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Please inform me, o wise ones

lkngro

lkngro

Feb 4, 2010
388
3
Hockessin, Delaware, USA
#1
People always say that if you don't know what kind of pickups you want, then don't get them at all. But what if you just want a better sound, but don't know what pickups to get? This is me.

I have a MIM Jazz bass. The pickups sound muddy. Or rather, I think that I could get a better sound with new pickups.

I want a clear, full, well-rounded sound. Nothing really specific, just better. I don't like what I currently have and I want to improve.

What do you suggest I should get?
 
#2
Any quality pickup would be better than those.

If you want the traditional Fender single coil tone, there are a number of companies that do that well like Duncan, Nordstrand, Lollar, Fralin, Aguilar, etc.

Then you can get noise canceling Jazz pickups, many of which sound very close to single coils.

Then you have the non traditional style pickups, which still sound like a Jazz bass (there is no single Jazz bass tone), such as the active Duncans and EMGs, as well as Joe Barden, Lace, Bartolini, Kent Armstrong, SGD, and others.

Lots of choices. :)
 
#4
I have two J type basses, one has Barts the other has Duncan Hotstacks (STK-J2) They are both different but I like them both.

I would recommend noiseless pickups.
 
#12
SGD Lutherie said:
On that topic, I'm just finishing up the Jazz Sidewinders, and I'm making a neo Jazz sidewinder tonight. If I like that I'll offer those too.

So both will sound like real single coils with no hum.
Click to expand...

I've got the MIM Jazz V mud problem too. But even though I know how to get the tone (single coils) I'm NOT willing to give up the hum-free sound of my 2001 "noiseless" pups.

So my answer is waiting on SGD to finish the Sidewinders in 5 string and hopefully in "Plus" as my output is a tad low at present. Maybe even neos if good reports come back on them. I think there are a lot of us out there who want to kill the hum but really want to try to get that single coil tone back. Especially on the MIM jazzes.
 
#13
Okay, I have the answer for you. Pull your pups out, send them to Tom at Lindy Fralin and have him rewind them. Call him on the phone so he can explain to you about overwound, stock, underwound, etc. He can custom make yours to your spec. That’s exactly what I did when I modded my affinity P, and when my pups went out on my ’72 MIA J. You can thank me later. personally I wouldn't go noiseless, but that's just me.
 
#14
I can see how some stereotypes might be attached to guys with long hair - hippies, metalheads, or metrosexuals - but I love being able to run my hands through his hair, and I think he looks great with it. The only downsides are that both of us end up getting our hair pulled in certain physical situations, but that's not nearly enough to convince him he needs a haircut =)
 
#15
Micky Jhon said:
I can see how some stereotypes might be attached to guys with long hair - hippies, metalheads, or metrosexuals - but I love being able to run my hands through his hair, and I think he looks great with it. The only downsides are that both of us end up getting our hair pulled in certain physical situations, but that's not nearly enough to convince him he needs a haircut =)
Click to expand...

Lost me here... ???
 
#18
ejaggers said:
Okay, I have the answer for you. Pull your pups out, send them to Tom at Lindy Fralin and have him rewind them. Call him on the phone so he can explain to you about overwound, stock, underwound, etc. He can custom make yours to your spec. That’s exactly what I did when I modded my affinity P, and when my pups went out on my ’72 MIA J. You can thank me later. personally I wouldn't go noiseless, but that's just me.
Click to expand...


Who in their right mind wastes time/money rewinding ceramic MiM pickups?:confused:
 
#19
I'm a bit of a Seymour Duncan evangelist but regardless of that, their website is worth a look to help understand the different options - windings / output / stacked etc. They've got a good range of replacement JB pickups for all sorts of applications.
 

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