"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

[spc]

In response re: Lindy Fralin j pickups
I really don't like them one bit. This is my second set. The
first set went into a mighty mite body/ warmoth fretless J bass. Low E string sounded like a piano, but the top end response was simply awful to my ears. Clacky, sizzly, very tough to tame, a ton of finger noise and squeak.
The second set came in a Lakland Joe Osborn that I purchased a while ago. (It's fretless now-done by Pedulla, coated board) They sounded ok with the frets, still too much treble for my taste, but they sound terrible now that it's fretless. I thought I should love them because they are always described as THE vintage replacement, but no, I can't stand 'em. I put a set of Jason Lollar singles into the warmoth I mentioned, and that really did the trick. Very warm sounding, pleasing highs and mids. I also put another set into a fretted jazz,, and I think they sound great in there. Anybody else try Jason Lollar's stuff?

[DanGouge]

Wow, lots of collected wisdom on J pups... Now for another wrinkle: Do any of you have experience with these on a fretless. From the reviews so far I'm thinking that DM Model Js might be nice, or perhaps the Nordstrand NJ4s. Any thoughts?

[Dr. PhunkyPants]

I just thought I'd make mention here of the fact that I have a set of brand new NJ4's up for sale in the FS forum.

I purchased them from Steve Barr intending to drop them into a Fender Jazz I had. However, I fell in love with a Sterling fretless and had to sell off the Jazz to get it. Never even took the NJ4's out of the packaging.

Now I have no basses that take Jazz pickups and a pair of Nordstrands to sell.

[DanGouge]

Originally Posted by Joshua

I'm really liking the SD/Basslines Vintage J set in one of my fretless basses. VERY true to the classic J tone, but I have them in a 60s J clone. I'm not sure how they'd work if you weren't putting them in that kind of axe (you didn't say what they're going in)...

It's an '89 MIJ Fender Jazz

[beam]

Nice thread!


Just need some Rio Grande's and you are set

www.riograndepickups.com

[Bigwig]

thanks alot man!!
im getting a MIM fender jazz for christmas...and i planed on upgrading the pickups straight out of the box..but just wasnt sure on where i shud start looking..

ill have to make a trip to my local shop and try out those dimarzios..

thanks again

[SMASH]

Originally Posted by Bigwig

thanks alot man!!
im getting a MIM fender jazz for christmas...and i planed on upgrading the pickups straight out of the box..but just wasnt sure on where i shud start looking..

ill have to make a trip to my local shop and try out those dimarzios..

thanks again

Better try it first. I've had two MIMs and liked the sound fine without changing the pickups. One fretless years ago and one fretted very recently. Not a lot of character, but whatever is said to be "wrong" with them seems to be good low mids and not much sheen. Some folks dig that.

[slombovia]

Dave Segal NAILS the 'jazz bass' sound with his Deep Jazz basses. The custom Seymour Duncan NYBW single coil pickups are a big part of that tone. AND they get the 'J' tone on all six strings of my fretless. Of course, his sweet alder selection helps too!

Just thought I'd mention it here since so many are yearning for the perfect J tone. They are amazing pickups but you'll have to buy the bass the get them I think!
;-]

Tom H.

[r379]

Smash;

I gotta tell you that you were spot-on with your review of the Nordstrand NJ4 pickups. I just got a set from Best Bass Gear (Brian's a nice guy.) and they were installed yesterday in my parts Jazz which has an alder body and rosewood board. I love 'em. These things are definitly a keeper. Maybe I'll try his P-bass pickups next. Thanks for a good review.

[jaguarcat311]

recently got a Seymour Duncan lightin' rod j bass bridge pickup brand new for 20$. its an active pickup, requires a 9 volt battery to run, i just ran it off my preamp battery though. the pickup actually has a preamp inside of it. how they cram that in a j pickup, i dont know. sounds amazing though, tons of range from high to low and strong mids, nice and growly, just how i like it. deffinitely the clearest sounding j bass pickup i have ever heard. i dont have it in my bass now, im saving it for a bass project that im building, hopefully i can find a neck version for cheap too.
clarity: 5
warmth: 4.5, depends how you have everything set though
response: 5
sound: 5 (never recorded anything with it but i think it would sound amazing)
value: 5 (i got a new one for 20$, but even if you had to pay 100 or so for it, i think its worth it)

[Alexander]

