EMG-J-set VS EMG-JZ-set

Willywarwick · #1 01-18-2009, 02:46 PM

I dont own either one of these pickup sets, but i was wondering if anyone had used both or either so i could get an idea of which one i should buy. i heard sound clip off the EMG site for the J-set and it was good, but they dont have one for the JV-set. i play anywhere form metal to soft melodic stuff and i'v been playing for ten years, i own a passive warwick corvette standard 4 and i love it, but i'm looking for somthing different in tone. any reviews or comments or suggestions on this subject would be great.

Cutty · #2 01-18-2009, 04:32 PM

Model J has a more compressed tone,more modern,the JV's are vintage sounding,iv'e used both,and currently have the JV in my jazz bass,they sound just like the originals but with more punch,hope that helps.

Willywarwick · #3 01-18-2009, 04:44 PM

thats kinda what i was thinking. does the J-set have any more bass, because thats usually the trade off more punch less bass ect... and did you attach the bridge ground? EMG said not too but i wired a guitar for a friend and i tryed both and the bridge ground seemed to cut some outside interference out like from lights or other amps, but it wasn't anything dramatic. what would you recomend?

4StringTheorist · #4 01-18-2009, 07:52 PM

I had the JVs on my bass for 8 years.

Noise

I never used a bridge ground, and I never got even a TINY bit of environmental noise.

If you check out the specs on the EMG website, the JVs actually have the lowest noise floor out of any of their bass pickups. I would guess that's attributable to the fact that the JVs don't have any of the "Tone Modeling" on board.

The EMG-JVs have the exact same coil as the EMG-Js. The difference is the magnets (ceramic bar for the J, Alnico pole pieces for the JV) and the "Tone Modeling"

Tone

My bass has a wenge neck and wenge fingerboard, which definitely puts it in the ballpark of a Warwick in terms of the woods used! The JVs provided an outstanding tone for the rock/blues band and the experimental punk band I was in. The JVs will be slightly darker (a bit less treble) than the Js. The JVs definitely conveyed the thick midrange that my bass has, and a good punchy midrange is essential to being heard in a rock/metal context.

Willywarwick · #5 01-19-2009, 08:08 AM

hmm, prior to this thread, i was leaning toward the j-set, but now it seems like the jv-set is more suitible for the tone i want, my warwick MEC passive pickups produce lots of nice warm bass, but it doesn't have the grinding punch that's so good for drop tuned metal, i also do alot of taping and punch will help me cut throught the mix. when i get the EMG's im gonna try the ((18 volt mod)), any comments on that?

4StringTheorist · #6 01-19-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willywarwick

hmm, prior to this thread, i was leaning toward the j-set, but now it seems like the jv-set is more suitible for the tone i want, my warwick MEC passive pickups produce lots of nice warm bass, but it doesn't have the grinding punch that's so good for drop tuned metal, i also do alot of taping and punch will help me cut throught the mix. when i get the EMG's im gonna try the ((18 volt mod)), any comments on that?

Not to muddy the waters, but I think the EMG-J set could be plenty punchy as well. I haven't played too much on a bass that featured the Js so I can't comment. A common complaint heard about EMGs is that they're a little shy in the mids. I don't know whether this could be considered true or not.. but I do know that it's not true of the JVs. (The JVs are a big departure from the rest of the EMG bass pickup line of course.)

If you're doing a lot of tapping, don't forget that I mentioned the JVs are going to be a bit darker sounding.. less treble than the Js. With the low noise though, they handle a nice treble boost quite well.

18V mod

I thought it was useful, but the best thing is to trust your own ears.

This is the easiest thing in the world to try. I bought a package of 9V battery connecters from Radio Shack and soldered 3 of them together (red wire to black wire all the way around). Voila! Instant 18V harness. Just snap one of them into the 9V lead of the preamp, and snap a battery to each of the other two.

The benefit is that you can do a quick A/B comparison, and you haven't permanently modded the preamp. Make sure that you do your solder connections well, and there's no reason not to simply leave the harness as your permanent 18V solution! I did, and I had no issues with it for 6 years.

The 18V mod is great for electronics that can handle it. You get increased headroom, but even if you don't ever utilize it, the battery life is prolonged (no, not doubled, but it is longer) as well.

Double bonus.

Take care!
-4ST

Warpeg · #7 01-19-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringTheorist

...

18V mod

...I bought a package of 9V battery connecters from Radio Shack and soldered 3 of them together (red wire to black wire all the way around). Voila! Instant 18V harness. Just snap one of them into the 9V lead of the preamp, and snap a battery to each of the other two...

Don't three 9v batteries in series make 27v? Two 9v batteries in series make 18v.

Perhaps I'm not understanding your wiring. Did you parallel two batteries and then run a third in series?

4StringTheorist · #8 01-19-2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warpeg

Don't three 9v batteries in series make 27v? Perhaps I'm not understanding your wiring. Did you parallel two batteries and then run a third in series?

Yes. Three batteries in series would make 27V. But the third connector on the harness snaps onto the 9V battery connector of the preamp. So it's two 9V batteries and the preamp that get connected to the harness.

RockBoxBass · #9 01-19-2009, 09:42 AM

to be clear....(this is a great idea by the way!!) he means you join the male with a female and female with male of one of the harness connecters with the battery connecter on the bass.

4StringTheorist · #10 01-19-2009, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockBoxBass

to be clear....(this is a great idea by the way!!) he means you join the male with a female and female with male of one of the harness connecters with the battery connecter on the bass.

Correct. Here's a terrible picture I whipped up just now.

As you can (maybe) see, since the 3 9V wiring clips are wired symmetrically (all of them are simply red wire to black wire) it doesn't matter which of the three you plug into the preamp and which of the 3 you plug into the 2 9V batteries.

Took me about 5 minutes to put this thing together and make my EMG loaded bass run at 18V. As I said, if you do your soldering well it's plenty robust: it worked for me for 6 years, and looked in just as good a condition the day I removed it to replace all of the electronics.

P.S. To anyone who thinks I might have wired this backward: Ignore the wire colors and trace which battery terminals (male or female) arrive at which preamp connector terminals. It's right.

Willywarwick · #11 01-19-2009, 02:23 PM

thanks for all the info. i think ima like the jz set With the 18 v mod. i already have all the connectors and tools needed from doin guitar wiring. plus ima use nice solid core shielded wire, that a friend is picking up for his guitar, lol. if i get good/bad results i'll let you all know. Thanks :-}