Jazz bass wired in series

[maturanesa]

Not really.

Traditionally and typically a J pickup will have much lower resistance than your typical humbucker pickup, and wiring 2 typical J pickups in series will typically not result in much higher resistance than that of a typical humbucker pickup.

In any case the cheer amount of people who like their J pickups wired in series, and the existence of double J pickups wired in series, ought to speak for it self, and debunk your claims, regardless of weather or not there is any truth to them from a technical point of view.

Humbuckers have 2 coils. The resistance is higher because two coils are wired in series. But each one of that coils is less winded than a J pickup. A J pickup is not a humbucker coil, its a single coil that is winded to run solo or in parallel

 

[TonyP-]

Jazz pickups are winded to run in parallel, both conected in series would result in a very high resistence, output, not clear sound.
In a humbucker, the two coils are wired in series but not winded as a J pickup

I would have to disagree with that.
Does this live recording not sound clear?

 

[maturanesa]

I would have to disagree with that.
Does this live recording not sound clear?

it doesnt have the audio quality required to analyze the difference between two jazz pickups running in parallel vs wired in series...

 

[JohnArnson]

Humbuckers have 2 coils. The resistance is higher because two coils are wired in series. But each one of that coils is less winded than a J pickup. A J pickup is not a humbucker coil, its a single coil that is winded to run solo or in parallel

You are free to believe what you want despite real life proof of the opposite.

You might not like the result personally, but plenty of people do and it is definitely a viable option, weather you like it or not.

Also from a strictly technical point of view try to look at the resistance chart of some typical true single coil J pickups with vintage windings and then for some typical humbucker pickups, and you'll find in many cases that the difference in resistance between those J pickups wired in series and your typical humbucker pickup won't be all that far from each other.

Of course there will be individual specific pickup models where this isn't true, but in general it will.

 

[jallenbass]

My jazz bass with Ultra J's in series mode sounds big and clear.

 

[JohnArnson]

My jazz bass with Ultra J's in series mode sounds big and clear.

If you had been able to hear as perfectly as Maturanesa you would realize that you were wrong.

However perfect hearing can make something appear less clear.

 

[TonyP-]

it doesnt have the audio quality required to analyze the difference between two jazz pickups running in parallel vs wired in series...

Ok fair enough...
Same song as a studio recording...
My I suggest headphones, ect...
I have several basses with Nordstrand Big Singles and they are all in series. The panpot is bypassed.

 

[mmon77]

I would have to disagree with that.
Does this live recording not sound clear?

Ok fair enough...
Same song as a studio recording...
My I suggest headphones, ect...
I have several basses with Nordstrand Big Singles and they are all in series. The panpot is bypassed.

Pretty hard to argue with those two tracks. I think that sounds bad@ss!

 

[CallMeAl]

You have to flip the hot and ground on one of the pickups in a PJ.

Oh, right, you are correct.

Sorry, for claiming otherwise, contributing to spreading false information.

I was under the impression (from other TB threads) that a PJ in series would be wired the same as Jazz in series. I’ve been working on it hard-wired, but it’s essentially the same path that a series/parallel switch would follow. this is what I tried:

Am I missing something?

 

[TonyP-]

Pretty hard to argue with those two tracks. I think that sounds bad@ss!

Thank You @mmon77
I appreciate it.

It took a while to figure out the main sound I was looking for in my own projects.

 

[Dan_reeves]

I was under the impression (from other TB threads) that a PJ in series would be wired the same as Jazz in series. I’ve been working on it hard-wired, but it’s essentially the same path that a series/parallel switch would follow. this is what I tried:
View attachment 3572418
Am I missing something?

From what I understand, this is the gist of it.

I wired my PJ like this for a brief moment. I decided I liked the P pickup on its own better than the two together. The J added something I didn't really like...hard to explain. I may try KBD's diagram above - see what it's like with two independent volumes. When I did it, it was one volume, one tone.

The additional variable for me was that the P pickup is a Dimarzio Split P, which I love. I have yet to find a bridge pickup that I like at all - I am not really into the Jaco-ish style tones that a typical bridge pickup produces. The bridge pickup I currently has is an Ultra J. Meh...its ok. I usually run the P full with J turned off. I ordered a tonestyler-type tone pot on eBay that is on it's way - going to try that next in a VVT to see what I think.

