I have a set of Lane Poor pups with Bartolini Preamp in my 5 stg Squier (Project) Do anyone know how to adjust the pups for better quality. ( I'm new at this)
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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.
- Thread starter SMASH
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HotRoded said:
I had one stock in the bridge position of a Fender I bought new. I would strongly recommend against seeking one out as an aftermarket replacement. It is simply your (very) average sounding humbucking jazz pickup. The irony is that it really ISN'T that quiet.
If you need humbucking (and are willing to sacrifice the tone) any other brand will do a better job for the same price. If you can deal with the hum, a single coil will give you better tone.
hi, I've read all this thread and I've found it really useful thanks Smash
but I've got a question, since I'd like tu put some Aero type 1 on my Streamer Stage II (that will be active/passive), cause they really fit my tastes, I need to know if these are noiseless or noisy because I think that they're not hum cancelling and this could be bad...
but you talked about .022 capacitors that come along with them and I wondered if those capacitors works to avoide noises
I don't know really much about how pickups and noises work that's why I'm looking for your help
sorry 'bout my bad English
but I've got a question, since I'd like tu put some Aero type 1 on my Streamer Stage II (that will be active/passive), cause they really fit my tastes, I need to know if these are noiseless or noisy because I think that they're not hum cancelling and this could be bad...
but you talked about .022 capacitors that come along with them and I wondered if those capacitors works to avoide noises
I don't know really much about how pickups and noises work that's why I'm looking for your help
sorry 'bout my bad English
any single coil pickups will have hum when both are not on full, that's the nature of single coil pickups.
You can reduce it with shielding (see the shielding your jazz bass tutorial in the faq)
You can reduce it with shielding (see the shielding your jazz bass tutorial in the faq)
so maybe I will not have big problems 'cause my bass is quite well shielded
plus I've listened to your samples David and on the Aero I could hardly hear any noise, what Aero were you using ?
they were single coils but what model exacly Type 1 std ?
I couldn't find that "shielding your jazz bass tutorial" in the FAQ...
plus I've listened to your samples David and on the Aero I could hardly hear any noise, what Aero were you using ?
they were single coils but what model exacly Type 1 std ?
I couldn't find that "shielding your jazz bass tutorial" in the FAQ...
they were Aero Type 1's iirc
The shielding is linked to in the faq under the heading 'Lyle Caldwells excellent Jazz shielding pictorial'
The shielding is linked to in the faq under the heading 'Lyle Caldwells excellent Jazz shielding pictorial'
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Wow, great thread! I am in the process of making some mods to my Trace Elliot T-Bass (don't worry, I'm keeping the original preamp and pickups!), and I am currently leaning towards the J-Retro Deluxe (I love Pete Skjold's preamp, and this is the closest thing to it) and a set of NJ4SE's.
Any thoughts on how this might sound in my T-Bass (ash body, maple neck, rosewood board)? I am not committed to this route, necessarily, and I have considered numerous other options (including going with Sadowsky pickups and preamp).
But man, I have to say, great job, SMASH! This thread has been very, very useful!
Tom.
Any thoughts on how this might sound in my T-Bass (ash body, maple neck, rosewood board)? I am not committed to this route, necessarily, and I have considered numerous other options (including going with Sadowsky pickups and preamp).
But man, I have to say, great job, SMASH! This thread has been very, very useful!
Tom.
I was wondering if anyone could answer a question for me? I was thinking of ordering s.d. antiquity pickups for my fretless jazz and was wondering what the difference was between the antiquity and the antiquityII? I looked on their website and cant seem to find any differences in the specs of the 2. Appreciate any help i can get. Thanks
tombowlus said:Wow, great thread! I am in the process of making some mods to my Trace Elliot T-Bass (don't worry, I'm keeping the original preamp and pickups!), and I am currently leaning towards the J-Retro Deluxe (I love Pete Skjold's preamp, and this is the closest thing to it) and a set of NJ4SE's.
Any thoughts on how this might sound in my T-Bass (ash body, maple neck, rosewood board)? I am not committed to this route, necessarily, and I have considered numerous other options (including going with Sadowsky pickups and preamp).
But man, I have to say, great job, SMASH! This thread has been very, very useful!
Tom.
