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Best J bass replacement pickups? Passive?

Thir13teen

Thir13teen

Silence = Deaf
Supporting Member
Feb 12, 2012
1,536
1,436
USA
#1
What is your take on J bass replacement pickups (replacing Duncan Designed J pickups)? Are there any really nice sounding ones that are passive? Somebody once told me; "if you are going to spend the time and money to replace the pickups, don't replace them with passive pickups."

I was also told that one of the best replacement pickups for a J bass (4 string BTW) are the Delano pickups with the massive pole pieces.

I don't have the $ to mess around with randomly trying different combinations of pickups.

EMG X series?

Please help. Thank you.
 
#2
I've had a lot of people tell me that their Jazz bass came to life with Bartolini pick ups. My band opened for One Drop a while back and their bass player had a jazz bass with soap bar pick ups and it sounded AWESOME! Not sure what kind they were though.
 
#4
tylerwylie said:
EMG JVX pickups are really great Jazz bass pickups, however they're active and use a battery. If you want to stay passive, there are tons of options as well, with different voicings depending on the style you're going for.
Click to expand...

These were one of the ones I heard about. Thank you. Question though; how does it work if I have a passive j bass right now with the standard 3 knobs and the input on the control plate to where you add the 9v battery? Is there a way to cram that in under the control plate or do they have to cut out a hole on the back of the body?

Thank you again for the input!
 
#5
Ed Friedland was able to install the JVX set in his jazz bass without routing, it all fit crammed under the control plate though I think he had to remove a couple washers from the potentiometers. Might be more room in your bass or less, hard to tell. :\

And it would come with the standard V/V/T arrangement, though you can order an active Blend control to combat the insertion loss you get from running both pickups on full. (Phenomena with most parallel wired pickups I think). I think the JVX pickups sound fantastic and would without a doubt use them over a lot of the passive options. That said, there are some killer passive pickups too you can look at. Nordstrand's a solid name.
 
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#6
i have a pair of bart dual coil deeps that i really like (passive), not a fan of EMG from what i've heard, and i think a new build will be getting CS_60s or DiMarzio Model Js (DP123) . . .

best thing you can do aside from reading threads and playing live is to scour youtube for pickup demos of what you think might be something you like . . .
 
#7
What kind of tone are you going for? That's where your search should start. For passive pick ups with BIG bottom and smooth top end a lot people like SD Antiquity IIs. I'm a big fan of Lollars for a nice, warm, vintage tone. There are really a ton of options out there and it depends on what you want to end up with.
 
#8
Marial said:
What kind of tone are you going for? That's where your search should start. For passive pick ups with BIG bottom and smooth top end a lot people like SD Antiquity IIs. I'm a big fan of Lollars for a nice, warm, vintage tone. There are really a ton of options out there and it depends on what you want to end up with.
Click to expand...

It would probably be more of a "modern tone". I like the way a MM Sterling sounds. So someone told me that the closest you can get a J bass to sound like a Sterling is by putting in a specific Delano model pickup.

Or I think the EMG JX series would work...
 
#9
I've got no complaints with a set of Lindy Fralin's that I have in my J. I go for a raw, impolite, growly type of sound when I really dig in...but cleans up when I back off.

I had a set of EMG JX's and was not really a fan. They were too polite sounding for me.
 
#10
bassgod0dmw said:
I've got no complaints with a set of Lindy Fralin's that I have in my J. I go for a raw, impolite, growly type of sound when I really dig in...but cleans up when I back off.

I had a set of EMG JX's and was not really a fan. They were too polite sounding for me.
Click to expand...

So for hard rock/metal you believe that the Fralin's were better sounding than the EMG JX's?

Do your Fralins require a 9v bat? Thanks.
 
#11
bassgod0dmw said:
I've got no complaints with a set of Lindy Fralin's that I have in my J. I go for a raw, impolite, growly type of sound when I really dig in...but cleans up when I back off.
Click to expand...

I'm generally a big fan of Fralin pups, but the J pups left a little bit to be desired. I found a lot more of what I was looking for in a pair of SD Antiquity II's. (IMO, YMMV). To date, they're the best passive J pups I've used.
 
