vintage jazz bass pickup

[jacohead]

would a set of fender jazz bass pickups made in the year 1964 fit my american standard bass made in 2006 ?

[luknfur]

To my knowledge Fender J pups have always been the same size in terms of long shorts. Never heard any different.

If I had a set of '64 pups I'd stick 'em in a drawer in a cse. Plenty of other good pups around so why chance trashing a set of pups that are or will be worth more than the bass.

[r379]

Originally Posted by luknfur

To my knowledge Fender J pups have always been the same size in terms of long shorts. Never heard any different.

If I had a set of '64 pups I'd stick 'em in a drawer in a cse. Plenty of other good pups around so why chance trashing a set of pups that are or will be worth more than the bass.

+1

[Searcy]

I'd put them in the bass and play them. They arn't any more likely to get trashed if properly installed in a bass than they are in a drawer. Pickups were made to be played. Not traded like base ball cards.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by jacohead

would a set of fender jazz bass pickups made in the year 1964 fit my american standard bass made in 2006 ?

Very likely, but why not just measure your routes (both neck and bridge), and then ask the seller for measurements (without sending yours)?

That way, you will know if they are the right size and avoid the off chance that the seller will just "estimate" it to be what you want to hear in order to sell the items.

To be dead sure, the seller could send you a paper trace, done with the pencil tilted into the edge of the pickup so the lines are dead below the pickup outline. Then do the same with yours and compare.

There have been differences in bridge pickups sizes, but I think this involves older MIM Jazzes, though I'm not sure. You might also go to some pickup vendor's websites and review the sizes they are selling and compare these to your measurements to get an idea of how "standard" your bass is.

[BobKos]

Originally Posted by Searcy

I'd put them in the bass and play them. They arn't any more likely to get trashed if properly installed in a bass than they are in a drawer. Pickups were made to be played. Not traded like base ball cards.

I disagree. Vibration is what kills pickups and installation is the source of that vibration. They won't die stored safely away as readily as they will if installed in a bass.

For the OP:

I would store or sell the pickups and buy modern replacements for the instrument in question. There's just WAY too much good equipment out there to choose from for a Fender Jazz Bass. There's no good reason I can think of to install them other than to have bragging rights to a set of '64 JB pups in the bass. I truthfully don't know if they'll even sound that good. They are 43 years old, after all. Save them for the museum piece someone is putting together this very minute.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by jacohead

would a set of fender jazz bass pickups made in the year 1964 fit my american standard bass made in 2006 ?

Just to clarify, do you already have the '64 pickups????

[Chris Breese]

Originally Posted by BobKos

Vibration is what kills pickups and installation is the source of that vibration..

Your source?

What about using them in a bass guitar? Don't those vibrate?

If I had them, I'd sure as heck put them in a use 'em!!!

[Searcy]

Originally Posted by BobKos

I disagree. Vibration is what kills pickups and installation is the source of that vibration.

That's simply not true. If vibration killed pickups all pickups would eventually die. Following your logic no old basses should be played.

Sorry, but I say nonsense to that.

[BobKos]

Originally Posted by Searcy

That's simply not true. If vibration killed pickups all pickups would eventually die. Following your logic no old basses should be played.

Sorry, but I say nonsense to that.

OK - Then why do pickups die?

Insulation flakes off the windings and they short. Why would that happen? Vibration.

Wires / windings break. Why would that happen? Vibration.

What else can go wrong with them aside from abuse? Not a whole lot, I'd say.

I never said that every old set of pickups will self destruct if used. I said that they are more likely to fail if installed than if stored safely away. This is true and I stand by it.

I said vibration is the source of pickup failure and I stand by that too.

[Bassmickeyd]

Pickups die when the windings corrode or the magnets die. Rarely the later but for some reason it was a big problem for Ibanez in the 80's. The magnets slowly died and the pickups output slowly died until nothing. I spoke to Lindy Fralin on the phone once and he said a pickup is a pickup and it doesn't matter. He could rewind anything. I have a set of 65 Jazz bass pickups that we're custom wound to my jazz and they're great. But it took a week to do and they are over wound also. So, the output is hotter and sound darker. If you sweat a lot when you play that sweat can get into the pickups and mess them up. But making sure they're dipped in wax helps they're longevity.
BM

[cybersnyder]

Having a set of pickups in a drawer is like having a car in a garage up on blocks with the wheels off. Doesn't do you a bit of good. Mishandling kills pickups along with corrosion. Play them, enjoy them or just keep them in a drawer so you can say that you have a set of '64 Jazz pickups. Of course you won't know if they actually work unless you try them.

[Bassmickeyd]

True CS I think they're better used than put away.
BM

[thumpbass1]

Yes they should fit as the MIA are standard routes with the bridge pickup route
and pickup a bit wider than the neck pickup. Only the early MIM J-Basses used two
pickups of the same width. Also go ahead and play em if ya got em. There is a
whole bunch of us folks playing vintage instruments with pickups pushing 30
to 50 years of age with no issues of vibration gremlins which I've never heard of
in my 35 years of playing bass and guitar.

The only thing I've heard that kills pickups is moisture and oxidation which in some
cases can lead to some problems with age and time for some pickups.Don't
worry about using vintage pickups;many players want to install real vintage pickups
for their sound and they don't have trouble.I have an Oahu lap steel made in the 40's
that has no issues with it's nearly 60 year old big honking hand wound single coil. The
only thing I've done use an electronic cleaner/lube spray on the original pots.