Tonerider Jazz pickups... how good are they really?

[wateroftyne]

Hello!

 

Pretty much what it says up there ^^^^

Thinking of getting some, but wondering if the difference would be huge if I scraped together the extra for Fralins, etc.. instead.

 

TIA!

[Lozz196]

Not sure about the Jazzes but the Precision ones are very much like the Fender Custom Shop 62s, maybe the Jazzes follow suit?

[Beedster]

Fralins etc are reassuringly expensive but despite being almost alarmingly the opposite, the Toneriders are very decent PUPs 

[songofthewind]

Toneriders in my Jazz here. Coupled with a John East J-Retro they are great to my old ears.

[Sean]

Bang for buck, I highly recommend Toltec pickups https://www.laverackguitars.com/toltec-pickups You can phone up and have a proper conversation with Lee Laverack about pickups and all things techy. He handwinds pretty much whatever you want. He's done a few for me. He's very reasonaly priced too considering the quality of the parts and workmanship. He also covers the pickups for life. He's based near Leeds and is a gem. I reckon £110 for a pair of J pups done to your exact spec/liking. 

 

I've got a set knocking about here if you'd like to try them out. Not for sale but happy to let you borrow to try.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2025 by Sean

[Supernaut]

I really like them but not sure they have the edge on Lollar and Fralin pups? CS62 pups are excellent too. 

[Hellzero]

I tried almost everything available on the market and as I already said it to you @wateroftyne, they are not good, they are excellent.

 

The only pickups that sound "better" are the (not that expensive compared to Lollar and the likes) Lundgren pickups: https://shop.lundgrenpickups.com/collections/bass

 

[Sean]

We're going to be doing some J pickup A/B testing at the SE Bash. If anyone wants to bring their Toneriders along that would be fab. Obviously, loaded in a bass 😄

[Beedster]

These seem a decent balance of price and quality 

 

[police squad]

I have atonerider in one of my bitsa P basses. Sounds incredible

[Allen]

So my favourite bass that would never part with is an old 1995 Mex Jazz. I have never altered it because it fits me so well, but am tempted to try different pickups. Would the Tonerider classic Jazz set be seen as an upgrade?

Edited 12 hours ago by Allen

[Geek99]

8 minutes ago, Allen said:

So my favourite bass that would never part with is an old 1995 Mex Jazz. I have never altered it because it fits me so well, but am tempted to try different pickups. Would the Tonerider classic Jazz set be seen as an upgrade?

Yes 

I had one of those and the pickups were terrible. Beware that they might be the same size as each other though, which was normal on early Mex but a pain for pup replacements 

Edited 12 hours ago by Geek99

[Allen]

4 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Yes 

I had one of those and the pickups were terrible

Have you tried the Toneriders?

[Hellzero]

10 hours ago, Allen said:

Have you tried the Toneriders?

I did, and to me, these are equivalent to the boutique or Custom Shop models which sold for delirious money without any real explanation.

 

Depending on the type of Jazz Bass tone you're after, the ToneRider Duke pickups could be a good option too.

 

Check their website for the specs.

[Allen]

Thank you for the heads up. I've ordered a set of Classics to try ...

[Homatron]

@Allen When I changed the pickups in my 1999 MiM Jazz a couple of years ago I was concerned about the sizing of the bridge pickup rout (see @Geek99's post above).

 

In the end I found minimal wood needed to be scraped away once the paint was removed from the edges. It was well worth taking the time to do it!