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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II

#281
grahamrowell said:
I have a g&l custom J and I really would like to upgrade the p-ups, thinking aguilars, any recommendations?

Its not that the G&l's are bad, its just that I feel like there are better out there.
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I have a G&L JB-2 with stock pickups and I'm looking at replacing them.
The bass has a very pronounced mid scooped tone, which I don't like.
I don't believe it's the bass (body or neck) that's causing the mid-scooped tone because acoustically the bass sounds similar to other basses I own, which have an even tone.
That leads me to believe it's the electronics.

So I'm looking for some pickups that have a good mid-frequency emphasis, but retain lows and highs. I prefer to keep the pickups passive, but won't rule out active pickups.

After reading this thread (and listening to several sound samples) I've narrowed my selection to the following pickups:
1. EMG JVX (I've always liked EMG pickups, I've tried a JV set on another bass and thought the tone was too mid-rangey. Would like to see if the JVX is less mid-rangey)
2. Nordstrand NJ4 (probably the 70's wound. Read many great reviews about these pickups. TonyP's sound samples were a great reference to distinguish the 60's wound from the 70's)
3. Aero Type 1 (These pickups are expensive, but reviews indicate they are very even in tone. Would love to hear a sound sample)
4. Lollars (the you tube video sample convinced me to investigate these pickups)
5. Fender CS 60's (read mixed reviews about these pickups, some sound samples sounded great while others did not)
 
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#282
Just picked up a Bluesman Vintage J
image.jpg

They use David Allen pickups...so far I really like em, though I assumed I was gonna drop CS60's into this bass. We'll see :)
 
#284
taylor16 said:
Starting to come around to new relatively new Nordstrand AlNiCo 3 60's wind single-cool pickups. Anyone else have these? Thoughts?

The guys at Nordstrand describe them much like I would. Relatively mellow with an emphasis on low-mids but really can grind and bark when dug into. Compared to the Hanson/Lakland vintage jazz pickups in my DJ4, they tend to get lost a bit in a mix but sound "better" than the Hanson/Lakland pickups with some overdrive. If anything, I'm glad that I have two different tonal palettes to go with. Prefer the Hanson/Laklands at this point, however.
Click to expand...
I have a NJ5s alnico 3 BUT in 7os wind...Its A favorite with a coulple of the artists I work with.
 
#287
Captain Chaos said:
Guess what? I just found my old Jazz bass pickups!!! I always come back to that set, one of the wires broke off last time I took them out, might as well get all of them replaced. Anybody know any reputable shops I can send them in?

This time they will stay there. So excited!!!!!
Click to expand...

Talked to the guys at Seymour Duncan and they will fix them for me.
 
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#288
DavidEdenAria said:
I noticed on the new vintage Fender 64 jazz bass pickups both were 7k resistance.

However, the 74 vintage jazz pickups were hotter resistance but the neck (8.3k )hotter than the bridge (7.8k).
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Old post I know - FYI the Fender '74 vintage jazz neck pickup dcr spec is wrong - the neck is 7.4k, not 8.3k. The bridge is 7.8k.

I bought a pair and measured them, and then contacted Fender re; spec v actual - took about a week of phone calls to confirm the neck spec should be 7.4k.
 
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#291
I'm disappointed at Seymour Duncan. I got my pickups back and one of the wires wasn't soldered all the way, so it broke off while I was wiggling it to get into the cavity. I had to solder it myself....should have done that the first time and save myself $40

Anyways My favorite Jazz pickups in the world are alive!!!!!!
 
#295
Captain Chaos said:
They're the original pickups that came with my Geddy. I tried Duncan's, Bartolini's, others and always came back to those.
Click to expand...

Oh that's right, the older GL Jazz basses did use that pickup, or one very much like it. Here's mine:

20160406_183638.jpg


These are my favorite pickups, I put them in most of my Jazz basses over the years. I'm thinking about hunting down a set for my 2012 Geddy Lee Jazz, which has the stock pickups. The RI '62s have a bit more warmth, though not as much output. I wish Fender didn't discontinue them.
 
