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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II
- Thread starter grygrx
- Start date
There are not all too much informations to DM Area-J Pickups, so her my $0.02
I have them in a 62 Jazz RI US-Series. These are Split-Coils and - to me - they are very close to vintage style Single Coils. Playing at home and comparing e.g. to Nordstrand NJ4s, the single coils have a bit more "air" to them. But in a band context i cannot distinguish the sound. The Area-Js are exceptionally good and for humbuckers i even would say "superb".
The Area-J's are pre-wired serial (i mean the coils of each pickup(!) and not the two pickups to each other) and so i use it. They also can be wired in parallel. Parallel wired the sound should have more "air", may be some time i try this, just for curiosity.
Really important: The Area-Js use Alnico-2 magnets and it is important, to bring them closer as usual to the strings. The closer the better.
I have them in a 62 Jazz RI US-Series. These are Split-Coils and - to me - they are very close to vintage style Single Coils. Playing at home and comparing e.g. to Nordstrand NJ4s, the single coils have a bit more "air" to them. But in a band context i cannot distinguish the sound. The Area-Js are exceptionally good and for humbuckers i even would say "superb".
The Area-J's are pre-wired serial (i mean the coils of each pickup(!) and not the two pickups to each other) and so i use it. They also can be wired in parallel. Parallel wired the sound should have more "air", may be some time i try this, just for curiosity.
Really important: The Area-Js use Alnico-2 magnets and it is important, to bring them closer as usual to the strings. The closer the better.
I'm liking the Dimarzio Area J pickups and Area PJ pickups I'm currently using.
Black alder body Warmoth 4 string - Dimarzio Area PJ
Ash body Warmoth 4 string - Dimarzio Area J
Black alder body Warmoth - 4 string Seymour Duncan Hot J Stacks
Yamaha alder body BBN5 5 string - Dimarzio Area J 5 (perfect fit, better than original pickups IMO)
As described, the Dimarzio Area J pickups sound more like vintage single coils to me (I'm using 500k volume pots in all and Fender TBX tone control in the 4 strings).
The Duncan Hot Stacks have a more modern "overwound" sound, but I really like them as well.
Black alder body Warmoth 4 string - Dimarzio Area PJ
Ash body Warmoth 4 string - Dimarzio Area J
Black alder body Warmoth - 4 string Seymour Duncan Hot J Stacks
Yamaha alder body BBN5 5 string - Dimarzio Area J 5 (perfect fit, better than original pickups IMO)
As described, the Dimarzio Area J pickups sound more like vintage single coils to me (I'm using 500k volume pots in all and Fender TBX tone control in the 4 strings).
The Duncan Hot Stacks have a more modern "overwound" sound, but I really like them as well.
After playing a Washburn for years, my friend gave me an old jazz bass his church had used. It was in need of a new neck but after I had it fixed it's the only bass I would want to play due to its versatility.
I recorded a couple of albums with it, ranging from praise and worship to rock. After a couple of years, I wanted to get some new pickups that would give my bass greater low to high range so I installed "Supertone J Pickups" from MV Guitars. This past Sunday was my first chance to play it through a system and I couldn't believe how improved my sound was. The lows were so smooth and had so much warmth coupled with crisp highs.
The pickups gave me the exact sound I had been looking for since I got my J bass. And one of the best features these pick ups have is that they are 100% noiseless unlike traditional stock fender jazz pick ups. If your in the market for new pickups, do yourself a favor and check these out...
http://www.mvguitars.com/Jazz-Bass-Replacement-Upgrade-Pickup.html
The company is MV Guitars and they have other incredible stuff.
mvguitars.com
Trust me when I say these pickups will give you a perfect sound.
I recorded a couple of albums with it, ranging from praise and worship to rock. After a couple of years, I wanted to get some new pickups that would give my bass greater low to high range so I installed "Supertone J Pickups" from MV Guitars. This past Sunday was my first chance to play it through a system and I couldn't believe how improved my sound was. The lows were so smooth and had so much warmth coupled with crisp highs.
