While there wasn't anything terribly wrong with the tone I was getting from the Jaguar's stock pickups, my incessant need to tweak got the better of me. I dropped in a set of DiMarzio Model J (Jay) pups and did a bit of recording to get a better feel for the before and after sound. Also, to get as equal a comparison as possible, I didn't remove the strings when installing the new pups: just loosened them up enough to get in there.
HERE'S THE SETUP (probably more detail than you care for):
• Fender Jaguar (red, if it matters)
• volume and tone controls fully on
• old D'Addario EXL160 roundwounds (50-70-85-105)
• GK MB212 combo
• all controls set at noon except the master volume (around 8 o'clock)
• Contour control disengaged, Limiter engaged
• two bass tracks recorded and mixed evenly
• mic (GLS Audio ES57, an SM57 clone)
• DI (onboard DI from the amp)
• recorded with Apple Garageband
• interface is a Mackie ONYX Satellite
SOME NOTES ON MY RECORDINGS:
• While recording the Model J's (jay's), I had a sneaking suspicion that I wasn't digging in as much as I had when doing the stock recordings. I think this was confirmed on playback, but it's hard to tell.
• These were quick and dirty recordings. It took all my willpower to repress my perfectionist tendencies and just do one quick take of each setting. Thus, there are rough spots.
MY IMPRESSIONS AFTER PLAYBACK:
• After first installing the pups and playing with them in a band setting, they seemed to be thicker-sounding as most people have mentioned. I think this is also confirmed in the recordings, although it depends on the settings on the bass.
• Using the preamp seemed to mask the difference a bit, but it is still there. There's definitely a bump in the low-mids that gives the sound a bit more oomph. The change in tone is more pronounced when using the bass in passive mode (95% of the time for me).
• The difference in tone is especially noticeable when using just one pickup. Both the neck and bridge pickup sound bigger when soloed, but they still retain that Jazz flavor.
• The biggest difference is the lack of hum due to the Model J's (jays) humbucking setup. Even if this was the only difference, I'd still say the switch was worthwhile.
• Another great benefit is better string-to-string balance in volume and tone. I've noticed while playing with a group that the A and D strings have a more robust sound than before. This is thanks to the adjustable pole pieces on the pickups. I now play the A and D strings more confidently (and frequently) as I don't feel the volume and tone drop that I noticed with the stock pups.
AND FINALLY, THE AUDIO:
There are 16 tracks total. Eight different settings are used, each with a before and after track.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music
(maybe putting on some clear coat and smoothing that out would have been a better idea)
