Nordstrand got my attention.They say that no modification is required,will fit into the existing covers and they describe the sound that I'm looking for.Price 200euros per set(bridge and neck) or $260.Single coils or split coils like the stock ones?The price is for the split coils!
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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.
- Thread starter SMASH
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I'm pondering Nordstrands for a possible next Jazz bass, but I replaced the Fender p'ups in my current Jazz V with Quarter Pounders and have really loved them. Lots of growl and bite with a wider, warmer low end.
I posted these many moons ago in this thread, but I'll put them up again as it may help to have a visual... Screen shots from some recordings of the before and after.
Similar high end, but quite a bit more lows/low mids. My low B came alive, and they just seem to have more presence overall.
5sg.
2006 Fender MIA Jazz V stock pickups:
Quarter Pounders:
I posted these many moons ago in this thread, but I'll put them up again as it may help to have a visual... Screen shots from some recordings of the before and after.
Similar high end, but quite a bit more lows/low mids. My low B came alive, and they just seem to have more presence overall.
5sg.
2006 Fender MIA Jazz V stock pickups:
Quarter Pounders:
I've enjoyed the QPs before and they caught my attention for the tone... but are single coils.
How quiet are they?
Any idea of the DC resistance on them?
They seem to be a lot of what I'd like in a relatively inexpensive package. But they aren't a humcanceller and that's kind of a big deal for me.
How quiet are they?
Any idea of the DC resistance on them?
They seem to be a lot of what I'd like in a relatively inexpensive package. But they aren't a humcanceller and that's kind of a big deal for me.
I can understand that, for sure. I wanted passive single coils, and the fact that they sound killer with my Audere JZ3 preamp is a nice bonus. Single coils aren't for everyone though.
I couldn't tell you about the DC resistance... not sure how to measure either. I just wired them in and started playing. They worked, so I wasn't worried about resistance.
They aren't the loudest singles I've ever played, but they aren't the most quiet either. There's no noise when I have both on full, but when I favor one pickup, it depends on what venue I'm playing in. At church where we have good grounding, the noise level is pretty good. At the gospel church I sub for is a different story... their house system is full of problems and my QP's are definitely more noisy. 85% of the time I'm running both pickups on full, and the rest of the time we're either playing so it doesn't make a difference or I just turn the volume down.
I'm totally OCD about noise in my rig, and have loved the QP's since the second I fired them up. I'll try other pickups in future Jazz basses just for the sake of trying something different, but I'm not changing my current Jazz.
5sg.
They're not quiet at all, bud. Even on the cleanest setting. So forget about overdrive or distortion, that is, if you use that. I can't tell you about DC, but that info might be on the tone chart at the seymour duncan website.
I'm confused why you say QP's don't work with overdrive or distortion.
I use overdrive all the time, with great success. And envelope filter, and octaver, and a little reverb now and then, and some chorus........ it all works and sounds great for me.
5sg.
RaginRog
Last guy you want to see is Employee Relations guy
basswave said:Its really hard to escape the lower-mid charcer with the NJ4s.
I just F-in love that sound.
+1
I love them so much I've incorporated them in the password I use to log onto my work laptop.
RaginRog
Last guy you want to see is Employee Relations guy
GeoFil said:
No experience with the split coils but really like the NJ4 single coils. And I've owned Lindy Fralin split coils, Fender SCN, Dimarzio Model and Area J pickups. Good mid presence, and no issues being heard in the mix.
I checked Duncan's site for DC resistance on the QPs. It's debatable as to whether the DC resistance is related to output. So far, in my experience, it has been.
Nordstrand and Aguilar come in at about 11k.
Sadowsky/Dimarzio UJ come in about 15-16k.
The QPs... come in at 21-22k!
So they are hot! Wish they'd do a split coil version
Nordstrand and Aguilar come in at about 11k.
Sadowsky/Dimarzio UJ come in about 15-16k.
The QPs... come in at 21-22k!
So they are hot! Wish they'd do a split coil version
rojo412 said:The QPs... come in at 21-22k!
So they are hot! Wish they'd do a split coil version
They're definitely the highest output pickups I have, by a long shot! The settings on all my pedals have to go up across the board to match. Lol (I guess if I were smart/had room, I'd put a boost at the beginning of my chain to compensate... Turn up the boost rather than the effects. But alas, my main board is a mini and it's already F-U-L-L.)
I was worried about losing my Jazz bass vibe by swapping pickups, which is another reason I started with single coils. Like jbailes said, yeah... They're not as quiet as hum canceling... But they're definitely not as bad as he makes them out to be. I'd worry that a split coil version wouldn't sound quite the same, but that's really just my inexperience of testing various Jazz pickups talking. I always meant to try some others, but I've grown attached to those QP's and never got around to trying others. Now I've decided that I'm leaving this Jazz the way it is and my next Jazz bass will be for trying something else.
5sg.
I'm confused why you say QP's don't work with overdrive or distortion.
I use overdrive all the time, with great success. And envelope filter, and octaver, and a little reverb now and then, and some chorus........ it all works and sounds great for me.
5sg.
It's been my experience that overdrive/distortion tends to amplify the 60 cycle hum on single coils. That's not to say that they wouldn't work well with effects. Rojo simply asked how quiet they were, and I told him.
I sure didn't mean to offend, I was just pointing out that I've never had a problem using effects. Maybe my experience with the QP's is a little biased then... Like I said, I usually run both pickups on full (that's "my sound"
), so no problems with buzz. *shrug* Works for me, I wanted single coils and knew what I was getting into. 5sg.
I sure didn't mean to offend, I was just pointing out that I've never had a problem using effects. Maybe my experience with the QP's is a little biased then... Like I said, I usually run both pickups on full (that's "my sound"
5sg.
Ya know, I have to admit I probably didn't give the QPs a very fair shake. I was so 'shell-shocked" at how good the nordys were that the nordys were the standard by which I held the QPs to. And that's a mistake. Completely different animals. But given the hum, I would have traded them out anyway. I'm hoping they guy will chime in who brought up the area j's. Those sound interesting and are precisely half the price of nordys.
Those are great sounding pickups. I put a set in for a co-worker/TB member (Petch). They basically are a noiseless, classic and warm sounding pickup. If you are looking for the opposite of the UltraJazz, you'd probably be a fan of these. I thought they sounded phenomenal and if I played in a more classic, mellow project, I'd pick these all day long.
jbailes said:
And I'll admit in return that I never got past the QP's because of how much attitude and growl they have compared to the stock Fender p'ups. Those Fenders sounded fairly flat and boring in comparison.
I've pretty much settled on a set of Nordstrand NJ5FS for whatever my next Jazz bass will be... I've been sorely tempted to have Chris Stambaugh build me "something that sounds like Marcus Miller's Jazz, but looks like something completely different. Hehehe
We'll see.
5sg.
I concur with the review and feel confident in chiming in that they are harmonically rich but do not accentuate the overtones as much as a single coil. So they still sound like humbuckers to my ears but they are so very much like a single coil in tone. I still feel single coils are warmer sounding.
I'm currently in love with Delano JC5HE pickups. Plenty of volume, excellent fingerstyle tone and sweet slap. Can be aggressive or smooth depending on how you dig in. Tried Ultra Jazz by DiMarzio first but switched to these Delano's. Much better.
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