what is the best Single Coil Pickups you've ever had ? (18mm / Fender Size)

[Modern Growl]

Nordstrand. Lindy Fralin.

[Doug Parent]

I have heard good things about Fralins, Lollars. I have not tried them yet as they rarely show up in Fender sizes frequently. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Aguilar five string jazz pickup, the 60's wind. I have them in one of my Warmoth basses and that bass is just a killer combination which sonically rivals any other boutique Fender clone I have tried or still own.

The Aguilar is pretty upper mid present, and cuts through really well, but does not sacrifice clarity or punch in the low end. They don't have the real high treble extension that you get with some other brands, say in the 8khz range, these seem to have a lower voice but overall for most styles of music these makes me smile every time I plug in. I would also describe them as fairly focused and clear. I don't totally agree that they sound like faithful reproductions of a vintage 60's Fender, I have a feeling Fralins or Aeros might come closer. The bass I have the Aguilars in has a Korina body and maple neck with a light finish, so the voice of this wood combination may have a lot to do with that. If you have a alder/rosewood bass, I'd expect a different result to take what I say with a grain of salt.

I would also suggest Sadowsky but they aren't available in Fender sizes. Honestly, your going to get 10 different opinions and there are at least that many excellent companies that provide alternatives. There is no best, just different.

[Hopkins]

Rio Grande Muy Grande Jazz pickups. They sound killer

[C.Linton]

what is the best Single Coil Pickups you've ever had ? (18mm / Fender Size)

Ummm ... That would be the stock pickups on my '08 MIA Jazz.

[Modern Growl]

Originally Posted by im2jazzc4you

Wowww...great review, I'm session player so I need one who can suit on any style of music but honestly I love that vintage tone on the 60s Jazz Basses... And untill now the Aguilars is really blown me... I have Barts & EMGs on my other basses, but still I really love the 60s sound... So the Aguilar would be the best choice for me ?

Aguilars are "okay". I had em'. I took them out after a few hours - Nordstrand NJ4 / NJ5 single coils are the best singles I played.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by im2jazzc4you

And untill now the Aguilars is really blown me...

Away...you forgot to say away.

[stanknuckle]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

Away...you forgot to say away.

Hahaa!

[stanknuckle]

Peter Florence Voodoo black or grey bottoms.

[Doug Parent]

Originally Posted by Modern Growl

Aguilars are "okay". I had em'. I took them out after a few hours - Nordstrand NJ4 / NJ5 single coils are the best singles I played.

I have those in two basses, love 'em.

[Thumperbuns]

I personally have found I don't like the humbucker/split coil sound near as much as single coils. Put model Js in a Fender J & then had stock MK1s in a Lakland Skyline, maple fingerboard. Lucked up on Mike at Watson Pickups (Watson Guitars) http://www.watsonpickups.net/ I'm not good at describing sound with adjectives so I basically sent Mike a huge list of my fav tunes & artists (old & new rock, hard rock, blues) & said build me something that can come close to much of that sound. He advised single coils & went to work. Within a month he custom built me some drop-in singles each with four big ole pole pieces for the Lakland. The bridge pup has a coil tap which I haven't even used yet. I absolutely love them. My tone chasing is over. Super quiet. Really. If I must use adjectives, to me they are full, thick, rich & solid yet, still could be called mellow. Can also get growl or punch as you like. Works for great for R&B, classic rock, new rock, country...
And, yes I put in a Nordie 3b-5b pre also but I installed the pre several weeks before the new pups just to see if the new pre would help the MK1s. It didn't do much for them. Made them a little more transparent maybe. They were still "uneven" & thin sounding to me. This bass came alive when I put those single coils in. Heaven I say!

[LaBassGuy]

How do the Lakland Hanson pickups that are stock in the DJ4 model compare with the Nordy NJ4s and the Aguilars?

[Doug Parent]

shameless plug for some Aguilar AG 5J 60's. Will drop the price if we can get this done soon.

Aguilar AG 5J-60 (Fender spec Five string)

[pickles]

Lakland/Hanson. Like fralins but with better highs and presence. Perfect balance. If you search you should be able to find soundclips I made when I swapped them into my USA JO5. Lots better than nordstrand or Aguilar for my taste.

[Darren Low]

Nordstrands are my favourite so far.

[rimbaud]

Aero Instrument Type I F (Fender replacement) is what I use now on my MIA Jazz V passive:

http://soundcloud.com/joachim-mahoudeaux/working-on-an-idea-bridge-pu bridge pu
http://soundcloud.com/joachim-mahoud...an-idea-sortie slap both pu
http://soundcloud.com/joachim-mahoudeaux/twim-special 2 tracks on both pu's, lead one with reverb.

[im2jazzc4you]

Wow! Thanks so much guys for great great reviews and suggestions...
I just bought AG 60s and i just put in on my bass yesterday, and it sounds amazing! I really loved it so bad...
It really makes me smiling all the time when i played it...my next project maybe i'll use Nordstrand or Aero pickups...thanks so much for you guys thanks Talkbass

[CapnSev]

Originally Posted by tylerwylie

EMG. No hum or buzz, great tone. If you run two get an active blend control so you don't have to deal with insertion loss. JX or JCSX series.

I don't have a ton of experience with pickup swapping, but I am EXTREMELY pleased with the EMG JX pickups. They sound beautiful, if not a little dark, with a ton of bottom. Best part is that they are dead silent single-coils.

This is coming from a former anti-EMG guy.

[Doug Parent]

Does EMG now make Fender replacement size for 5 stringers?

[svtb15]

I never liked the Norstrands that so many talk about. They have a grittiness to upper mids that don't work out too well for me.

Lollars are great.. I Always get great feedback about these in my one j bass.. And I got a set of Alleva Coppolo J bass pups in my Fender Road Worn Jazz that made the bass very recordable ... Infact it has become my main J bass now.

[Marial]

Originally Posted by Bobster

I am really happy with my Lollar single-coil Jazz 5 pickups.

They have a warm traditional tone and are pretty low-noise for single-coils.

I would strongly recommend them.

Bob

I'm about to drop Lollars into my Jazz as well.