 

[NKBassman]

Ok fair enough...
Same song as a studio recording...
My I suggest headphones, ect...
I have several basses with Nordstrand Big Singles and they are all in series. The panpot is bypassed.

That sounds great Tony! That's still got heaps of top end bite for a series-wired jazz! Mine definitely doesn't sound like that. Maybe I should raise my bridge pickup back up a little .

 

[Jazz Ad]

You can use the schematics from a Danelectro Longhorn. It's a 2 pickup series arrangement with independant volumes and tones.

https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/dan04-jpg.3501573/

 

[CallMeAl]

From what I understand, this is the gist of it.

I wired my PJ like this for a brief moment. I decided I liked the P pickup on its own better than the two together. The J added something I didn't really like...hard to explain. I may try KBD's diagram above - see what it's like with two independent volumes. When I did it, it was one volume, one tone.

The additional variable for me was that the P pickup is a Dimarzio Split P, which I love. I have yet to find a bridge pickup that I like at all - I am not really into the Jaco-ish style tones that a typical bridge pickup produces. The bridge pickup I currently has is an Ultra J. Meh...its ok. I usually run the P full with J turned off. I ordered a tonestyler-type tone pot on eBay that is on it's way - going to try that next in a VVT to see what I think.

I prefer P pickups too. (I think this discussion came up in one of your Squier Mod threads.) my main instrument is a Precision, but I have this PJ lying around, I like to goof around with it, and also don’t want to dump a bunch of money into it!

I thought the PJ series might be a fun different sound from my main bass. Seems like I’ve got the right idea, and the hum was coming from elsewhere

 

[HolmeBass]

Jazz pickups are winded to run in parallel, both conected in series would result in a very high resistence, output, not clear sound.
In a humbucker, the two coils are wired in series but not winded as a J pickup

Exactly my experience: high output and a somewhat muddy almost wooly tone. Completely different than the mid-scoop you get in parallel. Also, instead of hum cancelling when both are full up, you get even more hum.

 

[NKBassman]

Exactly my experience: high output and a somewhat muddy almost wooly tone. Completely different than the mid-scoop you get in parallel. Also, instead of hum cancelling when both are full up, you get even more hum.

None of this fits with my experience at all, tbh. Series sound is still scooped like a Jazz bass, however with a much fatter low end and hotter output, And Still fully hum cancelling.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

instead of hum cancelling when both are full up, you get even more hum

If this is what you experienced, the pickups weren't balanced or something else was amiss.
Paired Jazz pickups have one that is reverse-wound, reverse-polarity from the other & they should act as a humbucker, whether in parallel or series.
What definitely does get noisier in Series is a P/J.

 

[UmamiBass]

Couldn't you wire in a bypass switch and introduce a capacitor into the bridge pickup? This will resist it slightly, and should act like you're dropping the volume, or at least darken its tone. Considering that you're throwing away one of the volume knobs, you'll have an extra hole on the jack plate, and since the missing potentiometer won't be resisting a pickup, you could be looking at an overall brighter sound, aside from the difference in parallel to series, that is.

 

[40Hz]

Couldn't you wire in a bypass switch and introduce a capacitor into the bridge pickup? This will resist it slightly, and should act like you're dropping the volume, or at least darken its tone. Considering that you're throwing away one of the volume knobs, you'll have an extra hole on the jack plate, and since the missing potentiometer won't be resisting a pickup, you could be looking at an overall brighter sound, aside from the difference in parallel to series, that is.

Capacitors don’t add resistance. In the type of circuit a bass uses you can change the upper frequency characteristics by either decreasing capacitance or increasing resistance in the circuit. So lower value capacitors or higher value pots will brighten up the overall sound.

 

[TonyP-]

That sounds great Tony! That's still got heaps of top end bite for a series-wired jazz! Mine definitely doesn't sound like that. Maybe I should raise my bridge pickup back up a little .

Thanks @NKBassman
I don’t think I can remember a time that my bridge pickup was not raised up higher then the neck pickup.