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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

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#522
narud said:
dont get them made to order. thats whats costing the all the money. just order any set from a dealer and if they dont match, send them in. they can pull some of the winding off. you wont have to worry about getting a set thats wound under what i got because my set is about as low as they usually pop up. call the custom shop and ask for mj. hell, pickup a used set on ebay. the custom shop was very helpful to me on more than one occasion.
Click to expand...

I've been emailing with MJ.

I've done a fair amount of research on the 70's series Fenders which are inbound to me.

If these don't workout I'll go the custom shop route.

Thanks!
 
#526
Rockfield neck J: Very crunchy growly full bodied sound. More aggressive then others Ive played. (Dimarzio, Seymour, EMG, Mec, Fender).

BC Rich house brand P: More top end then other P pups but not brittle or harsh. Solid lows, full mids. On the crunchy rather then smooth voiced side. My fave P pup.

EMG J: Crunchy rather then smooth. Next best thing and good alternate to the Rockfields imo.
 
#527
I must say I am impressed with the Fender '75 RI pickups.
I think there better than both the AERO type 1 and the Fender Custom Shop '60s Pickups.

BP mag says about the AERO's "Heavy lows, distinct upper mids, and round top that's cool for fingerstyle rock, blues, and country. (And '70s-style funk.) Broken-in vibe that's fun to play. On tape, pickups have big bottom for a J, although the tone can get a bit thick."

This statement better describes the '75 RI pickups for sure.
 
#528
Can anyone suggest noiseless pickups to replace Lakland single coils in a DJ and DJ5 with as little change in sound as possible? I love the sound of my basses but would really like a noiseless option.

Thanks!
 
#529
Eublet said:
Can anyone suggest noiseless pickups to replace Lakland single coils in a DJ and DJ5 with as little change in sound as possible? I love the sound of my basses but would really like a noiseless option.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I struggled with this for my 2008 Am. Standard Fender Jazz V. There just don't seem to be many five string noiseless options designed to replicate vintage tone. The various Delano models, for example, are reputed to have more modern voicing. I narrowed it down to Fender's SCN, which I liked in the last-gen American Deluxe models, and Nordstrand NJ5FS, which are specifically designed to replicate the tone of pure single coils. (I don't believe DiMarzio's Area J for five string were available yet, or I would have considered those.)

Due to my great experience with noiseless Fralins in my four string J, I went the boutique route and got the Nordstrands. The first set was weird, with a very bright, modern tone and odd string-to-string balance. I planned to call Nordstrand, but before I got around to it, Carey saw one of my posts here, and reached out to me. He said some NJ5FS sets had unspecified "issues," and offered me a replacement set. (How awesome is this guy? Seriously.)

I got those installed a few weeks ago, and they are indeed much closer to the OEM Fender single coils, which sounded phenomenal. To my ears, they produce classic J-bass tone with a slightly modern edge. They have a strong presence in a band mix, and a wide dynamic range. They aren't quite as warm and chewy as the stock Fender singles, but the difference doesn't become readily apparent until playing at rehearsal volume, when they punch through with a little extra clarity and smoothness.

They seem very sensitive to string height, which I've been adjusting constantly to achieve optimum string-to-string balance and eliminate the chorus effect on the B string above the seventh fret. (I don't think my normally excellent local tech paid attention to this when he installed them, so it's no fault of the pickups.) Last night, I lowered them a little more, and I think it's finally dialed in properly.

I haven't played them on stage yet, which is the ultimate test IMO, but they've sounded good in rock band rehearsal so far. I'd say they're a great option to go noiseless in a five string J, but I'd take a look at the DiMarzio Area J as well. The four string version has gotten good reviews, and they're less expensive too.
 
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#530
Nedmundo said:
I struggled with this for my 2008 Am. Standard Fender Jazz V. There just don't seem to be many five string noiseless options designed to replicate vintage tone. The various Delano models, for example, are reputed to have more modern voicing. I narrowed it down to Fender's SCN, which I liked in the last-gen American Deluxe models, and Nordstrand NJ5FS, which are specifically designed to replicate the tone of pure single coils. (I don't believe DiMarzio's Area J for five string were available yet, or I would have considered those.)

Due to my great experience with noiseless Fralins in my four string J, I went the boutique route and got the Nordstrands. The first set was weird, with a very bright, modern tone and odd string-to-string balance. I planned to call Nordstrand, but before I got around to it, Carey saw one of my posts here, and reached out to me. He said some NJ5FS sets had unspecified "issues," and offered me a replacement set. (How awesome is this guy? Seriously.)

