VM Jazz pickups...

[Dweezilmeister]

Hi fellow bass players.

I got a nice Squier VM modified which I like a lot.

My only problem is that I have to keep both pickups volume balanced together at all time to avoid humming...
It seems to be only from the bass (tunrned off every computer, CFL lamps, use a battery amp to isolate myself from the AC line)

I'm thinking the pickups could be improved. Do you have any suggestion for passive pickups in the 100$-200$ range that could help me with getting more tone control?

Thanks

[lowfreq33]

Single coil pickups hum. That's just how it is. You can shield the cavity with coper foil to cut it down dramatically. Different single coils won't be any better.

[steve_rolfeca]

Qualifier: it should only be a relatively minor hum, and only bothersome in venues that have noisy wiring, old fluorescent fixtures, etc.

If you've got a really major hum/buzz that's close to or exceeds the actual bass signal, then you might have a bad cord, or the bass might have a grounding problem.

The single-coil hum shouldn't be a major problem for live work, at least in most venues.

Of course, if you're a "noise weenie" like me, you can always pick up a set of DiMarzio Ultra Jazz or other n/c pickups.

[C.Linton]

Yeah, that's a problem with Jazz basses in general, because of the single coil pickups and the way they're wired, it's not exclusive to Squiers. Changing pickups won't help unless you get noiseless ones, but a lot of folks who have tried them say they don't sound as good as regular single coils. In that case you have to decide between which is more important to you, less noise and not so good tone, or some noise and good tone.

[Dweezilmeister]

Thanks for your fast responses.

Looks like, I wont jump right away to upgrade my pups.