Well, you can get another pickup, or put the old one back in, or play your backup bass for a while. I hope you & they get it figured out.
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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II
- Thread starter grygrx
- Start date
Thanks BT! Me too . will let you know what they say. Thanks for your responses!
Hello fellow Jazz players, I hope it's a proper topic for me to ask.
I am thinking of swapping pickups in my Passive AMII Pro Jazz. I would love to hear some advice from You.
1. The basic question - does the pickup change really adds that much? I've seen mostly positive opinions about adding some high-end pickups, but I've also seen several disappointed takes, with people going back to the standard pickups after a few days. How do the AMII Pro pickups compare to the top options on the market? I will play Mesa TT-800 soon (still waiting for months for it...), now I go with Markbass Vintage Pre via Headphones.
2. What are the best pickups on the market (let's say that the price is not an issue)? I play mainly rock (prog is my main area of interest, followed by classic / hard rock of 60-80s) with some blues, jazz and lighter genres with Rush / Black Sabbath being the most aggresive tones I pursue, almost no metal at all (ok, I dig the Tool basslines aswell, but let's say it's not relevant
Looks like people tend to favor Fender Custom 60's, Fralins and Nordstand. What are the differences between them? I've seen a few sound samples of Custom 60's and I dig the sound, seems to have more low end than standard fender single coils, but how do they compare in quality with standard ones and with Fralins / Nordstrand? Maybe there are some other premium choices You can recommend from your experience?
Cheers and thanks in advance!
I am thinking of swapping pickups in my Passive AMII Pro Jazz. I would love to hear some advice from You.
1. The basic question - does the pickup change really adds that much? I've seen mostly positive opinions about adding some high-end pickups, but I've also seen several disappointed takes, with people going back to the standard pickups after a few days. How do the AMII Pro pickups compare to the top options on the market? I will play Mesa TT-800 soon (still waiting for months for it...), now I go with Markbass Vintage Pre via Headphones.
2. What are the best pickups on the market (let's say that the price is not an issue)? I play mainly rock (prog is my main area of interest, followed by classic / hard rock of 60-80s) with some blues, jazz and lighter genres with Rush / Black Sabbath being the most aggresive tones I pursue, almost no metal at all (ok, I dig the Tool basslines aswell, but let's say it's not relevant
Looks like people tend to favor Fender Custom 60's, Fralins and Nordstand. What are the differences between them? I've seen a few sound samples of Custom 60's and I dig the sound, seems to have more low end than standard fender single coils, but how do they compare in quality with standard ones and with Fralins / Nordstrand? Maybe there are some other premium choices You can recommend from your experience?
Cheers and thanks in advance!
I am still reviewing the VMOD jazz pickups against the Custom shop 60sHello fellow Jazz players, I hope it's a proper topic for me to ask.
I am thinking of swapping pickups in my Passive AMII Pro Jazz. I would love to hear some advice from You.
1. The basic question - does the pickup change really adds that much? I've seen mostly positive opinions about adding some high-end pickups, but I've also seen several disappointed takes, with people going back to the standard pickups after a few days. How do the AMII Pro pickups compare to the top options on the market? I will play Mesa TT-800 soon (still waiting for months for it...), now I go with Markbass Vintage Pre via Headphones.
2. What are the best pickups on the market (let's say that the price is not an issue)? I play mainly rock (prog is my main area of interest, followed by classic / hard rock of 60-80s) with some blues, jazz and lighter genres with Rush / Black Sabbath being the most aggresive tones I pursue, almost no metal at all (ok, I dig the Tool basslines aswell, but let's say it's not relevant
Looks like people tend to favor Fender Custom 60's, Fralins and Nordstand. What are the differences between them? I've seen a few sound samples of Custom 60's and I dig the sound, seems to have more low end than standard fender single coils, but how do they compare in quality with standard ones and with Fralins / Nordstrand? Maybe there are some other premium choices You can recommend from your experience?
Cheers and thanks in advance!
I think I like the VMod and they are not obviously better or worse that the 60s.
I like both
I am a huge fan of Aguilar and they would fit right into the styles of music you are playing. I have the HC's. I also wired them up with a NOS oil cap. They can go Motown to metal. I have also heard Delanos that I liked and Barts but Barts are more modern sounding to some.
Pickups are a trial and error thing. They aren't hard to wire up and you can usually move them on for what you paid for them if you pick them up used. I love EMG pickups in some basses but hated them in my alder J. My Warwicks have MEC's in them and they are good but I don't think I would put them in other basses. I also loved the old Duncan active eq pickups. They still have the J grind and warmth...or at least they did in my Warwick Thumb. You never know until you try. Music, in a large part,, is about experimentation. Why limit that to just the notes you play. Have fun. Try stuff. Failure is just another oppurtunity to learn.
Look at me being all sage advice guy....
Pickups are a trial and error thing. They aren't hard to wire up and you can usually move them on for what you paid for them if you pick them up used. I love EMG pickups in some basses but hated them in my alder J. My Warwicks have MEC's in them and they are good but I don't think I would put them in other basses. I also loved the old Duncan active eq pickups. They still have the J grind and warmth...or at least they did in my Warwick Thumb. You never know until you try. Music, in a large part,, is about experimentation. Why limit that to just the notes you play. Have fun. Try stuff. Failure is just another oppurtunity to learn.
Look at me being all sage advice guy....
- Aug 21, 2003
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Grab a coffee and do some digging back in this thread and prepare to kill a Sunday morning...Enjoy
Can’t comment too much on comparisons between those three, but I do have Frahlins in a few of my Jazz basses. I have a split set in my fretless that are standard wound and the sound great with light flats, nice and perfectly balanced.
