dazza14

Didn't get a chance to lower the pickups over the weekend, it's band practice tonight so while the drummer is spending ages putting his kit together i'll do a little sound check with a screwdriver in hand and see if I can't improve it... if not the long, drawn out process of pickup purchasing will come into play...

Wow, lots of good advice and help (this site if brilliant for help!) I've got lots to think about now, which is what I wanted. Hopefully raise the pickups over the next few days and do some tests, if not happy i'll start the search.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1380794557' post='2230571']
Keep looking on eBay - I got a fender classic 50s model (used) for £8
[/quote]BARGAIN!!!

Ok, pickup height is go, go, go... i'll have a tinkle over the weekend and see if anything changes.Just read up on Fralins, they get lots of great things said about them but I do like my Wilko's... plus they're cheaper, which is a major factor at the mo.Thanks for your help.

Just had a look for the Vintage pickups and it seems they're the ones I bought. Like I said i'm going to look at pickup heights and see what difference that makes (I hear it can be massive!) before I start parting with money for replacements, but it's interesting.... I can't think the wood or other factors could make that much of a difference.

It was the Alnico ones, currently on ebay at £48.

[color=#222222]I play a Squier VM Jazz, I recently wanted to swap the pickups for something a little more "oomphy" than the stock 'Duncan Designed' pickups - the reason being I was being swamped in the mix with two guitars and a drummer on Lucozade! We play punk and reggae, the punk my jazz deals with no problem, whack up the tone and I cut through the mix really nicely, but reggae, when I need more low end it tended to struggle. [/color]

[color=#222222]SO... I bought a set of Wilkinson pickups from the bay (I also play a fretless Vintage 'Jaco' bass and the pickups are amazingly responsive, its like the bass is almost twice as loud, so I wanted to get that sound from the Jazz, hence buying the same pups) [/color]

[color=#222222]BUT although it has made a difference its still miles behind the Vintage.[/color]

[color=#222222]My next port of call is to fiddle with the pickup heights and see what difference this makes but if I do end up going down the route of replacement pickups where should I look?[/color]

[color=#222222]I hear amazing things about Wizard (although I also hear they’ve closed down?) and I’ve seen some saucy EMG pickups on e-bay, for £100ish this seems a do-able mod but I thought I’d check with the library of knowledge on here first.[/color]

[color=#222222]So, any suggestions?[/color]

[color=#222222]Basically I’m after louder pickups that still will keep the character of my sound (and don’t say “turn up ya amp!”)[/color]

I'm watching a couple of Squier basses on E-Bay (and a local one on Gumtree) and i think they are Affinity basses (Precision design) but what i'd like to know is;
What are the neck dimensions?
Does a 'standard' Squier neck fit?
How easy is it to find replacement scratchplates for these?

Any info would be great and lets be honest this site is like an encyclopedia (incorrect spelling) for this kind of stuff!

I really like the ATK's, i think they look great too! Definitely on my wish list... aah, someday, someday... so many basses, so little money...

Bought a bass body from Martyn, really good communication, was sent to me with no hassle or problems and arrived on time and like he described it.
Top fella, would deal with him again in the future.

[size=5][sup]I owned one of these last year, asked the Bass Doc to make me up a 3-ply BWB scratch guard and away i went...[/sup][/size]
[size=5][sup]Great bass, i picked mine up 2nd hand at the Bay and was really, really pleased with it. Apart from the neck was like a damn banana!![/sup][/size]
[size=5][sup]Sold it to someone that didn't care so that was that but i'd definitely try another one.[/sup][/size]

PM'd

When i fall asleep at night and dream about being an awesome bass player, playing jazz clubs and bars and squeezing out cool bass solo's, i sound just like you did!
Bloody love it sir.

[size=4]I tried a modern player jazz in my local music shop and i was VERY iimpressed with it, double humbuckers, nice fast neck, lovely sounds from the pups and for the money, i think it was a little over £400, it was a good bass.[/size]
[size=4]The only downside was the finish, it's like a plastic coating instead of 'paint'. Nothing wrong with it and if thats the only thing stopping you then its a small detail but i didn't like it, my hand was sticking and it felt cheap because of it.[/size]
[size=4]But as sound, function and 'fit' goes it was a very nice bass.[/size]

[size=4]btw it was a white with black guard finish.[/size]

Pickup position seems pretty perfect for where i place my right hand but... YUCK!!

I've been going through the same thing!!!

