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Dimarzio Area PJ Set
- Thread starter shock me
- Start date
I just had the Dimarzio Area P+J set installed in an Ash ESP LTD Vintage 214 bass I recently won on Ebay.
They are a big improvement over the stock pickups, and they balance very well with each other.
I stayed with the original volume pots (I think 250k) but put a .022 capacitor on the tone pot.
The LTD Vintage was a budget purchase and does not have shielding, but I haven't yet noticed any noise.
I might have it shielded in the future, especially if I put on a Warmoth J neck and start taking it out.
I also replaced the LTD high mass bridge with a vintage Fender threaded saddle model.
If you are looking for an affordable PJ set with vintage flavor, I recommend you consider these pickups.
Note that the stock LTD P pickup was a little longer than the Dimarzio Area P and required a slight re-drill of the 4 pickup mounting holes to center the P pickup.
The Area J bridge pickup required no modifications or re-drill.
They are a big improvement over the stock pickups, and they balance very well with each other.
I stayed with the original volume pots (I think 250k) but put a .022 capacitor on the tone pot.
The LTD Vintage was a budget purchase and does not have shielding, but I haven't yet noticed any noise.
I might have it shielded in the future, especially if I put on a Warmoth J neck and start taking it out.
I also replaced the LTD high mass bridge with a vintage Fender threaded saddle model.
If you are looking for an affordable PJ set with vintage flavor, I recommend you consider these pickups.
Note that the stock LTD P pickup was a little longer than the Dimarzio Area P and required a slight re-drill of the 4 pickup mounting holes to center the P pickup.
The Area J bridge pickup required no modifications or re-drill.
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IMO, it sounds "vintage good" like an older P bass, warm and smooth.
It's not a loud, edgy pickup (neither is the Area J) but I really like both.
I think the Dimarzio description is accurate:
"This set is the complete package, teaming up the Area P Pickup with the Area J Pickup.
The DP250 Area P 4-string Pickup from DiMarzio has everything you're looking for in a great vintage sound. It's a nice warm tone with awesome sustain.
With the Area J you get a pickup that has a precise attack, with a tone that hits in the center. It has clean, clear lows and silky, open highs.
The Area J Bridge pickup is designed to fit the original Fender Jazz Bass, which has different sized cavities for the bridge and neck pickups. Make sure to reference the dimensions of your bass when making your selection.
It has reduced pull thanks to its' Alnico II Magnets, which you can wire in either series or parallel humbucking depending on what you're looking for."
I have used a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 Vintage P with STK-J2 Hot Stack J bridge in 2 other PJ basses, and that combo sounds great as well.
To me, the SD Vintage P sounds like a "new" vintage P pickup would sound, where the Dimarzio Area P sounds more "used".
The Dimarzio Area J sounds more like an older single coil than the SD Hot Stack, but I'm a fan of both.
I've always used 500k volume pots and Fender TBX tone control with the SD PJ pickups I mentioned, and I'm sure that has some influence on the tones.
I have never used the EMG Geezer pickups, but they seem to have many fans lately as well.
It's not a loud, edgy pickup (neither is the Area J) but I really like both.
I think the Dimarzio description is accurate:
"This set is the complete package, teaming up the Area P Pickup with the Area J Pickup.
The DP250 Area P 4-string Pickup from DiMarzio has everything you're looking for in a great vintage sound. It's a nice warm tone with awesome sustain.
With the Area J you get a pickup that has a precise attack, with a tone that hits in the center. It has clean, clear lows and silky, open highs.
The Area J Bridge pickup is designed to fit the original Fender Jazz Bass, which has different sized cavities for the bridge and neck pickups. Make sure to reference the dimensions of your bass when making your selection.
It has reduced pull thanks to its' Alnico II Magnets, which you can wire in either series or parallel humbucking depending on what you're looking for."
I have used a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 Vintage P with STK-J2 Hot Stack J bridge in 2 other PJ basses, and that combo sounds great as well.
To me, the SD Vintage P sounds like a "new" vintage P pickup would sound, where the Dimarzio Area P sounds more "used".
The Dimarzio Area J sounds more like an older single coil than the SD Hot Stack, but I'm a fan of both.
I've always used 500k volume pots and Fender TBX tone control with the SD PJ pickups I mentioned, and I'm sure that has some influence on the tones.
I have never used the EMG Geezer pickups, but they seem to have many fans lately as well.
Good morning, zombies~ Wakey Wakey
Just wanted to bother this old thread so I could thank the contributors. These sound samples persuaded me that the DiMarzio DP251 set was a good buy for me. I just installed them in my Schecter Diamond P... it didnt' go perfectly, as the stock pickups are larger/differently shaped by a factor of millimeters... but it's my project bass anyway, so I just drilled some holes and cut up the pickguard, fired up the soldering iron, and dove in.
REALLY REALLY happy with these. The output has got to be about 50% of the Schecters, but that suits my needs just fine. Finally my bass sounds like a proper P/J, with all that burp and sparkle and thud and rumble, but with harmonic presence and articulation... and there's still no hum~
I recorded some before-and-after sound clips that I'm finishing up today, and I'll post them a little later on so we can get a sense of the differences. I can already say it's quite noticeable, at least to me. I suppose you'll hear for yourselves soon enough.
Definitely recommended as an affordable vintage-tone P/J with modern build quality!
Just wanted to bother this old thread so I could thank the contributors. These sound samples persuaded me that the DiMarzio DP251 set was a good buy for me. I just installed them in my Schecter Diamond P... it didnt' go perfectly, as the stock pickups are larger/differently shaped by a factor of millimeters... but it's my project bass anyway, so I just drilled some holes and cut up the pickguard, fired up the soldering iron, and dove in.
REALLY REALLY happy with these. The output has got to be about 50% of the Schecters, but that suits my needs just fine. Finally my bass sounds like a proper P/J, with all that burp and sparkle and thud and rumble, but with harmonic presence and articulation... and there's still no hum~
I recorded some before-and-after sound clips that I'm finishing up today, and I'll post them a little later on so we can get a sense of the differences. I can already say it's quite noticeable, at least to me. I suppose you'll hear for yourselves soon enough.
Definitely recommended as an affordable vintage-tone P/J with modern build quality!
I have been looking for a replacement set for my Jay turser and I think I have a solution, this is the sound I need.
Do I need to replace the pots too? This will be my first ever project like this.
Do I need to replace the pots too? This will be my first ever project like this.
I did not replace the pots in my bass. I don't know what values they are tho: i didnt' bother to check when i had my bass pulled apart. 250k pots are typical for passive Fender-style basses if I am not mistaken.
But I've read about ppl using either 250k or 500k Ohm pots with these pickups and no one seems to be unhappy with either choice. The pickups are low-output, "bright"-sounding but balanced, and should provide enough clarity for most ppl with 250k pots... that's my best guess based on my reading.
You might prefer the sound of 500k but there's no right or wrong. Happy swapping!
Here are the sound samples I promised. They are kinda slapdash and aren't meant for super-critical listening. They probably don't match up perfectly, volume-wise. Hopefully they still give lislteners a clear enough sense of the differences between my stock pickups and the gist of the DP251s.
Compression was used on the way into the recording (details on the soundcloud playlist page), and the mp3s were normalized when bouncing. I have wavs if you rly want them.
These are just the bass with no musical accompaniment. Happy listening~
Compression was used on the way into the recording (details on the soundcloud playlist page), and the mp3s were normalized when bouncing. I have wavs if you rly want them.
These are just the bass with no musical accompaniment. Happy listening~
