60's Custom Shop J VS. Nordstrand???

[jsllim]

Hello Fellow Bass Lovers,

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse here but i tried searching all last night but couldn't find hardly anything on the two. I did find a couple of things but nothing i was looking for. Plus the ones i read were very very old (2003ish) anyways... I'm about to upgrade my MIM jazz bass and I really want to upgrade the pups. I'm trying to decide between the Fender Custom Shop '60s J bass and the Nordstrand NJ4's. Now i know its all preference but I'm trying to find a website or something where i can actually hear the difference of the two pickups in a bass similar to my MIM jazz. Does anyone know any websites I could listen to the two so i can finally decide? Any advice, opinions, or anything is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,

JM

I almost forgot I'm very new to making modifications to my bass, I tried to go to fenders website to view the specs on the pickups but cant find them. Does anyone know where i can figure out the size of my pickups so i get the right ones?

[depalm]

I'm sure there are some pretty much valuable info on these old threads.
However in my opinion listening to sound clips over the internet doesn't offer a very accurate idea of how a specific piece of gear should sound. There are so many variables that it's virtually impossible to know.

On the PU subject I can only speak based on my own experience and for that matter I prefer NJ4 over any other JB PU model or brand. I've spent thousand of $$ trying several different PUs over the years and all I have to say is: These PUs makes me play better. Simple like that.
It doesn't matter where I plug my bass in. It always sounds good, balanced, warm with a nice "vintage" vibe.
Everything I should want from a JB set.

Lollar JB set is also really great, I use it on my CAR J. It's my 2º option.

CS 60's? They're nice. But I always felt it lacks something. Lows are a bit loose and unbalanced highs if memory serves me well…

[sps500]

I will vouch for the Nordstrands as well....

[jsllim]

thanks so much for all of your responses...i was kind of leaning towards the nordstrands....looks like that's what i'lll be getting!! Thank you so much!

[Alfik]

Cs 60 sound like a Fender - warm if You want and very agressive is You play harder with low action and fret buzz. Nordstrand sound plastic and polite for me. They always sound "nice balanced and politically correct" but with no soul and character - imagine "Kenny G kind of sound" Fender sound natural, and raw - imagine "John Zorn" if You want Fender sound go with Fender if You want sweet plastic "smooth jazz" variation about Fender tone go with nordstrand

[woolysock]

Although not exactly what you're looking for, maybe the clips here will help:

1) Fender Jazz 62 ri with American Vintage pups
2) Sadowsky UV 70 w Nordtrands NJ5 pups wound to 70s specs
Fender 62 ri vs Sadowsky UV70

3) Same 62 ri w Lollar pups
Fender 62 ri vs Sadowsky UV70

Perhaps you'll notice the two sets of pups in the 62 ri don't sound all that different. They actually do sound different when playing solo at home. The Lollars are smoother and rounder sounding. But we're talking subtleties.

The Norsdtrands sound a little thinner in the clip but in real life they are warm, rich, clear and clean with an interesting complexity.

I might say this: If you want a fat warm old-school tone, go with the Fender pups. If you want a more modern sound the Nordstrands might be for you. Either way you can't lose.

Cheers!

[millsbass5]

http://basstasters.com/

[depalm]

Originally Posted by Alfik

Cs 60 sound like a Fender - warm if You want and very agressive is You play harder with low action and fret buzz. Nordstrand sound plastic and polite for me. They always sound "nice balanced and politically correct" but with no soul and character - imagine "Kenny G kind of sound" Fender sound natural, and raw - imagine "John Zorn" if You want Fender sound go with Fender if You want sweet plastic "smooth jazz" variation about Fender tone go with nordstrand

Foolishness!

[Illinimax]

Originally Posted by depalm

Foolishness!

+1

Really like the Nordstrands

[wvbass]

Originally Posted by depalm

CS 60's? They're nice. But I always felt it lacks something. Lows are a bit loose and unbalanced highs if memory serves me well…

Originally Posted by Alfik

Nordstrand sound plastic and polite for me. They always sound "nice balanced and politically correct" but with no soul and character - imagine "Kenny G kind of sound"

Humbug.

I've got CS 60s in my Jazz bass and I wouldn't say what depalm says. My experience is that they are quite the opposite of "Lows are a bit loose and unbalanced highs." When I run them with my Sadowsky preamp/di, its like a lesson in how a jazz bass is supposed to sit in a mix...every time.

I just installed an NJ4 neck pickup in one of my basses. I don't have enough time with it to really "know" it yet, but soul-less isn't on the list of possible adjective.

At this point, I think both are very nice pickups. And, the original pickups from my Jazz bass were very good pickups as well. The differences between all three probably don't matter much to anyone but the bass player using them.

Interesting how we all hear the same thing and have different opinions, all based on the sound we are each looking for. Every description and opinion you get will be correct, from the presenter's point of view. So, YMMV - that's what makes talkbass interesting.