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#296
sheltjo6 said:
I have a G&L JB-2 with stock pickups and I'm looking at replacing them.
The bass has a very pronounced mid scooped tone, which I don't like.
I don't believe it's the bass (body or neck) that's causing the mid-scooped tone because acoustically the bass sounds similar to other basses I own, which have an even tone.
That leads me to believe it's the electronics.

So I'm looking for some pickups that have a good mid-frequency emphasis, but retain lows and highs. I prefer to keep the pickups passive, but won't rule out active pickups.

After reading this thread (and listening to several sound samples) I've narrowed my selection to the following pickups:
1. EMG JVX (I've always liked EMG pickups, I've tried a JV set on another bass and thought the tone was too mid-rangey. Would like to see if the JVX is less mid-rangey)
2. Nordstrand NJ4 (probably the 70's wound. Read many great reviews about these pickups. TonyP's sound samples were a great reference to distinguish the 60's wound from the 70's)
3. Aero Type 1 (These pickups are expensive, but reviews indicate they are very even in tone. Would love to hear a sound sample)
4. Lollars (the you tube video sample convinced me to investigate these pickups)
5. Fender CS 60's (read mixed reviews about these pickups, some sound samples sounded great while others did not)
Click to expand...


Update: I installed a set of Aguilar AG 4J-60 pickups in my JB-2. I have mixed feelings regarding the tone of these pickups. These pickups do bring out more mids, but they also bring out low frequency fundamentals. Notes played on the E string lack definition and clarity. The rest of the strings sound good. I may check out a set of Nordstrand NJ4 pickups. I have a NP4 installed on my LB-100 and it sounds great. The quest for the perfect tone continues.
 
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#298
I installed a set of AG4J60's in my MIM Jazz (FSR) Bass. It's the natural ash body with rosewood on maple neck. I was quite pleased with how they sounded. I also fully shielded and rewired the electronics as well as replace the volume pots with the reissue CTS vintage pots and a no load pot for the tone. I also changed the capacitor to a .022 uF cap from the .05 uF cap. This bass is a whole new animal now. I couldn't be happier with it. Just needs a better setup as I've been removing the strings and throwing them back on a bunch to do all of the work so the neck needs a tweak again.

Only complaint about the Aggies is they were a tight fit leaving very little space for the pickup cables. But they still fit. The cloth covered cable takes up much more space than the stock pup cables.
 
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#299
Hello Everyone! I apologize if this is out of order...I'm relatively new to using forums. I just bought a MIM J bass from GC that seems to be made well and plays well. I also have a '76 Fender P that is my primary ax. From what I've read so far, there does seem to be some difference between MIA Standard J bass pick-ups and MIM J bass pick-ups. My questions are 1) is it normal that the output gain seems to be significantly lower from the MIM J as compared to the P? 2) If so, is that a result of the stock pick-ups (as in, I should upgrade them to American Standard etc) OR simply the configuration (as in, would the American standard pickups also have a comparatively low output gain)? I've never been a J bass guy, but the sound is very cool and has grown on me lately. I definitely see the need to have one in the tool box. Thank you for any suggestions!
 
#300
JBass624 said:
Hello Everyone! I apologize if this is out of order...I'm relatively new to using forums. I just bought a MIM J bass from GC that seems to be made well and plays well. I also have a '76 Fender P that is my primary ax. From what I've read so far, there does seem to be some difference between MIA Standard J bass pick-ups and MIM J bass pick-ups. My questions are 1) is it normal that the output gain seems to be significantly lower from the MIM J as compared to the P? 2) If so, is that a result of the stock pick-ups (as in, I should upgrade them to American Standard etc) OR simply the configuration (as in, would the American standard pickups also have a comparatively low output gain)? I've never been a J bass guy, but the sound is very cool and has grown on me lately. I definitely see the need to have one in the tool box. Thank you for any suggestions!
Click to expand...


Volume can be affected mainly from how hot the pickup is, pickup height and sometimes strings.
If you haven't swapped the strings I would put on a fresh set of strings and measure the pickup height to fender spec. If it's set too low your volume can be quiet.
 

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