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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons - PART II

#1,225
I'm undecided yet about changing the pickups in my 2021 G+L Fullerton Deluxe JB 4 string.Does anyone on here use a G+L bass with the alnico 5 J pickups that came in it and what is your opinion on those pickups if so.Im also considering the 920D Jazz bass preamp with the stacked knobs and parallel/series switch.Any opinions on that.
 
#1,226
BruceG68 said:
I'm undecided yet about changing the pickups in my 2021 G+L Fullerton Deluxe JB 4 string.Does anyone on here use a G+L bass with the alnico 5 J pickups that came in it and what is your opinion on those pickups if so.Im also considering the 920D Jazz bass preamp with the stacked knobs and parallel/series switch.Any opinions on that.
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I have one of those basses. I think the pickups sound good, but the output is a little low. I installed a John East J-Tone Preamp in it and that did the trick for me. I considered the John East J-Retro too.
 
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#1,227
manchego_eggo said:
I'm a big fan of the B-Axis pups. They have the low-mid bart grunt that helps poke in the mix but retain a great single coil treble sound too; IMO It lands in a really nice middle ground of vintage and modern. They're also one of the best balanced sets I've played in terms of output.
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I'm curious about these. In which bass are you using them? Also, for balanced output, do you mean even output all over the fretboard? I'm struggling with this on my Sandberg TT-5 and might be willing to try another set of pickups. The string-to-string balance differs in different regions of the fretboard, and the D is a little weak. I know this is normal to some extent with J-basses, but I'm used to much better balance with my G&L M-2500 so I'd like something closer to that.
 
#1,228
MrB64 said:
I have one of those basses. I think the pickups sound good, but the output is a little low. I installed a John East J-Tone Preamp in it and that did the trick for me. I considered the John East J-Retro too.
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Looking into a preamp such as the one you mentioned.I emailed G+L and asked if they could sell me some of the new MFD J pickups and they said they are all set aside for production instruments as of now.Maybe down the road.
 
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#1,229
BruceG68 said:
Looking into a preamp such as the one you mentioned.I emailed G+L and asked if they could sell me some of the new MFD J pickups and they said they are all set aside for production instruments as of now.Maybe down the road.
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I was very tempted by one of the new MFD JB basses, but for me spending 10% of what they cost on a preamp was the way for me to go. I'm hoping that the MFD JB will be put into the Build to Order program by G&L someday. I also hope that the pickups will be available someday.
 
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#1,232
MrB64 said:
I was very tempted by one of the new MFD JB basses, but for me spending 10% of what they cost on a preamp was the way for me to go. I'm hoping that the MFD JB will be put into the Build to Order program by G&L someday. I also hope that the pickups will be available someday.
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Yea I wouldn't get rid of my Fullerton Deluxe JB just to get one with MFD J pickups.It would be far easier and cost-effective to get a pre amp and or change the pickups.
 
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#1,233
I find myself going to simpler circuits and designs kind of across the board. The fewer details I need to worry about, the better. Sometimes its necessary to get to a goal or a sound. More often than not it isn't. In our youth we don't know what's possible so we run down every rabbit hole. Eventually we come to the realization that what we take away is often more important than what we add when it comes to tone
 
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#1,234
I just replaced the SD Hot Stack pickups in my Geddy Signature with SD Classic Stack pickups. They sound a lot more like what I had in mind for that bass, nice and growly with that noiseless feature. The Hot Stacks are great, just middier than I wanted.
 
#1,235
manchego_eggo said:
def one of the best vintage voiced sets IMO; the other being the SD Apollos, which are a different flavor of vintage IMO.

This notification reminded me I recently installed Bartolini B-Axis and have to say they are a really nice marriage of vintage and modern for me. The highs are high even with 250k pots, which is rare for humbuckers, and they have growl and present mids. The FatBassTone demo, which is great, didn't grab my ear, but when I installed them they really started doing it for me.
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I'm trying to decide on one or the other of these sets bassed mostly on youtoob clips for a Short Scale FSO build in progress.

Passive VVT w/500K pots

Help me flip a coin...

TIA
 
#1,236
claudel said:
I'm trying to decide on one or the other of these sets bassed mostly on youtoob clips for a Short Scale FSO build in progress.

Passive VVT w/500K pots

Help me flip a coin...

TIA
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check fatbasstones yt channel. they have demos of both sets.

i think the apollos have a more classic sound while b axis are a lil more modern but have the bart mid bump that sits nice in a mix.
 
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#1,237
Random question, but I have a frankenstein Jazz (1985 MIJ Fender Jazz body, 2000 MIJ Geddy Lee neck) that hasn't been getting a lot of love lately and I was interested in swapping out the pickups to make it a bit more exciting. As is, it's a great bass for recording but the pickups are noisy and harsh. Since it's already a mutt, I figure why not venture outside of the usual Fender options and look at what passive options are out there. I was always interested in trying out Bartolini as I loved playing their Stingray pickups back in the day, is there a huge difference in tone between the classic, "original", and the newer B-Axis series?

Mostly looking for no more hum and less harsh highs, chasing clarity while still occupying an old school jazz sound. Any recs?
 
#1,238
stambroker said:
Random question, but I have a frankenstein Jazz (1985 MIJ Fender Jazz body, 2000 MIJ Geddy Lee neck) that hasn't been getting a lot of love lately and I was interested in swapping out the pickups to make it a bit more exciting. As is, it's a great bass for recording but the pickups are noisy and harsh. Since it's already a mutt, I figure why not venture outside of the usual Fender options and look at what passive options are out there. I was always interested in trying out Bartolini as I loved playing their Stingray pickups back in the day, is there a huge difference in tone between the classic, "original", and the newer B-Axis series?

Mostly looking for no more hum and less harsh highs, chasing clarity while still occupying an old school jazz sound. Any recs?
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Aguilar 4J-HC would be my first choice based on your description, They're very warm. Nordstrand nj4sv are my current favorites, more vintage but less warm--though they are clear.

FOR THIS, I would reject Fralin J split, they're not quite up with the single coil sound in clarity. If hum-free is most important, look at Dimarzio Sixties.

Rumor has it that the b-axis are better than all of them. But I haven't tried them yet, so can't really say. Suggest checking out Fat Bass Tone videos for all of these. There's also a big Wilde fan group here, so investigate those as well.

Finally, Delano JMVC--not vintage but very clear, bright but not harsh. Likely outside of your desired sound description.
 
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