Wish i had read 'gjones's' comments before, that would have helped me...
I have a Squire VM Jazz and the pickups are all very nice but no punch compared to my Vintage Jaco fretless, so i wanted more bang for my buck but still keeping the overall tone.
I toyed with Wizards, Seymour Duncans, DiMarzio and getting a straight copy of the Vintage Wilkinson pups.
I fitted some MIM Fender stock pickups and they were poor, pretty fuzzy in the mid and offered too much low end.
I decided to bite the bullet and buy some Wilkinson pickups from the bay, they fit the routing ans screw spacing perfectly and i'm really happy with them.
I contacted Wizard and because i play punk and reggae Mark at Wizard said his pups weren't suitable for reggae. So 10/10 for the honesty but they aren't for me. Wilkinson are a contender in my book, they cost £48 the pair and have given my bass a new voice!
Try Wilko, cheap and very very good.

I'm in the same boat, i've used my fretless for my last two gigs, my band mates say they prefer my playing on it (apparently i 'do' more) it sounds better in the mix and i find it so much easier to play.
I read an interview with Tony Franklin where he said "I find fretless to be unlimited, without boundaries" and i agree. I'm toying with the idea of getting a loop pedal and going busking with it to bring the fretless sound to the public!

Just seen this on the Bass Direct webpage.
Oh my word, I WANT ONE!!!

Always had a secret yearning for a yellow bass and this one is lovely, never tried a Sandberg, have only heard good things about them but if i tried one of these in a shop i'd be worried that people would think i'd have to play like Jaco or Marlowe!!
My piggy bank will be colliding with a hammer later today.[attachment=137668:BSFront590.jpg]

Wow, i like very much, i've never heard of this bass before. I've read the word 'Jabba' but didn't know the make.
They look really nice and lots of choice options (sunburst and sonic blue my faves), there is a YouTube channel link from the site, maybe have a look at that and see if there are any online reviews from owners.

Try the Vintage 'Jaco' bass... it's a beauty.
But, if you've got over a £1k to blow on one, do it, i doubt a £300 Vintage would compare with a MIA Fender.

Brilliant, thanks Conan. Youtube is massively variable, i watched one vid and after reading the description it said he uses a few pedals, so no 'real' tone at all.
When my bass was setup the 'setup-per' told me there wasn't any play left in the screws to raise the neck pickup any more so i'm going to replace the screw with a longer one and start there. I think it'll make a difference, how much exactly remains to be seen/heard, but it'll be a slow ongoing thing i think. I've seen the Wilko pickups on e-bay for £48 so it's not a massive expense if i decide to get some replacements but i'll try the F-Jazz ones first before opening my wallet.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1370529838' post='2102274']
All basses vary slightly - even two from the same manufacturer made with the same materials, so I wouldn't be too surprised at variations.

One point though, aren't the pickups in the VM series "Duncan Designed" rather than "proper" SDs? Still decent units, but not quite the same quality as the real thing.

There may also be differences in the circuitry (potentiometers and capacitors for example) that might explain some of the differences you have noticed. String brands and ages can make a difference, yes - but not usually as much as pickup height.

Lots to consider!
[/quote]



Yeah thats right 'Duncan Designed' the point i was making was they were totally different pickups, different brands and all that stuff.
I'm now at a point where i can do four things, one is raise the pickups so they are closer to the strings (the neck pup seems about 1cm from the strings) or i can swap the pickups for the ones a mate of mine gave me - they were the stock pickups from his 1998 Fender Jazz - but the fact these were replaced with SD Bass-Lines tells me these pups ain't going to give me what i want. OR i can order some Wilkinson pups from The Bay OR, alternatively, and more expensively, get hold of some Wizard pickups and put these in. Wizards get nothing but good reviews and i would like my fave bass to remain that. Would like to hear some Wizards in action though, so i'll be trawling YouTube later...
Whatever i decide to though, i'm going to raise the pups and change my strings back to roundwounds... don't get on with flats on my VM.

I'd guess yes, you can 'kinda' make out the word "Japan" on the h-stock.

Just seen this on my daily stroll through the bay;
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-American-Precision-Bass-grey-black-99p-start/261226667135?_trksid=p2047675.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D29%26meid%3D8322897353922747887%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D1013%26rk%3D4%26sd%3D251287326097%26#ht_597wt_1170"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-American-Precision-Bass-grey-black-99p-start/261226667135?_trksid=p2047675.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D29%26meid%3D8322897353922747887%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D1013%26rk%3D4%26sd%3D251287326097%26#ht_597wt_1170[/url]
For some reason i don't think it's actually a Fender. I think it's the low horn, the shape looks too 'wide' in the way it fans out. Plus the scratchplate seems to not fit correctly...

Any thoughts?

Yeah the Squier neck pickup is a little further away than the Vintage neck pickup but it was a huge difference, the sound from the fretless seemed to 'hang' in the room and surround everything. I think that will be my first port of call, raising the pups on the Squier.
Both had flatwounds, nickel i think. Different brands though, Rotosound and an unknown.