Most versatile noiseless jazz bass pickups?

[Doug Parent]

So many great choices out there. The Barts are great really smooth but a pre-amp will take them to new territory. The EMG's are really an interesting alternative, I'm using them more than my Fender SCN's and prefer them over the Nordies these days. Just tame the high end with passive roll off and you are golden.

 

[snake23]

Lace Alumi-j are super quiet.

 

[maurilio]

I want to be able to play everything from Tame Impala to Periphery on these mofos. I have a Geddy Lee signature jazz bass and I like it but I would like noiseless pickups with a bit more bottom and mids, however I don't want completely dead warm pickups. Right now I'm looking into Dimarzios, mostly the Model J because people seem to like it a lot and it's inexpensive and I enjoy the Model P that I threw into my Squier Classic Vibe P-bass. However, they might be too bottom oriented to me and lacking in highs. I'm really looking for a very balanced set of noiseless pickups that can provide every tone possible, which could be asking too much. Anyhoo, recommend away and thank you!

The Nordstrand NJ4SE have articulate lows with punchy low mids, not as sparkly as the SV, but clear highs...

 

[srcTW]

I have the RJ Neo Vintage Vibes in my custom Muckelroy bass. They are truly dead silent.

 

[EZ9R]

Aguilar pickups are great. I have a set of the noiseless split in one jazz bazz. Definitely check out Curtis Novak. I called him and said I wanted a Jazz pickup sound like a pre CBS '62 ala Jaco because I like to solo the bridge pickup majority of the time. The best Jazz pickups I've ever heard.

 

[J03YW]

Just bought a set of Area Js. Thanks for the help, now its time to find a better amp!

 

[Mike Sorr]

I'm also looking to swap out the pickups in my American Special Jazz and have been playing around with the idea of Duncan SJB-3s. I play mostly hard rock, but sometimes and called in to do some roots reggae work. Most of my rock stuff tends towards the prog rock gritty bass sounds of Squire, Geddy, Pinnick and Stater, but I like a traditional sound when called for as well. Any suggestions?

 

[Rusty G String]

Sounds to me like you need more knobs on your bass. You might need stacked knobs and a preamp, not just pickups.

 

[Mike Sorr]

I have an Precision Bass Special that I use for some of the more mellow stuff. I got the Jazz Bass for the more Geddyesqe gritty stuff that I play. I prefer passive over active.

 

[totalnoob]

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I'm looking for precisely the opposite: a humbucking J-pickup that is very dark, very "humbucker"-like. Does such a thing exist?

 

[iiipopes]

Seymour Duncan Apollo. This pickup was designed by SD's head of R&D, Kevin Beller, who not only has his engineering degree, but has been playing J-basses, including all the golden era basses, for decades. He knows what a noiseless pickup needs to do to get as close to a vintage J-bass tone as possible, and that was the whole reason for the development of this pickup. You can find demo and comparison videos all over Youtube.