dirt cheap pickups suggestions?

[Malefucius]

hi TB,

as i'm cash strapped, i'm looking for some dirt cheap pickups that are decent in the 'price to quality' ratio to put into my essex... any suggestions here would be helpful.

thanks.

 

[aproud1]

Leave the originals in. And keep your eye on the Accessories forum for some decent used pickups that fit your budget.

 

[Malefucius]

are the Essex stock pickups good enough? i personally find the output too low...

 

[Dark Horse]

You never said what type of bass you have, what kind of amp and strings you prefer, or what kind of sound you're looking for.

That's like saying "I want to upgrade the engine in my car - what is cheap and good" ?

 

[Malefucius]

the pickups are for my essex sjb 75 vyw. i use a 30w ashdown combo, medium gauge roundwounds and i'm looking for a powerful, hi-mid to bright kind of tone (if there's even such thing). basically i'd prefer the output to be higher than my current stock pickups, is there any other way around this besides getting a new pickup?

 

[Dark Horse]

the pickups are for my essex sjb 75 vyw. i use a 30w ashdown combo, medium gauge roundwounds and i'm looking for a powerful, hi-mid to bright kind of tone (if there's even such thing). basically i'd prefer the output to be higher than my current stock pickups, is there any other way around this besides getting a new pickup?

You might try different strings first. Sounds like steel (maybe Blue Steels, DR, or something similar) would be a better match (if you're using nickel) for what you're looking for. Strings can really change the tone and "personality" of a bass.

As far as pickups, DiMarzio makes some nice Jazz pickups that are a bit more "grindy" but still have nice low end...and the Duncan Quarter Pounders are definitely higher output than stock with more mids-highs....also the Duncan "Hot Jazz" sets are nice, and should get you closer to what you're looking for. You can sometimes find these sets here in the TB Classifieds for great prices.





EDIT: Also, mess with the height of your existing pickups. This can sometimes make a pretty big difference as well.

 

[Geezerman]

better amp?

 

[Dark Horse]

better amp?

The Ashdown he already has is a pretty great amp for the money. Shouldn't be any problem getting the sound he wants.

 

[Stompin Tom]

yeah, try new strings and raise the pickups for sure.

 

[Malefucius]

EDIT: Also, mess with the height of your existing pickups. This can sometimes make a pretty big difference as well.

could you explain what difference this would make? and how i could go about adjusting pickup height?

 

[Stompin Tom]

A jazz pickup has four phillips head screws attaching it to the body of the bass. Loosen those and the pickup will raise up (there are springs underneath), getting closer to your strings. That will increase the output and change the tone. Experiment with it and see what you like.

 

[Malefucius]

oh you mean those 4 visible screws, 2 on top 2 below, the pickup? will do, i'll try it out tomorrow, thanks.

 

[GeoffByrne]

Try Guitar Fetish for cheap-ish but decent pups - also Artec (atrecsound.com).

 

[The modifier]

oh you mean those 4 visible screws, 2 on top 2 below, the pickup? will do, i'll try it out tomorrow, thanks.

Careful with the adjustments tho, if you set the pick ups too close you'll start getting all sorts of problems. Has your bass ever recieved a proper set up ?

 

[Philbiker]

Personally I'd say look for some pickups from a MIM Fender bass. Ebay or this forum may have some. People swap out the pickups on those all the time, and in my experience the MIM pickups are pretty nice - certainly much nicer than the stock pickups in your SX. You can usually pick up used stock pickups for almost nothing.

The stock pickups on most SXes that I've played are competent pieces that sound decent, but stock MIM pickups are a definite step up.

 

[Malefucius]

Careful with the adjustments tho, if you set the pick ups too close you'll start getting all sorts of problems. Has your bass ever recieved a proper set up ?

yea it's been set up already, i got it new from the shop not long ago. if i set it too high the strings might end up hitting the pickup when they vibrate right?

 

[gary mitchell]

I know everyone is tired of hearing this but look into Steward MacDonald Golden Age pickups built and sound very close to Fender hard press to tell the different. And decent price.

 

[darkstorm]

Dirt cheap and qaulity dont go together for pups. Nor for most things. Either save up so you can afford stuff like dimarzio, seymour duncan, etc. Or try local stores who do repairs etc and ask if they have any removed pups from other customers they can sell you. Buying cheopo new pups means no value had from replaceing current not liked pups.

 

[Luis Fabara]

Dragonfire Pickups.

I tested an Jazz set $19.95, that sure is dirt cheap.

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Supposedly copies of higher end pickups.

Sound better than EMG Select and most stock pickups on sub $500 basses.

I want to try the Active Jazz Set $49 for a project cheap bass I have in mind with a Jazz Body I have and a Mozina neck, they say they are an EMG copy.

WD Kent Armstrong's are actually very good and not so expensive.

 

[Gintaras]

Instead of pickups maybe a pedal.
I originally started with a passive bass and a small amp and bought a BDI21 pedal which helped my sound tremendously. More drive and volume.
Just saw a thread this morning.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=637441&highlight=bdi21