I use (and love) the Antiquity II - are you able to describe how the Antiquity I and Fender compare to it? I’m guessing they’re a bit less growly, but would be interested to hear from someone who has used all three.
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Accurate early 60s Jazz pickup set?
- Thread starter Fernieite
- Start date
I use (and love) the Antiquity II - are you able to describe how the Antiquity I and Fender compare to it? I’m guessing they’re a bit less growly, but would be interested to hear from someone who has used all three.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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I’d say the Fender pickups are a bit hotter and slightly brighter than Antiquity I’s. But, the Antiquity I’s have a nice warm tone for sure.
My favorite sounding Jazz bass is my usa Lakland 4460. It’s got the loudest, warmest, punchiest, most growly tone of any jazz I’ve owned. It’s got the factory Lakland pickups in it.
The early 60's pickups were hand wound just like Lollar, Fralin, etc and not like Fender or SD are done now so I'm not sure why, unless you own a 62 Jazz bass with original electronics to compare them to, you'd come to the conclusion they're equal in sound quality? ...
The Seymour Duncan SJB-1 is fantastic. As much as I like the Fralin, I find it had more mids than vintage pickups.
I’ve had a set of Seymour Duncan Antiquity I Jazz pickups in my parts Jazz for at least 20 years. No complaints on tone, but the output level is on the low side. Does it sound like a ‘62 Jazz? I have no idea, but neither does anyone else that’s heard it. It probably sounds similar to “some” ‘62 Jazz basses. I do know that I wouldn’t know if it was a perfect duplication of a ‘62 Jazz tone.
All of the pickup manufacturers that say they have an early 60s sounding Jazz pickup set, including Fender, are trying to re-create the tone of a Fender Jazz bass from an era that suffered some tone inconsistency. Because of that, I think you will be about as well off to write down several of the makers on a piece of paper and throw a dart at it to select your pickups.
Manufacturers that are honestly trying to duplicate the tone of a ‘62 Jazz with their pickups, would need to choose a tone to duplicate or make all their pickups sound a little different, just like Fender did in ‘62 (and maybe that’s what they are doing)…
Who is to say which of the Fender tone variation sounds best, or which of them will sound best into a digital effects processor pushing a 1000 watt class D amp driving a 212 ported cabinet with neodymium magnet speakers, a horn tweeter and a computer-designed crossover? (Just like all amps from ‘62).
Duplicating the tone of an amplified stringed musical instrument from 60+ years ago has become sort of an imagination industry and I think the all the most successful manufacturers are best at marketing….
All of the pickup manufacturers that say they have an early 60s sounding Jazz pickup set, including Fender, are trying to re-create the tone of a Fender Jazz bass from an era that suffered some tone inconsistency. Because of that, I think you will be about as well off to write down several of the makers on a piece of paper and throw a dart at it to select your pickups.
Manufacturers that are honestly trying to duplicate the tone of a ‘62 Jazz with their pickups, would need to choose a tone to duplicate or make all their pickups sound a little different, just like Fender did in ‘62 (and maybe that’s what they are doing)…
Who is to say which of the Fender tone variation sounds best, or which of them will sound best into a digital effects processor pushing a 1000 watt class D amp driving a 212 ported cabinet with neodymium magnet speakers, a horn tweeter and a computer-designed crossover? (Just like all amps from ‘62).
Duplicating the tone of an amplified stringed musical instrument from 60+ years ago has become sort of an imagination industry and I think the all the most successful manufacturers are best at marketing….
I like my standard wound Jazz pickups from Fralin, but I'm not sure what to make of this entirely.
SD makes a lot of various models of Jazz pickups. On the other hand, which day, week, month, and year in the early '60s from Fender is the reference?
SD Antiquity pickups are hand-wound but they're made with AlNiCo 2 slugs rather than 5. Antiquity II pickups are hand-wound with AlNiCo 5.
SD (SJB-1) are made with AlNiCo 5; are they not hand-wound?
Some Fender Jazz pickups are hand-wound with AlNiCo 5 slugs, some aren't.
Fralin recommends 0.02mfd cap with theirs but that not early, mid, or late '60s Fender Jazz basses were built with.
Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of what you're saying.
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You make a good point...
Fwiw, as a tone basis, my favorite Jazz Bass sounds were from John Paul Jones when he was using his '62 back in the late 60s and 1970s.
Of course, amplification and the player are hugely significant factors, but of all the pickups made these days, are there some that stand out for that kind of sound?
Thanks for all of the responses so far!
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D
Where are all the posters that normally drop by to tell you that single coils are useless in a J-bass and you NEED hum-cancelling pickups???
