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EMGs on an SX jazz?

E

EvansEssence

Nov 6, 2011
19
0
#1
Hey guys, so im deciding to upgrade the stock pickups (pieces of plastic with magnets inside) to something a bit more suitable on an SX J-bass. I play Rock and Punk-rock so im looking around at these EMGs

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any thoughts on putting these in an sx bass? anyone done it before?

thanx!
 
#3
EvansEssence said:
Hey guys, so im deciding to upgrade the stock pickups (pieces of plastic with magnets inside) to something a bit more suitable on an SX J-bass. I play Rock and Punk-rock so im looking around at these EMGs

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

any thoughts on putting these in an sx bass? anyone done it before?

thanx!
Click to expand...

For a few more $$ and the willingness to use a battery, you can have real EMGs.
 
#4
Those are probably perfectly respectable pickups. These will also be great for punk/rock as well.

The question is how long are you looking at keeping that bass? If the feel, playabillity, style, unplugged tone, weight, etc. have you convinced that you're sticking to that bass for a fairly long time period (5+ years) then I'd say you can consider some upgrades to bring the instrument up to your desires.

If there's anything about the physical instrument itself that falls short, I'd say that saving that $$ up for an instrument that fits you top-to-bottom is a better bet.

I saved up money from working on a farm for two summers while I was in college to get my bass. I spent a decent chunk of that money on other stuff too fo course, but the goal was that bass. And one benefit of that sort of think time is that I had enough time to be entirely certain of what I wanted. 12 years later, I'm in my 30s and I can't imagine using another bass... this one is my voice.

Now, it's gotten a rather large electronics overhaul 4 years ago, but that was the only place I think my choice fell short, and I knew for a fact that the upgrade dollars were going into a "lifer" instrument.

I'm rambling, I apologize. But definitely consider the length of time you'll be keeping that SX, and prioritize between saving for a new bass vs. upgrades on the SX accordingly.
 
#5
Thanx for the quick responses! Well the big question is, how much of a difference will upgrading pickups make? I really like the sx I have now, im probably gonna sit on it for another few years until I Work up the amount of money to get a 1-grand fender or something of the like. I think Jazz Basses are my type of bass, I love the feel of their necks and the ease of fingering, just right now, the poles on my stock pickups smack against the string on my sx making an undesirable POP, ive adjusted it down to the point where it wont go down any further and I lose all tone and the pop will still occasionally happen. The highs on the instrument also sound very tinny, almost like the pickup is distorting the high two strings. I figured instead of modifying the old pickups, id just shell out 100$ and order some new ones, and eliminate these problems in the process. that would bring the total cost of the instrument to 259$, so a big question is, how big of a difference will upgraded pickups make?
 
#7
I set it myself, im no pro but i know what im doing, I intonated the neck, set the truss rod to have a just a bit of bow which I like. Strings are just high enough to have a little buzz to em, adjusted the bridge to have perfect octave note, so really the only complaint I have with the bass right now is the pickup, ive got them set to 1/8" below the string, the bridge one being lower to accomodate for the metal pole hitting my low E. The poles on the stock pickups stick out of the plastic a good quarter inch, I know its adjustable with some tinkering and shims, but i figured id knock two birds with one stone if I could fix my tone around the higher end of the strings with new pickups along with the metal against metal POP. Just wanted to get your guy's two cents on if its actually worth it, haha.
 
#8
4StringTheorist said:
Those are probably perfectly respectable pickups. These will also be great for punk/rock as well.
Click to expand...

The pups he's looking at are fine, but they aren't as nice as real EMGs. And the Dimarzios you listed are great (I've had several sets) but they're known for needing at least a 3/4" rout. If that's what he's got, no prob. If it isn't, add another $50 to the cost for routing deeper. If he wants something lower than medium action, he may need to rout deeper than 3/4" anyhow.

The question is how long are you looking at keeping that bass? If the feel, playabillity, style, unplugged tone, weight, etc. have you convinced that you're sticking to that bass for a fairly long time period (5+ years) then I'd say you can consider some upgrades to bring the instrument up to your desires.

If there's anything about the physical instrument itself that falls short, I'd say that saving that $$ up for an instrument that fits you top-to-bottom is a better bet.

I saved up money from working on a farm for two summers while I was in college to get my bass. I spent a decent chunk of that money on other stuff too fo course, but the goal was that bass. And one benefit of that sort of think time is that I had enough time to be entirely certain of what I wanted. 12 years later, I'm in my 30s and I can't imagine using another bass... this one is my voice.

Now, it's gotten a rather large electronics overhaul 4 years ago, but that was the only place I think my choice fell short, and I knew for a fact that the upgrade dollars were going into a "lifer" instrument.

I'm rambling, I apologize. But definitely consider the length of time you'll be keeping that SX, and prioritize between saving for a new bass vs. upgrades on the SX accordingly.
Click to expand...

If he has no routing to do, he can always remove whatever he put in the SX and transfer it to the new bass before he sells the SX. He can do that even if he has routing done, long as it's clean (none of it will be visible). He just needs to save the original parts.

I can't count the number of times I've bought pups with no bass in mind but used them in a bass I had knowing it was just a holder until the better bass came along.
 
#9
RBrownBass said:
The pups he's looking at are fine, but they aren't as nice as real EMGs. And the Dimarzios you listed are great (I've had several sets) but they're known for needing at least a 3/4" rout. If that's what he's got, no prob. If it isn't, add another $50 to the cost for routing deeper. If he wants something lower than medium action, he may need to rout deeper than 3/4" anyhow.



If he has no routing to do, he can always remove whatever he put in the SX and transfer it to the new bass before he sells the SX. He can do that even if he has routing done, long as it's clean (none of it will be visible). He just needs to save the original parts.

I can't count the number of times I've bought pups with no bass in mind but used them in a bass I had knowing it was just a holder until the better bass came along.
Click to expand...

quoting quotes about quotes, haha. I have been actually focusing my attention to the dmarzios after being reccomended to them a few times. What do you mean by a 3/4" rout?
 
#11
EvansEssence said:
woop, nevermind, 3 3/4" rout for the pickup housing. So if im around 3 3/4 on my neck pickup il be fine with the dmarzios?
Click to expand...

You are talking about width (from treble to bass). I mean the depth (top to bottom) of the pickup rout.

The pickup sits partially (or more, depending on style and setup) in the body. Model Js have adjustable polepieces and the magnets are beneath the coils. Their depth (top to bottom) is greater than standard J-style pickups. Some basses/setups require that the pickup be screwed deeper into the body more than others.

If you have a ruler where you know for certain that one edge is on true zero, put it in the rout (push it up against the edge of the rout) and see how deep the rout is. You ought to be in the neighborhood of 3/4". If you're much closer to 5/8", Model Js may not work for you if you like smooth, playable low action.

I'll mention a neck shim only because someone is sure to come here and suggest that as an option. That isn't where you ought to begin, IMO, if you have choices. You haven't bought your pickups yet, so you have choices.
 
#12
Okay okay, so the Depth of the pickup Cavity, not the length, il measure it here soon when I get the chance. Just right now, my biggest question is would new pickups make a big difference? Or would they be like putting really nice rims on an old beater car?
 
#20
haha, alright, well im just exploring my options right now, thanks for all the suggestions guys! I successfully lowered the poles on the stalk pickups to get rid of the popping noise of the strings hitting the metal, I might post some pics on how I did this if anyone would like to know, I believe all sx basses come with that problem
 

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