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.
Your favorite PJ set
- Thread starter MAJOR METAL
- Start date
RedLeg
Supporting Member
I am starting a beautiful relationship with a set of DiMarzio Area's. Really struck gold with this combo.
I haven't tried all that many but I do love my EMG set and my Sadowsky set. For something a little less expensive the Dimarzio Model P/J set is pretty awesome too.
EMG PJ set is right up there for me. Got them in 3 of my basses. I've got a 62 CS P from the early 2000's and a DiMarzio Ultrajazz in my 76 Precision that's working out very well, and a DiMarzio Model PJ set that's rocking this parts bass I have.
EMG PJ set for me too. The trick to liking them for me is- Toss out the EMG advise of putting those pickups close to the strings. It steals your tone and your dynamics. Much like setting the input gain too hot on a mixing console, putting the pickups too close to the strings is the same thing with EMGs.
I like the DiMarzio model DP126 quite a bit. They really have a great growl. If I roll the p pick up off a bit, they even sound a bit like a MM pickup
To my ears, a set of older DiMarzio P+J pups. Honestly, I don't have quite enough experience that'd be considered sufficient enough to judge the EMG's.
I had an EMG P/J set in one bass that I was looking to change out to something different, namely passive. I have EMG P/J's in several basses and like how they act there - not so much here.
So a few months ago I put in a set of Aguilar P/J's run passive V-V-T and am absolutely floored by how good they sound. I posted a review so you can look it up.
This is a great set with matched pickups (for output) and are hum cancelling as well.
So a few months ago I put in a set of Aguilar P/J's run passive V-V-T and am absolutely floored by how good they sound. I posted a review so you can look it up.
This is a great set with matched pickups (for output) and are hum cancelling as well.
I like different sets for different sounds... For old school sounding stuff, I like the a Duncan SPB-1 or a Fender '62 with a Duncan STK-J2. For grunt and grind I love the Dimarzio DP126 set. For modern sounds, I like the SPB-3 and Dimarzio UJ. The EMG set works well too. I really like the MEC or Bartolini pickups in the Warwick Streamer LX too.
peavey active pj set from an old foundation s active. sound like emg's but not so thin. very great pickups 
EMG, wired for 18 volt, simple volume/volume/tone setup. Not playing the P/J setup lately (just a P now) but I have for most of the last 25 plus years. Never could find a passive P/J set that I liked as much as the EMGs in my old Frankenbass.
Seymour Duncan Active EQ's for me. I am kicking around the idea of throwing a set of EMG's in a bass as well as a Quarter Pounder PJ setup in another. At that point I will be out of basses to throw pickups in, so I guess I'll have to get another bass and keep the experimentation going....
Favorite... Sadowsky P-J set and my Lindy Fralin P-J set with a 10% overwound J are my favorites. I do like my Lollar (10% overwound J) too. It's kind of like which of your 3 kids is your favorite. They're all special, and all different.
I have Pat Wilkins' pickups in my main player PJ5 and they are my absolute favorite combo ever for a P/J. They sound great with Nickels and flats and have this growly vintage-y tone like crazy.
I had a Nordstrand NP5/Bigsplit in another bass I had a few years ago, and have no complaints about that set up either.
I had a Nordstrand NP5/Bigsplit in another bass I had a few years ago, and have no complaints about that set up either.
Grateful - thanks for posting what you liked about the pickups and the exact model numbers. That kind of info makes this thread more useful to people looking to learn more about what pickups are out there.