Thanks to SMASH for this thread - I was wanting to change the PUPS on my 03 MIA Jazz. I went with the Antiquities and MAN, what a difference. I have the S-1 switching and when engaged with the tone rolled off by about 1/3, I think it sounds just like a PBass; maybe even better. Extremely nice thump that is very very addictive. Before the mod, I found the S-1 switching to be too harsh when engaged and rarely used it - now it is warm and smooth with deep, thick low end. Sweet! Prior to the mod, there would be times when I came to a song where the J just wouldn't cut it - not enough oomph and I would switch to my Tribute L-2500. With the Antiquities, though I think I'm set with one bass and having the L-2500 just as a back-up.

Of course, without the S-1 engaged, it sounds like a traditional jazz bass should - with perhaps a bit more low end. The D and G strongs are a lot thicker and more balanced with the E and A. The sound is certainly warmer overall with a more musical top end than the stock pickups. As I think has been mentioned before, the tone knob is more useful now and I can get great tones even with the knob rolled completely off. With the stock PUPs, I couldn't get a tone I was happy with except having the tone knobs wide open. I also did not like the sound of the stock pups when I favored the bridge pup - I found it to be thin and overly-nasaly with harsher highs. The Antiquities solved this as well and I have been able to get solid tone when favoring the bridge pickup a bit (particularly when adding a bit of drive with my SABDDI).

I cannot compare the Antiquities to some of the others mentioned in this thread, but for me, these things definitely do the trick.

[hands5]

Originally Posted by SMASH

Aero Type 1 and Type 3.

I decided to group these two together because, despite their price difference the sound is very similar. However, there is a noticeable difference and "big tone" junkies would likely prefer the Type 3. At least I do, but though not by much.

These pickups are extremely articulate and sound very much like my '74 J p'up. VERY much. As an attempt to cop a vintage tone, these Aeros truly succeed. They're more balanced though, with a tighter bottom and more & sweeter highs. The Type 3 has a bit more beef to it, while still managing to retain great clarity. The Aero site descibes the difference as "dark pleasant distortion sound", but that makes them sound a bit more radical than they are.

IMO these pickups contain any sound you'd want to hear, and beyond that you can EQ in what you like best. They don't add a radical colour though, like the DiMarzio Model Js or SD Antiquity IIs do.

Type 1 are single coil, Alnico 5, two conductor. Type 3s are Alnico 2. These take about a month to arrive. Larry is extremely informative and giving of his time, and the packing is great. They have very long wires and tidy ends to compensate for your soldering mishaps, and he even included his recommended capacitors.

They're even more open with his .022 capacitors, but I prefer the slightly choked stock Fender 1k. On the phone though, Larry was adamant about the .022 caps. Fair enough, he should be proud of the sound he's achieved and wish it to be heard unadulterated. As for me, deviations from stock on this particular bass gives me the heebie jeebies.


Aero Type 1 / 3

Warmth: 4 / 4.5
Clarity: 4.5 / 4
Output: 4 / 4
Punch : 4 / 4
Amplified Sound: 4.5 / 5
Recorded Sound: 4 / 4.5
Value: 5 / 3.5

Warmth: 4 / 4.5 - They're not the thick kinda warm, but they do have a present bottom and the highs are not shrill. Theyre' warm, but not the kind of warm that can help compensate for less then elegant playing (like mine). There is an organic richness to the tone, without an artificial "phatness". The Type 3's have more beef, hence the extra .5

Clarity: 4.5 / 4 - Very broad and balanced spectrum of sound. Surprisingly so. Neat trick. Much more balanced across the spectrum than any of the other pickups I've tried. That's also true of the Type 3s, but what they add in beef they perhaps lack in overall clarity. They're still very well-balanced though. Why BP gave these a comparatively low "Clarity" mark (and equal to the Antiquity II's "Clarity" mark) I have no idea. In my thinking "clarity" can be a bit of a slag, but not in the case of the Aeros.

Output: 4 / 4 - A bit more juice than the stock vintage pickups. Like with the "Warmth" score, if you don't care for a freakishy high output, consider these a 5.

Punch : 4 / 4 - Tight sound and thereby more clean punch than stock. Again, if you prefer not to have an unnatural kick then consider these a 5.

