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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

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#81
I think out of those 3 the Model J's would be more to your liking. The other two you mentioned aim more towards the traditional "J" tone. The Model J's are actually stacked humbuckers (similar to the P Bass) so they sound huge and full and are dead silent
 
#83
MascisMan - Thanks for your comments. Very glad the reviews were useful to you. Any chance you derive your handle from J.Mascis?

Hi Flatwound. Of the 3 you mentioned the Model Js will give you the biggest/baddest P-like vibe. The Antiquity II are very warm and, especially with complimentary strings (anything with real deep fundamentals like some good flats) will also give you a strong punch in the lows. The Custom Shop 60s (not yet reviewed) are mellow and warm. No exceptional boost in output/punch as with the other two you listed, but somewhat P-like in that they're warm with a natural rolled-off top that tames the J grind/clank somewhat.
 
#85
MascisMan said:
The Model J's are actually stacked humbuckers (similar to the P Bass)
Click to expand...
That is not accurate.

The stacked humbuckers are one set of coils literally on top of the other set of coils. Drawings are available on the Duncan web site.

The DiMarzio and traditional P pickup are side-by-side (bilateral) single coil pairs wound in opposite directions. The E-A pair are opposite the D-G pair. This provides true single coil sound, but with hum cancelling.
 
#87
K, I tried the Duncan Vintage pups (SJB-1) while I'm waiting for the Aero's, and here are my thoughts so far:

A bit throatier than the stockers, especially the neck pup. I know the BP comparo said they had a "shy bottom", but they seem plenty deep to me. If this is shy, then the Aeros are going to be like Jennifer Lopez!

Output is a little higher, I think clarity is about the same as the stockers.

In general, you could probably add about .5 or maybe 1.0 to the overall scores that SMASH gave the stock pickups. Better, in other words, acceptable but maybe not quite spectacular. I'll leave them in until I can play at church Sunday, and see how they mix live.
 
#89
I'll add a quickie review of a couple of P pickups which I've tried recently. I'm not going to go with the standard long review format in favour of just getting it done, plus the sonic differences were not so remarkable that I could say much.

The differences were more noticeable compared to a newer (2002?) P-bass I tried, and those differences were :

Seymour Duncan SPB-2 "Hot For P Bass" : The SD website says it's "just like the SPB-1, but with extra windings on the coils for musicians who want more output and greater low end response for a fuller sound. The two coils are wired in a humbucking mode to eliminate interference hum."

There was a fuller bottom, but overall it was just generally more of everything. In other words, turning the volume up on my '78 yielded esentially the same sound but I preferred the mellower mids of the "vintage" pickup. These gave a more noticeably pronounced "fullness" compared to a new P.

Not a huge difference either way, but they don't cost much either - about $65 new. These will fit into your stock pickup covers so no need to have the "Basslines" logo showing.


DiMarzio Model P is said to have "clean lows, strong mids, snappy highs". That's about right. The mids and highs were a bit much for me and again I preferred the mellower "vintage" pickup. These are more aggressive than the SPB-2 with slightly more output. Might be preferred by players of punk/hard rock/metal and lovers of a pick grind sound, while the SPB-2 is more traditional in vibe. Again not a massive change though - not like the huge difference when comparing Model J pickups to other J pickups, but there was much more grind than the stock p'ups. To my ears though that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The Model P are pitted into their own covers and are also fairly inexpensive at around $55 new.
 
#90
Smash----have you reviewed the Nordstrand NP4 pups or did I miss that somewhere?----I'm seriously considering a pair for my '59 p bass project (pups long gone)---I'm currently using the Duncan/Basslines SBP-3 which I like for their fuller bottom and perceived higher output---but i'm also considering the Fralin's...thanks!
 
#92
Here's a vote for the Nordstrand NP4.

On my Pbass Deluxe with TI jazz flats-they sound awesome!
Roll the tone knob off-wow, are these things fat. I've found that you get great clarity of all your notes, no matter where the tone knob is.
Anybody who is considering these-I say go for it! Jay Lewis is the man at www.blueberryhillbass.com

IMHO, you'll be glad you did.
 
#93
jazz5757 said:
Smash----have you reviewed the Nordstrand NP4 pups or did I miss that somewhere?----I'm seriously considering a pair for my '59 p bass project (pups long gone)---I'm currently using the Duncan/Basslines SBP-3 which I like for their fuller bottom and perceived higher output---but i'm also considering the Fralin's...thanks!
Click to expand...


I haven't tried the Nordstrand P p'up. From what I know of his J p'ups characteristics though, the raves and sonic descriptions of his P should be accurate.
 
#94
Beefbass said:
Here's a vote for the Nordstrand NP4.

On my Pbass Deluxe with TI jazz flats-they sound awesome!
Roll the tone knob off-wow, are these things fat. I've found that you get great clarity of all your notes, no matter where the tone knob is.
Anybody who is considering these-I say go for it! Jay Lewis is the man at www.blueberryhillbass.com

IMHO, you'll be glad you did.
Click to expand...

Whats the price on the Nordstrand P?
 
#95
Well, I bought mine as a P/J set. With the NJ4SE in place of the NJ4, it was $229.00

Jay could give you a more accurate price, but I believe it runs about 150-160 bucks. About the same price as a Lindy Fralin.

Oh, the P/J set with a NJ4 was gonna be $190.00
 
#99
Will these work with a Marcus Miller sig Jazz? The bass does buzz some when using only one of the p'ups.

I'm split between the NJ4 and the SE, I certainly want the best tone, but at the same time I want to be practical so the SE would be a good choice on stage (no hum). How do the NJ4's perform with regards to hum/buzz? Is it really a problem or just minor? I use an SWR 750 or EA iAMP 800, depending on the style and needs. If the hum is minor I'd go with the NJ4.

Thanks to SMASH once again for the information here! Life is good, eh?

:D
 
#100
The NJ4 are very quiet, but if you play through an active system next to a neon sign things might be different. Since the MM is active, why not go with the NJ4se? They're not as tone-ful passive, IMO, but if going active it should all be equal.

Life is good !
 
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