Squire '70s VM Jazz Pickup Recommendation?

[ThemBones]

I have a natural Squire VM 70s Jazz that I love the looks and feel of but I do not like the sound.
I mostly play a Nate Mendel PBass which has that nice punchy sound.
I really wan to have a second sound I can use from time to time but the VM just doesn't seem to have any "guts". This VM has the Fender pickups not the Duncan Design ones. So it is a newer model.

I know they are different animals, but does anyone have some ideas on some different pickups to try?
Should I just scrap it and be a PBass guy?

 

[LoveThatBass]

I have a natural Squire VM 70s Jazz that I love the looks and feel of but I do not like the sound.
I mostly play a Nate Mendel PBass which has that nice punchy sound.
I really wan to have a second sound I can use from time to time but the VM just doesn't seem to have any "guts". This VM has the Fender pickups not the Duncan Design ones. So it is a newer model.

I know they are different animals, but does anyone have some ideas on some different pickups to try?
Should I just scrap it and be a PBass guy?

Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounders

 

[ThemBones]

I saw that video, but I wonder if that is the older VM that came with Duncan Designs, not the Fender ones.

 

[LoveThatBass]

I saw that video, but I wonder if that is the older VM that came with Duncan Designs, not the Fender ones.

They are not Duncan Designs (which are made in Asia) . They are Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounders as stated on the video and made in the USA. SJB-3's are a whole different animal than the stock pickups in your bass.

 

[ThemBones]

They are not Duncan Designs (which are made in Asia) . They are Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounders as stated on the video and made in the USA. SJB-3's are a whole different animal than the stock pickups in your bass.

Perhaps I did not phrase my question well.
I have the version of the bass that comes with the "Fender Design" not the version of the bass that comes with the Duncan Design.
I am very much a newbie to this, are they the same bass just change of pickup supplier or did other things change?

 

[LoveThatBass]

Them Bones. Understand you now. Not sure. My only point was in making sure you knew the pickups in the video were Genuine Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounders. Those will give you more punch. That guy has several video's where he puts a particular set of pickups in for evaluation and dimenstration purposes.

 

[ThemBones]

Them Bones. Understand you now. Not sure. My only point was in making sure you knew the pickups in the video were Genuine Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounders. Those will give you more punch. That guy has several video's where he puts a particular set of pickups in for evaluation and dimenstration purposes.

yeah they sound good for sure, he made a few with a VM squire that sound good.
If I upgrade I may choose to go for a little lower output than the quarter pounder but more a little more than vintage.

 

[LoveThatBass]

You can find overwound pickups (designated "Hot") that might fit the bill for you. I like Aguilar vintage but they have hot models too.

 

[ThemBones]

You can find overwound pickups (designated "Hot") that might fit the bill for you. I like Aguilar vintage but they have hot models too.

Thank you so much for your help.
Time to do some more research...

 

[Antisyzygy]

One thing you might want to try is rolling off the volume about 1/8 to 1/4 on the bridge or neck, but leave the other pickup full on. Try both ways. Jazz basses have a mid scoop and volume drop come in when both pickups are full on. If you listen close while you roll off one or the other pickup volumes you'll hear a bunch of harmonics come back in, and the mid-frequencies sound like they shift a bit. Also rolling off just a little bit on either volume control will keep most of the hum canceling effect.

One other cheap thing you could do is add a series/parallel switch. Jazz pickups are usually in parallel, and if you throw them in series they have a nice low-end and mid boost, as well as an increase in output. At any rate though, when I got my first Jazz bass I kept both pickups full on all the time, and only later learned how useful those volume controls are for tone shaping. Now I generally roll the bridge off just a little bit whenever I play, but I can keep both pickups full on for slap if I want.

Quarter pounders are indeed good pickups so I'd recommend those as well if that's what you're after. I REALLY love the P bass ones. However keep in mind they're reputed to have a scooped sound which is exactly what you're getting on your Jazz bass right now.

You might try a Split Humbucking J pickup in the neck, wire it in series, and then put a stacked J-sized humbucker in the bridge and probably keep it in parallel (or if you want to get fancy go nuts, add series/parallel or whatever else). That gives you a nice bunch of low-mids from the neck position, but you can blend in some bite and growl with the bridge meanwhile keeping the humbucking effect no matter how you blend it.

