Jazz Bass Pickup Resistance - Selection and Placement?

[72LML]

Ok everybody I need a little help here. I picked up a Black Label MIM Fender Jazz Bass for $50 the other day and started tinkering with it. I changed out the pots for CTS pots and changed the cap as well. I didn’t care for the pickups that were in it and found an American Standard bridge pickup (it was advertised as neck pup but I bought it anyway for $15) and a Geddy Lee bridge pickup ($10) as well. I was thinking of putting one in the neck position and one in the bridge. Depending on what they ohm out at, what would be the best choice for which position? Does the neck pickup usually have a lower resistance value than the bridge?

I’m starting to wonder if this thing going to sound like crap with the pups I found and that maybe I should have just bought a set. Maybe it doesn’t really matter? So I’m just curious as to what everybody elses thoughts are on what pickup should go where?

Last, this is probably a really stupid question but does it matter which pickup wire goes where? In other words, can you wire a pickup forwards or backwards? The American Standard pup has one white wire and one red. The Geddy Lee pup has one white and one black.

Thanks for the help.

[line6man]

Jazz bass pickups are two different sizes, so you can't put a neck pickup in the bridge position or vice versa.

Usually the bridge pickup will have a higher resistance, because there is more wire, but DC resistance means absolutely nothing when comparing pickups.

The physical orientation of a pickup will not matter, as long as the pole pieces are not staggered.

You will want both pickups to be wired up in phase with each other, otherwise the sound will be thin and nasal.

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by line6man

Usually the bridge pickup will have a higher resistance, because there is more wire, but DC resistance means absolutely nothing when comparing pickups.

What exactly do you mean when stating that DC resistance means absolutely nothing when comparing pickups?

[line6man]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

What exactly do you mean when stating that DC resistance means absolutely nothing when comparing pickups?

DC resistance is simply the measure of a coil's resistance to a DC voltage. Some people try to compare the output of a pickup to other pickups based on it's DC resistance, but that really doesn't work.

Thicker wire will have a lower resistance, thinner wire will have a higher resistance.

Wiring the two coils of a humbucker in series is usually equal to about twice the resistance (or more specifically R₁ + R₂) of one coil.
Wiring the two coils of a humbucker in parallel is usually equal to about half the resistance (or more specifically R₁ X R₂/R₁ + R₂) of one coil.

The DC resistance of a pickup can also change depending on the temperature, or the meter you are using to measure it.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

What exactly do you mean when stating that DC resistance means absolutely nothing when comparing pickups?

well, we can narrow that down to say "DC resistance means nothing unless the two pickups are otherwise identical in every way", in which case the one with the higher resistance has had more wire wound onto it, making it louder and darker than the other one.

for the OP, the geddy pickup is a little nicer than the american standard. i'd put that in the bridge and get an actual neck pickup to go with it.

like line6man said, neck pickups are a different size, and also you need a pickup with opposite magnetic polarity from the bridge pickup (test by putting the tops of the two pickups together, if they repel each other they are the same polarity) or they will not hum-cancel.