J bass pickups - whatcha like?

[CID Vicious]

So I just snagged this SX jazz copy. It's as good as they say, mine has the "lawsuit" headstick, and $141 tax included? In 2015? Done. We're getting married in the spring.

Never really got to dig into a good Jazz pickup wise. Acoustically I've played tons.

Stock SX pickups aren't bad...A/B'd it with a CV Jazz at GC into an Ampeg PF350. SX played and sounded better but the pickups in the CV are clearly superior. Not the Duncan Designed ones either.

I think Dimazio Model Js are in my future. Wired correctly, they do P, J, humbucker - & all noiseless. They seem like a good fit, because I don't really give a fuck about Jaco or Geddy or 70'S funk tones. Mad Rhinp in a China shop more like.

So...any other "Mad Rhino" options for the J besides the DP123s? Would just a series mod. on a random "correct" jazz pickups be sufficiently gargantuan?

BTW...what the hell, they're going in this. (The whisky bottle. I hear it adds to the aggression ;-) )

[mortlock]

I was using a set of bartolinis for the longest time. I really liked them, but they do have a traditional jazz bass tone. not sure if that's what you really are going for..

[CID Vicious]

To be honest, I think after another round of SX into SVT, that the stock pickups aren't trash. I still see DP123s in my future, but wouldn't run out to buy them before the next round of recording.

The neck pickup solo is almost a P tone anyway. They actually did a blind test on Talkbass, and many a nerd got it wrong because "everyone knows a J can't be fat and big like a P". No one in a live setting could tell.

The stock "everything up" setting loses some balks but a push pull fixes that.

It helps if you actually look up how to run a jazz bass too. Much like the BDDI that made a PF500 sound anemic in comparison, if you go for "idiot" settings it sounds like shit.

Oh, and even with what to a funk or R&B guy would be a retard amount of overdrive from both the BDDI and a Rat...the hum was only perceptible when the bass was idle with my hands off the strings.

Little wonder aside from a series option I always wanted a J for in the first place, it's easy to see why this config hasn't gone anywhere in 50 years.

To think I was mad about having to come off of my SUB SB4 earlier...ain't missing it now ;-)

[Corey Y]

I really like the Dimarzio Model J pickups. I don't have a jazz style bass currently though. The Model P is also my favorite Precision pickup too, something about their approach on both of them are just perfectly to my taste. Not too much mid scoop, plenty hot and with a nice growl to them.

[Pissy]

+2 model J. I tried Seymor Duncan's and it didn't do much for me. I think it was their vintage Jazz pups, and perhaps a 1/4 pounder config too. Then I tried the model J's and that was what I was after.

Beyond that, I never bothered with the more slightly more boutique stuff, like Rio Grande or Fralin's or whatever.

[CID Vicious]

The only weirdo pickups I'd go for are the Alumatones.Those really are next gen stuff...but I think the MJs fit the 70's vibe better. And really I don't dig djenty tones. So meh, even QOTSA/KYUSS, Strapping Young Lad, Tool, etc, all use pickups of the shelf from the 80's. I still really haven't found many pickups for my tones and style than the Duncan Custom.

There's cool new stuff but I could easily rebuild nearly my exact rig if I hopped into a time machine set for 1995...& wouldn't need to buy clones!