Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II
- Thread starter grygrx
- Start date
I haven't heard much about these except that maybe Dusty Hill uses their single coil?
I'll check them out - though their web site has zero information which is a bit of a head scratcher
The Lindy Fralin noise canceling set sound great and definitely land more closely to true single coils than many others out there. I mean, don't get me wrong, all suggestions on here are different flavors of the same jazz pickups, but sometimes they just really hit the spot in certain bases.
I have Nordstrand pickups in all but one of my instruments, and that one has Lindy Fralin single coil pickups. It's a passive Mike Lull and is just nailing the vintage vibes. Last time I was in NYC, I also played a couple Pensa basses with the hum cancelling Fralins in it. They were ridiculous basses, and had all kinds of subtlety. It was super reactive to your playing style, really brought out a lot of sonic information when using the volume pots, and those pickups sounded great with a preamp. I didn't do anything to the preamp at all really, but cut the treble slightly. I mainly adjusted my attach, placement, and touch. They really just sounded awesome straight up. I love my Nordstrands, but really like them because I can pair certain pickup types with certain basses/wood combos. If I only had one bass though, I might choose the Fralins.
If the 500K tone pots don't float your boat Lace's Man-O-War is a nice alternative which is what I use. They are a very low noise single coil with punchy lows and growl in the mids. They have low magnetic pull so you can put them up closer to the strings for stronger mids or back them off for a more vintage leaning (though not quite) vibe. The low pull results in greater sustain if that is important to you. They have excellent clarity but do lean warmer on the top end, just not as warm as the Model J. Pick attack is clear but not harsh - probably my favorite pickup with a pick. Finger style is how I play mostly and they respond very rewardingly if you dig in.
I like vintage style pickups but they are always lacking in some way for rock IMHO. Either I don't like the pick attack, there's too much string pull killing the sustain or if I'm playing fingerstyle I hate the sound after the strings break in. The Man-O-Wars solved my problems. If I didn't have these I'd probably be using the Model J, possibly with 500k pots and maybe with a tonestyler.
You need to call Dimarzio directly and tell them that you want the stacked Dusty Hill version.
Be aware ,if you are heavy handed like me ,you will need to cut into the bass and lower it.
I was getting really bad metallic clacking sound while strings were either hitting or close to pickup.
Once adjusted ,it works great. You will also need to roll back your tone knob a bit to get to the sweet spot.
Just to circle back.....I ended up deciding to try Pure Vintage 74's in my AVRI J for a few reasons:
- I am really loving the Pure Vintage '63 P - so I was hoping for the same experience with their J's
- I wanted to hear how the bass was supposed to sound with a period correct single coil
- The price was right and they were easily available vs most other options I was considering ($113 USD/pair)
The result vs the Model J's?
- I lost a bit of the thump and low end and maybe some of the mids of the model J
- I picked up way more punch, clarity and top end
- The bass still thumps and it's still plenty thick and rich
- It kind of sounds like I just replaced a dull lifeless set of year old strings with a brand new set which is pretty much what I was hoping for
- They are very even sounding from string to string and with the band they certainly cut through better and sat really nicely in the mix
- It's still very early days but so far so good!
- I am really loving the Pure Vintage '63 P - so I was hoping for the same experience with their J's
- I wanted to hear how the bass was supposed to sound with a period correct single coil
- The price was right and they were easily available vs most other options I was considering ($113 USD/pair)
The result vs the Model J's?
- I lost a bit of the thump and low end and maybe some of the mids of the model J
- I picked up way more punch, clarity and top end
- The bass still thumps and it's still plenty thick and rich
- It kind of sounds like I just replaced a dull lifeless set of year old strings with a brand new set which is pretty much what I was hoping for
- They are very even sounding from string to string and with the band they certainly cut through better and sat really nicely in the mix
- It's still very early days but so far so good!
I Love those Pure Vintage 74's in my MIJ Jazz.Sweet highs and punchy warm! I tried the Model J's but they just didn't suit my jazz bass.
I had them in an old MIM jazz bass and they sounded great in that bass...i just couldn't figure out why
I had them in an old MIM jazz bass and they sounded great in that bass...i just couldn't figure out why
First time user of Dimarzio Model J’s— installed a set in my Classic Vibe this afternoon.. when I plugged it in upon completion & fired my amp up, I thought I’d botched a solder joint or two because of the dead silence emanating from my Sunn Beta Bass combo. Turns out their inherent hum cancelling caught me off guard. LOL
I’m really loving them overall. Stuck with the stock mini 250k pots for now. I might whip up a new wiring harness and give some 500k pots a spin at some point. The wiring compartment’s a tight fit (I didn’t cut the leads on either pickup, just minimally stripped them down before tinning.)
