1971 Fender Jazz pick up replacements advice

[Woody1957]

I have a 71 Jazz bass and lm looking to replace both pick ups. The main reason being the E string is very boomy. I've tried everything to curbe it...lowering the pups on that side, used a Keeley compressor, tried a smaller gauge E string, eq'ed the amp using various settings but nothing seems to work. 

I'm looking for pups with quite an aggressive tone and an upfront sound in the mix....so any ideas please? Cheers, Steve 

[itu]

A parametric eq pedal, maybe? Artec is very cheap and functional.

 

I am wondering - although you have tried this and that - if something else is affecting this issue. Is the room you play at very boomy, or is your amp in a place, where it produces the unwanted sound, like in a corner?

[Reggaebass]

Does it do it with all strings you try, I’d be reluctant to change the pickups on your jazz , is it the lovely mint untouched sunburst one 

[Andyjr1515]

If you do decide to change them, pay particular attention to the dimensions - there is a HUGE variation with makers of sometimes the overall pickup dimensions and, more often, the lug positions and radii.  There are even differences across Fender's own pickups...  In my experience, it is more often that they don't fit than they do...which is a bit bizarre.

[Woody1957]

4 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Does it do it with all strings you try, I’d be reluctant to change the pickups on your jazz , is it the lovely mint untouched sunburst one 

It is the lovely collector grade sunburst one from Simon on here l bought in 2020.

Even at front room practice levels it does sound louder than the other strings unfortunately. I really bought this bass to gig it and not for it to become a case queen or just an investment.

[Woody1957]

5 hours ago, itu said:

A parametric eq pedal, maybe? Artec is very cheap and functional.

 

I am wondering - although you have tried this and that - if something else is affecting this issue. Is the room you play at very boomy, or is your amp in a place, where it produces the unwanted sound, like in a corner?

I've tried everything to tame it and at different gigs. I keep my amps fairly neutral eq wise and always use an isolation pad under the cabs especially on a hollow stages and keep the cabs well away from a back wall too...

[Aidan63]

have you tried changing the tone pot or tone capacitor ?

Dropping in a different set of pots/capacitor only means a bit of soldering or de-soldering and screwdriver work if you get a solderless set up like @KiOgon makes

I like the twin stack set up with different caps for each pickup, but on a VVT the cap makes quite a difference and old ones can drift in value so maybe yours is emphasising some of the E string frequencies in a way that you don't like

[Chewie]

Hiya,

I'm no officianado but I was just reading another discussion on here where one chap suggested depressing the E string down pickguard side of the bridge, quite firmly to create a change in angle.  This sets the string correctly into the saddle and "should" be done every time we change strings or change tuning.

By the way, I have a similar issue with the first string.  I always feel like it's sharper sounding and not like the other 3.  I play a bit of slap too, I always have to try and stifle pops to make them percussive.

 

[Woody1957]

19 minutes ago, Chewie said:

Hiya,

I'm no officianado but I was just reading another discussion on here where one chap suggested depressing the E string down pickguard side of the bridge, quite firmly to create a change in angle.  This sets the string correctly into the saddle and "should" be done every time we change strings or change tuning.

By the way, I have a similar issue with the first string.  I always feel like it's sharper sounding and not like the other 3.  I play a bit of slap too, I always have to try and stifle pops to make them 

 

[Woody1957]

Thanks for your tip but l usually do that anyway to all the strings at the bridge. I've tried a smaller E gauge 95 and seems to help somewhat but it's not ideal. I'm still thinking about changing out the stock pups for some Norstrands though..but it would obviously spoil the provenance of the instrument which is basically a collectors grade Jazz.

[Woody1957]

On 21/07/2023 at 11:14, Reggaebass said:

Does it do it with all strings you try, I’d be reluctant to change the pickups on your jazz , is it the lovely mint untouched sunburst one 

Sorry for the very late reply...yes it is the collector grade sunburst one bought from Simon on this forum.

[bloke_zero]

If I were in the same boat I'd carefully remove all the electronics by desoldering the output connection and replace with new pickups and wiring harness - that way you could always replace the old set with minimal disruption.

 

Before I did that I'd try some experiments with carefully clamping the headstock etc to try and rule out weird resonance on the E - it'd be gutting to do all that and then find the problem was still there!

 

Nordstrand are good - they tend towards the more modern but I've had good results. Depends what tone you're after!

[Chewie]

46 minutes ago, bloke_zero said:

If I were in the same boat I'd carefully remove all the electronics by desoldering the output connection and replace with new pickups and wiring harness - that way you could always replace the old set with minimal disruption.

 

Before I did that I'd try some experiments with carefully clamping the headstock etc to try and rule out weird resonance on the E - it'd be gutting to do all that and then find the problem was still there!

 

Nordstrand are good - they tend towards the more modern but I've had good results. Depends what tone you're after!

Hey, apologies for digressing ever so slightly from the OP...... which similarebpups would you put in an early 70's jazz for that growl...?

[bloke_zero]

I'd be thinking about these: https://www.emgpickups.com/bass/j-models/jvhz-set.html

 

I have the GZR P-bass version and it sounds right to me. I'm not an expert on jazz pickups though!

[Cliff Edge]

I replaced the pickups in my ‘72 Jazz with a Vintage 74 Jazz set from Fender. They sound great,  very growly. Prior to that I was using Seymour Duncan something or other after the originals gave out many years ago and I threw them away in disgust. Don’t judge me, they were awful at the end. 

[Reggaebass]

41 minutes ago, Cliff Edge said:

I replaced the pickups in my ‘72 Jazz with a Vintage 74 Jazz set from Fender. They sound great,  very growly. Prior to that I was using Seymour Duncan something or other after the originals gave out many years ago and I threw them away in disgust. Don’t judge me, they were awful at the end. 

Couldn’t you have got the original ones rewound or wasn’t that possible 

[wateroftyne]

Is it boomy, or does it have a lack of fundamental? Does it sound OK acoustically..?

[Woody1957]

3 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Is it boomy, or does it have a lack of fundamental? Does it sound OK acoustically..?

The E string is louder and sounds quite boomy no matter how l adjust the eq.

[Cliff Edge]

4 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Couldn’t you have got the original ones rewound or wasn’t that possible 

I dare say I could have but it was a long time ago and it never occurred to me, plus I needed the bass, I didn’t have a spare. 

[wateroftyne]

39 minutes ago, Woody1957 said:

The E string is louder and sounds quite boomy no matter how l adjust the eq.

How does it sound if you unplug it and just listen to it acoustically? Stick your ear on the top horn and see if it sounds mushy unamplified.