Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

[Thrash it up]

Hello everyone,

First of all, I couldn't decide if this was the right place to ask the question or in the bassment since it's a pickup topic. Sorry if it's misplaced

The question:
I own 2 Jazz basses (2 Fender american pro), a 4 and a 5 strings fully passive (and I want to keep them passive).
I do like those 2 instruments, especially the feel, the way they sound in general except may be the fact that they may be sound a little too "vintage" to my ear. I'd like the 5 strings one to sound with more outpout.
What I would like to have (if possible) is a slighly more powerfull sound, full of bass and mids with a more define attack. I already tried to add some high mids to produce a more "clanguy" sound when I play finger style, with a low action but did't get exactly what I wanted (does pickups can make a difference for this detail?)
Also, the stock pickups that I have (the original fender ones, that are descibed as "vintage-modern") produce a big amount of hum when use separately. I know that single coils produce that hum, but is it possible to reduce it?
The basses are both alder body and mapple necks and fretboards.
Any advice between the differents pickups of this brand would be very usefull

Thank you very much

 

[Mincer]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

You might be interested in the Quarter Pounds which will have more output, bass and mids than your stock pickups. You can get them in both 4 & 5 string varieties.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

You can also get more attack by simply changing your pots. I use a 1 meg volume pot with a 250k no load tone pot for max attack. But you could go 500k volume with 250k no load tone for a conservative increase if you want.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Except for the part about not wanting actives, your whole post reads like a "why I wanna get Duncan AJB-5 set" essay

 

[Thrash it up]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Except for the part about not wanting actives, your whole post reads like a "why I wanna get Duncan AJB-5 set" essay

Too bad I really want to remain passive on my bass

 

[Thrash it up]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

I went to the website to check the desciption, it seems to be an very interesting option

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Remember Jazz bass pickups are singlecoil and hum. Adding in a lot of extra oomph will add in more noise too.

 

[TinPan]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Remember Jazz bass pickups are singlecoil and hum. Adding in a lot of extra oomph will add in more noise too.

I agree with AlexR, and it depends on how much $$$ you want to spend and how much work your willing to put into it. With that said in my experience as a musician (55 years worth as both a guitar player & bass guitar player) I would suggest taking your guitar to a pro, have him/her rout out pup space (both guitar body and pick guard) for double coil pups, after that wire the new pups for stereo output. This may be more then your looking for (over kill) but for me the best sound I ever had as a bass guitarist was with the above setup. Of course I didn't have to go through all those changes as I simply just bought a bass ready to go, but back then (70's) name brand guitars were much cheaper...... Think about it.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

I agree with AlexR, and it depends on how much $$$ you want to spend and how much work your willing to put into it. With that said in my experience as a musician (55 years worth as both a guitar player & bass guitar player) I would suggest taking your guitar to a pro, have him/her rout out pup space (both guitar body and pick guard) for double coil pups, after that wire the new pups for stereo output. This may be more then your looking for (over kill) but for me the best sound I ever had as a bass guitarist was with the above setup. Of course I didn't have to go through all those changes as I simply just bought a bass ready to go, but back then (70's) name brand guitars were much cheaper...... Think about it.

Nah that's going a bit far, there are less invasive and cheaper options like the aforementioned actives. There's probably J-shaped humbucker options too, never looked into it though. Or at least RWRP for some hum cancellation when blended


Btw, OP, you do know that bass actives don't sound lke EMG 81's or anything, right? It's not a metal player thing when it comes to bass

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Not everybody wants actives.....the battery issue being one the downsides. For one, if there is no space for a battery in the existing electrics rout and or he doesn't want to deal with opening this up for every battery replacement, then your 'less invasive argument is wholly misplaced as you will be doing more modding your way. For two - given the OP has specifically said he doesn't want them, I fail to see why on earth you are pursuing this line of argument in the first place.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Not everybody wants actives.....the battery issue being one the downsides. For one, if there is no space for a battery in the existing electrics rout and or he doesn't want to deal with opening this up for every battery replacement, then your 'less invasive argument is wholly misplaced as you will be doing more modding your way. For two - given the OP has specifically said he doesn't want them, I fail to see why on earth you are pursuing this line of argument in the first place.

1) he admits to being an uninformed beginner

2) he bought two VERY expensive basses INTENTIONALLY optioned with vintage-correct, hummy single coils...as a "premium feature". And doesn't seem to be aware of that, if anythings, sounds disappointed about it. I interpreted that as "= he didn't know".