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#12
Direct Box Rox said:
What is your take on J bass replacement pickups (replacing Duncan Designed J pickups)? Are there any really nice sounding ones that are passive? Somebody once told me; "if you are going to spend the time and money to replace the pickups, don't replace them with passive pickups."

I was also told that one of the best replacement pickups for a J bass (4 string BTW) are the Delano pickups with the massive pole pieces.

I don't have the $ to mess around with randomly trying different combinations of pickups.

EMG X series?

Please help. Thank you.
Click to expand...

"Best is subjective" (I'm saying that politely)
I would start here.

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

For truly passive there are 3 kinds that appear to get the most attention.

Fralins
Nordstrand NJs
Seymour Duncan Antiquity II

Yes there are others that folks like, however these 3 brands have the most raves so to speak in the passive realm.

Read the tonal descriptions to determine what is "best" for You.

My personal favorite (for me anyways)

Nordstrand NJ4 70s wind
 
#13
Direct Box Rox said:
So for hard rock/metal you believe that the Fralin's were better sounding than the EMG JX's?

Do your Fralins require a 9v bat? Thanks.
Click to expand...

IMO, yes. The EMG's could have been due to the preamp that was in the bass, which was an EMG BT. They didn't sound bad, just not what I was hoping for.

No battery needed for the Fralin's, they're passive.

For hard rock and metal I would also consider DiMarzio Model J's, DiMarzio Ultra Jazz, or Sadowsky.
 
#14
You must also ascertain whether or not your replacements are going to be single coil or hum cancelling. I recently replaced my Duncan Designed J's with Fender CS60's. There wasn't a huge difference (improvement?) in tone. The newer ones are nicely mellowed. In other words, the DD are pretty good pickups. Any improvement in that realm (single coil, vintage sounding) will be small. If you want something else (hotter, modern, etc.) then the change will be worth the cost/trouble.
 
#15
tbplayer59 said:
You must also ascertain whether or not your replacements are going to be single coil or hum cancelling. I recently replaced my Duncan Designed J's with Fender CS60's. There wasn't a huge difference (improvement?) in tone. The newer ones are nicely mellowed. In other words, the DD are pretty good pickups. Any improvement in that realm (single coil, vintage sounding) will be small. If you want something else (hotter, modern, etc.) then the change will be worth the cost/trouble.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking I would rather have the hum cancelling. Pickups seem to be the hardest thing to deal with simply for the fact of; how am I going to know what they sound like in my bass without buying them and having them installed? Well you cant. The next best thing you can do is ask people's opinion & finally make a decision. It's kind of like putting your money in a slot machine; you might get exactly what you are looking for or you might get nothing back. It just sucks that the only way to truly know is go through the hassle of buying & installing them.
 
#16
Direct Box Rox said:
Somebody once told me; "if you are going to spend the time and money to replace the pickups, don't replace them with passive pickups.
Click to expand...

I actually just saw this...and I'll answer it like this:

:rolleyes:

There aren't all that many active pickup makers out there. You'd pretty much only be looking at certain models from EMG and SD. I'm sure there are a few others, but the vast majority of pickups are passive. Whoever said that might have been confused with active preamps. In either case, take it with a grain of salt.
 
#17
I just replaced my VM Jaguar (Ducan Designed) with Bill Lawrence pickups and I couldn't be happier. They sound a lot better. Mine are a PJ setup so I only have the J pickup at the bridge,but from some of the other reviews I took the chance and won.
 
#20
humbuckers for sure ..!! as i like the ability to mix the Neck and Bridge pickups however i'd like ..! i hate that 60 cycle hum you get from single coils ..! but i do like their sound ..!?!?

so find humbuckers that sound the most like single coils ...which is the basic J bass sound ...

SD Basslines ... cheaper , but sound nice

Nordstrand Split Coils ... more money , better ..?!..!!!!

DiMarzio model J's and Ultra Jazz ... in the middle $$



lots of really nice pickups mentioned , but a lot of them are not available as humbucking ..

i think some type of Split pickup probably sounds closest to the single coil ... Stacked pickups probably have the weaker output , .. most of the time ...

just my 2 cents ... Dave C.
 
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