P-ish Jazz pickup other than Model J

[Eilif]

I haven't tried the Model J so not sure how they compare, but the Dimarzio Ultra J pickups can be similar to a P with the neck solo and tone rolled off.

The Ultra J are quite similar to Sadowsky pickups. Very bright and punchy. But as you say, you can get something of a bright P-bass tone with soloed and tone rolled off. I bet in series it would be a punchy deep monster.

I've got a Tagima Jazz bass that plays great, but needs some more sonic punch. The current pickups are generic "vintage" J's and lack punch.

I generally play with flats, and I play a Mustang with my band, but I practice on the JB and would like to gig with it too, as it's a very smooth player.

The main thing I'm looking for is a more powerful, punchier neck pickup with a slightly P-ish sound. I know that the Model J is the default for that kind of thing, but I may want something brighter to go with flats and a bass that's not the brightest.

I also want to keep it under $150-200 for the set, because that's what the bass itself is worth.

I really think you should try a series parallel switch with the stock pickups first. A push-pull pot is like 15 bucks and there's a pictorial wiring diagram on Semour Duncan's website. It will give you plenty of punch and if you want some more snap you could get some stainless steel strings.

I've put Series-parallel switches on at least 4 jazz basses and never regretted it. Two cheap pickups in series often sound better than the sum of their parts.

All that said, I played alot of country music with a Jazz bass with Model J's and a series parallel switch.

 

[Eilif]

I haven't tried the Model J so not sure how they compare, but the Dimarzio Ultra J pickups can be similar to a P with the neck solo and tone rolled off.

The Ultra J are quite similar to Sadowsky pickups. Very bright and punchy. But as you say, you can get something of a bright P-bass tone with soloed and tone rolled off. I bet in series it would be a punchy deep monster.

I've got a Tagima Jazz bass that plays great, but needs some more sonic punch. The current pickups are generic "vintage" J's and lack punch.

I generally play with flats, and I play a Mustang with my band, but I practice on the JB and would like to gig with it too, as it's a very smooth player.

The main thing I'm looking for is a more powerful, punchier neck pickup with a slightly P-ish sound. I know that the Model J is the default for that kind of thing, but I may want something brighter to go with flats and a bass that's not the brightest.

I also want to keep it under $150-200 for the set, because that's what the bass itself is worth.

I really think you should try a series parallel switch with the stock pickups first. A push-pull pot is like 15 bucks and there's a pictorial wiring diagram on Semour Duncan's website. It will give you plenty of punch and if you want some more snap you could get some stainless steel strings.

I've put Series-parallel switches on at least 4 jazz basses and never regretted it. Two cheap pickups in series often sound better than the sum of their parts.

All that said, I played alot of country music with a Jazz bass with Model J's and a series parallel switch.

 

[J-Mags]

After messing around with the EQ, I'm not sure
whether it's the low mids I'm really after. A little bump mighty be nice, but It's more like punch and presence, and just a bit of upper mids.

I have 6 instruments, and the pickups in 5 of them are stock. I'm not a reflexive pickup swapper. The only time I change them is on cheaper instruments where I'm getting a vibe that if I just put better pickups on it, it would be a better instrument.

 

[TonyP-]

I can think of anything other then model Js unless you wire your pickups in series (Believe me I’ve done a boatload of experimentation in this area)

The only other remote possibility is getting an idea preamp and using the Low Z mode.
However it will not exactly be the same.
The low Z mode sounds pretty close to just wiring in series.
Man Model J is still your best bet.

 

[sonojono]

I can think of anything other then model Js unless you wire your pickups in series (Believe me I’ve done a boatload of experimentation in this area)

The only other remote possibility is getting an idea preamp and using the Low Z mode.
However it will not exactly be the same.
The low Z mode sounds pretty close to just wiring in series.
Man Model J is still your best bet.

+1 on the Audere

 

[Deleted member 271037]

You won't get 100% there without physically moving the pickup but the Seymour Duncan Apollo is as close as I've personally gotten to a P-bass with a J-bass neck pickup. I've never tried the Model J though so I have no idea if it will get you closer.

 

[Joybass]

With series wiring you will get more volume but loose highs. I would suggest 500Kohm volume pots and bypassing the tone pot. Cheap mod and probably satisfactory.
If not needed you could disconnect the bridge pickup (and take its volume pot out of the loop) and wire the neck pickup like a p-bass (pickup to outer lug, inner lug to output jack).

 

[Yahboy]

How about mod your takima J to PJ bass??

