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Pickup Replacements

#21
IzakDavid said:
I miss spoke they have plenty of active pickup options just most are the solderless setup.
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Yes they are, but they also come with the pots to have a solderless setup in your bass, you can also get preamps, and if you want to solder their pickups onto an existing preamp, you can strip the wires on the ends and solder them onto it. They make every effort to help you avoid soldering, but they can definitely be soldered.
 
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#24
And I said:
I have bartolini "Classic Bass" pickups in one of my PJs. You won't find the J output matches the P, it will be lower. You might want to go for a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder in the bridge with a lower output P pickup. Or perhaps the quarter pounder set would do the trick with a low height on the P pickup and higher on the J.
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I've had Quarter Pounders in 2 different instruments, a PJ setup like yours, & a Jazz & they CRUSH! One of my faves to this day!
 
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#25
As Jimmy M points out, the solderless-install EMG's can easily be clipped of those connectors and soldered like any pickup into the existing wiring by someone qualified.

Here's a matched PJ set (which is what you want to look for, instead of randomly matching a Precision and Jazz pickup), passive, from EMG that might be just the ticket, the Geezer PJ Set. To say the Geezers are highly regarded around here is quite the understatement. The Jazz is a side by side humbucker that matches the output of the Precision pickup, to quote EMG, so you skip that imbalance that can often happen with random P/J marriages.

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I'm supposing these are passive pickups with active tone. To keep all those switches happy, I'd aim to change the pickups: Change the tone network and it may be a real job keeping all the switches working.

BTW, it IS a great looking bass, that carbon look pickguard just makes it, and the Geezers would look right on it.

(Any time you're thinking of replacing an already installed PJ set, the smarter pickup builders sell them as a set to offset the expected weaker output of a single coil closer to the bridge vs. a humbucking P pickup in the fattest output spot under the strings. Imagine replacing the middle single coil of a good Strat with a Gibson humbucker: The two remaining single coils will suddenly sound real thin. As with the Geezers, a humbucking J is a good way to match the P's output. Think this way also when adding a Jazz to a regular Precision bass. A lot of the gripes occur when guys just pick a Jazz pickup which sounded great on a Jazz but wonder 'what happened' when installed as a second pickup on a P Bass.)
 
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#26
Now maybe not what you are looking for but, have you thought about an eq pedal? I run my jazz style bass through a StoneDeaf PDF2 and it does a good job to fill in some of the frequencies that maybe lacking. It also works great after dirt pedals to add back mids from a muff type, or boost the low mids when using some less than bass friendly distortions. Highly versatile and you won't have to open up that beautiful bass you have.
 
#27
SuperCasualAlan said:
Now maybe not what you are looking for but, have you thought about an eq pedal? I run my jazz style bass through a StoneDeaf PDF2 and it does a good job to fill in some of the frequencies that maybe lacking. It also works great after dirt pedals to add back mids from a muff type, or boost the low mids when using some less than bass friendly distortions. Highly versatile and you won't have to open up that beautiful bass you have.
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I have some Darkglass pedals and 3 have an EQ and one has a clean preamp EQ that I have been using to boost when I use the J pickup up but the pedal dance it getting old. I fixed the output issue a substantial amount by lowering the P pickup a bit.
 
#28
JW56789 said:
As Jimmy M points out, the solderless-install EMG's can easily be clipped of those connectors and soldered like any pickup into the existing wiring by someone qualified.

Here's a matched PJ set (which is what you want to look for, instead of randomly matching a Precision and Jazz pickup), passive, from EMG that might be just the ticket, the Geezer PJ Set. To say the Geezers are highly regarded around here is quite the understatement. The Jazz is a side by side humbucker that matches the output of the Precision pickup, to quote EMG, so you skip that imbalance that can often happen with random P/J marriages.

Invalid Link Removed

I'm supposing these are passive pickups with active tone. To keep all those switches happy, I'd aim to change the pickups: Change the tone network and it may be a real job keeping all the switches working.

BTW, it IS a great looking bass, that carbon look pickguard just makes it, and the Geezers would look right on it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wouldn't dare try changing or
re-wirering the preamp in my bass way to complicated I may try doing the EMG pickups, I never thought about striping the connectors off on the side that needs to be soldered (I tend to over think things and end up with a really complicated solution to a simple fix)
 
#29
And I said:
most PJs i've played have this same issue -- P output higher than J output, J pickup sounds weak solo'd. the strings are vibrating less down closer to the bridge so there is less magnetic content down there. the nordy blades probably sound bad ass, but still, if you want more of the J tone / more balance between the two, consider lowering the P pickup height if you hadn't.
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I lowered the P pickup and it definetly helped! Thanks.
 
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