DiMarzio Ultra Jazz in a Mid 90's Carvin.

Yeah - will they fit ? I tried a set of UJ 5's and they were non-fender sized ...

 

Do you have the active/passive preamp in your Carvin? Does your pre have 4 knobs or 5? I think it came out after the mid 90s. I would check into those. I would also get the exact measurements of the dimarzios. Carvins pickups are not standard J Size (standard J pickups are two different dimensions). My experience after changing out the pre in my carvin to the latest model is I rarely run it active. Passive it retains the natural acoustic tone more to MY liking. YMMV

 

Are you set on those Ultra Jazzes? Reason I ask is, chucko58 from this forum put Bill Lawrence J45s in his Carvin. I've played that bass, and they sound great. Also very reasonably priced, but you do have to wait a few weeks. www.billlawrence.com

 

The current 5 knob Carvin preamp can be switched to passive by pulling up the volume knob. Check and see if this works on your bass.

FWIW, in addition to the LB76 with Bill Lawrence J-45s that Richard mentioned above, I also have an LB75 with a pair of overwound "Sadowsky" single coils, and that bass sounds as fat as you could want! I mention this because DiMarzio is supposed to make the Sadowsky pickups.

EDIT: Oh, as for output level, the late model Carvin preamp has a gain control that you can dial anywhere from 0 to 8 dB of boost (1x - 2.5x), so low output pickups should not be a concern. I set all of mine to 0 dB (no boost) because I find headroom is a problem with my amp. There is such a thing as too hot a signal!

 

So Chuck, are you digging the BL's ? I have a set of his humbuckers in my 335 that are just killer. Been thinking about a set of the BL's for my MIM J5. Are they quiet ? Transparent ? J sounding or something else ...

 

It looks as though you have the older preamp. I don't believe it has the trim pot for active volume in the control cavity, and it does not have the active passive option. The newer pre has both and the midrange control seems a bit more useful. The newer pre was about $80 plus one of the store employees installed it for another $20. For my purposes, it was money well spent. As far as a pickup change, what about the J99s single coils?

 

Yeah, I'd say they're transparent. More highs than your typical J-style pups. Mine are installed in a maple/alder/quilt maple 6-string, and they really complement the natural brightness of the instrument.

I get a little bit of electrostatic buzz from them - not hum - I think it's because the pickup cavities aren't shielded.