Amplified Sound: 4.5 / 5 - Type 1 aren't that expensive at $75 each and IMO would turn a bland newer MIA J bass (as I said before those p'ups must be replaced) to a very swank and articulate sounding bass. Type 3 are as good, with a noticeable bit more oomph.

Recorded Sound: 4 /4.5 - In some ways these make me re-think my feelings for the other p'ups I've reviewed positively. These make my RB5, which is an awesome recording bass, sound a bit honky by comparison. The DiMarzio Model Js sound dull/dumb by comparison, but of course that works perfectly for some things - I love those Model J's through an Aquilar preamp, just so you know where I'm coming from. "Horses for courses" as they say. As I said above, they sound an amazing amount like the stock '74s which were originally in the bass I tried these in. That's a good thing.

Value: 5 / 3.5 - I can't imagine for $75 each you'll get a better, full-yet-clear vintage-y tone than this. The Type 3s get only a 3.5 because, while they sound "better" to me and worth the extra money, you don't get as big a difference in sound as you do in price - $125 each (including $5 for covers). But if this is the sound you're after, the Type 3 will still seem like a steal. If you're unsure, try the Type 1 instead - you'd have no trouble selling that at cost if you want to upgrade to Type 3 later.


The bassline - For most of what I do I prefer the colour pickups like the Antiquity IIs add, but these Aeros have a real class to their tone without being weak that I really like the sound of. These Aeros are ideal for those with skill who want the full spectrum at their fingertips, with good tone at any frequency, and who want to hear their playing truly shine yet hit hard. http://www.aeroinstrument.com


BP said :

Warmth: 5
Clarity: 3.5
Output: 4
Amplified Sound: 5
Recorded Sound: 4
Value: 4.5

Heavy lows, distinct upper mids, and round
top that's cool for fingerstyle rock, blues, and
country. (And '70s-style funk.) Broken-in vibe
that's fun to play. On tape, pickups have big
bottom for a J, although the tone can geta bit
thick.


Harmony-Central reviews : http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/...z-Bass-01.html

lol,The Heebie Jeebies,Anyway would you say that the Aero type 3 can give a Modern tone as well as a Vintage tone wth the Aguilar OBP 1 preamp ? because if they do I will strongly have to consider these pickups.

[bassybill]

Great thread, very useful info. Nice work Smash. You planning on including any Bartolinis in your research?

[SMASH]

Originally Posted by hands5

lol,The Heebie Jeebies,Anyway would you say that the Aero type 3 can give a Modern tone as well as a Vintage tone wth the Aguilar OBP 1 preamp ? because if they do I will strongly have to consider these pickups.

Sorry I hadn't seen this post.

Probably the Type 1 is best if tone shaping with a preamp. The OBP-1 might not be the best preamp for "modern" IMO, but the Type 1 are pretty neutral so you can shape in whatever you like really. The Type 3 aren't much different, just a bit of a boost in the lows that's IMO not necessary if you've got an active pramp to boost with.

Originally Posted by BassyBill

Great thread, very useful info. Nice work Smash. You planning on including any Bartolinis in your research?

Thanks. I included a short blurb about Bart 8S for P Bass. I do have some Bart J pickups I will review if I ever install them, but as it stands I have no experience with Bart J-style pickups. Anyone who does is more than welcome to post their thoughts.

[abriemzh]

any review on SD / Bassline active jazz pickups ????
it could be AJJ-1, AJJ-5, or other SD active jazz pickups.
i know that dirk lance (former incubus bass player) use these pickups, and it sound very cool....
any other comment ????

[HotRoded]

Has anybody any info about Fender "Vintage" Noiseless pick-ups? I am considering them for my MIA standard, which I would keep passive.

[dougleader]

Now have a set of Antiquity II's on the way for MIA P-Bass Plus (1P 1J). Can't hardly wait.....

[RedBlueFireMan]

even though they are easily the best pickups out you should have includes the emg 40dc's (for 5 strings) and and 35dc's. I have 40's on my bass and they kick ass

[bholder]

Have you tried Villex or Q-Tuners?

[E.J. T.N.T.]

Originally Posted by davidmwilson

Not wanting to hijack SMASH's thread...

but when my MEC's died, I tried all Barts setup. Then tried Dimarzio Ultra Jazz 5', Carvin SC & HB, before settling on EMG's which counteract the darker tone out of the Thumb wood nicely.

Dude could you please tell me exactly which EMG pickup model you have loaded your bass with???Plezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzz