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"J" pickups discussion and comparisons.

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#161
spc said:
In response re: Lindy Fralin j pickups
I really don't like them one bit. This is my second set. The
first set went into a mighty mite body/ warmoth fretless J bass. Low E string sounded like a piano, but the top end response was simply awful to my ears. Clacky, sizzly, very tough to tame, a ton of finger noise and squeak.
The second set came in a Lakland Joe Osborn that I purchased a while ago. (It's fretless now-done by Pedulla, coated board) They sounded ok with the frets, still too much treble for my taste, but they sound terrible now that it's fretless. I thought I should love them because they are always described as THE vintage replacement, but no, I can't stand 'em. I put a set of Jason Lollar singles into the warmoth I mentioned, and that really did the trick. Very warm sounding, pleasing highs and mids. I also put another set into a fretted jazz,, and I think they sound great in there. Anybody else try Jason Lollar's stuff?
Click to expand...

Awesome thread -thanks Smash, et. al.

I have a Mike Lull M4V with Lindys in it, and I can see where you're coming from. When I first got the Lull, I didn't dig them at all. Very harsh and ganky. They are very noisy when not balanced, and I'm pretty sure this bass is well-shielded. Mike does a pretty good job on his work.

I've used them for a while, and for the music I'm playing (rock, sometimes with a pick), they sound pretty darn good in the mix. They cut well and have a good bite. I always run both pickups wide open though since I still think they're too noisy soloed - even in the mix. Buzzz. I would think these are a very bad choice for fretless, but I'm not speaking from experience.

I'm interested in replacements - Nordies, Bart CB's, Antiquities. Anyone specifically replaced the Lull Lindys with one of the aforementioned pups?
 
#163
Ok. So after being a Ric Person for a while I made the Fender Switch with the new Jaguar Bass (Hard not to if you ask me). Anyways, getting to the point...I happen to have some jazz bass pickups from the 80's (got them on eBay and they seem to be perfect.) According to the seller, they are "8K" "hot and punchy". I sort of know what that means, but my real question is this: Should i replace my pickups? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current pickups. but if you are like me, then you may be a very picky tone freak and a person who likes things tweaked a lot. the current they are the vintage single coil jazz pickups. Could anyone give me the specs on the vintage single coils? Don't get me wrong I like my jaguar tone a lot (i have already messed with strings, put a badass II on it, etc) but just want to know what the result would be if i switched the pickups. I do like a punchier tone (but not too active, if that makes sense). Ok. enough rambling...i'll try to be simple...which are better 80's jazz bass pickups (with the white covers..if that helps any), or the standard vintage single coil pickups that come stock on the new jag basses? I am no pickup expert and and often confused by them and would appreciate any advice.
 
#164
Hi Smash,

First of all, thanks for all of your hard work on this thread. It has been a big influence on a couple of decisions I've made recently. I decided to go with the Daryl Jones Skyline due to the inclusion of Aero type 1s that were so well reviewed here.

When it came time to buy a MIA Fender Jazz, I had an idea that the stock p'ups weren't going to hang. I wanted a bass that had a different tone from the DJ's agressive sound, so I deiced to try some Bartolini 9J1s. Here are my opinions...

Warmth: 4.5
Clarity: 4
Output: 4
Punch: 4.5
Recorded Sound: n/a
Amplified Sound: 4.5
Value: 5

The 9J1 pickups are hum cancelling J bass replacements. I still prefer the sound of single coils, but these are close enough in overall tone to allow for comparison. Of course it's nice to solo either pickup without hum. But I also noticed that the typical relative volume settings that a lot of jazz bass owners use sound very much like they do with single coils. To explain, using single coils I usually back off of the neck pup a quarter turn to get that burpy sound. Favoring the neck pup gives you an edgy bark. Happily, the same thing worked with the Bartolinis. Oh yeah, and no hum. :)

The sound of the 9J1 pair was typical Bart: warm and extremely punchy with pronounced lows and low mids and smooth but present highs. As far as value goes, these are about $100 cheaper than the Nordy hummers, and while they don't have the vintage vibe going for them, they certainly do a great job of giving a bassist lots of usable, enjoyable tones.:hyper:
 
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#165
jobo4 said:
Hi Smash,

First of all, thanks for all of your hard work on this thread. It has been a big influence on a couple of decisions I've made recently. I decided to go with the Daryl Jones Skyline due to the inclusion of Aero type 1s that were so well reviewed here.

When it came time to buy a MIA Fender Jazz, I had an idea that the stock p'ups weren't going to hang. I wanted a bass that had a different tone from the DJ's agressive sound, so I deiced to try some Bartolini 9J1s. Here are my opinions...

