Pickup suggestions for my MIM 5 string J-bass?

[not_jason]

My first bass was a Squier Affinity Precision bass. My next bass was a Fender MIM Jazz Bass V. As you might expect, the Jazz Bass was a huge step up from the Squier, so at the time I had no complaints. I added a J-Retro to it after a few years of ownership, and used it with that setup for a few years, during which I played several gigs with a couple bands. At some point subsequent to that, I'd settled into a style of playing that didn't really agree with or necessitate a five string bass, so I bought an 82 JV Squier Jazz Bass that I've used pretty much continuously since I got it. The old five string took up the role as dust magnet and went largely ignored.

I decided recently to dig it out again and do some basic maintenance and set up on. I got it so that it plays on par with the JV Squier (which trust me, was pretty hard work, cause the JV plays amazingly), and I boiled the strings, checked the battery, fixed the intonation and all that fun stuff. Then I plugged it in.

Conclusion: WEAK.

In passive mode, this bass has almost no punch whatsoever. Since I never played the old p bass through a real amp, and since I had no experience in the matter, I never noticed this problem when I started playing the instrument. After playing my JV for so long though, which is really hot and punchy, It's impossible not to notice the shortcoming of the Fender. Not only is it mellow, but it's really low output. Compared to the JV, and even the old Affinity P, which have similar output volumes, the Fender is notably quieter. With the Preamp switched on, I can get it to what I feel is a suitable output level, and I can also make it growl and sound pretty badass, but it requires far more boosting than I think should be necessary. And even at that level, it never really PUNCHES exactly.

So obviously I'm thinking the pickups are the weak link. But I have absolutely NO IDEA what I can or should replace them with. If this were a fully passive bass, and if it were my primary stage bass, I'd just go buy the hottest noisiest pickups ever manufactured and call it a day, but the J-Retro makes me second guess that plan. Is it a bad idea to use a hot pickup with a preamp like that? And even if it's not, I'm not sure that's even what I want. The key concern with this bass, in my opinion, is versatility. While I do want something that punches and growls, I like having the option to achieve a smoother more mellow tone as well. I see this bass as being potentially useful for as of yet unknown future situations that might call for the added range and onboard EQ (examples: cover bands, recording projects, etc). I want whatever I put in this bass to reflect that.

And as if that weren't enough nitpicking, remember this:

five string mexican jazz bass, which makes finding something that will even fit kind of tricky.

Does anyone have any suggestions or tips?

[fullrangebass]

Go the Villex route. You won't look back

www.vilex.com

[not_jason]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

Go the Villex route. You won't look back

www.vilex.com

Man, I was scratching my head for a good three minutes before it occurred to me to type a second "l" into that URL.

The main business of Vilex is orthopedic and podiatric bone surgery. Vilex offers a broad range of cannulated screws. Titanium plates, small joint implants, Subtalar implant, ring and other external fixation devices. In addition, through UAM, Vilex offers a whole array of power equipment such drivers, drills, and oscillating/reciprocating saws. Vilex also offers saw blades, guide wires, drills and burrs. All main products are manufactured in the USA.

Good times! haha.

Thank you for the tip. My only real concern with that is that they are a bit higher (pricewise) than I'd like to go for this application. I think my limit is probably somewhere around 100 bucks per pickup ideally.

My main concern is the preamp. Is it better to get something relatively flat and unaffected and letting the preamp do the heavy lifting, or should I get something with a lot of character, and then shape it with the preamp? My gut tells me the latter, but I'm a total newb in this matter.

[fretlessman71]

I just dropped an Audere Audio preamp into MY Mexican Jazz V. Simple 3 band pre with an impedance switch. HUGE difference. You might consider trying this first; it took 10 minutes to install.

The Low Z mode made it sound HUGE, with a whole lot of bottom end it never had before, and the High Z mode made it an excellent bass to run through an overdrive pedal or an old tube amp.

I chose to do it to this bass because the B string sounded really consistent compared to the rest of the instrument (and we all know this isn't always the case). I figured the tone was inherently there somewhere; I just had to draw it out.

My preamp was $150. Check 'em out: www. audereaudio.com

[not_jason]

Well, like I said, my J-Retro does really liven up the sound a lot, but since the pickups are so bland on their own, I can't help but wonder how much better I could make it sound. I can't help but thinking the lack of punch is all in the pickup.

[fullrangebass]

Originally Posted by not_jason

Man, I was scratching my head for a good three minutes before it occurred to me to type a second "l" into that URL.
.

I am really embarrassed, but that's life!!!!

I've tried way too many pickups on several of my basses over the years and the one set that really made me jump was the Villex (I have installed 3 sets already on high end basses and waiting for the 4th set). Especially the new line of Villex pickups the sound is very even, full and detailed and with the passive(!!!) 3-band EQ I can get virtually any sound except from extreme and unusable sounds . The price is not cheap but once you hear, the price is justified IMO

[Eric Moesle]

I put a pair of Nordstrand split-coils in mine, fit perfectly, are dead quiet, and sound fantastic. Most people here will agree they are some of the best pickups available today.

www.nordstrandpickups.com

[not_jason]

I'm liking the idea of the split-coil/linear-humbuckers. I had no idea that people made a split-coil shaped as a J-style pickup, but it's a really good idea. This might be a dumb question, but is this the same thing as a "stacked humbucker"? I always assumed that a stacked humbucker was like two full coils stacked on top of each other, but it occurs to me that's always just been an assumption based on virtually no actual information.

Thank you again for the suggestions. I'm taking them all very seriously.

[not_jason]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

I am really embarrassed

don't be, it was a hilarious mistake.