What are the fattest J bass pickups?

[Ric5]

Put a 4 band Audere preamp in your jazz and pretty much any pickups will sound good.

[fullrangebass]

I insist that if one needs to rely on the preamp to get the tone he/she needs then he/she has the wrong bass in hand. There are many great preamps out there (East, Aguilar, Audere to name a few) but the tone should be there from the start IMHO

[Sparkdog]

Originally Posted by Stereo Joe

I think the Model J's would be what you're looking for. I had them in a jazz bass for a short while and they are the deepest, thickest sounding 'J' pickups I've ever used. I was not too thrilled because I like the more classic jazz sound, but based on what you're looking for, they would probably be perfect for you!

This is right on the money...

I put Model J's in a new Jazz I was modding, and they are everything you described and ridiculously cheap compared to the admittedly excellent Nordys and SD's.

They were not my cup of tea either though, I wanted something closer to classic Jazz tone but MORE of everything except the hum. That's exactly what you get with the DiMarzio Ultra Jazz and that's what I ended up with.

[Edward G.]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

I insist that if one needs to rely on the preamp to get the tone he/she needs then he/she has the wrong bass in hand. There are many great preamps out there (East, Aguilar, Audere to name a few) but the tone should be there from the start IMHO

I agree. I don't want a preamp. Been there; done that. I'm into the simplicity of a basic, passive instrument that hits like a wrecking ball. Those are my self-imposed operating parameters.

[dmusic148]

Not a drop in, but the biggest single-coil sound around. Ignore all the knobs- the bass is now passive and sounds great.

[Edward G.]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Not a drop in, but the biggest single-coil sound around. Ignore all the knobs- the bass is now passive and sounds great.

Looks worthy of a test drive. What pickups are those?

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

I insist that if one needs to rely on the preamp to get the tone he/she needs then he/she has the wrong bass in hand. There are many great preamps out there (East, Aguilar, Audere to name a few) but the tone should be there from the start IMHO

+1

And if the bass doesn't sound good unplugged, it wont sound good plugged in.

Preamps let you alter the tone, but the tone from the bass/pickups has to be good to start with.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

Looks worthy of a test drive. What pickups are those?

Nordstrand Fat Stacks.

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

How would you describe this tone?

I love it and want it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni-txqUgbzI

that bass sounds like total butts. maybe if he raised his action it wouldnt be so bad and he could let his $2000+ dollar bass actually sing.



ANYWAYS. for a fat sound check out the Nordys. Not the NJ4's, but the humbucking version of them. the model slips my mind.

[SGD Lutherie]

That's not fret buzzing. It's just a brand new set of Rotosounds (or some other equally very bright when new string) and some flanging, and a lot of highs.

I like it. Sounds like the old Dennis Dunaway tone, just a little brighter.

[SirGrotius]

Not to hijack this thread, but it brought up some great ideas.

Would Dimarxzio Model J's be an upgrade over MIA stock J-Bass pickups? I play mostly hard rock, so am going for a grungy, tough sound.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

Not to hijack this thread, but it brought up some great ideas.

Would Dimarxzio Model J's be an upgrade over MIA stock J-Bass pickups? I play mostly hard rock, so am going for a grungy, tough sound.

I think so. I used to use those back in the 80's. They have a nice full tone and they don't hum.

The Sadowsky pickups in that clip are more-or-less the same as DiMarzio Area J pickups.

[Rickett Customs]

^^^ I'd say you try the Neo Jazzbuckers, the clips are awesome.

http://www.sgd-lutherie.com/pages/ND3-J4.html

[Edward G.]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

Not to hijack this thread, but it brought up some great ideas.

Would Dimarxzio Model J's be an upgrade over MIA stock J-Bass pickups? I play mostly hard rock, so am going for a grungy, tough sound.

I find Model Js very adaptable. Their essential tone, however, is very ballsy. You can EQ it in any direction from there if you choose. It is a very good starting point, whatever your fancy.

[edubb]

Got so little love here?. I know the boutique builders seem to love them, they show up on some crazy expensive basses.

[pickles]

Originally Posted by santucci218

that bass sounds like total butts. maybe if he raised his action it wouldnt be so bad and he could let his $2000+ dollar bass actually sing.

That tone sounds great to me, and is the kind of tone that works great in a dense mix. A little fret grind can find the spot between the guitars and the cymbals and make the tone pop much like a little bit of overdrive can.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by pickles

That tone sounds great to me, and is the kind of tone that works great in a dense mix. A little fret grind can find the spot between the guitars and the cymbals and make the tone pop much like a little bit of overdrive can.

Yes, upper mids and highs give you presence, even if you don't think you hear it in the final mix.

To give an example, and while very different from the tone in the video, it illustrates the point very well... take the Motown sound, James Jamerson. When you hear people try and cop his tone these days, they use all low end, and very little upper mids and treble. And it sounds small and buried in the mix. An examples would be the latest Nikka Costa album. But if you listen to some of the solo Jamerson tracks that are on the 'Net, you hear that he had a lot of high end, it was just that he was using flats and pretty severe string muting via a big hunk 'o foam under the strings. A good modern example is Andrew Levy in the Brand New Heavies. It's often a brash gritty tone, that kicks ass.

So in the dense Motown mix, his bass lines just jumped off the radio, so much so that when I was a kid and heard those songs, I wanted to play that low pitched instrument!

But every tone is valid. It's good to not sound like everyone else. You want people to know who you are with the first note. Not just the style, but the tone too. When you hear McCartney, Jamerson, Flea, Squire, Bootsy, Carol Kay and Joe Osborn, you know who they are.

That's why bass is so cool. Guitar players all want to sound alike and use the same two or three guitars. Bass players are a lot more open minded and experimental. Even my partner in SGD, who is a guitarist, doesn't want to build guitars, because you get to try more new ideas on bass.

[basswave]

Originally Posted by pickles

That tone sounds great to me, and is the kind of tone that works great in a dense mix. A little fret grind can find the spot between the guitars and the cymbals and make the tone pop much like a little bit of overdrive can.

+1 to that
I don't mind that little fret sizzle...

[Edward G.]

I just bought a used 'custom' 4-string with Fender Custom Shop Jazz pickups, all passive, and I just gotta say, these boys scream!

I wasn't expecting much from them, but they sound REALLY good --fat and crushing, good enough to install them intentionally.

Needless to say, I won't be changing them out.

[jlane72t]

Another vote for Model J's.