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Help me pick a pickup set for my Jazz bass.


sirmuppet

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Pretty much what the title says. I'm in need of a set of Jazz bass pickups. I've been looking but I can't decide what might be right for me or not. 

A little background. I have a Super Bassman with a Bassman 4x10. No pedals, just straight in. I usually use a pick and play some sort of rock. I've got two P-basses which I love the sound of. One has the stock custom 60's the other has a PJ set of Quarter Pounds. So whatever I choose for the Jazz has to keep up with this and not sound too thin or under powered. 

I've looked for a couple of weeks now, read through countless forums, watched videos and listened to sound clips. I just can't pick a set. 

In the past I have tried Seymour Duncan SJB2 and 3 sets. The SJB3 were not to my liking, too mid scooped. The SJB2 were great but from memory they were really dark and muffled when compared to my P-basses. Currently have Dimarzio Model J's which sound ok but are causing issues due to the fact they are so much taller than normal pickups (meaning I have the shim the neck and then the bridge I have doesn't lock the saddles into the grooves of the bassplate as the saddles need to be that much higher).

The bass these pickups are going are a 62 reissue Jazz bass from Japan (JB62 FCH/SLV). The weird thing is that they seem to have put the bridge pickup in at the 70's position, not the 60's. So this will obviously affect tone. I also want the bass to remain passive. 

So with that in mind what do you think? Opinions in this would be greatly appreciated. 

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Entwistle Jazz pickups are my choice, particularly the neo ones. When I first saw the price, I thought they couldn't possibly any good, being that they seemed so cheap, compared to others. I was wrong. I've fitted a couple of sets in recent times on customers basses and they were delighted with the result.

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13 minutes ago, gary mac said:

Entwistle Jazz pickups are my choice, particularly the neo ones. When I first saw the price, I thought they couldn't possibly any good, being that they seemed so cheap, compared to others. I was wrong. I've fitted a couple of sets in recent times on customers basses and they were delighted with the result.

I just had a look and that's crazy cheap for those pickups! There only seems to be one type (Ceramic) on their site but the Neo ones appear for sale on the likes of Ebay. Are the Neo ones newer or older?

Also how to the Neo's compare to other magnet types in say the Ceramic set?

Thanks.

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1 minute ago, Geek99 said:

I bought some geddy lee pups on eBay for pennies - they sound just fine so may suit you 

Where did you get them? The best Jazz I ever had was a USA Geddy and would love to get my hands on a set but have been unable to find any. 

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54 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

I just had a look and that's crazy cheap for those pickups! There only seems to be one type (Ceramic) on their site but the Neo ones appear for sale on the likes of Ebay. Are the Neo ones newer or older?

Also how to the Neo's compare to other magnet types in say the Ceramic set?

Thanks.

Like I said, don't be put off by the low prices. I've fitted their J and P pickups, also a number of the guitar variants and they've all been exceptionally good.

Maybe the Neo ones are being phased out, I don't know. Probably worth contacting them.

As to how do they compare. I thought the Neo's seemed more powerful but with no harshness. Sorry that's not the best of descriptions o.O . Nowt wrong with the ceramics though.

 

 

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2 hours ago, sirmuppet said:

Where did you get them? The best Jazz I ever had was a USA Geddy and would love to get my hands on a set but have been unable to find any. 

Um, on eBay as I said 

i would think about parting with them or trade but that’s a PM topic 🤐

Edited by Geek99
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1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

Um, on eBay as I said 

i would think about parting with them or trade but that’s a PM topic 🤐

Ah, lol. I meant which store or was it a seller but I'll PM you in a bit and we can maybe discuss...

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sure - It was a private seller. He sent them to me in the replacements' box and a photo of his Geddy with those same new ones in. I have no reason to disbelieve him. They do sound good to me, I must say. However I do not play enough to justify expensive pups over mid priced.

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On ‎21‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 00:04, sirmuppet said:

I'd say best way to describe it is a fat grindy tone if that makes sense? Basically something that can get me into the ballpark of the output of my P-basses but still with the Jazz flavour but a bit fatter. 

I`ve just bought a Squier VM 77 Jazz and the output of the stock pups is low, so have looked at a pickup swap. After trawling the net I happened on Fender Vintage 74s, and the description plus online demos is pretty much as you describe - which is what I`m also after from the VM77 so have ordered a set. 

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6 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I`ve just bought a Squier VM 77 Jazz and the output of the stock pups is low, so have looked at a pickup swap. After trawling the net I happened on Fender Vintage 74s, and the description plus online demos is pretty much as you describe - which is what I`m also after from the VM77 so have ordered a set. 

Yeah I saw these. They looked really good but the neck is higher output than the bridge which I thought was odd. I'm considering them too as they're made for the 70's spacing.

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Yeah, I figured that when both pickups were on that it would probably give a fatter sound as it would favour the neck pickups higher output. Which for me would be a bonus. Plus you'd be able to adjust the heights to balance them. I'm guessing the neck would be a lot lower and allow for some heavy hitting without that harsh pop/spike. 

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I happened to have brand new 62 neck and 74 bridge pickups unused in my parts box and decided to use them on my Harley Benton and it is now, without a doubt, the best sounding jazz I have ever played. The Radial Bassbone does help but cor blimey guvnor it's good.

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4 minutes ago, Delberthot said:

I happened to have brand new 62 neck and 74 bridge pickups unused in my parts box and decided to use them on my Harley Benton and it is now, without a doubt, the best sounding jazz I have ever played. The Radial Bassbone does help but cor blimey guvnor it's good.

Sounds like a beast. I thought about a 74 at the neck and a custom shop 60's at the bridge but they don't sell them in singles. 

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Just now, sirmuppet said:

Sounds like a beast. I thought about a 74 at the neck and a custom shop 60's at the bridge but they don't sell them in singles. 

They crop up on Ebay from time to time but usually come from the USA. If you're lucky they fall under the radar of Royal Fail but I wasn't. They were both still sealed in Fender packaging, I'm guessing that they were for repairs rather than sale as they didn't come in the usual packaging

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1 hour ago, sirmuppet said:

You can't get these new now right? Didn't they close down because the guy retired?

He did retire but I think someone else has carried on where he left off, perhaps with a name change. Damn it, I can't recall the name though:facepalm:

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On 23/06/2019 at 18:07, sirmuppet said:

You can't get these new now right? Didn't they close down because the guy retired?

you can get the pre-loved - i managed to purchase two sets from this very website but they dont pop up very often

mr wizard retired and just closed everything down but the designs and tools and jigs and everything were bought up on proviso that new company started out with a new name i believe - hot rods - so basically the hot rods guys are making the same product with the same designs to the same spec with the same manufacturing tools

ps my search for the elusive powerful active jazz setup was rudely upset when i purchased a vm Precision and dropped a wizard thumper in it - never imagined that a passive setup would sound fatter and bigger than all the different actives i have tried over the years

 

https://www.hot-rodpickups.com/jb-hammer-jazz-bass-pickup-569-p.asp

Edited by steve-bbb
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