 

[jeff62]

Before you invest in new pickups, try adjusting your EQ first. Run your bass EQ flat or close to it. Then boost your low-mids just a bit. Anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz will give you great presence and definition in the mix with your group. If you add too much boost to the low mids, you sound will honk at you. Just turn it down bit-by-bit until the honk goes away. Then, if that doesn't give you the punch you're looking for, start looking at new pickups.

***NOTE*** These recommendations presume you are running both volumes plus the tone control turned all the way up using a passive Jazz Bass.

This. And you might try raising the height of the pickup since you are complaining about a lack of punch.

 

[JoeDoe]

Bartolini B-axis is one that I thought copped the P sound well enough.

 

[J-Mags]

This. And you might try raising the height of the pickup since you are complaining about a lack of punch.

This I've actually done! It helped, but not enough. After listening to samples and messing around with my bass, I think that what I'm looking for is simply a kickier JB pickup, which would be just about anything, rather than aping a P-Bass sound.

The pickup on my other bass (the one that's getting "my" sound) is just a Duncan Designed Mustang pickup. It's not a highly-regarded P-Bass PU with luscious mids.

The Apollos do sound amazing to me, although a bit expensive.

 

[iiipopes]

I haven't tried the Model J so not sure how they compare, but the Dimarzio Ultra J pickups can be similar to a P with the neck solo and tone rolled off.

Different ears perceive differently. I have an Ultra Jazz in the bridge of one of my basses, and to my ears, it is so scooped that no amp could never get the mids up to P-territory.

 

[TonyP-]

Different ears perceive differently. I have an Ultra Jazz in the bridge of one of my basses, and to my ears, it is so scooped that no amp could never get the mids up to P-territory.

I feel the same way about the Ultra...Its great pickup if you want to do that Marcus Miller thing...
I wish to hell the Model J came in a 5 string set.

 

[J-Mags]

Different ears perceive differently. I have an Ultra Jazz in the bridge of one of my basses, and to my ears, it is so scooped that no amp could never get the mids up to P-territory.

Yeah the videos I saw had more lows and less mids than I'd want. Nearly all the other split hums sounded like they'd do the trick including other Dimarzio, EMG, SD Apollo, etc.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

I recently picked up a FGN that runs passive Seymour Duncan Quater Pounders (J neck / MM bridge). It's more passive P-bass than jazz in tone IMHO. The tone is definitely not "thin" by any means. At $69 per pickup or $129 for a set, they're fairly reasonable cost-wise.

The FGN does have the push/pull series parallel option, which combined with the quarter pounders, is too much output for my taste in most cases.

 

[39-Bassist]

S.D. STK-2J's

 

[TonyP-]

The FGN does have the push/pull series parallel option, which combined with the quarter pounders, is too much output for my taste in most cases.

With those pickups in series, the lower mids would be out of control in an unpleasant way, with a huge gain spike. Yeah I can totally see that.

 

[pbassnut]

I've got a Tagima Jazz bass that plays great, but needs some more sonic punch. The current pickups are generic "vintage" J's and lack punch.

I generally play with flats, and I play a Mustang with my band, but I practice on the JB and would like to gig with it too, as it's a very smooth player.

The main thing I'm looking for is a more powerful, punchier neck pickup with a slightly P-ish sound. I know that the Model J is the default for that kind of thing, but I may want something brighter to go with flats and a bass that's not the brightest.

I also want to keep it under $150-200 for the set, because that's what the bass itself is worth.

Here ya go ...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

... these are humbucking 50's style P pickups housed in J shells. Here's a good demo of them by Andy Irvine ...

 

[andrus108]

Model J will be bright enough (since you chose flats for that bass, I assume you don't aim for zingy and chimy), especially if you chose your pot values wisely. They're a standard for this very goal, and for a reason.

+1

While I haven't done it with Model J, I'm running Model P direct to output jack, and there is PLENTY of top end, and I read so many opinions saying that it's a good but dark pickup. Then someone mentioned using higher value pots. I imagine the same to be with Model J; use 500k-1Meg pot, or even none at all, and it'll be plenty bright.

 

[sunbeast]

Model J is the obvious choice, and you can find sets for cheap regularly since they've been around since the 70s and are all over the place. You'll definitely want to use 500K pots with them to retain more highs (they would be dark pickups put directly into a traditional Jazz harness with 250K pots), and you can also experiment with running the split coils of each pickup in parallel rather than series which will dramatically change the character of a soloed pickup away from the low-mid character and towards a more high-mid/treble character while still retaining decent punch (kinda surprised more people don't try this with the Model Js since they are 4-conductor pickups).

If you just want more heft from a J pickup then most split-coils will do. My favorites thus far for a convincing J tone with just a "little more" are the Nordstrand NJ4SEs, which I also run with 500K pots.