The pickups gave me the exact sound I had been looking for since I got my J bass. And one of the best features these pick ups have is that they are 100% noiseless unlike traditional stock fender jazz pick ups. If your in the market for new pickups, do yourself a favor and check these out...
http://www.mvguitars.com/Jazz-Bass-Replacement-Upgrade-Pickup.html
The company is MV Guitars and they have other incredible stuff.
mvguitars.com
Trust me when I say these pickups will give you a perfect sound.
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I've tried the Noiseless n3's passively and they seem to be way down on output, with an active preamp they seem to do better. My largest complaint with them was poor string balance, there are better noiseless pups out there IMHO. There is a strong following for the Dimarzio Model J's which I have installed in an ESP J, Not true to the Jazz sound but they have a ton of output and are very lower mid heavy which sounds really Beefy.
My 2012 MIA Jazz Standard is fairly well shielded from the factory, I did't have any problems with mine, I just wasn't a big fan of the Custom Shop Pups, darker sounding than I liked and really seemed down on output. I tossed in some Nordsrand NJ4SV and I am satisfied with the tone, being split buckers they aren't a hot pickup but they sound nice to my ears with no hum and have a nice big bottom to them while retaining a Jazz esque Vibe.
I'm only commenting on the noiseless pups I have experience with but there are many other good ones.
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I've read all thru this thread and did a search, and am still stuck ...
I have a 2013 AmStd P with the CS60s and it sounds great.
But then I pick up a CIJ Geddy off eBay with Bartolini's in it and it's anemic compared to the P. Output is low and tone is very underwhelming. I really want some growl and dirt.
I don't see much talk about Bart's and am wondering where to go from here. I want stay passive and am not too concerned with noiseless.
Any ideas?
I have a 2013 AmStd P with the CS60s and it sounds great.
But then I pick up a CIJ Geddy off eBay with Bartolini's in it and it's anemic compared to the P. Output is low and tone is very underwhelming. I really want some growl and dirt.
I don't see much talk about Bart's and am wondering where to go from here. I want stay passive and am not too concerned with noiseless.
Any ideas?
Just picked up some Dimarzio Area J's based on the good buzz here. How does everyone wire them, series as described in the installation sheet or parallel?
I haven't, but that's exactly what I'm leaning towards. Maybe go the series/parallel route while I'm at it.
I don't think I'm interested in P/J configuration since I don't want to route and I'd get a P/J bass if that's what I was going for. I want a gnarly jazz with an output signal comparable to my P.
Question: I'm playing the Fender Dlx V active J bass and am looking to swap out the stock pickups. For a punchy metal sound I hear EMGs are the way to go. Would their J5 model be compatible and would I need to buy a preamp separate? Sorry, I can't seem to post a link and I'm not tech savvy enough to determine myself.
Also, assuming money was no issue, would switching to the Fralin passive set be preferable or even an option? Obviously I'd be deferring the installation to a pro.
Also, assuming money was no issue, would switching to the Fralin passive set be preferable or even an option? Obviously I'd be deferring the installation to a pro.
XP2aficionado stated a few posts above:
"The Area-J's are pre-wired serial (i mean the coils of each pickup(!) and not the two pickups to each other) and so i use it.
They also can be wired in parallel.
Parallel wired the sound should have more "air", may be some time i try this, just for curiosity."
I believe that the usual wiring for each Area J pickup is serial within itself (both 1/2s of each pickup in series with other 1/2).
Also, the 2 J pickups are usually wired in parallel to each other.
This is the way I am using the 2 Area J pickups (each serial within itself and the 2 pickups parallel to each other).
I do the same in another bass that has 2 Seymour Duncan Hot Stack J pickups.
Some like to wire 2 J pickups in series to each other for a heavier sound, or have a switch that changes the 2 pickups from parallel to series and back.
