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Suggest some jazz pups for my fretless

#23
Best pickups to "upgrade" a jazz bass for me so far are the fender super 55. They are very quiet (hum less) and retain a lot of the jazz sound, but hotter. A very good option, imho, for a passive or active upgrade. And what better than to keep your Squier within the Fender family originality.
However, these are discontinued, so, I would hurry to ebay to find d a nice pair while they're still around.
 
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#26
I replaced the stock pups on my MIA jazz with a set of Lindy Fralin. I ordered them over wound by 8%. This gives me a little more bottom end and mids with slightly less highs. Since making the change 2 years ago, I am constantly receiving compliments on my tone.
 
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#27
LowEndWooly said:
I just bought a vintage modified Jazz fretless, arriving Tuesday. Mostly inspired by Esperanza Spaulding. I got a set of d'addario tapewound nylons to pair up.

I plan on swapping the pups, bridge, neck and tuners.. That's just something I usually do, mostly because it's fun; but, if it's anything like the other squiers I've had, it'll be a huge upgrade, anyway.

First upgrade will be pups. I'd like to keep this bass passive, but willing to consider active if there is a good reason.

For the neck, I'll probably do a custom warmoth Jazz. Lineless Ebony on Gonçalo alves. I'll be looking at the classifieds for something similar, though.

Sooo, name em, boys (and girls)
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Oh Man ! I put EMG -JVX in my American Standard fretless Jazz they sound fantastic, nice and clear and you get the look of passive. I did rout and installed the battery box. If you are not comfortable you can have it done or get an Allparts body but WOW they sound great. the battery will fit under the plate but you have to have the knobs sticking up. so you can try them and if you like them install the battery G' luck...
 
#29
LowEndWooly said:
I looked at those.. pretty pricey for a set, from what I saw. At least, considering there are other nice options like Aguilar and Nordstrand.
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Well for what I was going for it was those or Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's which were $20 less. I originally ordered those but after the shop had my bass for two months because they were backordered I went with the Fralins.
They went into something very similar to what you're doing except I went a few steps further. Same D'Addario tapewounds, because I've tried every brand and these are the brightest ones, stacked volume and tone for both pickups with PIO tone caps, tbx circuit, parallel/series switch, fender high mass bridge with graph tech saddles and graph tech nut. It's one punchy J. No noise, btw.

edit: that said, if you're going for a straight upright sound, you may be going to the Rotosounds. They're warmer and darker.
 

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#32
LowEndWooly said:
I plan on swapping the pups, bridge, neck and tuners.. That's just something I usually do, mostly because it's fun; but, if it's anything like the other squiers I've had, it'll be a huge upgrade, anyway.

First upgrade will be pups. I'd like to keep this bass passive, but willing to consider active if there is a good reason.

For the neck, I'll probably do a custom warmoth Jazz. Lineless Ebony on Gonçalo alves. I'll be looking at the classifieds for something similar, though.
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What kind of tone are you going for? Hi-Fi and snappy, Jaco, more round and woody? We can suggest alot of pups, but if we don't know what the goal is, then we might make a very bad recommendation.

Also, I would recommend playing the stock neck a bit before you sell it. Definitely wouldn't be a bad idea to wait until after you've swapped the pups. Ebanol doesn't always get alot of respect, but it's a very hard material that can really make notes ring out. It's also should be quite stable. If you're going for a more modern tone or for something akin to an epoxied neck, you might find that you like it quite a bit. I do understand the desire for an unlined neck though. I'm loving my rec

Lastly, what do you like about the body of the bass? I ask because that's about all you'll have left after all the modding.
 
#33
Well, I don't have a lot of experience with a fretless, but.. As I mentioned, I was inspired by Esperanza spalding. So, I guess I would say I'm after that kind of tone. I have a stingray and a p bass, so I've got that spectrum covered.. I would say a mellow, upright, woody sound.

I am going to give the neck a shot for a little while, at least until I have some more funds. I don't know a lick about ebonal, so I don't have anything against it. Mainly, I've just been super satisfied with Warmoth necks and their quality. To me, the neck and the electronics are the most important parts of a bass.. The neck for the overall feel and the electronics for the tone.

I bought the whole bass used at a good price and plan to sell the parts I replace, that's why I went with the bass and not just a body.. Also, it's totally playable right now, I don't have to wait to figure out what parts to add to have a playable bass and wait for money. The body looks pretty good, so that's a huge plus.
 

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#35
I went with a set of Lollar J pickups for my Fender road worn Jazz Bass and they sound fantastic! Those pickups truly helped that bass come to life. I've also got a Fender American Standard Jazz 5 string that's probably going to get the 5 string version of those pickups, too. They sound very articulate, get you that classic growl, but can also deliver a deep beefy tone when you dial that in.
 

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