Anyway, MY favourite J-bass pickups are standard Lollars. Do they sound like early 60s J-bass pickups? I would say they nail MY idea of a "vintage" J-bass tone but MAYBE a tiny bit more "open" sounding, perhaps SLIGHTLY more upper mid presence. At least compared to many vintage P-basses I've played. But it's hard to make a direct comparison without using the exact same strings of the exact same age. It also depends on which specific early 60s pickup you compare with. Fender's early 60s pickups varied quite a bit and most of them probably don't even sound quite the same now as they did back then. Do you want a pickup that sounds like a 60 year old early 60s pickup or a pickup that sounds (more or less) like a brand new early 60s pickup? The only reference we have for the latter are recordings from that era, when they used recording equipment that colored the sound quite bit (plus any additional processing during recording/mixing/mastering...).
Pretty much any "standard" (not overwound) Alnico V J-bass pickups from a well respected pickup manufacturer should get you close. They're all just variations of the same theme, just like Fender's early 60s pickups were. It's really more a matter of finding the flavor that works for YOU.
Anyway, MY favourite J-bass pickups are standard Lollars. Do they sound like early 60s J-bass pickups? I would say they nail MY idea of a "vintage" J-bass tone but MAYBE a tiny bit more "open" sounding, perhaps SLIGHTLY more upper mid presence. At least compared to many vintage P-basses I've played. But it's hard to make a direct comparison without using the exact same strings of the exact same age. It also depends on which specific early 60s pickup you compare with. Fender's early 60s pickups varied quite a bit and most of them probably don't even sound quite the same now as they did back then. Do you want a pickup that sounds like a 60 year old early 60s pickup or a pickup that sounds (more or less) like a brand new early 60s pickup? The only reference we have for the latter are recordings from that era, when they used recording equipment that colored the sound quite bit (plus any additional processing during recording/mixing/mastering...).
Pretty much any "standard" (not overwound) Alnico V J-bass pickups from a well respected pickup manufacturer should get you close. They're all just variations of the same theme, just like Fender's early 60s pickups were. It's really more a matter of finding the flavor that works for YOU.
With tone at about 50%, bridge volume at 0% and neck volume at 100%, turn down the neck volume until the high frequency trash and harshness go away. < this is the most important ingredient.
Turn up the amp a little to compensate, then set bridge volume to about half of that. For example, neck 70% bridge 35%.
In my limited experience, various pickups (even cheap ceramics) worked pretty well, but Area J (since such was mentioned, above, sorry) were a fail, for me.
Turn up the amp a little to compensate, then set bridge volume to about half of that. For example, neck 70% bridge 35%.
In my limited experience, various pickups (even cheap ceramics) worked pretty well, but Area J (since such was mentioned, above, sorry) were a fail, for me.
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Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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The Antiquity II are bigger and warmer than the Fenders, but not by a whole lot. I have a set of Fender Original jazz bass pickups in my Geddy Lee jazz. They work great in this bass. Honestly they're awesome for slap/pop styles. I use this bass in a tribute act that requires alot of that type of playing
Cool, thanks! For a warm sound with flats, I'm thinking maybe Antiquity I then?
The NJ4 single coils with a 7.25" radius to match the fingerboard radius. They are alnico III it seems though.
All the jazz beasts pick ups that I’ve tried that are reproductions
Never translate to my head either
I heard this andy Baxter 60s Jazz bass video
And that sound I’ve heard in my head was there. Along with another guy on YouTube named pertybass with a 70s jazz
Again nails that 70s sound I hear. Just couldn’t find the pickups that match
Never translate to my head either
I heard this andy Baxter 60s Jazz bass video
And that sound I’ve heard in my head was there. Along with another guy on YouTube named pertybass with a 70s jazz
Again nails that 70s sound I hear. Just couldn’t find the pickups that match
(Layers; wrinkles; variables to consider--going deep into sniffing corks)
Which year, sessions, or album of recordings? Which strings was Jones using in any one particular time?
For example, at some point, Jones used Rotosound flats made of Monel (a group of nickel-copper alloys). The amount output from Monel strings--how much the metal strings excite pickups--is relatively lower than from stainless strings. The difference is subtle; nonetheless, this can be another variable among many.
At some point, one relents from this, another tail-chasing exercise, and chooses what they feel works best for themselves.
For someone, that might be Lindy Fralin standard wind split coil Jazz pickups; for another, it might be Fralin single coils with 5% overwind.
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Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,793
- Disclosures
- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
The question being "a new set of pickups that are period correct / accurate for a 1962/63 Jazz bass style."
I'm saying "Compared to what"? ... What will be the deciding factor to compare any pickup to an original 62 Jazz bass. ... CS has the blue prints and patients and still can't do it? ... But the best way to start is to purchase good quality wand wound pickups as I said and you 'kind'a' agreed with.
