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Help with selecting pickups for dream bass

NinjaPyrate

NinjaPyrate

Aug 29, 2020
384
542
48
Stonecrest, Georgia
ninjapyrate.com
#1
I plan on ordering a passive jazz-style 5-string short scale Maruszcyzk/Mensinger Cazpar (alder body/ebony fretboard) and the more videos of pickups I listen to, the more lost I feel. I thought I wanted a vintage/classic jazz bass tone but now I’m not 100% sure (I’m somewhat new to bass and haven’t tried tons of pickups).

It will have flatwounds on it and will usually have the tone rolled off. It will be for fingerstyle soul/R&B/funk/hip hop without effects except for a very occasional envelope filter. If asked what I wanted I would list:
  • Tight defined articulate low end - not muddy/boomy
  • I’m a huge fan of burpy tone
  • Strong bridge pickup - not thin like many I’ve tried (possibly a deep voiced bridge and bright voiced neck?)
  • Not interested in hifi crisp clear highs (tone will most likely be rolled off some - and I don’t slap)
  • I would rather have strong mids that I can EQ to scooped if needed rather than scooped mids that I would have to boost
Here is the list of standard options from the configurator - I’m 95% sure I want single coils though there are 2 jazz size humbuckers on this list that are also tempting:
  • Maruszcyzk single coils
  • Haeussel JB 5 SC, Haeussel JB 5 SC 10, Haeussel JB 5 HB
  • Aguilar AG 5J-Hot, Aguilar AG 5J-60, Aguilar AG 5J-HC
  • Delano JC 5 AL, Delano JMVC 5 FE/M2, Delano JC 5 HE/M2, Delano JSBC 5 HE, Times Square JC 5 TF, Times Square JSBC 5 TF
  • Nordstrand BJB5 'Clean & Clear', Nordstrand BJB5 'Warm & Woolly', Nordstrand NJ5, Nordstrand NJ5-70
  • Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound SJ5-3
I really appreciate any help from you pickup knowledgeable TBers!
 
#2
Dang...those are a lot of choices to consider.

I have experience with Duncan QP’s, and will say this. They are pretty hot and pretty strong.
When using a standard .047 cap and rolling the tone off on the bridge pickup, you lose a lot of high-mids and are left with a lot of boomy lows.
Using a .022 cap helps a lot with this.
However, the QP’s sound best with tone up 75-100% - not where you are planning on setting your tone.
I have since replaced my QP’s with Apollo Hum-Cancelling, and I am happier.

I have not experienced the Aguilar HOT pickups, but they are advertised to retain good midrange.
Hot, overwound pickups will be darker by nature.

I really like the tone of the Delano JC5HEM2, as in this video:


This is that particular bass, though it also has a preamp.


I am particularly considering the Aguilar DCB Jazz pickups for a future build, and it will be passive.
The DCB Jazz and P pickups were introduced around [edit] January 2021, so there isn’t much info or sound clips of them. To date, there is only the Aguilar introduction.
They are advertised as higher output. The pickups are demo’ed with the tone rolled off pretty far, and I like what I hear.

 
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#4
I'm not a J guy, and don't have anything to say about any of these particular pickups, but I'll offer a few thoughts....

First, since you're not sure exactly what you want, and there isn't really any way to find out until you try something, I would go with something that is "middle-of-the-road" -- e.g., something that is advertised as (and reviews confirm) having a "classic J-bass tone." You can't go wrong with that: It's a tried-and-true recipe that has been favored by thousands of bassists for decades.

Second, my personal #1 criterion for single-coil P pups, whatever the brand, would be that they are hum-cancelling. I've never understood why anyone would want to have two pickups that hum when you favor one of them (unless such options didn't exist -- but they do now).

Finally, I think you're overthinking this. These are all good pups as far as I know, and they will probably all sound great. When you get the bass and have played it for awhile in different situations you can always swap out the pups for something else, and you'll be in a much better position to decide what direction you want to go. (I mention "in different situations" because the tone you like when playing alone, say, might be very different from what you'd like in a band situation.)
 
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#5
NinjaPyrate said:
I plan on ordering a passive jazz-style 5-string short scale Maruszcyzk/Mensinger Cazpar (alder body/ebony fretboard) and the more videos of pickups I listen to, the more lost I feel. I thought I wanted a vintage/classic jazz bass tone but now I’m not 100% sure (I’m somewhat new to bass and haven’t tried tons of pickups).
Click to expand...

Nice bass. I have one as well.

Warm and wooly Nordstrand's or Aguilar hots sounds like what you described. SD 1/4 ponders would also fit this description.

Delano HE are opposite of what you describe. I love them. I eq mids in when I want a thicker sound. Lots of airy highs with these.

Like Lobster said, they're all quality pickups. Your tonal goals aren't hard to reach with any of them. I would strongly consider hum cancelling in your case since you don't care for hi-fi highs and hum is annoying.

EQ is your friend. Experiment with it and learn what each frequency band does for your sound.

Consider investing in a used preamp with good eq options. Empress Para EQ is a great transparent eq option.

Source Audio EQ2 for a ton of features.
 
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#6
NinjaPyrate said:
How would the 5x10mm pole pieces sound different than standard size pole pieces?
Click to expand...
I believe (I’m not an expert) that the single 10mm magnet will have a stronger attack than the two side-by-side 4mm(?) magnets of a standard Jazz bass pickup. It all has to do with the magnetic field and how it is disrupted by string vibration.
Here is another Maruszczyk with the Haeussel JB4-10
Very aggressive-sounding.


I think that you don’t have to go for an overall darker sounding pickup when you have a good tone control with the right capacitor. At least a .047 or even a .1uF cap with the tone rolled off 75% will give you that subdued “burp” you look for. As I mentioned in my first reply, the Quarter Pound pickups are so over-wound that when the tone gets rolled off to 75%, you are left with a very boomy low end and not much midrange.