I’m really loving them overall. Stuck with the stock mini 250k pots for now. I might whip up a new wiring harness and give some 500k pots a spin at some point. The wiring compartment’s a tight fit (I didn’t cut the leads on either pickup, just minimally stripped them down before tinning.)
Last edited:
Warning: Once you get used to the silence, unintended/unwanted noise may start to drive you a little crazy.
Was going to throw down some serious change on either some Fralins or Aeros but came across a great deal on a set of Ulyate Instruments Tic Tac Jazz pickups.
I own a bass with a custom MM/J humbucker that he created under the Proto Guitars moniker installed, so I kinda already knew these would sound amazing.
Installed them earlier today:
They’re a lot more vibrant & alive than the stock pickups that came in my 60’s Classic Vibe. Vintage sounding but hi-fi all at once. The larger sized magnets add a tastefully aggressive edge when digging in.
Haven’t had the chance to run this bass through my full pedalboard but I am very much looking forward to it.
I own a bass with a custom MM/J humbucker that he created under the Proto Guitars moniker installed, so I kinda already knew these would sound amazing.
Installed them earlier today:
They’re a lot more vibrant & alive than the stock pickups that came in my 60’s Classic Vibe. Vintage sounding but hi-fi all at once. The larger sized magnets add a tastefully aggressive edge when digging in.
Haven’t had the chance to run this bass through my full pedalboard but I am very much looking forward to it.
Looking for suggestions on Jazz pickups for me (usually a P player)..
I play quite fast/aggressive music, I don't like my pickups mid-scooped, and I'd prefer humbuckers (split rather than stacked would be my choice). More vintage-style sound is better than modern/hi-fi for me, also.
I'm not looking to spend a huge amount, Duncan/Dimarzio price range is good, just because they bass build itself is quite inexpensive. I'll look at any set, though, if they'll do the job.
Thanks in advance!
I play quite fast/aggressive music, I don't like my pickups mid-scooped, and I'd prefer humbuckers (split rather than stacked would be my choice). More vintage-style sound is better than modern/hi-fi for me, also.
I'm not looking to spend a huge amount, Duncan/Dimarzio price range is good, just because they bass build itself is quite inexpensive. I'll look at any set, though, if they'll do the job.
Thanks in advance!
From what I heard, I'd recommend Duncan Apollos, Dimarzio Model Js, or the used set of Dave Allen's on Reverb.
Model J's....relatively inexpensive when compared to others, humbucking, not overly bright and have a nice low-mid punch. The neck solo'd gets you in P territory
Zoobiedood
Commercial User
- Sep 1, 2015
- 869
- 744
- 56
- Disclosures
- Writer/Ambassador/Artist/Resident Bass Expert for Seymour Duncan
This does seem to sound like the Apollo sound/design.
And as before, I also recommend these:
CS J bass 4 string set
As I mentioned, there is a used set for sale here:
David Allen Pickups Jazz Bass Pickups Set Black
Any of these three will be great. The Model J's will have more bass and less highs than the others, but they are all vintage-voiced, great sounding pickups that will get that aggressive J-bass tone. Even the Duncan SJb-1 and JSB-2 would be great. The Quarter Pounders are the most aggressive, but tend to have a scoop in the mids.
()
CS J bass 4 string set
As I mentioned, there is a used set for sale here:
David Allen Pickups Jazz Bass Pickups Set Black
Any of these three will be great. The Model J's will have more bass and less highs than the others, but they are all vintage-voiced, great sounding pickups that will get that aggressive J-bass tone. Even the Duncan SJb-1 and JSB-2 would be great. The Quarter Pounders are the most aggressive, but tend to have a scoop in the mids.
()
Let the talkbass world know what you end up getting and how it sounds to you!
Will do! Hopefully be installed by next month, once we've got xmas etc done. Going to scout out some prices now.
Others have suggested the Duncan Apollos, and I second that. Just put a set in a Classic Series 60's Jazz, and WOW!! They still sound like a jazz pickup, but chunkier like a Precision pickup. Sorta somewhere in between the two. I'm loving them!
