I NEED HELP WITH JAZZ BASS PICKUP REPLACEMENTS!!

[justinellison3]

Ok.... so ive been looking to replace the pups in my *MIM Jazz bass* and ive done quite a bit of research and im dying here! ones ive been drawn to are:

• Voodoo JB60 BL
• Voodoo JB60 GR
• Fender CS60
• Lollar

I like vintage tone (60s) a lot BUT i also love clarity and tightness... i really dont know what i want.. any input??

[soulman969]

Look at these as well. http://www.wildepickups.com/Bass_Pickups.html

If you find a set with better clarity and articulation than those Bill Lawrence makes I'd buy 'em. I have a P46 in my PBass and there'll be a set of J45s going into my Jazz Bass next month. The J45s are noiseless and like the P46 they have an extra pole piece on each coil and the A and D pole pieces are slightly raised to conform with the fret board radius and give you better balance across the entire string set.

The clarity and the punch is what I was after and I'm not disappointed. I'm a big fan of his Keystone Telecaster pickups which is what lead me to try the bass pickups too. As boutique pickups go the stuff Bill produces is innovative and IMHO a real bargain.

Good Luck.

[jay loren]

I put a set of J45s in my RW jazz bass recently and I'm not disappointed. I love the clarity, they just have a little less output then the pups in my other '62 AVRI Jazz.

[justinellison3]

Yeah... i dont want low output. Thamks for the suggestions though I'll check them out.

[soulman969]

Well without knowing what the output of the '62s are you really don't know it that means low output or not.

I let my amp do the work and anyway the output can be somewhat subjective as far as the level of the height adjustments of the pickups. The P46 pickup on my PBass is actually set quite low at the moment and it doesn't lack anything as far as output is concerned.

To each his own but I'd put that question to the folks at Wilde. IME their pickups aren't shy on producing volume at all.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by justinellison3

Ok.... so ive been looking to replace the pups in my *MIM Jazz bass*

I like vintage tone (60s) a lot BUT i also love clarity and tightness... i really dont know what i want.. any input??

"clarity and tightness" is what vintage jazz pickups are all about!

if you don't know what you want, i suggest you get some decent vintage-styles (of whatever brand) and stop worrying about it;

they'll get the job done and allow you to do whatever you need musically; so much of the tone equation is about the rest of the rig, and about your playing, so as long as you have something "good" in there, you won't be held back by the pickups.

a more "specialized" or unusual pickup might be good for some styles but not others, while the classic fender-types seem to be just right for almost anything.

[justinellison3]

Walterw you are so right! Thanks you are a real big help!!

[tjh]

What year is your MIM Jazz bass? .. it matters if your bass was made prior to '01, as it may have the same size pup routes in both position (I am assuming it is a MIM Standard) and may not accept an aftermarket set without some bridge pup routing ...

[justinellison3]

Its a 2011 standard. You can see why I wanna trade out the pups

[FrenchBassQC]

I changed mine with these:

http://www.fralinpickups.com/bass.asp#jazz

Lindy Fralin Jazz 5 string, I love them a lot.



Also here is link to youtube to hear them if you wish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO5u-dR8gJM

[Gintaras]

I have a MTD Grendel 4 which originally came with Bart's. This bass has had 4 different set of J pickups in it including another set of Barts, Nodstrand NJ4s and now Joe Barden. I have also had various Dimarzio's, Duncans and Delano's on previous basses.

The Barden's absolutely blew me away. These were recommended by my luthier. They are pricey but IMO worth it. Uncompressed and very open. Not a one trick pony. Everyone who has listened to or has played this bass has commented on the huge tones.

http://www.joebarden.com/main.php?se...s&pageID=JBass

[justinellison3]

I have looked at the fralins and they seem like too much trouble to order

[FrenchBassQC]

Originally Posted by justinellison3

I have looked at the fralins and they seem like too much trouble to order

What do you mean by that? You can go to the below link and order them.

http://www.bestbassgear.com/lindy-fralin-pickups.htm

I have no affiliations with best bass gear, I am just a customer...

[justinellison3]

Will I have to do any modifications for the 2011 MIM??

[FrenchBassQC]

Originally Posted by justinellison3

Will I have to do any modifications for the 2011 MIM??

I wouldn't think so, you can select this model:

Jazz Bass® Replacement Style Stock - wound to 8.5k to 9K and that should do it.

[justinellison3]

I'm trying to get rid of the stock..

[murphy]

fralins are my favorite.
but I really love the CS 60s' pickups in my CS Relic Jazz bass

[justinellison3]

Originally Posted by murphy

fralins are my favorite.
but I really love the CS 60s' pickups in my CS Relic Jazz bass

I'll probably end up going with those. I like them too

[aproud1]

Originally Posted by murphy

fralins are my favorite.
but I really love the CS 60s' pickups in my CS Relic Jazz bass

Those are some really nice pickups. I just sold a 62 RI and it had : Vintage single coils" whatever that means but they were some seriously sweet pickups, I tried a few others including the Lawrence but nothing sounded like the original Fenders.

The Lawrence pickups I would say sound more even which can be a good thing but they do not sound like single coils. The Fender Super 55's were pretty close. But if you want that single coil sound you need good single coil pickups.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by justinellison3

I'm trying to get rid of the stock..

ha!

"stock" fralin just means the closest design to real vintage pickups; the other versions are all overwound, which increases volume but reduces treble.

fralins would indeed rule. the "stock wind" jazz pickups are not especially hot or anything, but sound just right for all kinds of music.