Pickup mods to a bitsa Jaguar. Advice please.

[philw]

Morning all,

 

Some old-handers here may remember my bitsa-Jaguar. Known, by me, as the Surf-Jag. It's an old Squire Tele-bass neck with a custom made Jaguar-ish body, fully passive with Entwistle PJ pickups.

 

It's great bass, now with multiple battle scars (it survived a fall off the stage at Brighton Pride a couple of years ago - just the bass, not me also), that I gig with regularly, but the new project I'm involved in, a New Wave covers band (everything from Joe Jackson via Prefab Sprout and XTC to Gary Numan, and everything late 70s early 80s in between), really needs a wider variety of tones from the bass than it can offer. I also sometimes struggle with hum on stage from the single-coil pickups.

 

So I'm wondering about swapping out the passive PJs and going active (the bass has battery box already fitted for this eventuality). But what pickups and preamp should I go with? I'd even consider re-routing the body to fit some humbuckery at either or perhaps both locations.

 

Anyway, suggestions, ideas and thoughts would be much appreciated (I'd also need somebody local(ish) to Brighton to do the work 'cause I think it'll be somewhat beyond my pay grade).

 

Thanks in advance

Phil

 

 

[philw]

Hello! Anybody there 🙂

 

Any thoughts to share about this as an option: https://www.emgpickups.com/bass/pj-models/pjxset.html

 

P

[bloke_zero]

I like EMG stuff, I don't have any direct experience with that set. Reading the blurb it says 

Quote

Active Tone Control (VLPF) designed to roll-off (attenuate) high frequencies, similar to a typical passive tone control.

 

If you want a wider range of tones that might limit you as I don't think the pickup tone would be wildy different on it's own. I'd be wondering about something with mid range boost?

 

The pluses are that the EMG should be hum free, better the dynamic range (I think they sound better with more voltage: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/197519674095) and you probably could fit at home, even with no experience as their system is solder free. Minuses are that it will be pretty similar to your current range of sounds.

Edited yesterday at 10:39 by bloke_zero

[Beedster]

I've a set of these (passives) in a P/J and the tonal range is pretty good, although I also use a @KiOgon VT+VT circuit which no doubt helps. The Dimarzio configuration also allows for series/parallel (which I don't use) which could add to the range further. @KiOgon would no doubt be able to accommodate that for you

 

https://www.thomann.co.uk/dimarzio_dp126_creme.htm?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1581403900&gbraid=0AAAAADuDMCVsgt3nuIAmWBp8w-ZIRu_lG&gclid=CjwKCAjwtrXFBhBiEiwAEKen13q8gI4Wbnp-qssTHm2S5XJAOeQ4RSDaRgl1NZCcBpIFOv_uLYc_mhoCCAIQAvD_BwE

 

Re routing the body for humbuckers, you might just find that the thing that has kept this bass as a preferred gigging instrument gets lost in the mods

[NancyJohnson]

Cough.

 

"It's a great bass, but I'm thinking about..."

 

Lost count if the amount of posts that pertain to this.  If it's great, leave it as is.  Invest the money elsewhere.  Go out for dinner.  Buy a book.

 

Cough.

[philw]

Thanks for the thoughts all.
 

I think the issue of tonal variation is that the way things are at present, I’m simply not getting much contribution from the bridge pickup, and being passive there’s not really much can be done about that. I just need more middy J tone. And then if I factor in the single-coil hum issues, some kind of “humbucking” active PJ solution seems a reasonable way to go.

 

I’m properly tempted by the EMG PJ, but of course very aware that I might be wasting my time/money and should have gone out for dinner or bought a book. Just not a book on guitar mods.

 

P

[BigRedX]

If you want more tonal variation buy a programable multi-effects pedal with a decent EQ section.

Edited 1 hour ago by BigRedX