Fender CS 60s Vs. whatever was before
 

Oddly phrased, I know.

But I don't know what to call pickups in the stock jazz basses before the switch to the CS 60s.

At any rate, I'm in the market for a new (or used?) jazz bass and the 2012 model with the CS 60s in it I tried was fairly dull-sounding. It was quite dead-sounding really.

Either it was a setup issue (you know how GC is!), or the new CS 60s pup's are weak sauce compared to what Fender was formerly using.

Has anyone here compared the newer CS 60s equipped jazz with the older style ones?

I found CS60's to be warmer, darker/subdued yet with better articulation than the prior model pickups used from '08 to '10/11 timeframe. IMHO Those were more modern in design and great for a more narrow scope of modern rock although some might disagree. I'd say it is supported by the brevity of their use.

If you want a brighter tone you might look at the Fender original 60's model pickups. Those sound great as well. Otherwise explore the stellar sounding 3rd party alternatives. Tons of good sounding stuff out there for a jazz.

the cs 60s in the new american standards didn't sound the same as they did in my basswood cij jb62, they were kind of subdued and did'nt have the mid punch, my jazz almost sounded like a p with the cs 60s, i tried 3 american standards at guitar center and they didn't have the warm hot rod vintage type presence my jazz had, maybe they are more refined with heavy duty bridge, string through, and reinforced necks

Hey, thanks guys.

It seems the new pups don't have the grindy growl that I can usually get from a jazz. I don't really want to drop another $200 for new pickups to get there either.

I just wasn't sure if it was either a setup issue or just a weak amp that I was hearing. I certainly wasn't impressed at all.

I have the 2012 Jazz bass with CS60s in it as well as another MIM jazz bass that i had changed to have CS60.

The CS60s are quite dark compared to your normal jazz bass pickups. Although they have a very articulated and defined low mid, they are missing the high-mid clank and grind that a typical jazz bass pickup has.

A lot of people on here swear by them because they are very growly and burpy.. But i can understand where you are coming from when you say they sound 'dull', as they are missing a lot of the high end 'zing'. So I can tell you that what you're disliking in the sound is most likely the pickups and nothing to do with the setup/quality etc.

the CS60's sound awesome for my tastes. my AV62RI Jazz sounds way fatter than stock. if you think there's not as much high end, you're right.but, the trade-off is worth it for the mids that just punch. they do have great sizzle and low-end which make them hard to beat. the Vintage 60's pups sound enemic compared, IMO/E. YMMV:)

EDIT: i would consider that the set-up may be at fault. strings too high plus pups too low will sound dull and life-less, IME.

I just bought a AVRI '62 Jazz and I'm on the fence about swapping the pups to the CS 60's. I know it's a popular mod but to me the stock ones sound really good. Does anyone know what the original pups are in AVRIs?

After some consideration, I feel the new CS 60s are too dark for me. It seems my impressions playing them were accurate.

I may get a G&L JB instead. Might be a better bass anyway.

I have a 2012 Amd Std Jazz that I absolutely love. However, I got rid of the round wounds and put half-wounds/ground-rounds on it. I'm not sure if that would make a difference to you or not, but I like the a lot more (not as clangy). IMO the 2012 Am Std's are the best Fender bass on the market (quality, price etc).