P+J configuration: why jazz bridge pup is WAY weaker?!

[Kelpie]

Hi guys,

I use a Di Marzio Will Power Middle on my p-bass and love it. I then decided to add a jazz bridge pup and I went for an UltraJazz bridge pup. On the DiMarzio website looks like this has a higher output then the WP but when solo'd it has almost half the volume and when I put both pups on,i barely notice the difference but the volume going lower....does anyone have any idea what is wrong?

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[LoveThatBass]

Try reversing the leads from the Jazz pickup

 

[line6man]

Here's a theory. If the bridge pickup has a higher output, then perhaps it also has a higher impedance. If this is the case then placing a lower impedance pickup parallel to it would reduce its output significantly, because of the impedance drop. Does the issue go away if you turn down the neck pickup's volume just a tad?

 

[iiipopes]

Welcome to the world of P/J pickup configurations. P pickups tend to have more output because there is more wire, they are series wired, there is less resistance for the inductance due to the coil geometry, and most importantly, there is more string excursion over the pickup, inducing more signal. When combined with a Jazz bridge pickup, it has less wire, is more mid oriented due to the coil configuration and the resulting higher impedance for the given resistance of the coil, and again, most importantly, there is less string excursion near the bridge, and therefore less induced signal. I would lower the Will Power pickup a little bit and raise the UltraJazz a little bit. I use the UltraJazz for the bridge pickup on my P/J custom bass, and it works just fine, even with a .01 inline capacitor to the wiper of its volume control to eliminate the impedance drop when both pickups are dimed together.