tb-player - You are #1587 - Welcome aboard!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
tb-player - You are #1587 - Welcome aboard!
Lucked into a fantastic player II. Has a rosewood fretboard, which fills a want. I’m not fond of the pickups and tuners, though. I figure on going with the Hipshot HB7 tuners, but I’m lost on where to go with the pickups.
I like the V-mod II on my other Jazz basses, but I don’t see them available for sale separately. Anyone know of something close that may be noiseless, too?
I like the V-mod II on my other Jazz basses, but I don’t see them available for sale separately. Anyone know of something close that may be noiseless, too?
I have Hipshot hb7s on one of my Player I jazzes, I think you'll like them. One of mine came with SD Apollos and I put SD Classic Stacks in the other. Both are great, Apollos might be more modern. I've also tried DiMarzio Ultra Jazz and I like those too, but they're a bit darker sounding. Good luck with your quest!
Nordstrand nj4sv and Bartolini b-axis both great vintage sounds and noiseless.
I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with how much I’m enjoying this Victor Bailey. Even the B string is rock solid with no dead spots. I was initially planning on flipping this trade but now I’m not so sure. Do you prefer the pickguard off or on???
Really? You'd call them vintage sounding? Maybe it's just my ears, but I always thought of them as being more modern sounding. Different ears and different strokes, I guess. Regardless, they sound great, but don't take my word for it @Lo_Basserson…see what you think of these two demos I frequently cite, none made by me [OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER], and tell us if it's anywhere near the sound you're chasing.
I'm usually a fairly easygoing guy when it comes to the aesthetic choices of others. That being said…PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND DECENT IN THE WORLD, DO NOT COVER UP THAT FANTASTIC GRAIN WITH A CHEAP PIECE OF PLASTIC!!!
Fair point!I'm usually a fairly easygoing guy when it comes to the aesthetic choices of others. That being said…PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND DECENT IN THE WORLD, DO NOT COVER UP THAT FANTASTIC GRAIN WITH A CHEAP PIECE OF PLASTIC!!!
Glad to know I communicated my point in the most restrained and low-key way possible.Fair point!
Nordstrand, absolutely yes. The V in the name is for vintage.
B-Axis, we could debate. I think they do sound pretty vintage. Listen to the Fat Bass Tone demo, see what you think.
I've been running the nj4sv in a J with alder body and roast maple/rosewood neck. The b-axis in a J with alder and wenge neck. They are interchangeable in my mind.
I think it depends on what you classify as "vintage". The B-Axis pickups were based on the early 70's pickups that started out as "Hi-A" (later Bartolini) which were intended to be an improvement in punch and clarity to factory pickups (where stock/factory Fender pickups is what I would personally consider to be a "vintage" sound). YMMV, but FWIW I also consider these to be more of what I would call modern sounding, though again, I understand, to each their own.
Also, if you put any stock in AI summaries, this is what I got from Google...
"Bartolini B-Axis pickups are high-output, modern-sounding pickups designed for increased clarity, punch, and top-end brilliance compared to traditional Bartolini models. Based on early "Hi-A" designs, they feature exposed Alnico V magnets, providing a round, full tone with superior articulation, making them ideal for genres needing defined, aggressive tones."
On that front, I'll defer to you. I own no Nordstrand pickups, so I have no basis for comparison.
I hadn't heard that one in a while and I will give you that, especially when he's attacking the strings more softly. When he starts slapping, though, that's where I'd debate. Perhaps, it's a more percussive and/or aggressive attack that brings out the "modern humcancelling J-pup" sound…like the old "tone is in the fingers" adage? (I've most definitely seen that phenomenon at work when a friend of mine and I were both noodling on the same Blacktop Jazz. Real "night & day" kinda stuff.)
As for the pick-playing sections, to me, it sounds like a plucked Jazz…straight up, punky and like just about any "Jazz + pick" sounds.
That lineup of ingredients alone both sound tasty!
At this moment, the only installed B-Axis pickups I have is in an alder Warmoth body with an Aerodyne neck. (A tribute to the '80s-era JB-555 Boxer Series from Fender-Japan.) That combo, along with the Rotosound strings and Tone Monster preamp revved up to 24-volts, sounds so sweet an' nasty at the same time!
What era of Fender pickups do you mean? I ask because a set of Player pups I got courtesy of @SharpCat were pretty grindy/snarly/modern. (Sorry if I'm getting carried away with my adjectives!
)Only speaking for myself, someone who could've gone into Creative Writing instead of Art/Illustration right after high school, none whatsoever.
Thanks for the suggestions. I spent a lot of time going throught the fat bass tone vids. I really like the Nordstrand NJ4sv. Haven’t looked at a lot of Nordstrand stuff, but the more stuff I see (here and on a few other recent vids, and their Ibanez big breaks) the more I like. Only issue is they are out of stock right now, but I can wait.
Second was a set of Barts, but oddly enough, it was the 9CBJD3, which is alphabet soup to me.
I also liked the curve on that set of relentless, and they sounded good. I wanted them to be higher on my list but I definitely leaned toward the Nordstrands.
Second was a set of Barts, but oddly enough, it was the 9CBJD3, which is alphabet soup to me.
I also liked the curve on that set of relentless, and they sounded good. I wanted them to be higher on my list but I definitely leaned toward the Nordstrands.
Looks better to me without the pickguard.
I have a barely used 9CBJD-S3 "Bright" neck pickup that's lurking around my workshop. Eventually, I'll put it, and a 9CBJD-L1 bridge pup, up on the classifieds. If you're interested in one or both, PM me. I'll let them go with a considerable discount.
At this point, I can't even remember which bass I bought them for. All I remember is a fantastic deal on a different set I'd been pining for popped up, so they were taken out, put back into their Bart boxes and have sat safely ever since.
It was in my post... early 70's.What era of Fender pickups do you mean? I ask because a set of Player pups I got courtesy of @SharpCat were pretty grindy/snarly/modern. (Sorry if I'm getting carried away with my adjectives!
That said, I'm sure the B-Axis pickups are not exactly the same as those older Hi-A pickups, but given Bartolini says the design goals were the same, that's why I'm going with that "modern" characterization/perspective (which again, I also personally agree with).
FWIW anyway.
Also FWIW, I actually reallyl like the Fender Noiseless... can't remember which gen I have... it's the American Elites (both 4 and 5 string models). But if I were to replace them with something, I don't know I'd go B-Axis, though I also haven't been a tinkerer for quite some time, so there's that.
Sounds like it... plus, again, they went through multiple "gens" of them. Mine are whatever come in the American Elite models. I also test drove an American Ultra. That had the next gen pickups in it, though I don't think I noticed much difference. Main thing I didn't like about the Ultra was the bridge.
That said, I spend most of my time on my other, let's say, "Fender-ish" basses, but I do still get the Elite out sometimes and really do love it bone stock.
