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Jaco bridge pickup mod?

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by ognihs, Jul 5, 2013.

  1. Jul 5, 2013 #1
    ognihs

    ognihs

    May 18, 2013
    I just picked up a squier jaguar ss, which seems to be a pretty neat little bass, outside of the wimpy j pickup (this one has a duncan sjb-1b but still lacks punch). the guitar tech i spoke with recommended a "jaco mod." he described this as taking two jazz bridge pickups and stacking them together to make a humbucker that splits into single coil. He said it gives a killer solo sound and also plays very nicely with any p pickup.

    has anyone here heard of this or tried it out? I'm very interested in beefing this bass up. thanks!
     
  2. Jul 5, 2013 #2
    RedLeg

    RedLeg Supporting Member

    Jan 24, 2009
    Kaiserslautern, Germany
    Nov Shmoz Ka Pop?
    why not just get a %5 overwound j pickup?
     
  3. Jul 5, 2013 #3
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    I've never heard of anyone doing that, and there is definitely not enough room in the pickup cavity to do it, without making the route half an inch deeper. I can't imagine it sounding good, either. And furthermore, it's not going to humcancel.

    Just get a better pickup.
     
  4. Jul 5, 2013 #4
    Duckwater

    Duckwater

    May 10, 2010
    USA, Washington
    The Jaguar's bridge pickup is really far back by the bridge, I doubt it's meant to sound good soloed. Jaco's sound comes from a J pickup in the 60s position

    Compare these

    0328800509_2.jpg

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Jul 5, 2013 #5
    ognihs

    ognihs

    May 18, 2013
    wow that's a big difference in the pickup spacing. i'm not thrilled by how far back it is but i still think the bass can be a good contrast to my mustang. something with a slightly more modern sound that still retains vintage clarity.

    to clarify, i'm not trying to get a jaco tone, just a more powerful and usable tone from the jazz pickup. if i go with a hotter j, will it sound out of wack with the stock squier p? the dimarzio area p/j set looks like a good value, but i'm not a fan of ceramics. the duncan quarter pounder p/j set looks good too but i don't want to be in the same position i'm in now if the j can't keep up.

    i already know i have to change the pots since they're basically on/off switches. this should also help with tone (was thinking concentric pots and possibly switching the master tone to a mini toggle if i end up with 4 conductor pickups)
     
  6. Jul 5, 2013 #6
    ognihs

    ognihs

    May 18, 2013
    also, duckwater is the mother****ing man for putting that stevie wonder clip in his signature. excellent stuff man.
     
  7. Jul 6, 2013 #7
    Duckwater

    Duckwater

    May 10, 2010
    USA, Washington
    Thanks, Nathan Watts is really amazing.

    How do your P and J pickups sound when they're blended equally together? How about when you turn them both full up and drop the P pickup's volume by about 5-10%? My thoughts on the P/J Jaguar is that it's designed for the bridge pickup to work together with the P pickup to get good "P/J" sounds as opposed to totally accurate P or J bridge sounds. Usually this ends up with the bridge pickup sounding thin on it's own.

    Have you tried raising the pickup closer to the strings? If it still sounds weak, or if you aren't planning on using the pickups blended together anyways, I'd recommend getting a beefier bridge pickup.
     
  8. Jul 6, 2013 #8
    Jaco Taco

    Jaco Taco

    Jul 30, 2012
    This guitar tech sounds like an idiot. Jaco never stacked two J-bridge pickups together.
     
    Avezzano likes this.
  9. Jul 6, 2013 #9
    mikeswals

    mikeswals Supporting Member

    Nov 18, 2002
    Seattle / Tacoma
    Yup, it wasnt Jaco. It was Berry Oakley.
     
  10. Jul 6, 2013 #10
    JimmyM

    JimmyM Supporting Member

    Apr 11, 2005
    Apopka, FL
    Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
    You could give Jaco any bass with a bridge pickup anywhere and it would still sound like Jaco. You could have given him a Hofner and any amp and he would make it sound pretty close to what he normally sounds like within a few minutes.

    Anyway, back to the problem at hand, which has nothing to do with Jaco anyway ;) ...Common problem for the J pickup to be quieter since the output is quieter there. You can move the pickup closer to the strings but you get diminishing returns at some point. You could try a pickup that's a little hotter than your pickup. I have a DiMarzio Ultrajazz in my modded 76 Precision that works well with the Fender 60's CS P pickup next to it. There are other pickups that would work as well, but the Ultrajazz is one I dig.
     
  11. Jul 6, 2013 #11
    Duckwater

    Duckwater

    May 10, 2010
    USA, Washington
    Same goes for pretty much any player, the 60s Jazz position does has a distinct voice to it though.