What jazz PU’s pair best with Sadowsky VTC preamp?

[Texican]

I’m looking for opinions and feedback from anyone that has used a Sadowsky onboard preamp in a jazz bass. The bass in question is a fender player plus jazz 5 string, so obviously I need five string pickups, but I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion even if it was on a 4 string. Thanks!

 

[fauxtoe]

SD Quarter Pounders. I installed them in a Warmoth deluxe jazz 5 build with a Sadowsky pre w/VTC and it's an incredible combination.

 

[thmsjordan]

I have my Sadowsky pre/vtc paired with a set of Bartolini 57CBJD pickups in a 2012 Fender Jazz Deluxe 5 and the sound is stellar IMHO. It is so much better than the stock pickups and pre-amp.

 

[Artman]

I have one paired up to a DiMarzio Area J set.

The Area Js in passive mode are totally vintage and so clean that many consider them "quite tame", but with the Sadowsky 2-band VTC in active mode they come alive in a very big way!
Everything from vintage thump to razor sharp Marcus tones is on command.

Totally noiseless as well.

 

[ragetoca]

Depends on what sound you are looking for - vintage? Modern? Transparent?

 

[Lo-E]

Any vintage style J will sound good with a Sadowsky pre. It’s what the original Sadowsky preamps were designed to work with; stock Fender pickups.

 

[Texican]

Depends on what sound you are looking for - vintage? Modern? Transparent?

All of my basses are P’s or J’s, passive, with flatwounds. So I want this bass to be my modern gospel type tone bass. Think Justin Raines, Sharray Reed, etc. I was considering trying the Bartollini B Axis pickups, but I’m all ears for people’s experience and opinions. I’m lost outside of a good p bass with old LaBellas.

 

[ragetoca]

I modded a bass very heavily because I like Justin’s tone on his Saratoga. His bass has the pickups at 3”’OC that makes a huge difference on the tone as you get more of the bridge tone vs the neck (less P sounding) - I bought Delanos Delano JC 5 HE/M2 2024 | Reverb paired with Sadowsky


Also a video of how it sounds

 

[Lo-E]

All of my basses are P’s or J’s, passive, with flatwounds. So I want this bass to be my modern gospel type tone bass. Think Justin Raines, Sharray Reed, etc. I was considering trying the Bartollini B Axis pickups, but I’m all ears for people’s experience and opinions. I’m lost outside of a good p bass with old LaBellas.

I modded a bass very heavily because I like Justin’s tone on his Saratoga. His bass has the pickups at 3”’OC that makes a huge difference on the tone as you get more of the bridge tone vs the neck (less P sounding) - I bought Delanos Delano JC 5 HE/M2 2024 | Reverb paired with Sadowsky

While I'm not familiar with either of those players, as soon as I read what your tonal goals were I was going to suggest Delano. They tend to go for a very hi-fi, modern sound with their pickups and their preamps. Two other German companies also lean towards very clean, modern tones: Glockenclang and MEC. I don't believe Glock makes pickups but their preamps are known to be super-transparent and MEC (the stock electronics in Warwick basses but also sold separately) tend to also be very clean, modern and transparent. Of the three, I would say that MEC is probably the least extreme example - you can still get some warmer, almost vintage sounds - where Glock and Delano are really very forward and modern.
All three are great companies with great products.

I'm not all that familiar with Bart's B-Axis line but it looks like they're trying for something that steps away from their tradition of very fat, warm tones. I'm a big fan of Bartolini but big, fat and super clear is what I think of when I think of them. If I'm reading the ad copy correctly, the B-Axis are bridging the gap between the sound they're known for and a more traditional single-coil sound. That could actually work really well for what you're describing as the tone you're after.

 

[ragetoca]

For what you are looking for I would stay away from Bartolini unless they custom wound some pickups for you

 

[El Boom Boom]

All of my basses are P’s or J’s, passive, with flatwounds. So I want this bass to be my modern gospel type tone bass. Think Justin Raines, Sharray Reed, etc. I was considering trying the Bartollini B Axis pickups, but I’m all ears for people’s experience and opinions. I’m lost outside of a good p bass with old LaBellas.

Did you ever end up making these mods? I'm also considering putting a Sadowsky preamp and Bartolini B Axis pickups in a player 2 modified V.