"Matched" jazz pickup set?

[elgecko]

I want to swap out the pickups in my Signature jazz body that takes two neck-size pickups. Bartolini advertises their 9J#1 S/SB set as "a true set, where the bridge and neck are wound to match. This is not two neck pickups".

I know many people just buy 2 neck-size pickups and call it good...but what's wrong with "two neck pickups"? What exactly is Bartolini talking about?

Thanks!

[bikeplate]

HI

Cant speak for Bartolini. Take a look at Nordstrand pickups. Truly amazing sounding sets

Rob

[joeyl]

Originally Posted by elgecko

I want to swap out the pickups in my Signature jazz body that takes two neck-size pickups. Bartolini advertises their 9J#1 S/SB set as "a true set, where the bridge and neck are wound to match. This is not two neck pickups".

I know many people just buy 2 neck-size pickups and call it good...but what's wrong with "two neck pickups"? What exactly is Bartolini talking about?

Thanks!

usually a regular bridge pickup is wound hotter to compensate for volume loss due to the decreased string vibration, therefore if you have 2 true neck pickups the bridge position one will be slightly lower in output. Bartolini winds a neck size pickup the same as if it was a regular bridge pickup, makes sense?

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by elgecko

but what's wrong with "two neck pickups"?

One should be north up, the other south up. That way you can have the RW/RP hum cancellation.

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by joeyl

usually a regular bridge pickup is wound hotter to compensate for volume loss due to the decreased string vibration, therefore if you have 2 true neck pickups the bridge position one will be slightly lower in output. Bartolini winds a neck size pickup the same as if it was a regular bridge pickup, makes sense?

Gotcha, thanks! Now I wonder how big of difference there is....massively unbalanced? Hardly noticeable? Uncompensateable by pickup height adjustments?

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by GlennW

One should be north up, the other south up. That way you can have the RW/RP hum cancellation.

Couldn't that be fixed by swapping leads?

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by elgecko

Couldn't that be fixed by swapping leads?

No, swapping leads will only "change" the winding direction.

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by GlennW

No, swapping leads will only "change" the winding direction.

OK. But would that matter on a split-coil/hum canceling pickup?

[joeyl]

Originally Posted by elgecko

OK. But would that matter on a split-coil/hum canceling pickup?

on a hum canceling set, it would not matter that they both have the same magnetic orientation, since each pickup is already self canceling. swapping the leads could result in drop in volume due to phase cancelation, I believe.

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by elgecko

OK. But would that matter on a split-coil/hum canceling pickup?

Maybe, maybe not. It depends on if they're made so the coil ground and baseplate ground (if applicable) use the same lead.

[BobXboB]

Originally Posted by elgecko

I want to swap out the pickups in my Signature jazz body that takes two neck-size pickups. Bartolini advertises their 9J#1 S/SB set as "a true set, where the bridge and neck are wound to match. This is not two neck pickups".

I know many people just buy 2 neck-size pickups and call it good...but what's wrong with "two neck pickups"? What exactly is Bartolini talking about?

Thanks!

Balance is such a positive sounding yet nebulous term.

The Bart's are made with a brighter neck and deeper bridge tone than the arbitrary standard. The results of that are when you pan between pickups you don't pan between boomy and bright as much as you pan between different harmonic content, keeping a more similar EQ but changing the basses character for lack of a better term. If that's a good thing is totally up to your tastes.

[Stealth]

There's another thing to consider.

One series of Jazz basses (no idea which one, a series of MIMs, I think) were manufactured using two pickups which had the same physical dimensions - so, the warning might mean this is not intended for such basses.