As a final resort, you might consider trading the Jazz bass in on a PJ or mod the one you have to be a PJ. PJs are a decent compromise between a Jazz bass and a P bass.

 

[ThemBones]

One thing you might want to try is rolling off the volume about 1/8 to 1/4 on the bridge or neck, but leave the other pickup full on. Try both ways. Jazz basses have a mid scoop and volume drop come in when both pickups are full on. If you listen close while you roll off one or the other pickup volumes you'll hear a bunch of harmonics come back in, and the mid-frequencies sound like they shift a bit. Also rolling off just a little bit on either volume control will keep most of the hum canceling effect.

One other cheap thing you could do is add a series/parallel switch. Jazz pickups are usually in parallel, and if you throw them in series they have a nice low-end and mid boost, as well as an increase in output. At any rate though, when I got my first Jazz bass I kept both pickups full on all the time, and only later learned how useful those volume controls are for tone shaping. Now I generally roll the bridge off just a little bit whenever I play, but I can keep both pickups full on for slap if I want.

Quarter pounders are indeed good pickups so I'd recommend those as well if that's what you're after. I REALLY love the P bass ones. However keep in mind they're reputed to have a scooped sound which is exactly what you're getting on your Jazz bass right now.

You might try a Split Humbucking J pickup in the neck, wire it in series, and then put a stacked J-sized humbucker in the bridge and probably keep it in parallel (or if you want to get fancy go nuts, add series/parallel or whatever else). That gives you a nice bunch of low-mids from the neck position, but you can blend in some bite and growl with the bridge meanwhile keeping the humbucking effect no matter how you blend it.

As a final resort, you might consider trading the Jazz bass in on a PJ or mod the one you have to be a PJ. PJs are a decent compromise between a Jazz bass and a P bass.

Good points and very appreciated.

I wonder if a Rickenbacker may be a better choice for me, or if perhaps a Music man style may be.

 

[LoveThatBass]

One thing you might want to try is rolling off the volume about 1/8 to 1/4 on the bridge or neck, but leave the other pickup full on. Try both ways. Jazz basses have a mid scoop and volume drop come in when both pickups are full on. If you listen close while you roll off one or the other pickup volumes you'll hear a bunch of harmonics come back in, and the mid-frequencies sound like they shift a bit. Also rolling off just a little bit on either volume control will keep most of the hum canceling effect.

One other cheap thing you could do is add a series/parallel switch. Jazz pickups are usually in parallel, and if you throw them in series they have a nice low-end and mid boost, as well as an increase in output. At any rate though, when I got my first Jazz bass I kept both pickups full on all the time, and only later learned how useful those volume controls are for tone shaping. Now I generally roll the bridge off just a little bit whenever I play, but I can keep both pickups full on for slap if I want.

Quarter pounders are indeed good pickups so I'd recommend those as well if that's what you're after. I REALLY love the P bass ones. However keep in mind they're reputed to have a scooped sound which is exactly what you're getting on your Jazz bass right now.

You might try a Split Humbucking J pickup in the neck, wire it in series, and then put a stacked J-sized humbucker in the bridge and probably keep it in parallel (or if you want to get fancy go nuts, add series/parallel or whatever else). That gives you a nice bunch of low-mids from the neck position, but you can blend in some bite and growl with the bridge meanwhile keeping the humbucking effect no matter how you blend it.

As a final resort, you might consider trading the Jazz bass in on a PJ or mod the one you have to be a PJ. PJs are a decent compromise between a Jazz bass and a P bass.

I agree about the series/parallel switch. I have it on my Jazz bass. I have used a pot/dpdt switch combo but much prefer the Fender S-1 push button for Jazz bass as it looks nice works really well, is easier and neater to wire. My Jazz has a matched set of Aguilar dual coil pickups that work well together and sound great. About the fact some Jazz pickups loosing volume and tone when set to equal positions is due to the fact one it wound hotter and there is an impedance mismatch or phase problem. I have this right now on a P/J bass. I know how to semi correct this and will do so later this evening by putting a resistor with a cap in parallel between one of the pickups and it's volume pot or putting a smaller value (one half of the determined value resistor) on each one so they both share some of the resulting drop in volume. I am going to try the P first since it has the greatest output. If I don't like it I will try dividing the resistance between them (with a cap across each one). I have already tried it on the J and it works but cuts the volume a little.)

