MIJ 75' Jazz Bass Pickups

Thomasc714 · #1 11-24-2009, 02:05 PM

I have a 2008 '75 reissue MIJ Fender jazz bass. I love the look and playability of the bass, but the stock pickups are really poor and low powered. Can anyone suggest a replacement set of passive pickups?

Craig_S · #2 11-24-2009, 02:10 PM

What sort of sound are you looking for?

Thomasc714 · #3 11-24-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig_S

What sort of sound are you looking for?

I have a '78 Precision which has great tone with nice lows and the individual notes can be more clearly heard. The Jazz bass with the stock vintage alnico mag. pickups have a mushy sound that doesn't stand out. I'm looking for pickups that will give me more of the Precision type sound.

walterw · #4 11-25-2009, 10:53 AM

Wow, a 75-foot jazz bass and a 78-foot P bass! How the hell do you play those things?

dkhp124 · #5 11-25-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomasc714

I'm looking for pickups that will give me more of the Precision type sound.

DiMarzio Model J's

Thomasc714 · #6 11-26-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkhp124

DiMarzio Model J's

I was looking at the DiMarzio DP123 Model J's, which I can get for about $85.00 for the neck and bridge pickups.

walterw · #7 11-26-2009, 03:24 PM

the ultra jazz pickups will have a bit more balls than the model j. still not p-bass territory, but closer.

Thomasc714 · #8 11-26-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

the ultra jazz pickups will have a bit more balls than the model j. still not p-bass territory, but closer.

How is the gain boost with these ultras vs. the model j? I would be happy to at least get close to the p-bass sound. The ultras seem to go for around $100. for the set, which is only slightly more than the model j.

dkhp124 · #9 11-27-2009, 02:07 AM

"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

Dr DIMENTO'S ONGOING "J" STYLE PUP EXPERIMENT

these two threads give good reviews about different pickups. from multiple sources, i've read that ultra jazzes give a nice vintage jazz bass tones while the model j's tend to be much more boomy and punchy than the ultra jazz, and that the model j's sound more like a P than a J. i personally use the model j's and i have to agree that these pickups make the bass sound more like a P than a J (i use a fender geddy lee jazz bass).

but then again, i havent tried out the ultra jazz myself, and maybe the ultra jazz CAN be more ballsy. i'd think, since most people that used both told me the ultra jazz sounds more like a vintage jazz than the model j's, that model j's would be more to your (the OP) liking than the ultra jazz.

the reviewers from those two threads described teh model js perfectly so i kinda trusted their reviews on all the other pickups as well lol.

Thomasc714 · #10 11-28-2009, 03:23 PM

This is a good way to compare the two. Thanks for the info.

monroe55 · #11 11-28-2009, 04:08 PM

Im thinkin about the Model Js vs the ultra jazz myself for my 75 RI Jazz. What kind of surgery is involved with replacing my stock pups with either of these?

monroe55 · #12 11-28-2009, 04:24 PM

Better yet. Is there a link someone can give me that has information on pickups in general and how they work. What is meant by wiring in series, parallel, single coil etc.....

eff-clef · #13 11-28-2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monroe55

Im thinkin about the Model Js vs the ultra jazz myself for my 75 RI Jazz. What kind of surgery is involved with replacing my stock pups with either of these?

I would go for the model J's. I bought and still have a pair of the Utra jazz pups, and I liked the tone but I couldn't get past the uneven output of the strings. If you set your strings to the radius of the finger board (which is 7.5-9. inches on real jazz basses) the output of the E and G is much more than the A and D. I took off the Ultra Jazz pups and put the stock MIM pups back on. They were a little better(output wise) but not the answer. I gave up. But if I decide to put on any other pups, I am going to put on the Model J's. They have adjustable pole pieces. So you can radius them to the strings/fingerboard. I have a P bass with the model P and I love the aggressive tone. -just my 2 cents

walterw · #14 11-29-2009, 01:32 AM

that's always bugged me too. apparently the new area jazz pickups have staggered magnets.

noahw1 · #15 11-30-2009, 11:07 AM

I put some Nordstrand NJ4s in my Hamer Cruise Bass (a Jazz) last week and it sounds amazing. I replaced the Seymour Duncan Basslines Vintage, which served me very very well for more than ten years, but they were always a little brittle in the high end; the Nordstrands however simply sing yet aren't hi-fi sounding.

monroe55 · #16 11-30-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eff-clef

I would go for the model J's. I bought and still have a pair of the Utra jazz pups, and I liked the tone but I couldn't get past the uneven output of the strings. If you set your strings to the radius of the finger board (which is 7.5-9. inches on real jazz basses) the output of the E and G is much more than the A and D. I took off the Ultra Jazz pups and put the stock MIM pups back on. They were a little better(output wise) but not the answer. I gave up. But if I decide to put on any other pups, I am going to put on the Model J's. They have adjustable pole pieces. So you can radius them to the strings/fingerboard. I have a P bass with the model P and I love the aggressive tone. -just my 2 cents

Are these model Js easy to install or do I have to be an electrition? Im very mechanical and can solder but I dont know much about wiring in general. Could I do the installation myself? Any major changes to my Fender that Id have to do?????

dkhp124 · #17 11-30-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monroe55

Are these model Js easy to install or do I have to be an electrition? Im very mechanical and can solder but I dont know much about wiring in general. Could I do the installation myself? Any major changes to my Fender that Id have to do?????

no changes to the fender necessary unless you're going to put in the optional parallel/series switch which you'd need to buy separately. the only changes you might want to do (although this was not necessary for me in my fender geddy lee jazz bass) is to take out the rubber underneath the stock pickups and replace it with the foam padding that comes with the model j pickups after shaving it down to the right height.

a fellow TBer (Derek Kiernan) was kind enough to install the pickups for me, and i had it done without the switch and there was no modification necessary to the bass. i believe the recommended wiring method is series as with most humbucking pickups.

monroe55 · #18 11-30-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkhp124

no changes to the fender necessary unless you're going to put in the optional parallel/series switch which you'd need to buy separately. the only changes you might want to do (although this was not necessary for me in my fender geddy lee jazz bass) is to take out the rubber underneath the stock pickups and replace it with the foam padding that comes with the model j pickups after shaving it down to the right height.

a fellow TBer (Derek Kiernan) was kind enough to install the pickups for me, and i had it done without the switch and there was no modification necessary to the bass. i believe the recommended wiring method is parallel as a humbucker.

Whats the difference between choosing to wire in parallel or series??

Steveaux · #19 11-30-2009, 03:39 PM

I put DiMarzio 123's in mine.

dkhp124 · #20 11-30-2009, 03:58 PM

i don't know too much about pickups but i provided a link above that gives a review of the model j's. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showth...threadid=91384

according to the review, if you wire the pickups in parallel, it'll give you a more classic, J-like sound, which has better clarity, but dimarzio recommends a humbucking series wiring which will give you a ridiculously punchy and fat tone. i believe p basses come in series wiring and wiring the model j's to series gives it a more p-bass like tone and this is where the model j really shines. i made a mistake before and wrote that i had it done in parallel. i actually meant series. sorry about that. i just realized it and i'm going to edit my previous post lol.