I got those installed a few weeks ago, and they are indeed much closer to the OEM Fender single coils, which sounded phenomenal. To my ears, they produce classic J-bass tone with a slightly modern edge. They have a strong presence in a band mix, and a wide dynamic range. They aren't quite as warm and chewy as the stock Fender singles, but the difference doesn't become readily apparent until playing at rehearsal volume, when they punch through with a little extra clarity and smoothness.

They seem very sensitive to string height, which I've been adjusting constantly to achieve optimum string-to-string balance and eliminate the chorus effect on the B string above the seventh fret. (I don't think my normally excellent local tech paid attention to this when he installed them, so it's no fault of the pickups.) Last night, I lowered them a little more, and I think it's finally dialed in properly.

I haven't played them on stage yet, which is the ultimate test IMO, but they've sounded good in rock band rehearsal so far. I'd say they're a great option to go noiseless in a five string J, but I'd take a look at the DiMarzio Area J as well. The four string version has gotten good reviews, and they're less expensive too.
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Thanks for the response. I actually emailed Nordstrand and those are the pickups they suggest. I believe the Lakland DJ pickups are much more agressive sounding than the finger pickups, with a bit more of that upper-mid grindy character in the voicing. I expect a change moving to noiseless pickups, but I'd probably be a bit heartbroken if I lost that. I'm really not wanting that chewy fat character that a 60's Jazz provides. Like you, most of the noiseless options I've heard lean to far to the modern sounding side. I love the sound of single coils in general, but it would be nice to slightly favor the bridge or neck pickup without immediately introducing a ton of hum. In sum venues I can get away with this, but in others the added noise is too much.
 
#531
Nedmundo said:
...
I got those installed a few weeks ago, and they are indeed much closer to the OEM Fender single coils, which sounded phenomenal. To my ears, they produce classic J-bass tone with a slightly modern edge. They have a strong presence in a band mix, and a wide dynamic range. They aren't quite as warm and chewy as the stock Fender singles, but the difference doesn't become readily apparent until playing at rehearsal volume, when they punch through with a little extra clarity and smoothness.

They seem very sensitive to string height, which I've been adjusting constantly to achieve optimum string-to-string balance and eliminate the chorus effect on the B string above the seventh fret. (I don't think my normally excellent local tech paid attention to this when he installed them, so it's no fault of the pickups.) Last night, I lowered them a little more, and I think it's finally dialed in properly.

I haven't played them on stage yet, which is the ultimate test IMO, but they've sounded good in rock band rehearsal so far. I'd say they're a great option to go noiseless in a five string J, but I'd take a look at the DiMarzio Area J as well. The four string version has gotten good reviews, and they're less expensive too.
Click to expand...

I installed the 70's wind pickups in my Lakland JO5.
I agree with your assessment.

I've had mine in for 2 weeks, still trying to take it all in.
I've been playing that bass virtually non stop.

A 60's jazz bass with 70's jazz pickups is a nasty combination!
Think Marcus with more ass (or should I say bottom?)...
 
#532
Supertanker said:
A 60's jazz bass with 70's jazz pickups is a nasty combination!
Think Marcus with more ass (or should I say bottom?)...
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what the DJ is also with the Aero or Lakland pickups I think. You get the grindy top end from the pickups with a bit more bottom from the placement. I really like that combo myself and don't want to deviate to far from it just to get noiseless operation. I don't expect to have no variation in tone, but predicting how much I'll get is the hard part, and honestly I'm not wanting to try a bunch of different pickups to see if I can get there. I was hoping someone here would have experienced what I'm after so that I could try it.
 
#533
Hey guys, A "J" question:

I got an original 73 jazz bass with a 70' reissue pickups.
She sounds awesome but I was thinking to get an original 72-73 jazz pickups and put them
instead. (I bought the bass with the reissue pickups).

Anyone tried that out?
Any good place to buy vintage pickups?
or suggest something else?

Thanks.
 
#534
BassBen said:
Hey guys, A "J" question:

I got an original 73 jazz bass with a 70' reissue pickups.
She sounds awesome but I was thinking to get an original 72-73 jazz pickups and put them
instead. (I bought the bass with the reissue pickups).

Anyone tried that out?
Any good place to buy vintage pickups?
or suggest something else?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That sounds like an expensive proposition...
 
