Split coil Jazz Pickups, thoughts?

[ED3]

I was looking at some of the split coil jazz pickups that are on the market.

(Delano, Seymour duncan apollo, lindy Fralin split coils, etc.)

I'm curious what are people's experience with split coil jazz pickups and what luck (or not) they have had with them.

Any recommendations are appreciated as well!

 

[micguy]

The sound a lot better than a bass with hum. The one thing that you may or may not object to is the "magnetic valley" - if you're playing high on the D string, and bend the snot out of the string, you can get at a place where the output drops off. It's almost never an issue in normal playing on a 4 string, but on the 5 string versions, as different basses have different string spacings, if that valley isn't located in the right place, it can be an issue.

The 5 string versions also don't completely cancel hum - there's a 2 side and a 3 side, and the asymmetry means you get about 15 dB reduction in hum, which is much better than a single coil, but it's not as quiet as a true balanced humbucker.

I've had good luck with Dimarzio's J's and Area J's I have a bass that has one of each. The Ultra Jazz model I did not get along with - too much string pull.

 

[ahbass2500]

I recently installed a set of Aguilar DCB-5J in my G&L JB5 and I like them. They are not a vintage sounding Jazz pickup, but they are also not intended to be. They certainly eliminate the hum when soloed compared to a single coil. The Aguilar DCBs are also hotter than the typical J pickup. I have been happy with them, but it really depends on the sound you are after.

I previously had my JB5 loaded with Nordstrand single coils in 60s wind with Alnico III magnets. The voicing on these pickups was extremely vintage. While I am a fan of the vintage J sound, I decided I wanted a more modern sounding jazz bass (mostly because I have never had one) which prompted the pickup swap.

I guess the point of my rambling is...
- They eliminate hum when soloed if that is something you want
- I would focus on the voicing of the pickup before worrying about if it is hum cancelling or not; hum cancelling is worthless if you are not getting the sound you are after, so it should be a secondary consideration

 

[dwizum]

Go hang out in the classifieds and buy a few sets. Try them out and sell the ones you don't like. You'll probably break even and then you will know how you feel about them.

If you like Jazz tones and you think hum is bad, there is a split coil pickup out there with your name on it! Other than the format limitations @micguy covered, there's really no other inherent trait other than the fact that they will by default have more wire length for a given number of turns compared to a single coil of similar design - different split coils will sound different. It's possible to design split coils that sound convincingly like single coil jazz pickups, at least in a general sense. Or completely different.

Personally speaking my favorite split coil J is the Bartolini 9J. That's the pickup I hear in my head when someone says "jazz bass." I like the DiMarzio Ultras for a very modern tone. DiMarzio Area for a more vintage tone.