Yep. I liked the stock pickups, but I switched to DiMarzio Area J to go noiseless. They sounded pretty close to the stock pickups, but without any single coil hum, and they had better string-to-string balance thanks to the raised poles under the A and D strings.
A few years later, I switched to Lace Man o' War in the JB, and they're fantastic IMO. They sound a little thicker than traditional J-bass pickups, with slightly less treble. In a band mix, they bring the JB closer to P-bass territory, which is cool and makes them extremely versatile. Plus, they're true single coils, so they have all the snap and bark, and they're great at high volume--with nearly zero noise thanks to Lace's Sensor technology.
But if you want a punchy, noiseless version of traditional tone and are willing to spend the $$, Lindy Fralin's Split-Jazz are amazing. I've had a set in my Fender J since 2005, and they've always delivered for gigs and recording. Mine have raised poles under the A and D strings, and thus have perfect string-to-string balance. I agonized over the cost before buying them, but they've been worth every penny IMO.
I've read nothing but great things about the Duncans, but I've never heard them so I don't know how they compare to the Fralins. They're probably pretty close.
