EMG don't make 5 string active jazz pickups. What pickup company would sell the best 5 string pickups nearly similar to EMG's? Thanx!
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5 string jazz pickups upgrade
- Thread starter RBX4
- Start date
Actually, the question is not so simple. EMG pickups are very bright and while I love Barts' (as suggested by someone) I would rate them as more mellow and not EMG like. More EMG-like would be Nordstrand (take out wallet).
But the reason it's not so simple, is that it depends if you want single coils or hum-cancelling J pickups. And on top of that, the neck and bridge pickups in a Fender V are different sizes while in some other basses they are the same size. This means that if you have a Fender (like me) a nice bright pickup like say the Dimarzio UltraJazz which is hum cancelling, and a great sound and great price but DO NOT fit Fender 5er basses! Feh.
This backs you off to the high priced (but excellent) Nordstrand.
On the other hand, if you want a standard single coil set hum and all, there are quite a few nice ones out there. Hey, in the past I just ordered some Carvins and they were inexpensive and sounded great. Note however that their hum-cancelling stacked coil J's like the very similar Fender "noiseless" are NOT so great sounding IMHO. In fact it's the latter I'm seeking to replace in my Fender V.
I just got some Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pups installed on my Jazz V and I have to say they sound great. I'm pretty new to the upgrade world so I don't have anything to compare them to besides the stock ones. They definatly have a more aggressive sound and tone to them.
The best one I think Ultra Jazz. The appearance of the Ultra Jazz is traditional, but the wide dynamic range and frequency response of the hybrid magnetic structure allows both vintage and modern sounds. Hum cancellation is achieved by using Virtual Vintage technology to supress 60-cycle noise, with one coil sensing the B, E and A strings, and the other coil sensing the D and G strings. While the basic sound of the pickup is similar to the 4-string Ultra Jazz, it's been adjusted to keep the tonality and response as consistent as possible from the B string to the G string. Particular care was taken to keep the low B string big-sounding without becoming muddy.
Wiring: 2 conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5 & Ceramic
Output: 250 mV
DC Resistance: 17.50K
Year of introduction: 2001
Wiring: 2 conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5 & Ceramic
Output: 250 mV
DC Resistance: 17.50K
Year of introduction: 2001
EMG now makes 5 string jazz pickups. There not on the web site yet. But you can call and they will make them. Just talked to them about it today. Yea!!!!!!
Many players refer to "active" pickups...when what they actually mean is "passive pickups used with an onboard preamp" - which is what actually characterizes a good 90-95% of active instruments in existence, as very few bass pickups are internally active, like EMG. So I'm not sure whether or not you mean "active pickups" literally.
If you're prepared to move on from EMG, there are indeed some excellent choices in five-string Jazz-style replacement pickups - Delano, Nordstrand, and SGD being just three that you should consider.
MM
Measure the pickups before you shop. Because most Fender 5 pickups are very specific in size (3.9" and 4.1" wide). That cancels out Dimarzio as an option. Also, the string spacing is 19mm and most Fenders are not.
That said, SGD does sound very modern and clear, like EMG. But make sure that David has those cover sizes available.
If you do have the Fender sized pickups, your options for replacement are:
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder 5, Delano, Nordstrand, Fender (duh), Bartolini, Lindy Fralin, (I think) Wilde, and completely custom.
I've done this dance many times and Fender sized 5 pickups are not easy to find.
That said, SGD does sound very modern and clear, like EMG. But make sure that David has those cover sizes available.
If you do have the Fender sized pickups, your options for replacement are:
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder 5, Delano, Nordstrand, Fender (duh), Bartolini, Lindy Fralin, (I think) Wilde, and completely custom.
I've done this dance many times and Fender sized 5 pickups are not easy to find.
All the above is true as I've just been through it. I was looking at Nordstrand for my MIM V ($$$) but due to rave reviews here of Fender SCN pickups I decided to try that first. So I do a search and check MF and find they are discontinued! Tehn I try to find used and almost got a set from a TBer, but just missed them. Finally I found a place on line that still had some and ordered a set.
Aside: After I had everything installed in my 2002 MIM Jazz 5er, I read online that PRE 2002 pickups were same length while for 2002 and later there is a short and long one. The SCNs are a short and long one. I apparently got lucky and just squeaked it! Perfect fit!
Anyway, like everyone else here I can't rave enough about the SCNs. They just absolutely brought my Jazz bass to life! And you can single a pup and crank gain and hear no hum!
I tried the Nordys and they were cool, but the SCNs are damn good and a LOT less moolah.
The N3s are something to check out, though the used set I got didn't work... Bummer.
Delanos are amazingly cool. Never tried the J set, but very nice sounding.
The N3s are something to check out, though the used set I got didn't work... Bummer.
Delanos are amazingly cool. Never tried the J set, but very nice sounding.
The original active EMG J pickups are for 4 or 5 strings. You only need to check that they handle your particular string spacing total. The bar magnets allow for any number of strings that fit in the total width they cover.
Im going through trying to find replacement pups for my 09 fender jazz amer delux as well. I don't know why fender made the 5str's with different specs but whatever. You might want to look into having the stock pups rewound. I contacted Jerry Amalfitano and he's going to rewind mine... We'll see...
