"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II

[fourstr00]

Was thinking about a Dimarzio Relentless J or 60’s J as the J in a PJ Carvin. The stock J hums like crazy and is overmatched by the P.

Anyone have experience if either/both would keep up with a P? I’m not sure if I should go dark or bright for a bridge pickup.

 

[Bard2dbone]

After years of trying different jazz pickups I finally tried Dimarzio Model J. I put them low on my list having read they were too dark and you had to use 500k pots. I've found them to have quite a bit of brightness even with 250K pots and wired in series. They are bright enough that it caused me to double check the wiring thinking I might have wired them parallel by accident. Tons of grunt and heft yet with plenty of top end definition. I now get the same smile as when playing a Stingray. Maybe they are a particularly good match for my bass but I wish I had started there.

That's what I used for my daughter's Squier. I put in DiMarzio Model J and Model P pickups and swapped out the bridge for the Schaller roller bridge that I'd tried on one of my Jazzes for a while. I don't remember what I did to the preamp. (This was twelve or fourteen years ago, after all.) But it all turned a fairly mediocre Squier into a giggable beast. So of course she decided to switch to drums. I used her old Squier for an outdoor block party that we played for Fourth of July a few years back.

 

[Sands]

I’ve been playing Jazz Basses for years, while simultaneously playing mad scientist trying to find the right tone. I like others passed over the Model Js due to the pots etc. Fool’s errand! The adjustable PU poles are all I ever needed. Dialed this one to perfection. Key is to follow the dimarzio wiring diagram from their website and Fender’s set up specs for Humbuckers. Wow. Great PU. Nothing else is close to these.

 

[invalidprotocol]

Stupid TalkBass… I wasn't even interested in DiMarzio (had an Area P once and it didn’t do anything for me). But now I’m thinking about Model J’s

I found their Area J way too polite. I’d assume the Area P is the same way. Totally different than the Model J or Model P.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Are the Dimarzio Model J hotter than CS Fender 60s pickups?
I ask that because they are what i’ve been using for a long time, looking for something with more output.

Looking for a set that are as hot as a Pbass pup preferably singles coil.

Model J are splits and not singles, that I know.

 

[TheArchitect]

Having skimmed through much of the thread, it appears J bass player are not nearly as jaded and divided over noise cancelling vs true single coil the way Strat players are... Dimarzio doesn't appear to even make a true single coil J bass model

 

[LetItGrowTone]

If it's true that inline humbuckers or stacks are a little less lively (or whatever) than true single coils,
and if this is because their Q is lower,
then winding with slightly thicker wire might fix that. Would be sacrilege though.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

Having skimmed through much of the thread, it appears J bass player are not nearly as jaded and divided over noise cancelling vs true single coil the way Strat players are... Dimarzio doesn't appear to even make a true single coil J bass model

But of course. J bass players are the coolest, nicest, and most laid back people in the world.

 

[invalidprotocol]

Having skimmed through much of the thread, it appears J bass player are not nearly as jaded and divided over noise cancelling vs true single coil the way Strat players are... Dimarzio doesn't appear to even make a true single coil J bass model

Single coil = one coil short of a full pickup

 

[invalidprotocol]

I ended up taking advantage of a holiday promo on Dimarzio website and bought a set of the Model J in cream with nickel poles to update the aesthetic of my black and maple jazz. Now it looks as good as it sounds.

 

[TheArchitect]

Had I known I would be buying basses I would have taken advantage of that dimarzio sale. Fortunately they are pretty reasonable in their prices

 

[BuffaloBass]

Are the Dimarzio Model J hotter than CS Fender 60s pickups?
I ask that because they are what i’ve been using for a long time, looking for something with more output.

Looking for a set that are as hot as a Pbass pup preferably singles coil.

Model J are splits and not singles, that I know.

You might contact Aero Pickups Their Type I fits the bill , I think. In fact they make a Pbass -like J pickup , so when I read your post. I attest their type I's are big n ballsy but clear and articulate, unlike over wounds. I just replaced a P/J set that was real mid humpy with AERO T1s and she became an articulate big punchy beast ! All flat Hz as far as my ear can tell.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

If it's true that inline humbuckers or stacks are a little less lively (or whatever) than true single coils,
and if this is because their Q is lower,
then winding with slightly thicker wire might fix that. Would be sacrilege though.

