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looking to get more punch or aggression from my ibanez MDM1605

S

shalev98732

Nov 13, 2022
183
58
#1
so i got the new jazz bass ibanez mode series, and the neck and preamp are abosultley great, the preamp is veyr versatile, and the neck is starting to become my favorite neck on a bass sop far.
but compared to other basses i own it lacks punch and agression, my top example is mtd kignston sartoga deluxe 5 (from when they still made those with 24 frets, heard the new ones dont have them) that bass just sounds punchy and agressive, also some charvel bass, i forgot the model but it has the diamrzio model j and its also very punchy.
now before anyone mentions strings, i tried different brand stainless steel roundwounds, i tried different eq, different amp settings, different compressor settings, i just cant get that bass to be as punchy as them, which is usually weird because i pluck very hard
now my ibanez is a 5 string, idk if i should switch the preamp (i really like the current one and hwo evrsatile it is), or the pickups for something else, i need recommendations or advice, so far i heard about aero pickups (their type 1, or their pj pickup), the geddy lee jazz from tombrantleyrewind and the seymour duncan quarter pounder, my friend said i should try putting in emg or mec electronics, but i only expirienced their p pickups.
 
#2
Also i asked the guys at nordstrand they said they got something called the el camino which is a nj5 or nj5se thats overwound they said it get me close to model j, but idk if anyone here has experience with it, when i looked it up i saw some people in this forum talked about it.
 
#3
my guitar tech handed me a bass with dimarzio ultra jazz 5 after i sent in my bass for a setup and pickup measurement and told me i should try ultra jazz 5 on my bass, or the nordstrand big j warm and wooly variant, the dimarzio ultra jazz 5 are definitely punchier and more agressive almost like a p bass, but does anyone here have expirience with the nordstrand big j?
 
#4
shalev98732 said:
my guitar tech handed me a bass with dimarzio ultra jazz 5 after i sent in my bass for a setup and pickup measurement and told me i should try ultra jazz 5 on my bass, or the nordstrand big j warm and wooly variant, the dimarzio ultra jazz 5 are definitely punchier and more agressive almost like a p bass, but does anyone here have expirience with the nordstrand big j?
Click to expand...

Since you mentioned the "Warm & Wolly" variant, I assume you mean the Big J Blades. I got a set installed a couple of weeks ago in my Sandberg TT-5, and I think they're excellent. They sound a little thicker and fatter than conventional J-bass pickups, but still have plenty of treble and clarity IMO, and the radius of the blades provides great string-to-string balance. I've been very happy with them so far. You would probably want the 20" radius blades in the Ibanez, because its 12" fretboard radius is similar to my Sandberg's 14" radius.

Unlike your stock pickups and the DiMarzios, the Big J Blades are true single coils, so they are susceptible to hum when you don't have the pickups at the same volume.
 
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#5
Nedmundo said:
Since you mentioned the "Warm & Wolly" variant, I assume you mean the Big J Blades. I got a set installed a couple of weeks ago in my Sandberg TT-5, and I think they're excellent. They sound a little thicker and fatter than conventional J-bass pickups, but still have plenty of treble and clarity IMO, and the radius of the blades provides great string-to-string balance. I've been very happy with them so far. You would probably want the 20" radius blades in the Ibanez.

Unlike your stock pickups and the DiMarzios, the Big J Blades are true single coils, so they are susceptible to hum when you don't have the pickups at the same volume.
Click to expand...
The radius on the ibanez is 12, so 20 may be too much, i thought noedstrand reverse wound their pickups and wax potted them so hum shouldnt be a big issue
 
#6
shalev98732 said:
The radius on the ibanez is 12, so 20 may be too much, i thought noedstrand reverse wound their pickups and wax potted them so hum shouldnt be a big issue
Click to expand...
The radius of the pickups' poles or blades should be larger than the fretboard radius, because the radius of the strings flattens out as you get closer to the bridge. My Sandberg's 14" radius is similar to the 12" on the Ibanez, and I get decent balance with the 20" radius blades. Nordstrand offers 14" radius blades, which I think are for vintage 7.5" radius fretboards or Fender's usual 9.5". They might work fine with a 12" radius. I don't know, but you could ask Nordstrand which they would recommend.

