Need recommendations for replacement in a 76 Jazz bass

[Gecko 5]

I just bought a 76 Jazz bass. It came with EMG's.
It came with the original harness, but the original pickups are MIA
I'm looking for some recommendations for a replacement set of pickups
TYIA

 

[Malak the Mad]

I posted this at the Fender Jazz Bass Club, but re-posting here will get even more eyes on it.

I'm picturing a set of Delano JMVC4 FE/M2 split-coils in my head…the ones with the big Stingray-style slugs. Not only does the one I have in a J/MM bass sound pretty damn good, but having something with big humbucker poles in a bass made the same year MusicMan debuted is a tasty dose of irony!

 

[dune]

It's about time we got around to a thread about recommendations for replacement Jazz bass pickups.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I would get in touch with Lindy Fralins and follow his recommendations for the selection of the pickups that sound like the original ones, you can’t go wrong with him.

 

[DrBnz]

I dunno if we're gonna help you or not. What I mean is the question you asked always required that all responding members shout out they pickup that they have. Most have never done any comparison work at all. They just picked one based on some logic that they applied. I've always seen pickups in 2 categories.... 1. Ewwwww..... what's that? Typically very thin sounding and foreign. 2. Oh thats perfect - everybody should be using these. Fralin, Lollar, Dimarzio names get dropped a lot. But those are manuf names. Some brands have different models. Some are very "hot" or modern sounding pickups, others pursue the vintage sound. Only YOU will know the right one for you. You're gonna have to listen to a lot of videos and or try them yourself. But all we can do here is list your options. With all that said.... I use Fralin for J-bass and Lollar for P-bass.

 

[DanAdams]

Do you want it to sound like a 76 jazz bass? or might you prefer something else?

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Seymour Duncan antiquity ii’s. Look and tone wise, they’re pretty much identical copies to post 1964 jazz bass pickups. Only difference is that they’re hand wound by Seymour Duncan’s senior pickup winder MJ. They sound terrific, like a vintage jazz but way more even string to string volume.

 

[mpdd]

alleva coppolos

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

I have had Fender 75 Ri pickups as well as the Pure Vintage 74 Pickups, and I really like the 74’s.

I had a set of 74’s in a MIJ Classic series 70’s Jazz that I sold a few years ago, and I just put them in my recently acquired MIJ Heritage Jazz.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PUJB74PVSet--fender-pure-vintage-74-jazz-bass-pickup-set

 

[Malak the Mad]

You're gonna have to listen to a lot of videos and or try them yourself.

That's exactly how I came to love the pickups I've dropped into my Projekts, actual demos that reflect what you're buying. On the flip-side, there were a few I tried based solely upon their reputation among a lot of TB'ers that simply didn't do it for me…different strokes, I guess.

So, in the spirit of that ethos, here's a demo that helped me land on Bartolini B-Axis pickups for a couple of my Projekts.

With all that said.... I use Fralin for J-bass and Lollar for P-bass.

Ahh…there it is. See? You're not too different from the rest of us.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I just bought a 76 Jazz bass. It came with EMG's.
It came with the original harness, but the original pickups are MIA
I'm looking for some recommendations for a replacement set of pickups
TYIA

It seems like there are TONS of pickups out there and just as many surely well-intended recommendations. I don't want to get into the recommendation derby. LOL. But what I wanted to say is if I was looking for pickups, I could quite possibly like a whole bunch of pickups, and if I thought there might be a reasonable chance of trying more than one set of pickups, I might think about some solderless/quick change apparatus to make the process of finding my process of finding the absolute perfect Jazz Bass pickup set easier to install/remove. That's all.

 

[frankie5string]

I dunno if we're gonna help you or not. What I mean is the question you asked always required that all responding members shout out they pickup that they have. Most have never done any comparison work at all. They just picked one based on some logic that they applied. I've always seen pickups in 2 categories.... 1. Ewwwww..... what's that? Typically very thin sounding and foreign. 2. Oh thats perfect - everybody should be using these. Fralin, Lollar, Dimarzio names get dropped a lot. But those are manuf names. Some brands have different models. Some are very "hot" or modern sounding pickups, others pursue the vintage sound. Only YOU will know the right one for you. You're gonna have to listen to a lot of videos and or try them yourself. But all we can do here is list your options. With all that said.... I use Fralin for J-bass and Lollar for P-bass.

The "thin" and "foreign" you're thinking of are probably those decades out of date old Wilkinson pickups. Definitely had a few sets of those across my desk over the years. Roswell pickups, on the other hand, are hot as hell and have no problem with tone if you're on a bit of a budget.

On the other hand, I'd probably keep those EMGs that are in there...Those are basically great sounding pickups - but you have to keep them pretty close to the strings.

 

[80jazz]

Perhaps Fender CS 60s pickups?

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I just bought a 76 Jazz bass. It came with EMG's.
It came with the original harness, but the original pickups are MIA
I'm looking for some recommendations for a replacement set of pickups
TYIA

What kind of tone are you going for? Something as close to original as possible? Or are you looking for something different? What are the body and fretboard woods of your bass? (post a pic)

FWIW: When I acquired my vintage 1962 Jazz Bass, it too had EMGs in it, and it actually sounded quite good. But I wanted it to sound 'correct' so I went with a set of Lindy Frailn 10% overwound single coil pickups. Sounds freaking incredible now.

 

[Gecko 5]

Sorry, I guess my post was not clear enough.
So yesterday, the 76 Jazz bass (Olympic White) I got has the EMG's.
LAST week I got a 76 Jazz bass that is absolutely stock. 100%
THAT bass sounds amazing!!!
My first thought to replace the EMG's with was, Fralin, Nordstrand, or maybe Dimarzios.
I'm watching the money right until I recoup some funds.
Even if I put something in more... temporarily.
I was thinking Dimarzios to start. You can get a set of Ultra Jazz for under $200.
Then I would look into some Fralins more than likely

 

[Gecko 5]

Update.
I had a local luthier install a set of Dimarzio Ultras.
ONLY because I already had them sitting around.
Did not like them at all!! A little aggressive for my taste.
I went ahead and ordered a set of standard wind Fralins.
Just what I wanted. Keepers for sure.
Thanks for all the input