Sorry I miseed this Tom, and thanks for the kudos but I'll stress again it's anyone's thread. I hope everyone feels free to post reviews, answers, whatever.
The Nordstrand pickups I though were stupendous and stood out in practically every good way. I think the "SE" are the better choice for active electronics. I don't favor the J-Retro and it has a lot of colour to the tone even when set 'flat' and the bypass is not true bypass and in some instances noticeably so. If you don't care to use the passive tone (or if you dig it anyway as-is) and you like the flat colour, then it'll be a great match.
Maybe you've already found that out - can't recall if you're still waiting on this one to come back.
username1 said:
The II are *heavy* sounding. Might not be as easy to coax highs or "mwah" out of them. Depends on a lot of fators though. I've had them in a bass where they sounded a bit brighter, but in the bass I mostly used them in (otherwise stock Fender Jazz) they sounded like the weight of a glacier.
I've seen comparative tone charts someplace before, and the I were rated as not being as deep as the II. Both great pickups, with the II very potentially being too much of a good thing for many people.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,941
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
SMASH said:
Thanks, SMASH. No, I don't have my T-Bass back yet. I am going with the J-Retro (although I did not realize the bit about it being colored in the passive position - oh well, if it works in a similar fashion to my Skjold basses I know I'll be thrilled!). For pickups, I went with Nordstrand NJ4SV's.
Tom.
tombowlus said:
Not in *passive*, but significantly coloured when *active* and set flat. Re: passive, in the bass I had one the passive tone with J-Retro installed and set to passive was different/weaker than when wired without the preamp in passive.
Mr. East said that it doesn't match perfectly will all pickups though these were stock, albeit 30-yr. old, Fender p'ups. He stated it's only meant as a failsafe in case of battery failure.
Foe me, while I liked the preamp, I did not like that I couldn't get out of it and still have a good passive tone on the bass I had it installed on.
He may have improved this and made it true bypass since then.
The II are *heavy* sounding. Might not be as easy to coax highs or "mwah" out of them. Depends on a lot of fators though. I've had them in a bass where they sounded a bit brighter, but in the bass I mostly used them in (otherwise stock Fender Jazz) they sounded like the weight of a glacier.
I've seen comparative tone charts someplace before, and the I were rated as not being as deep as the II. Both great pickups, with the II very potentially being too much of a good thing for many people.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the help, much appreciated. This is a great place to come when you have questions. I was thinking of the antiquity series for a vintage sound and needed to know the difference between the two.
I've seen comparative tone charts someplace before, and the I were rated as not being as deep as the II. Both great pickups, with the II very potentially being too much of a good thing for many people.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the help, much appreciated. This is a great place to come when you have questions. I was thinking of the antiquity series for a vintage sound and needed to know the difference between the two.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,941
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
SMASH said:
Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I do know that on my Skjolds, switching from active to passive (when the preamp's gain is set to match that in passive mode) does make for a slight change in tone, but I would expect some change whenever I go from active to passive, since the signal being sent to the input of your amp is changing significantly (voltage, resistance, etc.).
I look forward to trying it out soon! Again, I really appreciate your prior work and your responses to my particular questions.
Big thanks to SMASH and Guige for the pickup "tastings".
I just installed Model J's in my new MIM 60's Jazz and they are phenomenal. A good friend got them for me at near cost. (Yipeeee!!) But I would have happily paid $100 for them now that I have heard them.
I ran them through my Raven Labs PHA-1 and I immediately dialed all the tone knobs to flat....there it was...tone perfection. (I think this is where the top notch "recorded sound" in all the reviews comes from, no?)
They sound great through my 2x10, too. This weekend they get to push the 810E around. I can't wait!
These things are ridiculously good for the price. DEAD QUIET and thick. Smoove top end. Not for everyone...but DAMN!
Thanks again, SMASH!
I just installed Model J's in my new MIM 60's Jazz and they are phenomenal. A good friend got them for me at near cost. (Yipeeee!!) But I would have happily paid $100 for them now that I have heard them.
I ran them through my Raven Labs PHA-1 and I immediately dialed all the tone knobs to flat....there it was...tone perfection. (I think this is where the top notch "recorded sound" in all the reviews comes from, no?)