Yes I just installed them in my newly acquired Hohner B2VA Headless 5 string! The Bass came with EMG Selects and an active pre (NOISE HOUSE) so I tried the EMG JA Set (Less Noise. Not Noiseless) I then bought the Joe Bardens which now go by the name of JBE and let me tell you these Pickups are DEAD QUIET! I love them! I had an issue that I caused myself and their customer service went above and beyond to get me up and running! I highly recommend JBE Pickups
Check out the pic!
Attachments
Sorry to say this in such a drastic way: the EMG Selects are crap. My personal opinion. I had them in serveral basses. For the Steinberger XPs EMG made really decent passive pickups, but that's a long time ago (around 1986/87). Absolutly nothing comparable since then.
So everything else should be better ....
So everything else should be better ....
Okay, I have now. Put them in my J over the weekend and they were just what I was looking for. Thanks for the tip!
I must say that I am LOVING the Fralins I installed in my 2012 Jazz V Standard. There is so much depth of character and a soft richness to the highs that seems to be Fralins signature, having plenty of experience with his Precision set. I can't dial up a harsh sound with these. When I bought this bass I had originally envisioned going the whole "super jazz" route with either an Audere or East pre-amp, but I'm glad I didn't. That high end "snap" is there in spades with a twist of the tone knob and I really can't envision it sounding better then it already does for more contemporary R&B styles.
I just installed some GHS Precision flats and it's even better for what I do. With flats, there's a warm woody quality to the tone, with that soft "click" that you can hear on so many country rock staples of the 70's. I can still conjure up the R&B sizzle, albeit with slightly attenuated highs because of the flats (GHS are VERY old-school sounding).
I installed a VBT system to try out, which quite honestly I didn't think I'd be impressed with, purist that I am. I used a Bourns 250k M/N blend pot and CTS EP885 250k Vol and Tone and couldn't be happier. I actually can BLEND the two pickups to my hearts desire now.
I actually posted the bass for sale recently and after spending some quality time with it, came to my senses. As usual, Fralin knocks it outta the park. I won't say they've converted me from Precisions completely, but they sure have that potential.
I just installed some GHS Precision flats and it's even better for what I do. With flats, there's a warm woody quality to the tone, with that soft "click" that you can hear on so many country rock staples of the 70's. I can still conjure up the R&B sizzle, albeit with slightly attenuated highs because of the flats (GHS are VERY old-school sounding).
I installed a VBT system to try out, which quite honestly I didn't think I'd be impressed with, purist that I am. I used a Bourns 250k M/N blend pot and CTS EP885 250k Vol and Tone and couldn't be happier. I actually can BLEND the two pickups to my hearts desire now.
I actually posted the bass for sale recently and after spending some quality time with it, came to my senses. As usual, Fralin knocks it outta the park. I won't say they've converted me from Precisions completely, but they sure have that potential.
So I just snagged a sweet MIJ 75 Reissue and it came with Barts. I usually hate Barts, but I was munching on those words when I plugged this mighty bass in. These sounded sweet. Never the less, I swapped them for EMGs as an experiment and those sound nice in a different way.
I made some scratch recordings for reference and I've attached them here, in case you wanted to hear some samples.
In essence, the Barts have more of a mid and are more natural sounding, the EMGs are scoopier and have tons of clarity.
Inevitably, I'm going to get some Dimarzios, as I believe they will be the best of both worlds for me (clarity and natural passive aggression). And when I do that, I'll certainly post another sample... But for now, enjoy my ham-handed pluckery on the Barts V EMGs!
I made some scratch recordings for reference and I've attached them here, in case you wanted to hear some samples.
In essence, the Barts have more of a mid and are more natural sounding, the EMGs are scoopier and have tons of clarity.
Inevitably, I'm going to get some Dimarzios, as I believe they will be the best of both worlds for me (clarity and natural passive aggression). And when I do that, I'll certainly post another sample... But for now, enjoy my ham-handed pluckery on the Barts V EMGs!