The Delano JMCV FE 5 with the 9mm magnets sound slightly darker than the Haeussel, but probably because they are split-coil hum-bucking and the Haeussels are single coil I believe.
 
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#8
NinjaPyrate said:
I plan on ordering a passive jazz-style 5-string short scale Maruszcyzk/Mensinger Cazpar (alder body/ebony fretboard) and the more videos of pickups I listen to, the more lost I feel. I thought I wanted a vintage/classic jazz bass tone but now I’m not 100% sure (I’m somewhat new to bass and haven’t tried tons of pickups).

It will have flatwounds on it and will usually have the tone rolled off. It will be for fingerstyle soul/R&B/funk/hip hop without effects except for a very occasional envelope filter. If asked what I wanted I would list:
  • Tight defined articulate low end - not muddy/boomy
  • I’m a huge fan of burpy tone
  • Strong bridge pickup - not thin like many I’ve tried (possibly a deep voiced bridge and bright voiced neck?)
  • Not interested in hifi crisp clear highs (tone will most likely be rolled off some - and I don’t slap)
  • I would rather have strong mids that I can EQ to scooped if needed rather than scooped mids that I would have to boost
Here is the list of standard options from the configurator - I’m 95% sure I want single coils though there are 2 jazz size humbuckers on this list that are also tempting:
  • Maruszcyzk single coils
  • Haeussel JB 5 SC, Haeussel JB 5 SC 10, Haeussel JB 5 HB
  • Aguilar AG 5J-Hot, Aguilar AG 5J-60, Aguilar AG 5J-HC
  • Delano JC 5 AL, Delano JMVC 5 FE/M2, Delano JC 5 HE/M2, Delano JSBC 5 HE, Times Square JC 5 TF, Times Square JSBC 5 TF
  • Nordstrand BJB5 'Clean & Clear', Nordstrand BJB5 'Warm & Woolly', Nordstrand NJ5, Nordstrand NJ5-70
  • Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound SJ5-3
I really appreciate any help from you pickup knowledgeable TBers!
Click to expand...
I’d go with aguilars. The hum canceling or the DCB
 
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#10
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#11
Lobster11 said:
I'm not a J guy, and don't have anything to say about any of these particular pickups, but I'll offer a few thoughts....

First, since you're not sure exactly what you want, and there isn't really any way to find out until you try something, I would go with something that is "middle-of-the-road" -- e.g., something that is advertised as (and reviews confirm) having a "classic J-bass tone." You can't go wrong with that: It's a tried-and-true recipe that has been favored by thousands of bassists for decades.

Second, my personal #1 criterion for single-coil P pups, whatever the brand, would be that they are hum-cancelling. I've never understood why anyone would want to have two pickups that hum when you favor one of them (unless such options didn't exist -- but they do now).

Finally, I think you're overthinking this. These are all good pups as far as I know, and they will probably all sound great. When you get the bass and have played it for awhile in different situations you can always swap out the pups for something else, and you'll be in a much better position to decide what direction you want to go. (I mention "in different situations" because the tone you like when playing alone, say, might be very different from what you'd like in a band situation.)
Click to expand...
From the original post, these are the most important qualities to me:
  • Tight defined articulate low end - not muddy/boomy
  • I’m a huge fan of burpy tone
  • Strong bridge pickup
I am definitely overthinking it - but that is how I am and by doing so I often end up with exactly what I want. You should have seen my process for choosing nut width, bridge spacing, and radius - but at least I decided on those by myself ;) Thanks for the advice!
 
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#14
fast slapper said:
Let Adrian know what you want.

You might ask for the bridge pickup to be put a little closer to the bridge if you want some pronounced burp with a 30" scale.
Click to expand...

I already bugged him about with many other questions, and thought I'd figure this one out "on my own". The responses I've received here and listening to tons of videos have helped me figure out what I want - and I probably will email hima again. Wonderful advice about the bridge pickup placement.
 
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#18
eastcoasteddie said:
Dang...those are a lot of choices to consider.

I have experience with Duncan QP’s, and will say this. They are pretty hot and pretty strong.
When using a standard .047 cap and rolling the tone off on the bridge pickup, you lose a lot of high-mids and are left with a lot of boomy lows.
Using a .022 cap helps a lot with this.
However, the QP’s sound best with tone up 75-100% - not where you are planning on setting your tone.
I have since replaced my QP’s with Apollo Hum-Cancelling, and I am happier.

I have not experienced the Aguilar HOT pickups, but they are advertised to retain good midrange.
Hot, overwound pickups will be darker by nature.

I really like the tone of the Delano JC5HEM2, as in this video:


This is that particular bass, though it also has a preamp.


I am particularly considering the Aguilar DCB Jazz pickups for a future build, and it will be passive.
The DCB Jazz and P pickups were introduced around [edit] January 2021, so there isn’t much info or sound clips of them. To date, there is only the Aguilar introduction.
They are advertised as higher output. The pickups are demo’ed with the tone rolled off pretty far, and I like what I hear.

Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread, but are the Quarter Pound 5 string Jazz pickups a pretty standard size?
I have an MiA 1996 50th anniversary Fender Jazz 5.
Are they likely to fit?
 
#19
Aaron Houts said:
Not to derail the thread, but are the Quarter Pound 5 string Jazz pickups a pretty standard size?
I have an MiA 1996 50th anniversary Fender Jazz 5.
Are they likely to fit?
Click to expand...
They are only made in the current Fender size: 4.10” bridge, 3.9” neck width.
I’m not sure if I’m ‘96 Fender used a different size, like 3.75” for each pickup or something...
 
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