DiMarzio bass pickups

[Inflames626]

Generally, are DiMarzio bass pickups competitive to SD and Fender?

I'm looking at trying all the P and J pickups SD and Fender make, both in a PP Warlock and in a PJ Peavey.

I'm wondering if trying DMZs is worth it.

I have already tried the Fender Original (non custom shop) ones and SPB/J 3s. I'm looking at trying SPB/J 1s, 2s, 4s, Ants, and the Fender Custom Shop 62 Ps and Js.

Thanks.

 

[Liko]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I think so. I have an Ultra Jazz set in my Mexi and I love them. A little more balls than the stock set, and of course they're individually hum-cancelling so you can noiselessly solo either one. I get some P-ish tones from soloing the neck when I'm in that kinda mood, and as any Jazz should do, this set burps with the best when I lean toward the bridge.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I have the DP145/146 Will Power pair in a mid-price Yamaha bass guitar. I briefly owned an elderly Model J pair. I have worked various other DiMarzio bass pickups.

Generalising enormously, I find that DiMarzio bass pickups sound considerably less "Fender-y" than SD/Basslines ones. Their tone lends itself to Rock more than Funk or Soul.

B. C. Rich and DiMarzio have an association that goes back decades. I happily recommend the Will Power mid position model. You probably need something hotter/darker for the bridge position. Dual P pickups with four conductor + shield output cable presents some interesting wiring possibilities.

I am reluctant to comment on the Peavey bass guitar without knowing the exact model.

 

[Inflames626]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

The Peavey is a David Ellefson Scorpio from the early 00s. It is a SPB/J 3 PJ stock, jazz style. It is very bright and clear sounding when not plugged in. I just find the SPB/J 3s to sound a little dark--fine by themselves but a little muddy in a mix.

I also have a Foundation 5 Jazz copy from the late 90s with ceramic stock pickups (with a curved radius similar to Carvin's pickups) and a maple neck. It is quite bright also.

Will Power neck seems kind of quirky by the way. Yamaha seems rather unconventional in its bass designs. I'm guessing the neck is based on the Gibson EB line. Anyway, I've rarely seen square bass pickups.

My impression of what I've heard of DMZs is they can sound kind of nasally, but I wasn't sure. Anything can be tweaked in an infinite number of ways.

I liked the Fenders but they lack a little in the bottom and are quiet even in a PP. They are, however, very even without sounding as sterile as some of the new, modern sounding bass pickups.

I'm going rather conservative on the pickup output because usually I can dial in more with the amp and I find a vintage sound, even for heavy rock and metal, to be a little cleaner and more even than newer voicings.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

The Peavey is a David Ellefson Scorpio from the early 00s. It is a SPB/J 3 PJ stock, jazz style. It is very bright and clear sounding when not plugged in. I just find the SPB/J 3s to sound a little dark--fine by themselves but a little muddy in a mix.

What strings do you have on that? What state are the control pots in? How are the pickups adjusted for height? In short, I am wondering where your high frequencies are disappearing to.

As I finger style player, I observe that the SD Quarter Pound pickups seem to be especially popular with plectrum style bassists.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

Sure they are!

Although I've never tried them as the SPB 3's just do it for me.

 

[Inflames626]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I find the 3 line to be fine sounding by itself, especially for bass heavy styles like hip hop. The bass sounds amazing alone but in a mix it gets lost with the kick. I find they're equivalent to a JB in terms of bottom--loose, hence my desire to try 2s instead.

I also found I liked the Fender 62 Originals better than the SPB3s in a mix, which leads me to believe I want a less wound bass pickup that is more vintage-ly voiced.

The controls are on full, tone is completely on treble, strings are new, bright sounding roundwounds (not sure what they are, might even be stainless).

I usually play with a metal plectrum on both bass and guitar.

Whenever EQ'ing I usually boost the bass around 800 hz, 1.6khz, 3.4 khz, and so on in octaves (2khz is usually where guitar and snare are--have to be careful there). 400hz and such are the first to go.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I have a Model P&J set in my Yamaha attitude bass. The Model P is great, but the model J is a bit under powered. I may upgrade the J to an Ultra Jazz or a Quarter Pounder.

 

[marcboomer]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

The Antiquity II's are worthy of consideration. Very authentic sounding. There's a new model for Jazz Basses too> The Apollo's. Linear noise cancelling. Very single coil sounding, maybe even punchier, yet quiet.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I'd love to see a comparison of the Area J's vs Apollos.

 

[dg27]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I have Model J's in my MIM Jazz with a DPDT S-P switch. I love them because I get a ton of low end and the tone is a bit different than my other basses.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I'd love to see a comparison of the Area J's vs Apollos.

Now, the Area J is DiMarzio's stacked design, isn't it? As I recently found out from a thread I started, the Apollo is a side-by-side humbucking setup where one coil is under one pair of strings and the other under the remaining pair.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

My understanding is that all Dimarzio Jazz Bass pickups are split coil humbucker style. (They don't do a traditional single coil, nor a stacked design). Model J was the original in 1979, Ultra Jazz and Area J came around in 2009 and 2010 I believe.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

Tried the model P before and loved it.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I havent tried alot of different bass pickups like I have guitar pups, but I have a Charvel bass that has a Dimarzio DP122 and DP 123 set and they serve me well. Quiet and I get a good variety of tones with the knobs

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: DiMarzio bass pickups

I have a Split P and an Ultra Jazz in a Jackson Concert EX bass I got a few years ago. They're far better than the stock Jackson pickups were.
What is amazing to me is how both pickups have this airy, open high end and clarity like some active bass pickups, while the Ultra jazz also has this tight, growly Jazz bass tone, and the Split P has this impressively deep low end and thick midrange.
And both are humbucking.

Back around 1990 or so, a friend of mine called and asked if I could figure out what was the matter with his church's Washburn bass, which my friend played at their services. I took it home and discovered that the pickup was dead. I don't take pickups apart and tinker with them. I called a local guitar shop and asked what they had in their parts drawer. They had a creme Dimarzio vintage P bass pickup. I got it, put it in the Washburn bass, and the next time I heard from my friend, he commented how that bass now sounded better than it ever had before. He was pretty amazed.