Thanks to all of the things I have read here on this forum, I developed, predictably, a bad case of GAS for the products of Carey Nordstrand. I have an '04 MIM P-bass and an '06 MIM Standard Jazz 5. For Christmas, I decided that I would dress both up with some new pickups, and I am now in tone heaven!
In my Precision I had swapped the stock pup for a SD 1/4 pounder about a year ago. The output was about the same as what was in it (stock), but (insert typical description of a quarter pounder) and sounded better for a while to my ears. I decided that I wanted to move toward a more traditional sound, and I must say that I am quite pleased. The midrange is great and really nails the classic vibe. There is less bass than the quarter pounder, but it is so much more refined and even "thicker" sounding without being muddy or losing clarity. In many ways this pickup to me sounds more "grown-up" if I can say that without being rude to 1/4 pounder owners. The Duncan is a great pup, but just a bit too aggressive for me. The NP4 and Chromes are a great combo IMO.
My Jazz was still wearing the stock pup. I had spoken with Stew at Nordstrand and he said that if I liked that pup's growl and punch (which was and is decent), the Nordy would be more (as in quality) of the same. He told me to listen to some Jaco, and I can now hear that sound, though to be Jaco is not my intent. The J growl is definately better with these and the clarity, just as with the NP4, is incredible. With Sadowsky medium nickels or D'Addario EXL170-5's, notes pop out great on the B string with far more clarity and smoothness. A friend of mine said that he can no longer tell when I am using the B - the notes are that smooth from top to bottom.
After a foray into the world of active electronics, I have come to love the beauty of passive electronics. I love the simplicity so much that I wired my Jazz like a Precision, star grounded both basses, and have the quietest, best sounding gear that I ever had in 11 years. Thanks for all your help, and thanks to Carey and Fender for a killer combination.
Also, I got my stuff from Jay at Blueberry Hill Bass - GREAT guy and I highly recommend him!
Nordstrand NP4 and NJ5F 
