Bass Pickup help...

[JGBass06]

I really wanna change the pickups on my 4 string MIM Fender Jazz Deluxe...I'm a Gospel/R&B/Neo Soul player...what do you suggest?

 

[Mushroo]

We can help you better if you tell us what it is you don't like about your current pickups... a lot of people really like Fender pickups, which are the sound featured on the majority of classic gospel/r&b/soul albums.

 

[snyderz]

Unfortunately, asking a like/dislike question on any forum will get multiple answers.
The more popular are:
Fralin
Nordy
EMG
Dimarzio

But my fave is Lollar

 

[JGBass06]

Thanks guys...I do like the pickups on my fender but I kinda wanna go for a thicker sound, like more mids and bass...

 

[Aspidites]

Thanks guys...I do like the pickups on my fender but I kinda wanna go for a thicker sound, like more mids and bass...

Overwound Fralin's, Dimarzio's, Duncan's, Nordstarnd's and most other reputable brands would do that. Is that pretty much your only criteria?

 

[Mushroo]

First things first, have you read this thread?

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f38/j-pickups-discussion-comparisons-91384/

Second, have you experimented with turning up the bass and mid controls on your amp, and/or turning down the treble control, and/or adjusting the volume and tone controls on the bass, and/or trying a different brand of strings (for example switching from rounds to flats)? Any of these would have a bigger effect on your tone, at a lower price, than swapping out the pickups.

Not to discourage you from a fun project, of course!

 

[JGBass06]

Yeah ive been tweeking my sound through my tone control knobs on my bass and amp...I think i just want better pickups on my bass I've been going stock for a while now...

 

[Phendyr_Loon]

I don't know how popular of an option this is but you could try series wiring on your stock pickups. I'm told doing this thickens up the sound a bit, though I'm not too sure what the cons are (if any) to doing this.
You can even add a series/parallel switch if you wanna have the option to go back to normal.
In any case it's a place to start and a bit cheaper than diving into a new set of pickups.

 

[Ric5]

I prefer seymour Duncans

 

[GM60466]

Keep what you have.