#536
SMASH said:
DiMarzio Model J (aka DP123)

WOW !!! These are extremely impressive, especially given their low cost - just $90 for the pair brand new.

Split humbucker, ceramic, 4 conductor, adjustable pole pieces, coated in some kind of waxy goodness to shield, and mine came with beige covers which looks ultra-swank on my sunburst with tort guard '69 replica.

These are deep pickups, so you might have to take the foam out of your pickup cavities or shave it down. Easy install despite the extra wires the coils come with, and DiMarzio's site has extensive wiring info, options (even suggestions for different pot resistances and capactitors to try), and clear diagrams. Best I've seen. DiMarzio recommends 500k pots, but these work fine with standard 250s.

You can hard wire these easily in humbucking series or parallel. In parallel they're more standard / tame with better clarity, while in humbucking series they're almost perversely thick and beefy. I give them a low "clarity" score based on the series setting which is their recommended wiring. It's a low "clarity" score in a good way though - like a rhino hitting you head-on in slow-motion.

Massive output and punch. An indistinct/thick tone (which for some is a bonus), but there are highs buried there which you can easily dial in with either an active preamp (sounds stupendous with a J-Retro) or the stock passive tone knob and thereby get some definition and cut. In fact, these are the only pickups I've had to cut the bass and boost the treble. Sick !!! These are dead quiet due to the split-coil humbucker.

The only real knock I can make on these is that due to the look of the adjustable pole pieces they don't look like "normal" J pickups. There's also a wee DiMarzio logo on the covers but it is just embossed in the plastic and to see it you have to put your eye right up to it, so no big deal.

If you don't like muscular tone you'll hate these, but I feel these are an exceptional value. They deserve an 18 out of 5 on the bang-for-the-buck scale. How can these be so infrequently discussed ?! Bass Player gave them a "Top Tone" award and that's damn right. Say what you will about BP reviews, but in the J Pickups Shootout I find they've spoken the Truth and as with the SD Antiquity IIs I again agree with BP - they ain't recommending any sissy "hi fi" or "modern" pickups.


DiMarzio Model J

Warmth: 4.5
Clarity: 2
Output: 5
Punch : 5
Amplified Sound: 4.5
Recorded Sound: 4.5
Value: 5


Warmth: 4.5 - Pure goodness, but it'll be too much of a good thing for some.

Clarity: 2 - You can sure hear the bass. If you want a bit more than that, you can dial in a round top too. A low clarity score, but in a good way.

Output: 5 - Quite loud, and dead quiet in the way of 60-cylce hum.

Punch : 5 - A knockout punch !

Amplified Sound: 4.5 - Huge tone. Almost to the point of being ridiculous.

Recorded Sound: 4.5 - To be undeniable, all you have to do is plug in and play.

Value: 5 - Priced almost free. One of the best bass values I've come across.


The bassline - you are a crushing glacier, nothing will stand in your way!



BP said :

Warmth: 4
Clarity: 2.5
Output: 4.5
Amplified Sound: 3.5
Recorded Sound: 5
Value: 4

Boatloads of punch. Rolled off top with thick bass. Pickups sounded great recorded. Ballsy growl sounds a bit ugly when soloed but is smooth and filling in the track. "The Marshall killer." "Loud & proud."

Harmony-Central reviews : [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] , [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

agreed 100 % ! people disregard these nowadays unrightly! I had DM on my Precision, and they are HOT,loud and Punchy!
 
#537
BassBen said:
Between 500 to 900 USD :hmm:

the question is, is it worth it?
The bass will be completely original once I place those in.
Click to expand...

IMHO I don't see the 'Magic' per say in making sure you have the original vintage pickups. (A older body & neck might have a great broken in feel and that's a different story) but not pickups

There are so many folks that can make a replica I cannot see spending the money on it (unless your hell bent on doing so or your a collector).

I would think you would be better severed with Nordstrand NJ4 70s wind or Fralins with a 2% underwind.
 
#538
basswave said:
IMHO I don't see the 'Magic' per say in making sure you have the original vintage pickups. (A older body & neck might have a great broken in feel and that's a different story) but not pickups

There are so many folks that can make a replica I cannot see spending the money on it (unless your hell bent on doing so or your a collector).

I would think you would be better severed with Nordstrand NJ4 70s wind or Fralins with a 2% underwind.
Click to expand...

I see, what you're saying sounds right. I'm no collector and I certainly don't have too much $ to spend.:hmm:

I'll look into those pickups, Thanks!
 
#539
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