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Need help? Which pickups to go with

Tjackson

Tjackson

Mar 23, 2019
476
409
#1
I have a Sire V-10 5 string that I want to replace pickups in. The reason is these single coils are so micro-phonic that I can't use either the bridge or neck pickup by itself, depending on what the power and lights are like in the place I am playing. so, which ones, I play most styles except slap... cause I can't do it.... lol

Delano
Nordstrand
Aguilar
????
Would single coils from aftermarket pickups not be so susceptible to dirty power or florescent lights?
 
#2
From my research: I like the sound of the Aguilars, I've seen a few vids on youtube and the Nordstrand's seem to be 'aggressive' sounding. I'm not familiar and have not checked the Delano or Bartolini pickups. I'm also looking to replace my pickups on my MTD Heir 5. Good Luck!
 
#4
mikewalker said:
Bartolini humbucking J pups are among the very best noise-reducing passive pups out there ( I have tested a large variety of different J-pups in extremely difficult noise-environments recently). They are very warm sounding though, so if you like much brighter tones I would bite the bullet and use EMG actives ( you will need a battery...)
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I am currently looking at the Bartolini line of p/ups and I do like the warm sound. I used EMG's before but I'm not into them anymore. Thanks for the tip.
 
#5
FREDDYKBASS said:
I am currently looking at the Bartolini line of p/ups and I do like the warm sound. I used EMG's before but I'm not into them anymore. Thanks for the tip.
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I had a set of Bartolini J's - maybe 9J1's or 9J4's? - and a Bart b/t preamp in a fretless project some years ago and loved pretty much everything about that bundle. The only reason I don't have that set of guts now is because I dropped them into a German Warwick Corvette and then sold it.

I respect EMG's stuff, but there's something about the response of their active pickups that's just not "right" for me. I've also enjoyed a couple different DiMarzio J pickups, but I'll be looking for an excuse to get back into the Bartolini realm sooner than later. Actually eyeballing different 2nd hand Tobias models - partly because I want to play one of those asymmetrical necks for a stretch, but also because so many of them are decked out with Bart electronics.
 
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#6
groove pump said:
I had a set of Bartolini J's - maybe 9J1's or 9J4's?
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9J would be the Original Series 4 string model. There would be a size/position code after the 9J, i.e. 9J-S1 is the neck position (s for "short") and 9J-L1 is the standard bridge position (L for long). They also made the 9J-SB1 (short bridge) and 9J-LN1 (long neck) sizes for Jazz basses with non-standard pickup sizes. This is probably the pickup model most people think of when they think "Bartolini Jazz" and it's probably one of my all time favorite bass pickups.

For dual coil noise cancelling pickups, they also currently have the "Classic Bass" series, 9CBJD, in both a normal (L1 and S1) and bright (L3 and S3) voicing. The classic bass series is more trebly in general and more modern sounding, and the "bright" voicing is even brighter still.

@FREDDYKBASS - if you're looking at Bartolinis and you want warm, you definitely want to stick with the 9J model. It's definitely warm, but it still has enough treble that it keeps it's definition, it doesn't sound woolly or muffled like some "warm" pickups do (unless you roll the treble way off!). The Classic series, especially the bright voicings, are much more punchy and in your face, I wouldn't really call them warm.
 
#7
dwizum said:
9J would be the Original Series 4 string model. There would be a size/position code after the 9J, i.e. 9J-S1 is the neck position (s for "short") and 9J-L1 is the standard bridge position (L for long). They also made the 9J-SB1 (short bridge) and 9J-LN1 (long neck) sizes for Jazz basses with non-standard pickup sizes. This is probably the pickup model most people think of when they think "Bartolini Jazz" and it's probably one of my all time favorite bass pickups.

For dual coil noise cancelling pickups, they also currently have the "Classic Bass" series, 9CBJD, in both a normal (L1 and S1) and bright (L3 and S3) voicing. The classic bass series is more trebly in general and more modern sounding, and the "bright" voicing is even brighter still.

@FREDDYKBASS - if you're looking at Bartolinis and you want warm, you definitely want to stick with the 9J model. It's definitely warm, but it still has enough treble that it keeps it's definition, it doesn't sound woolly or muffled like some "warm" pickups do (unless you roll the treble way off!). The Classic series, especially the bright voicings, are much more punchy and in your face, I wouldn't really call them warm.
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Thank you - fantastic insight :thumbsup:
 
#9
@dwizum, you seem to have played on several 9J's. How do they compare to the classic J sound? (or DiMarzio Area J's if you have had that experience) I'm wanting to use tapewounds, and dont want to go too far down warm/wooly path. I've played Labella Tapes on import barts (BH2's I think. on a BTB 5 string) and love it. I'm trying to do a similar J version of that on a Sire I'm trying to get my hands on. I'm looking to upgrade pickups because I hate hum/noise.
 