Nordstrand does reverse wind their single coil pickups, but the pickups need to be at the same volume to prevent single coil hum, just like regular RWRP J-bass pickups. The DiMarzios are completely hum-canceling. Hum hasn't been a major issue where I play, but I think the room doesn't have much interference because single-coil guitars aren't bad in there either.
 
#7
shalev98732 said:
my guitar tech handed me a bass with dimarzio ultra jazz 5 after i sent in my bass for a setup and pickup measurement and told me i should try ultra jazz 5 on my bass, or the nordstrand big j warm and wooly variant, the dimarzio ultra jazz 5 are definitely punchier and more agressive almost like a p bass, but does anyone here have expirience with the nordstrand big j?
Click to expand...
Ultra J never sound like your guitar tech described ......

Sadly , Dimarzio dint make 5 string Model J .....
 
#9
Just out of curiosity, what size are the pickups in the Ibanez? From the options you've mentioned, I figure they're probably "Long/Long," i.e., both about 95mm in length. That's the size of the Big J Blades in my Sandberg, so some routing was required to fit the neck pickup. (Totally worth it.)
 
#10
Nedmundo said:
Just out of curiosity, what size are the pickups in the Ibanez? From the options you've mentioned, I figure they're probably "Long/Long," i.e., both about 95mm in length. That's the size of the Big J Blades in my Sandberg, so some routing was required to fit the neck pickup. (Totally worth it.)
Click to expand...
theyre shorter than the ones in my friend's fender for sure, i belive theyre either bartolini 59 size, but the bartolini support guy said they might be jv55 which is american fit size, ill take them to my guitar tech, he has more accurate tools to measure the size and let you know, but the neck is less wide than other jazz basses i tried and the string spacing is 18 mm and you can make it more narrow or widen it, so i think they are a narrower size
 
#11
shalev98732 said:
theyre shorter than the ones in my friend's fender for sure, i belive theyre either bartolini 59 size, but the bartolini support guy said they might be jv55 which is american fit size, ill take them to my guitar tech, he has more accurate tools to measure the size and let you know, but the neck is less wide than other jazz basses i tried and the string spacing is 18 mm and you can make it more narrow or widen it, so i think they are a narrower size
Click to expand...
Yeah, they're definitely not Fender size. Those are much longer, approximately 101mm neck and 104mm bridge. Most non-Fender five-string J pickups are about 95mm for both neck and bridge, but some are sized like four-string pickups (shorter neck pickup) and some are even longer than Fender size. So, for some basses like my Sandberg, finding suitable replacements can be a challenge.
 
#12
Nedmundo said:
Yeah, they're definitely not Fender size. Those are much longer, approximately 101mm neck and 104mm bridge. Most non-Fender five-string J pickups are about 95mm for both neck and bridge, but some are sized like four-string pickups (shorter neck pickup) and some are even longer than Fender size. So, for some basses like my Sandberg, finding suitable replacements can be a challenge.
Click to expand...
Yeah, prehaps you can ask in the mdm forum thread as i dont have a ruler at home
 
#13
My daughter wanted to go to the Lego store today, so I brought a ruler to the nearby GC, and my assumption was wrong. It looks like the Mode five-string pickups are Fender sized, about 101mm neck and 104mm bridge. That's good IMO, because it means several aftermarket models will fit.
 
#14
Nedmundo said:
My daughter wanted to go to the Lego store today, so I brought a ruler to the nearby GC, and my assumption was wrong. It looks like the Mode five-string pickups are Fender sized, about 101mm neck and 104mm bridge. That's good IMO, because it means several aftermarket models will fit.
Click to expand...
Probally means i wont go with dimarzio at all then, and idk if quarter pounders will fit, that narrows it down to bartolini or nordstrand, i did look into the b axis after i saw a couple of threads in talkbass talking about it and it seems nice.
 