As to the space for a 9V thing, afaik, all Fenders have enough room to tape one up in the control cavity.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Besides, how many people with $3k in bass guitars do you know that are THAT unhappy with their sound? Sounds like a good time to reevaluate

Btw, if OP doesn't want to lose the original vintagey sound, there's a little-known way to go 50-50... accidentally discovered it years ago, when I tinkered with a crappy PJ ibanez for $25 and one Seymour Duncan Lightnin Rod active for $35. Turns out you CAN mix Duncan actives with passives thru a blend knob, and they both work and blend just fine...somehow. That thing sounded HUGE. Active was second in the chain, possibly the passive gets boosted up by the internal preamp? Not sure, but it does work. Surprisingly well.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Besides, how many people with $3k in bass guitars do you know that are THAT unhappy with their sound? Sounds like a good time to reevaluate.

I have seen this sort of thing before, both times it was an issue with the amp that no set of pickups could solve.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

It's always possible...but, to me, it sounds more like OP likes the unplugged feel/playability of the basses, and nothing much else about em.... or maybe even just likes the neck only.

If high-end SCs aint doing it, swap at least one for a humbucker or an active. And consider a modern-style bridge, maybe

Oh amd btw, STRINGS MATTER. Big time.

For clangy desired tone... hexcore roundwound steels, probably? Also, with fingers, how you use em matters, the clangier stuff is imho best achieved by whacking at the string in a sort of "slap-lite" with a fingertip instead of strumming at it

 

[chadd]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Higher output, passive and less noise sounds like a hot stack set to me

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

1) he admits to being an uninformed beginner

2) he bought two VERY expensive basses INTENTIONALLY optioned with vintage-correct, hummy single coils...as a "premium feature". And doesn't seem to be aware of that, if anythings, sounds disappointed about it. I interpreted that as "= he didn't know".



As to the space for a 9V thing, afaik, all Fenders have enough room to tape one up in the control cavity.

Plenty of people buy guitars and find later they move toward something else pickup wise.......even the most experienced player cannot know how a new instrument will react nor how their playing will evolve.

I know plenty of people with expensive instrument who trade out components......sounds like you need to get out more.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Plenty of people buy guitars and find later they move toward something else pickup wise.......even the most experienced player cannot know how a new instrument will react nor how their playing will evolve.

I know plenty of people with expensive instrument who trade out components......sounds like you need to get out more.

Well... I've never spent >$150 on any bass or bass-related gear. And it's all satisfying stuff.

If I spent $1.5k on something that wasn't satisfying, I'd be *pissed*.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Yes, thats why we need to be able to look past our own small world when giving advice to others. Goes for all sorts of topics

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

Hello,

You should mess with your pickup heights before investing in new pickups. There is a ton of difference to be had on basses (and guitars, for that matter) within the range of pickup adjustments.

Also, there generally isn't too much of a problem with bass pickups being too low in output, as long as you have the amp and other components to manipulate the signal. You can always take a clean signal and amplify it to be pretty much whatever you want, by using amplification and effects. It's harder to "tame" a strong output pickup, if you should ever want it to sound like a low output pickup. As such, a lower output pickup is inherently more versatile; you can cover a wider range of tones with it. That said, if you always want the high output tone, there are good pickup options from Duncan. I run a 1/4 Lb. in one of my P-Basses, and the stock '58 vintage reissue pickup in the other.

The hum, there are some decent pedals for these days. But I've never felt the need to address hum issues, personally.

What amp are you using, and what does the rest of your rig consist of?

 

[Thrash it up]

Re: Any advice for a jazz bass pickups beginner

1) he admits to being an uninformed beginner

2) he bought two VERY expensive basses INTENTIONALLY optioned with vintage-correct, hummy single coils...as a "premium feature". And doesn't seem to be aware of that, if anythings, sounds disappointed about it. I interpreted that as "= he didn't know".



As to the space for a 9V thing, afaik, all Fenders have enough room to tape one up in the control cavity.

I am a jazz bass pickups beginner NOT a bass player that bought expensive basses but doesn't know anything about bass or sound.

I tried them, choose them cause I listen to many artist that use them, but in the end after many many month I just want a bit more punch in the sound. Is it a crime? Am I that stupid?
Well a lot of people on this forum are very stupid then...