Warmth: 4.5
Clarity: 4
Output: 4
Punch: 4.5
Recorded Sound: n/a
Amplified Sound: 4.5
Value: 5

The 9J1 pickups are hum cancelling J bass replacements. I still prefer the sound of single coils, but these are close enough in overall tone to allow for comparison. Of course it's nice to solo either pickup without hum. But I also noticed that the typical relative volume settings that a lot of jazz bass owners use sound very much like they do with single coils. To explain, using single coils I usually back off of the neck pup a quarter turn to get that burpy sound. Favoring the neck pup gives you an edgy bark. Happily, the same thing worked with the Bartolinis. Oh yeah, and no hum. :)

The sound of the 9J1 pair was typical Bart: warm and extremely punchy with pronounced lows and low mids and smooth but present highs. As far as value goes, these are about $100 cheaper than the Nordy hummers, and while they don't have the vinatge vibe going for them, they certainly do a great job of giving a bassist lots of usable, enjoyable tones.:hyper:
Click to expand...

Very cool - thanks. I'd love to hear how the classic Barts compare to the "regular" Barts.
 
#166
I like the info you've come up with here. Interesting! I have a Standard Jazz Bass fretless with BadAss II bridge, GHS Boomer 45-100 strings and Bartollini pick-ups behind it all. I like these pick-ups because they got rid of the annoying buzz that came with the originals. They also gave me a great increase in my mid and high end tone. That was a major reason I purchased them. I love having bright mids and highs, so they worked out for me. They didn't really give a better tone increase for the lows, but it still sounds good. They were easy to install and didn't cost too much; can't remember price off hand, but it wasn't bad. All in all, they're good.
 
#169
I put Custom Shop 60's in my Jazz and played a gig this weekend. WOW, these are nice! The bass is alder/rosewood.
About the pups:
The workmanship is only so-so. One of the polepieces on the bridge pup is about a mm lower than the others. Also, the polepieces are long and extended above the covers, so I put some weatherstripping inside the covers. This is a minor thing.
Now the good news:
They come with brass grounding plates. The bridge plate has the strip that extends to the bridge for a true 60's look.
In my bass, these things are very quiet for single coils.
Of all the basses I've played over the last 30 years, this is the quietest single coil bass I've played. Now, the bass is fully shielded with copper, as before, and I also used the grounding plates. I also gave the w/b leads a gentle twist (one per inch). This bass now runs much quieter than it did with the original Fender pups.
Output on these things is a bit hotter than stock and they are much punchier in a warm, fuzzy, vintage way. Playing through the Ampeg B100r, I got a true vintage tone. This bass now has the old Fender tone. There is plenty of bottom, growl and a clear midrange that really cuts through. Are these pups as good as Antiquities, Fralins or anything else. I don't care. They sound damn good for $100.
 
#171
hi all, and help!!!
my barts 9j with an emg btc have a very middy sound on my mij 75 ri (ash/maple)...
I plan to replace those pickups for a deep, punchy vintage-like sound: antiquity2, modelj, cs60, other models like fralins, nordstrand by ordering at bestbassgear...
I don't know witch one to choose, considering the btc and the ash/maple combo, but por favor, I want a low end..!
 
#173
toranabass said:
hi all, and help!!!
my barts 9j with an emg btc have a very middy sound on my mij 75 ri (ash/maple)...
I plan to replace those pickups for a deep, punchy vintage-like sound: antiquity2, modelj, cs60, other models like fralins, nordstrand by ordering at bestbassgear...
I don't know witch one to choose, considering the btc and the ash/maple combo, but por favor, I want a low end..!
Click to expand...

oooooooooppppppsss..!

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164055&highlight=custom+shop+60's

:D just have to replace sadowski with "mij 75 ri":D

another cs60 set sold in the next days.

great topic!
 
#174
I just put together a jazz bass project and I used an EMG BQC preamp (compatible with passive pickups/18volt) and DiMarzio UJ's and it seems like the output is lower than my other basses. The UJ's sound good but I expected more headroom with an 18volt preamp. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
#177
Speaking of J pickups (not a thread hi-jack), I've just picked up a set of Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups to stick in my MIM fender jazz bass, and the only "snag" i've run into is the foam on the bottom of the stock fender pickups. The instructions say that I need new foam, but slightly thinner.

What have you guys used as the foam on the bottom of the J-bass pickups/pickup routes?
 
#179
daveyboy37 said:
Speaking of J pickups (not a thread hi-jack), I've just picked up a set of Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups to stick in my MIM fender jazz bass, and the only "snag" i've run into is the foam on the bottom of the stock fender pickups. The instructions say that I need new foam, but slightly thinner.

What have you guys used as the foam on the bottom of the J-bass pickups/pickup routes?
Click to expand...

mouse pad foam works great...i like the thicker type but you can stack up layers if you only have access to the thin type of mouse pads.. the mouse pad foam does not compress as easily as regular foam and keeps your PU in place
 
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