Which pickups should I put on my MM Fender and Geddy Lee?

LaBassGuy · #1 06-24-2010, 09:23 AM

A few months ago, I installed UltraJazz pickups on my Marcus Miller jazz and Geddy Lee Jazz basses.

I am not happy with my tone. The grit and growl is gone; the pickups are too bright.

I am convinced that the classic jazz tone and that marcus slap tone comes from the wood + single coil pickups.

So I am going to pull out the UltraJazz and go back to single-coil.

Which single-coil pups will provide the most vintage tone and work best with these basses? I've done a lot of research here, and these are the candidates:

- SD Antiquity II
- Basslines Sjb-1
- Aero Type I
- Fender Custom Shop '60s

I've exhausted my research skills. So any advice you can offer is much appreciated.

LaBassGuy · #2 06-24-2010, 03:04 PM

bump. Really, no one?

SteveC · #3 06-24-2010, 03:06 PM

What was wrong with the stock GL pups.? I love that sound.

LaBassGuy · #4 06-24-2010, 03:12 PM

Given what I am getting from the UltraJazz ones, the stock ones were better. But they seemed a bit muddy on the low end. I was forced to roll off the neck pup to give it more definition.

narud · #5 06-24-2010, 05:03 PM

the antiquity series of pickups are a crapshoot. unless you know exactly what sound youre going after and can tell a dealer "give your set with x dc resistance" you never really know what sound you are going to get. you might get a set wound in the low 8k's or maybe the high 8k's. that gives you a pretty wide spread in what the tone might be. that being said, im a big fan of that series of pickups and use them in multiple basses.

the other sets will be more consistent from set to set and you can take peoples comments on tone with more weight. of those sets you mentioned id try the aeros or the sjb's. the sjb's more for the marcus, if you are still pairing it with an active pre.

eyecandy · #6 06-26-2010, 05:13 AM

how about Nordstrand and Lollars?

Arvin · #7 06-26-2010, 06:59 AM

http://www.vintagevibeguitars.com/pickup_bass.html#

Absolutely killer vintage Jazz tone.

Kipaste · #8 06-28-2010, 03:28 AM

I'd probably try the antiquities on the geddy.. but on the miller, I'd keep the stock pickups and do the preamp instead, at least for now. I didn't care for the passive sounds in my Miller bass, but after having a preamp upgrade +true active/passive switch and passive tone control, the passive mode came alive big time. A lot fatter and warmer than through the shotty "active passive" stock switch. Since then I've tried antiquity II's and nordy nj4's. I first tried the AntII's and liked them very much but since the preamp was already upgraded on the miller, I figured the new pickups would make more of a difference in a passive bass. Then I figured that I might just as well try nordstrands and not suprisingly, they're also fine pickups. But in all honesty, I could just as well use the stock pickups as I was able to get very nice tones out of them too and they did mesh really well with the preamp. So in all honesty, I'm not quite sure the pickup changes were worth it for me. There's a difference in tone, but it's just that, a difference, not a definate improvement.

Edit. There is one thing I really call an improvement with both of the aftermarket pickups: string to string balance is significantly better than with the stock pups.

Big chicken · #9 06-28-2010, 04:07 AM

quarter pounders

Fat K · #10 06-28-2010, 04:11 AM

I use Lollar Js and John East Retro on my MM and I am a very happy boy!

LaBassGuy · #11 07-12-2010, 02:42 PM

So I installed the Fender Custom Shop '60s pickups on the Geddy Lee. Will do the same on the Marcus Miller sometime this week.

Compared to the Ultra Jazz, this is a different animal. The UJs were very bright, open.

These pickups are fat, thick, and thumbing. I am really liking the tone. Compared to the stock Geddy Lee pups, these seem a lot more defined, less muddy and nasal as the stock pickups.

The bright zing of Geddy Lee seems to have subsided a bit. So this is slightly darker--mostly because its a higher output going into the same 250k pots as the previous lower-output stock pups. But I guess I can eq that in.

So thus far, this was a good decision. Once I install them on the Marcus Miller, I'll keep you posted on how that works out.

acebase62 · #12 07-12-2010, 02:55 PM

Not single coil, but I've heard good "sounds vintage" reports on the Dimarzio Area J pickups.

I use Seymour Duncan Hot Stack for Jazz with 500k pots and Fender TBX, and like the finger and thumb tones.

I might try the Area Js in the future, especailly if I assemble another Warmoth.

LaBassGuy · #13 07-12-2010, 03:04 PM

I read about those, but after taking a chance with the UJ humbuckers, I figured single coil is what I am really looking for.

I am curious as to how they will sound on the Marcus Miller--if the loss in higher frequencies resulting from a higher output going into the same 250k pot will significantly change the bass's character.

SteveC · #14 07-12-2010, 03:07 PM

I gigged mine a couple days ago for the first time and I thought the stock bass sounded fantastic. So did everyone else. I usually have to ask as I go through so many basses, but this time they volunteered comments like best bass tone you've had and that slaps better than any of your other basses. I'm keeping it stock and that's very unusual for me.

To each their own though, right.

Craig_S · #15 07-12-2010, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBassGuy

So I installed the Fender Custom Shop '60s pickups on the Geddy Lee. Will do the same on the Marcus Miller sometime this week.

The pickups that come in both of those basses are the same ones that come in the American '62 Reissue Jazz. I like those pickups, personally. If I didn't like them, I'd buy a set of Duncan SJB-1's.

LaBassGuy · #16 07-13-2010, 09:17 AM

So i've installed the CS '60s pickups in my marcus miller.

Again, these sound big and fat. Compared to the other strings, the E string sounds . . . . let's say not as tight. You get a lot of the string zing that you don't get with the other strings. My guess is this has to do with my pickup height.

As far as a MM tone, it retains the natural sound the bass produces.

In short, huge bottom but retains clarity; has a lot of punch and thumb.

narud · #17 07-13-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig_S

The pickups that come in both of those basses are the same ones that come in the American '62 Reissue Jazz. I like those pickups, personally. If I didn't like them, I'd buy a set of Duncan SJB-1's.

true for the geddy, not for the marcus.

BZadlo · #18 07-13-2010, 07:46 PM

I'd go with the Nordstrand Singles. They really growl when you dig in but keep the clarity.
I've had them in a number of my basses.

Craig_S · #19 07-13-2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by narud

true for the geddy, not for the marcus.

They've just changed it recently. The bridge pickup is the same. The other pickup is now a '75 reissue pickup instead.

anubis16 · #20 07-13-2010, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig_S

They've just changed it recently. The bridge pickup is the same. The other pickup is now a '75 reissue pickup instead.

I think they've been different for a while. Although the fender site called the pickups in both the Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller basses "American Vintage," I don't think the Marcus Miller had the same pickups. The Fender site is not always consistent about naming pickups in their tech specs. Sometimes they call different pickups the same name, and sometimes they will call the same pickups by the same name.

The American Vintage pickups (aka "original jazz pickups" aka 2 reissue pickups) have beveled pole pieces that stick out slightly. None of the pics I've seen of the Marcus Miller have these beveled pole pieces.

Now as of recently the Fender site said the bridge pickup is "american vintage" and the neck pickup is a 75' reissue. Either they changed the bridge pickup to the 62 reissue pickup, or they're just being confusing about naming once again.