 

[static0verdrive]

I popped Nordstrand nj4's in my Squier VM fretless. You might like the nj4se's better, or if like many (including myself) you want to stick with the single-coil sound maybe try the nj4's with alnico iii (a3) magnets. Either way, I still find my Nate Mendel sig P is louder, but it deceives you. It isn't necessarily punchier than any of my jazzes, it just seems like it because of the hotter signal at the input stage. I compensate with my volume pedal or by adjusting the amp's output volume, but certainly going from any of my 3 jazzes to the P is a shock at first. Regardless of volume, once the band gets going the P disappears where the J's don't (thanks to the brighter tone cutting through).

EDIT: Have you tried raising your neck pickup a little?

 

[ThemBones]

I popped Nordstrand nj4's in my Squier VM fretless. You might like the nj4se's better, or if like many (including myself) you want to stick with the single-coil sound maybe try the nj4's with alnico iii (a3) magnets. Either way, I still find my Nate Mendel sig P is louder, but it deceives you. It isn't necessarily punchier than any of my jazzes, it just seems like it because of the hotter signal at the input stage. I compensate with my volume pedal or by adjusting the amp's output volume, but certainly going from any of my 3 jazzes to the P is a shock at first. Regardless of volume, once the band gets going the P disappears where the J's don't (thanks to the brighter tone cutting through).

EDIT: Have you tried raising your neck pickup a little?

I have not, in fact, I am ashamed to say I have not tried much.
As far as I know the strings are stock, that may make a big difference also.

 

[tangentmusic]

Have you tried raising the p'ups?

 

[ThemBones]

Have you tried raising the p'ups?

I have not.
How high should they be?

I am using a GK MB200 straight into the house via DI.
Compared to the Nate Mendel what should I expect to change RE: the knobs?

I am totally new to the bass world, I am sorry if these are dumb questions.

 

[Antisyzygy]

Good points and very appreciated.

I wonder if a Rickenbacker may be a better choice for me, or if perhaps a Music man style may be.

Doesn't hurt to try them out, you should get what you want.

You might also consider G&L. The L2000 is probably one of the most versatile basses I've ever played and boy is it a growl and punch master. The tribute model has a MASSIVE neck though so take that into consideration. It's even larger than a typical P bass neck. If you get a US model you can pick a different neck.

What's nice about the G&L L2000 is you have two humbuckers, but you can switch them into series or parallel mode. Series boosts the low-end and low-mids, parallel is more like a single coil sound but not all the way--more clarity and bell-like tones. It also has a preamp that can be turned on in either active or active+treble boost mode. The really cool thing though is it has totally passive bass and treble roll off knobs, they work even with the preamp off. It's designed basically to let you boost bass with series mode, and boost treble with the preamp then dial back the amount of boost in either range.

G&Ls with the MFD pickups almost seem designed to use the volume for tone shaping as well, you can dial it back for a more vintage sound. Full on they are thunderous, thick, hifi sounding pickups.

 

[static0verdrive]

I have not.
How high should they be?

I am using a GK MB200 straight into the house via DI.
Compared to the Nate Mendel what should I expect to change RE: the knobs?

I am totally new to the bass world, I am sorry if these are dumb questions.

The p'up height can vary (a little). Fender's recommended / standard heights are shown on page 23 of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], but it's really tough to do without a Invalid Link Removed. I'd say maybe unscrew by about a quarter-turn per screw at a time. You just don't want the string to hit the magnet (awful click sound) but also, even if it won't touch, you don't want the magnetic pull to affect the string vibration (leads to intonation issues or a wobble-effect).

 

[ThemBones]

The p'up height can vary (a little). Fender's recommended / standard heights are shown on page 23 of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], but it's really tough to do without a Invalid Link Removed. I'd say maybe unscrew by about a quarter-turn per screw at a time. You just don't want the string to hit the magnet (awful click sound) but also, even if it won't touch, you don't want the magnetic pull to affect the string vibration (leads to intonation issues or a wobble-effect).

I will review that guide.
I have that warble on guitars, it is an odd sound/effect.

 

[tangentmusic]

I have not.
How high should they be?

I am totally new to the bass world, I am sorry if these are dumb questions.

Not dumb at all.
The pick-ups should be raised high enough to give you optimal sound output, but not raised so high that the strings hit them when played aggressively, or if your fingers strike them.