What pups would you put in a '83 J Bass ??

[edham]

I have an '83 J bass that has been sitting in my closet for close to 15 years. (I bought it new)
It was my main gigging bass from '83 until bout '97.

I had put emg's in it but at some point took them out and sold them, so its been sitting without pups.
Time to get this guy wired up and either play it or sell it.

So what Pups would you guys put in??
I'm thinking something classic sounding that would keep it desirable for resale. (even though I never seem to be able to let it go).

Thanks for the input.

[aproud1]

Fender Super 55's or classic jazz if you like single coil. Or whatever you find for a decent price in the classifieds....

[bassclef112]

You may get 50 answers here and there are many threads addressing all the options.

I happen to like Aero I's. I have them in 2 basses and like the way they maintain some meat in the tone. I don't like zingy, which is not to say they can't get bright.

Your mileage may vary.

[millsbass5]

If you plan on goin' passive, find you an older set of DiMarzio pups. Remember, the key word is "older". There's nothin' like 'em.

[Texsunburst59]

I'd go with the Lindy replacements. They'll run you about $180 for the set. Wound to 8K in the neck and 8.5K in the bridge pickup. Out of curiosity, what did you pay for your '83 Jazz when you bought it?

[lowphatbass]

You're bound to hear as many different opinions as there are posts. There's a ton of good options and buying used is smart. I don't think your decision will effect the value too much should you decide to sell it. Whether you go with a used pair of Fender pups for $75 or a new set of "designer brand" for $225 the bulk of the value will still be in the bass and how well it plays.

My first decent bass was an '83 Jazz, out of curiosity does yours have the one piece plastic guard?

[edham]

Yup, one piece guard. Just added some pics.

I have a pic of me playing this bass with my 1 year old son sitting on my lap - he's now 30. What the !@#$ happened ??? Did I get caught in a time distortion field?
Can't possibly be this old........

[edham]

Originally Posted by Texsunburst59

Out of curiosity, what did you pay for your '83 Jazz when you bought it?

Wow, what a question. Can't remember. (denial of being this old is my current coping mechanism).
Probably bought it from Zapf's music in Philly or Cintioli's.

I had a cheap Ibanez before it and gigged that to death until I saved enough for this J.

[drTSTingray]

Couldn't you just install period correct Fender pick ups?

[millsbass5]

DiMarzio

[loendmaestro]

I'm happy with the DiMarzio Model J's I threw in my late '80s jazz.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by edham

So what Pups would you guys put in?? I'm thinking something classic sounding that would keep it desirable for resale. (even though I never seem to be able to let it go).

So I think the question then is, "What classic-sounding Jazz Bass pickups would you guys recommend?" Yes?

If so, I would suggest either Sadowsky single-coils (don't recall the specific model name/number), or Nordstrand single-coils (ditto on the model name/number).

If by "classic-sounding" you mean "old-school, early 60s Jazz tone", I might also suggest a set of DiMarzio Area Js.

MM

[LAG]

I say put EMG-J's back in it.

[NYCbassist]

Sadowsky Single coils. Or Dimarzio's

[39-Bassist]

you want the replacement sound too?...use the Fender RI pickups or find originals online.

[lavmonga]

I wouldn't worry too much about resale with that huge chunk routed out.

[jim777]

Fralins in a heartbeat, but that's just me.

[JIO]

Originally Posted by jim777

Fralins in a heartbeat, but that's just me.

and me split-coils specifically

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by drTSTingray

Couldn't you just install period correct Fender pick ups?

+1 I would hold out and keep checking eBay for some original era pickups

[paganjack]

Originally Posted by jim777

Fralins in a heartbeat, but that's just me.

It's not just you, that would be my choice too.