I have two sets of linear hum-canceling pickups in two different basses.
The first set I ever got was the Duncan Apollo 5. They definitely are slightly less lively than SC’s, but they have some great punch. I wound up getting 500k pots and now they sound great. So anyone looking at Apollo’s, definitely need 500k volume pots.

I just got a set of Aguilar AG5J-HC. I have watched what little videos there are on these pickups (maybe 4?…but still one more than there is for the Apollo). The best video on the AG’s, the player says they have “Sparkling High’s”. I really wanted to try them and hoped that this was true.
I installed them into my Fretless yesterday, using 250k pots. They sound amazingly similar to the SC’s they replaced…almost an uncanny resemblance, except that they are obviously silent, but they seem to have a thicker low-mid range…more presence where the SC’s kind of felt thin to me…which is why I thought about replacing them for a while now.

So in the end, I feel that anyone looking for a hum-cancelling Jazz pickup and is afraid to loss that single-coil sound…take a serious look at the Aguilar’s. These pickups have it!

And my Apollo’s

 

[cataract]

Just wanted to pop in and say that I’m really enjoying the Fender Custom Shop 60s set I’ve installed in my Squier 70s Classic Vibe- loving the growl of the E string and they’ve got a great feel to them.

 

[Lesfunk]

I’m looking to punch up my passive jazz. I’m torn between the old venerable dimarzio DP123 model J, the new Relentless set, or the Nordstrand J blade set. Kind of stuck at the crossroads…
I have a Audere 4band pre that I purchased with the intention of installing. I’m trying to get the punchiest sound possible short of a Stingray.

 

[Mosthigh]

My '62 Fender AVRI from 1999 (with Labella flats) sounds ok to me as it stands, but I'd like to try for a lower, beefier tone. Fralins and maybe type 3 Areo are the front runners. I'm tempted to keep it 'period correct' and put in CS 60s, but that might be just more of an ocd thing. I'm more of a low end 'rock guy' than a mid/trebley 'funk dude'.

 

[crucislancer]

My '62 Fender AVRI from 1999 (with Labella flats) sounds ok to me as it stands, but I'd like to try for a lower, beefier tone. Fralins and maybe type 3 Areo are the front runners. I'm tempted to keep it 'period correct' and put in CS 60s, but that might be just more of an ocd thing. I'm more of a low end 'rock guy' than a mid/trebley 'funk dude'.

I have a set of Fralins in my AmStd Jazz, I highly recommend them. That bass previously had CS 60's, and then before that the AmStd pickups it came with, and the Fralins are the best of all three.

 

[Ringhammer]

My '62 Fender AVRI from 1999 (with Labella flats) sounds ok to me as it stands, but I'd like to try for a lower, beefier tone. Fralins and maybe type 3 Areo are the front runners. I'm tempted to keep it 'period correct' and put in CS 60s, but that might be just more of an ocd thing. I'm more of a low end 'rock guy' than a mid/trebley 'funk dude'.

I’ve had various combinations of Frahlin’s in a few of my early 70’s Jazz basses, but currently only have them in one, with a 10% over split coil in the bridge and 5% over split coil at the neck and that one definitely rocks. I have another early ‘70’s Jazz that I was struggling with, and I went with a single coil set of Frahlin’s, both 5% over. Still wasn’t loving it, so I tried the Lollar ‘70’s set, and that did the trick. I have Lollar’s in a few P-basses I have, which are all a double P layout, and I can say, I haven’t tried a Lollar set in anything and not been totally satisfied. I even sprung for the T-Bird set for my ‘90’s Gibson T-Bird and that thing sounds fantastic now!

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Thinking about ordering a Fender American Pro II Jazz w/the Generation 4 Noiseless pickups. It would plug into a Noble tube preamp --> amp/interface. Any love for these? I've had Fralins in another Jazz bass and liked them a lot. My main bass activity these days is recording basslines for hire. It's important for the signal to be silent when not playing. And of course, it had better sound good too!

 

[CletusMarley]

I've been playing Model Js in both my Jazz basses and couldn't be happier. Just thick and beefy but very articulate. They sure do work for me.