I have another Jazz with split Frahilins that are stock wound neck and 5% over at the bridge and another that is 5% neck and 10% bridge, also split. I really like this combo of a slightly hotter bridge pickup, it really gives me the clarity I like and the 5% - 10% one just growls like and angry dog.
Another Jazz I have has a set of Lollar single coil, and these were ordered RWRP and therefore very silent and with all the single coil vintage tone you could want. When I dime the volume it is super gritty, but when I dial it back just a touch, it’s full and clean and clear.
I have a set of Nordstrands, an NJ4SE for the neck and an NJ4SV for the bridge that I have waiting to install in my custom mini Jazz that I have being made, which will have a ‘73 Fender Mustang SS neck mated to a Warmoth SS J-bass body.
All of the above instruments are wired with the ungrounded V/B/T and .047 paper/film caps.
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Thanks a lot!
Any opinions on Bartolini BA 9J1 set? Or Tom Brantley? Or Lollar J Bass 4S?
Sorry for jumping all over the brands and asking, but online sound samples can be very confusing and any direct feedback would be absolutely priceless. I keep reading the whole topic in the meantime, doh.
I just want to find the holy grail of J pickups or die trying
Cheers!
Any opinions on Bartolini BA 9J1 set? Or Tom Brantley? Or Lollar J Bass 4S?
Sorry for jumping all over the brands and asking, but online sound samples can be very confusing and any direct feedback would be absolutely priceless. I keep reading the whole topic in the meantime, doh.
I just want to find the holy grail of J pickups or die trying
Cheers!
There are several holy grails in J pickups. The first question I'd ask is how do you like your highs? Do you want them clear and sparkly? Or are you less focused on that and more on mids and lows?
If you can find a set, get some Fender Super 55 split-coil J pickups, IMO by far the best J pickup Fender ever made. My opinion, obviously, others may differ. Other pickups to consider, especially if money is no object:
Delano JMVC 4 FE/M2
Delano JC 4 HE/M2
JBE J
Q-Tuner q2.0 J
If you can find a set, get some Fender Super 55 split-coil J pickups, IMO by far the best J pickup Fender ever made. My opinion, obviously, others may differ. Other pickups to consider, especially if money is no object:
Delano JMVC 4 FE/M2
Delano JC 4 HE/M2
JBE J
Q-Tuner q2.0 J
Thanks a lot, I'll give it a look! Are those Fender Super 55s still being produced?
I don't like my highs super bright and sparky, so it's not my prio. I like some attack and bark thou, in Geddy Style, but i feel I can do it by adjusting treble and hi-mids on the amp. On the other hand, I'm not the motown guy either and don't want to go super low and muddy. I prefer midrange, punch, clarity and being able to produce relatively wide palette of tones if I want to. More vintage, less modern, but universal anyway.
I don't like my highs super bright and sparky, so it's not my prio. I like some attack and bark thou, in Geddy Style, but i feel I can do it by adjusting treble and hi-mids on the amp. On the other hand, I'm not the motown guy either and don't want to go super low and muddy. I prefer midrange, punch, clarity and being able to produce relatively wide palette of tones if I want to. More vintage, less modern, but universal anyway.
The Super 55 is the best J pickup Fender ever made (IMO) so of course they stopped making them. They're pretty hard to find, now, but not impossible.
The other pickups I mentioned excel at clarity and full range of tone. I like my highs sparkly and bright, but I'm also the guy that turns the tweeter off in bass cabinets, as they tend to make highs not so much sparkly as ice-picky. (If that tells you anything about my perception.)
Somebody selling these on my local CL:
“have an extra set of Fender SCN jazz bass pickups. They are jb4-nk and jb4-br matched pair of Fender Jazz pickups - SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless).”
Anything special about these, or are they just what come in the American Standard models in the 2000’s?
“have an extra set of Fender SCN jazz bass pickups. They are jb4-nk and jb4-br matched pair of Fender Jazz pickups - SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless).”
Anything special about these, or are they just what come in the American Standard models in the 2000’s?
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Chasing tone here. I have a 72' J bass that is my holy grail. I have another 73' that either needs the pups to be rewound or replaced (as they are open).
Looks like Aguilar, Nordstrand, and Fender make pickups that emulate the 70's tone.
Anyone have experience as to which is closest?
Looks like Aguilar, Nordstrand, and Fender make pickups that emulate the 70's tone.
Anyone have experience as to which is closest?
I would see about rewinding them first. Maybe Tom Brantley can help with that?
Lollar has a specific ‘70’s set as well, I think that they are designed with the wider spacing of the pickups in mind. I have a set of their regular ones in a ‘73 that I have that has an aftermarket body with the ‘60’s spacing and I really like them. Nice and balanced, clean, full and clear when the volume is dialed back a touch, and just the right amount of grit when the volume is at full. I also have Frahlins in other Jazzes, some split coils, one set of single, various outputs, and none of those get very dirty. However, I do really like my Frahlins too.
Top of my list to work through would be
Aguilar Jazz 70's.
Nordstrand JB
I like Fender CS.
But you never really know until you put them in.
Others I'd research would be Barts and Fralins.
Do you want Hum cancelling in a jazz case or singles?
I would tend to stay away from hot, over wound myself.
Aguilar Jazz 70's.
Nordstrand JB
I like Fender CS.
But you never really know until you put them in.
Others I'd research would be Barts and Fralins.
Do you want Hum cancelling in a jazz case or singles?
I would tend to stay away from hot, over wound myself.
I replaced the pickups that came with my Fender Custom Shop '64 Jazz (my avatar) with Nordstrand NJ4SV hum cancelling pickups. To me, they sound exactly the same ... minus the hum.
Interesting
The website shows that the single coils have more dynamics and "color" (whatever that means) than the hum cancelling in the tone section.
