll get some cu's of the new Nords soon-ish...)

Ain't she purty?

very nice bass, i too am thinking of putting Nordstrand pickups in my fender usa jazz deluxe, with either a j retro or audere drop in replacement preamp, i have heard nothing but good things about Nordstrands, i have been told they can sound vintage or modern with just an adjustments of your eq knobs, is this true?

**Chef** · #4 07-16-2008, 12:11 PM

I'd put the NJ4's solidly in the old school class...eq is of course limited to tone rolloff only in this bass, so I can't commnet from experience on that.
My best guess is that in a bass with active eq that included treble boost, you could modern them up.

Joebone · #5 07-16-2008, 12:12 PM

I did the NJ4's into a JB-2 and was extremely happy with the result. The axe is now with a friend who is gigging regularly with it, and she is most pleased.

Nodstrand/JB-2 is a match made in heaven.

lovenotfear · #6 07-16-2008, 12:31 PM

thanks guys that answers my questions

**Chef** · #7 07-16-2008, 12:35 PM

If you want; call Stew at the Nord pickup shop.
He knows their product line well, and has set me up nicely for several projects now...

lovenotfear · #8 07-16-2008, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

If you want; call Stew at the Nord pickup shop.
He knows their product line well, and has set me up nicely for several projects now...

thanks! i will do that, i will tell him you told me about him. so at least next time you work with him he might give you even better treatment or deals etc.....

**Chef** · #9 07-16-2008, 05:36 PM

Alan Loshbaugh is my name; he might not know my TB handle...

lovenotfear · #10 07-16-2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

Alan Loshbaugh is my name; he might not know my TB handle...

sweet, when i call i will tell him you referred me.

fcappi · #11 07-24-2008, 08:52 AM

Chef,
Is that a wood binding?
Awesome!

**Chef** · #12 07-24-2008, 10:39 AM

bound body; yessir.

cafe racer · #13 07-25-2008, 01:35 PM

I had a trans white JB-2 with GOT maple neck, one of the nicest G&L's I've owned. I wish i had hung onto it, I even tried to buy it back.
What Chef said about the lack of low end and brittle high end forced me to part with it. Wish I had swapped out the pick ups.

bassclef29 · #14 08-17-2008, 09:11 PM

Relying in part on an e-mail dialogue with Chef, I swapped out my USA JB-2 stock pickups for Nordstrand NJ4s.

Since then, I have played the JB-2 out live twice -- at blues jams on rigs I'd played through before. Last night entailed two full 45-minute sets with two different groups of musicians.

Here's the (glowing) report: The upper-end clank is gone. The vintage warmth is still there, with a bigger (but not boomy) bottom end. All I could ask for.

The JB-2 with Nordstrands also sounds better on my own rig, practicing at home, but IMO the in-the-live-mix results are the true test. Gotta get my own band back up & running...

If only everything one tried worked out this well! Everyone's ears are different, though, so YMMV.
Cheers,
Joe in San Diego, California

**Chef** · #15 08-18-2008, 07:11 AM

Joe: cool, glad you liked it.

Two gigs after my last report, G&L's *stupid, stupid* choice for an input jack died.
I have yet to order a replacement and repair it.
Why can't they use a regular freakin' jack; they've known of this issue for years...

Madcity Fats · #16 08-18-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

Two gigs after my last report, G&L's *stupid, stupid* choice for an input jack died.
I have yet to order a replacement and repair it.
Why can't they use a regular freakin' jack; they've known of this issue for years...

I just replaced one of these in my ASAT Special (6-string) this weekend. The good news is, despite it being a more involved process to extract the damn thing than your typical 1/4" jack, it was a pretty easy swap (although the soldering points are a smaller target).

The not so good news is when I opened the thing up I discovered that the jack in the ASAT guitar isn't even secured with a nut at the back. It's held in the jack socket by pure friction (the socket being too deep to even attach a nut if you wanted to).

Dumb design all around, yes. But at least on the basses there's a nut holding the thing in (at least according to the pictures I've seen, since I don't own one ... yet). I fully expect to be doing this repair again in a few years.

These barrel jacks are a perfect example of building a lousier mousetrap and then marketing the hell out of it.

sbassface · #17 08-21-2008, 05:20 AM

I'm beginning to feel that Nordstrand bug, maybe jretro too in my JB-2.