fixing/ upgrading a fender active deluxe jazz. any suggestions or things I need to look out for? looking to keep it in a moderate price range.
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Suggestions for pickup upgrade
- Thread starter mrniceguy715
- Start date
mrniceguy715 said:
FWIW:
I'm guessing that bass has the Fender Noiseless in it, which are too thick for me. I just picked up a set of SCN's out of one though, and they're thick too but different. Haven't had much time with them yet.
So I'm guessing you want something not 60'sish.
First I'd go to harmonycentral.com user reviews and look up the deluxe basses - both 4's and 5's. Lots of reviews. You're bound to find some direction in there if not pinpoint it.
Does the Deluxe Active Jazz have standard jazz pickup routes? If not you will need to have the bridge pickup rerouted.
I guess I can bump this thread since I bought the bass from mrniceguy715, haha!!
Must be this bass does need a little something since I found this thread while searching for pickup upgrade suggestions.
It's a MIM 2001 Active Deluxe which I assume is completely stock.
It just sounds a little too mellow. I would like a bit more agressive (maybe a lot more) sound from this one but I don't know what pickups go well with the Fender preamp. I can open up the pickup route if I need to, so pretty much any 4 string J pickup is fair game.
I have a pair of Bartolini 9CBJD1's that I haven't tried yet, but I expect they're smoother sounding than the Fender pickups currently installed. I hate to cut on the bass just to find out it mellowed out even more. Also I don't have a good idea of how they'll be with my preamp. Not looking to change out the preamp at the moment.
Must be this bass does need a little something since I found this thread while searching for pickup upgrade suggestions.
It's a MIM 2001 Active Deluxe which I assume is completely stock.
It just sounds a little too mellow. I would like a bit more agressive (maybe a lot more) sound from this one but I don't know what pickups go well with the Fender preamp. I can open up the pickup route if I need to, so pretty much any 4 string J pickup is fair game.
I have a pair of Bartolini 9CBJD1's that I haven't tried yet, but I expect they're smoother sounding than the Fender pickups currently installed. I hate to cut on the bass just to find out it mellowed out even more. Also I don't have a good idea of how they'll be with my preamp. Not looking to change out the preamp at the moment.
Wademeister63 said:
FWIW:
ditto previous post. If those are noiseless J's to me they were a more sophisticated pup. In that way like Barts are in general. Model J's are definitely more raw.
In addition, I assume that MIM has same size pups. Since you've got the Barts, through in the one that fits and check it out. It's not going to melt anything down and you may get some direction from it. Routing is extreme to me cause you can simply buy two same size pups.
You might also try something external like a Sans Di.
There's another TB'r looking for Bart J's (though not sure about the CB's) and I'll toss him your direction if you're interested in moving the Barts.
luknfur said:
Thanks a ton luknfur, but not looking to move them. They're going in the neck through fanned fret bass I'm building. That one's maple and walnut with bloodwood strips in the neck and an ebony fretboard. I think the barts will be a great fit for the project after talking to Brian at Bestbassgear. There's no harm in borrowing them to see how they sound in my jazz though, and just installing the neck pup is a great idea. Putting in anything other than a pair never crossed my mind!
The Sansamp DI is probably a really good suggestion, though I'm reluctant to add to the clutter in our practice space. I really like to plug and play without having to mess with boxes too, but I may eventually go that route. Obviously no pickup change can get me the overdrive that I can get from a BDDI, so the argument for the box is strong. I could also try it with my Pandora once I read the book and learn to use the darn thing right. That is a pretty slick little unit.
Doing a pickup swap really interests me on a couple of levels since I like modifying stuff anyway, and that gets me a new tone going straight from the bass to the amp.
Keeping in mind just the pickups for the time being, I'll just go with the info I can find from reviews (mostly from luknfur!) and hope the preamp isn't killing my sound. If that's the case then I suppose I'll get to the stage II mod and throw a preamp in there.
Yes I'm stubborn! I know there are other good and simple alternatives but I can't shake off the desire to do the pickups!
oh yes a lil back ground on your bass when I got it I found out a pick up was bad. I found a set from the same year mia jazz and a local shop installed and adjusted them. also why it was cleaner than the pics. those guys where great even oil the finger bored and cleaned all but the bridge for me no charge. hope it brings you many years of good tunes