#15
I replaced the stock Fender pickups on an American Standard Jazz Bass V (2010, all passive) with Aero Type 1s, more clarity than the Fenders for sure, but absolutely not in that "punch and agression" zone. Those Aeros are voiced like 60s jazz pickups.

EDIT: maybe the Aguilar Hot series ?


aguilaramp.com

Aguilar AG 5J-HOT 5-string Overwound Jazz Bass Pickup Set

Aguilar AG 5J-HOT 5-string Overwound Jazz Bass Pickup Set with it's larger 6mm magnets and overwound design give this pickup bit persanality with an edge.
aguilaramp.com aguilaramp.com
 
Last edited:
#16
LanciaY10 said:
I replaced the stock Fender pickups on an American Standard Jazz Bass V (2010, all passive) with Aero Type 1s, more clarity than the Fenders for sure, but absolutely not in that "punch and agression" zone. Those Aeros are voiced like 60s jazz pickups.

EDIT: maybe the Aguilar Hot series ?


aguilaramp.com

Aguilar AG 5J-HOT 5-string Overwound Jazz Bass Pickup Set

Aguilar AG 5J-HOT 5-string Overwound Jazz Bass Pickup Set with it's larger 6mm magnets and overwound design give this pickup bit persanality with an edge.
aguilaramp.com aguilaramp.com
Click to expand...

I think ill go with the bartolini b-axis they are mkre punchy and growly, after talking to bartolini support, i was already gonna get their preamp for the selectable mid switch and active/passive option, he recommended the b-axis and said it would be a bit brighter and more punchier and growlier, after hearing some sound clips i think i prefer it to the other options
 
#17
shalev98732 said:
Probally means i wont go with dimarzio at all then, and idk if quarter pounders will fit, that narrows it down to bartolini or nordstrand, i did look into the b axis after i saw a couple of threads in talkbass talking about it and it seems nice.
Click to expand...
Yeah, DiMarzio, for reasons I can't quite fathom, does not make five-string J pickups to fit Fenders. The Quarter Pounders will definitely fit though.

The Bartolini Bi-Axis looks great, but I don't like flush poles for J-bass pickups, especially on fives. I'm very picky about string-to-string balance, but maybe those Barts provide great balance with flush poles. Some pickups do.

Another option would be Bardens: J-Style Pickups for Jazz Basses - JBE Pickups

They definitely have more punch than standard-issue J-bass pickups, with zero noise, and the radius on the blades provides good string-to-string balance. I have a set that I used in a Fender Jazz V. I'd let them go for a good price, so if you're interested let me know.
 
#18
Nedmundo said:
Yeah, DiMarzio, for reasons I can't quite fathom, does not make five-string J pickups to fit Fenders. The Quarter Pounders will definitely fit though.

The Bartolini Bi-Axis looks great, but I don't like flush poles for J-bass pickups, especially on fives. I'm very picky about string-to-string balance, but maybe those Barts provide great balance with flush poles. Some pickups do.

Another option would be Bardens: J-Style Pickups for Jazz Basses - JBE Pickups

They definitely have more punch than standard-issue J-bass pickups, with zero noise, and the radius on the blades provides good string-to-string balance. I have a set that I used in a Fender Jazz V. I'd let them go for a good price, so if you're interested let me know.
Click to expand...
Whats their output level?
 
#20
shalev98732 said:
Whats their output level?
Click to expand...
I really don't know. I haven't used them in many years, but as I recall they were slightly hotter than the stock Fender pickups, probably comparable to Nordstrand's NJ5FS which I also used in that bass. The tone cuts through a mix, but the output isn't super hot. Given the humbucker configuration, they sound surprisingly traditional, but they do have some humbucker vibe. I've described them as two-thirds traditional J pickup mixed with one-third G&L MFD humbucker.
 

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