They sound great through my 2x10, too. This weekend they get to push the 810E around. I can't wait!
These things are ridiculously good for the price. DEAD QUIET and thick. Smoove top end. Not for everyone...but DAMN!
Thanks again, SMASH!
Thanks SMASH for the super thread and all the info. You were right on about the Nordstrand NJ4 pups. Ive been gassing for a set of NJ4s and/or DiMarzio Model Js to put in my MIA Deluxe Fretless J bass, since Ive stumbled unto your thread (of course Im always gassing for something, at least this was a fairly cheap GAS). Anyway, I found a MIM Fretless J bass with Nordstrand NJ4s in it for sale on TB, and at a price, that if I would have bought a new set of NJ4 pups, left the bass costing only $100. Well - I couldnt pass that up (Thanks slamzilla), plus I had been looking for a cheap bass to play with, trying out some mods, so as not to screw with(up) my good MIA. So, when I get the bass in, I cant wait to check it out. I plug it in to my new Ampeg SVPCL (Thanks lo-end) Well ????? NOT what I expected. Where were the lows? Huumm???? The strings I forgot - it was strung with D'Addario XL Picolos. I started to pull my TI Jazz Flats off my MIA J bass, but no, I had a set of GHS Precision SS Flats somewhere. I put those on the new to me J and WOOOHH! 
I didnt know a MIM J could make those sounds. Those pups are nice.
Your description hit the mark. I want to pull them and put them in my MIA J, but no, I want to get a set of Model Js and try them first, and then maybe switch them around to see what happens. I also want to try some different strings, maybe some LaBellas as well as the TI Flats. Between all the different string, pup and bass combinations this could be fun (not to mention amps).
Thanks again, SMASH for steering me in the right direction!
I didnt know a MIM J could make those sounds. Those pups are nice. Your description hit the mark. I want to pull them and put them in my MIA J, but no, I want to get a set of Model Js and try them first, and then maybe switch them around to see what happens. I also want to try some different strings, maybe some LaBellas as well as the TI Flats. Between all the different string, pup and bass combinations this could be fun (not to mention amps). Thanks again, SMASH for steering me in the right direction!
Well guys, I just wanted to add a dark horse contender to this PU showdown. I have been through the Nordies, the Aero's, the Duncans, Van Zandt, Kent Armstrong, Lane Poor, EMG classic...I just got a send of Bart Classic Bass humcancellers (CBJD) and I think I've found my jazz pickups. They are very musical...not nearly as brash as the Aero's or honky as the Nordstrand humcancellers, and they have plenty of top end to spare. I can't really think of any playing style they wouldn't suit. Just wanted to spread the love!
Plus, they are an insane bargain at $110 a set.
Plus, they are an insane bargain at $110 a set.
After reading this entire thread, I ordered a set of DiMarzio DP123 JB pickups for my Carvin LB20. Don't get me wrong: I've always liked the round tone of the stock pickups...but recently I've been wanting more personality. The DMs came yesterday. I spent maybe an hour installing them (the neck pickup required a small amount of filing to get it to fit), then strung it up and plugged it in.
Wow. What a great sound! I didn't know what I was missing.
One thing not covered in the instructions: the pickups were different lengths (not by much, maybe 1/4"), and were labeled with a part number ending in "L" for the longer one and "S" for the shorter one. I installed the short one in the neck slot, on the theory that the string spacing would be narrower, and everything works fine.
Anyhow, thank you, Smash.
Wow. What a great sound! I didn't know what I was missing.
One thing not covered in the instructions: the pickups were different lengths (not by much, maybe 1/4"), and were labeled with a part number ending in "L" for the longer one and "S" for the shorter one. I installed the short one in the neck slot, on the theory that the string spacing would be narrower, and everything works fine.
Anyhow, thank you, Smash.
Standard Jazz Bass pickup sized are 3.73" bridge and 3.62" neck, most jazz bass routes are those sizes. There are some exceptions, but that's the norm for 4 string. When you get to 5 string, there's no one standard J size.lpdeluxe said:
That's what I concluded, even though the Carvin pickups are the same size. Thanks for the information...I'd think DiMarzio would mention the difference in the installation instructions, but in the end, no harm was done.
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