#10
Nords can be aggressive which means on bass they are lively and not easy to tame if you play all styles. But I certainly wouldn't want to try and damp them down because bass players love them out front. So much character and personality.

Delano's are modern but not at all offensive if you still want a vintage vibe.

From your description, I'd look at Fender Customs, Aguilar and maybe Barts but I'd still go singles and not h/c.
Maybe you need to look at shielding.

FWIW, the Sire pickups are actually, imv, one of the better things on those basses so get a tech to confirm your suspicions.
 
#11
pepj said:
Nords can be aggressive which means on bass they are lively and not easy to tame if you play all styles. But I certainly wouldn't want to try and damp them down because bass players love them out front. So much character and personality.

Delano's are modern but not at all offensive if you still want a vintage vibe.

From your description, I'd look at Fender Customs, Aguilar and maybe Barts but I'd still go singles and not h/c.
Maybe you need to look at shielding.

FWIW, the Sire pickups are actually, imv, one of the better things on those basses so get a tech to confirm your suspicions.
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They aren't humcanceling which is my issue. I like quiet. I have some hearing damage that causes me to be sensitive to loud, and high pitch. I have a tendency to turn everything as mellow because of this. So humm and other EMI is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I do not like harsh aggressive tone, but quiet and buttery is where it's at for me. That's why I'm comparing the Barts 9J (original not classic) to Dimarzio Area J's. The area J's come highly recommended from someone I trust, but I'm also very curious about the 9J. Supposed to be very quiet. Best sounding strat I've ever heard was loaded with barts. Nice and quiet too.

If YT didn't compress their sound quite as much, I might have found enough videos to answer my questions...
 
#13
crguti said:
single coil hum is not the same as microphonic. Just sayin'
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I'm aware. The barts are supposed to be good at shielding both. And again I like quiet, so that's why I'm asking to see if someone has tried both the Area J's and Bart 9J. I will say, "single coil hum" or 60 cycle hum (whatever you call it) is by far a bigger annoyance for me personally. I can learn to play with a light touch to overcome microphonic. hum you cannot fix with technique
 
#14
The 9J and Area J are similar to my ear, probably the closest from those two brands. The Area J strikes me as a little closer to a typical vintage J tone, while the barts are darker and clearer.

That said, describing tone with words is challenging! Your probably be happy with either.
 
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#15
dwizum said:
The 9J and Area J are similar to my ear, probably the closest from those two brands. The Area J strikes me as a little closer to a typical vintage J tone, while the barts are darker and clearer.

That said, describing tone with words is challenging! Your probably be happy with either.
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I think you nailed it. Area J's are great for a hum cancelling classic sound. Bart's are great too but You really need to get them close to the strings to sound their best.
 
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#16
dwizum said:
The 9J and Area J are similar to my ear, probably the closest from those two brands. The Area J strikes me as a little closer to a typical vintage J tone, while the barts are darker and clearer.

That said, describing tone with words is challenging! Your probably be happy with either.
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Thanks for the input. Since they seem to be similar in price, I may have to flip a coin. Based on your description, I'd probably be happy with either, and for slightly different reasons.
 
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#18
dwizum said:
Could always buy both and then sell the one you don't like in the classifieds!
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I'm too cheap for that. I'm one of those guys that will spend money on kids/wife, but feel guilty about spending to buy myself new socks...

Anyway... since I tend to prefer slightly darker strings like Tapewounds instead of rounds, I'm thinking the educated guess for me is the Area J's, so that I don't go too far down the dark path. Most demos are on rounds, so I have to factor that as well.
 
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#19
mrperkolator said:
...... I have a tendency to turn everything as mellow because of this. So humm and other EMI is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I do not like harsh aggressive tone, but quiet and buttery is where it's at for me.
.....
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Consider this though, imo.
If I had to recall typical bass players sounds on our circuit, I'd say only 3 guys sounds jump out as having any sort of character...the rest are variations of indistinct 'mush'... and I know or see/hear a lot of players.

It is a very common problem that bass players seem oblivious to.
 
#20
pepj said:
It is a very common problem that bass players seem oblivious to.
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context suggests you are not a bass player the way you wrote this. Kinda odd.

And there's plenty of info here on TB that shows many of us are aware of it. There are many reasons for mud. and many many discussions on how to attack it. Many different methods based on musical style.

Feel free to look into discussions on HPF, and other EQ stuff. Just because I like tapes and linear humbuckers to get rid of hum doesn't mean I'll be muddy in tone. One of the clearest and sweetest tone I've heard was an AFR with tapewounds.

A good HPF in particular will clean up mud a lot.
 

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