Re: Re: Looking to Upgrade J Pickups in my Fender (Mexico) 5 string Jazz Bass

Awesome recommendation... Thanks much!=C2=A0 Do you know if you can wire th=
ose P/u's with a coil tap to split them too?

Anyone also have recommendations? Anyone using Norstand Jazz P/U's or any o=
f the newer Bartolini Preamps?

--- On Tue, 9/21/10, jollyr465 <[email protected]> wrote:

From: jollyr465 <[email protected]>
Subject: [Bass Place] Re: Looking to Upgrade J Pickups in my Fender (Mexico=
) 5 string Jazz Bass
To: [email protected]
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 11:20 AM







=C2=A0



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      John, I'd try DiMarzio DP549s. they're a great jazz bass pick-up. I'v=
e been using my G&L L2500 as my main bass these days, over my fours. Becaus=
e, I can get any tone, that I want from it. It's an awesome bass. Anyway, a=
bout the pick-ups. There a stacked humbucker pick-up & give you a really ni=
ce fat bell like tone { Dead Quite also }. I put the DP149s in my favorite =
Fender 75 jazz bass & I love these pick-ups. I mainly us my G&L these days,=
 over my other basses though.

If you want an all out great active jazz bass, then try the DP549s & use an=
 AGUILAR OBP 3 pre-amp, bump it up to 18 volts & I think you'll be happy. T=
he DeMarzio's will work with that pre-amp very nicely. I've done it. Great =
tone.



--- In [email protected], "JohnL" <john_lapietra@...> wrote:

>

> Hi Fellow Bass-Heads and Tone Freaks... Looking for Suggestions here...  =
I bought this Mexican Jazz Bass New around 1999 (Mostly choose it over the =
American Standard because it actually had 3/16" WIDER Fretboard at the Brid=
ge than the American Standard! and the deep WINE color, blew away the other=
 choices at the time)  The stock pickups sounded awful (I knew this before =
I purchased it knowing I was going to upgrade the Pickups anyhow and since =
I paid less than half the cost of an American Standard, should be plenty of=
 justification in that direction.

>=20

> Well over the years the 5 string hardly saw any use as my 4 string Basses=
 and Drop D Tunings seemed to negate the use of a 5 string for me until rec=
ently... I now play in a HEAVY Modern Rock Band with a lot of Low B require=
ments.. Some Funk & Slap, Some Over-Drive, but a lot of punch and attack (I=
n yo Face Bass!). My Main 4 Strings (and preferred tone by choice) are two =
near identical Vintage G&L Basses with stock active Pickups- through a full=
 Hartke 8x10 XL Stack.. sometimes powered by beastly Crest Solid State and =
sometimes by '69 Ampeg V-4 (all tubes). I use a plethora of modded analog p=
edals, but the heart of my pre-amp tone comes from a Vintage Modded Boss Ba=
ss EQ, and an EBS Compressor. I was also using an American Washburn 4 with =
single passive P-Pickups, tuned down to C Standard (took a lot of tweaking =
with Truss rod and such, but trying to get it down to B kinda exceeded the =
"Threshold"..) That's when I blew the Dust off my Jazz 5.

>=20

> First of all, I hate the fact that if Both Volume Controls are not comple=
tely equal on passive single coils, it's "hum noise" from HELL (much worse =
on cheapo stock single coil pickups, like magnified!) 1st thing I did was w=
ired both pickups to the top Volume Control (like it is configured on my G&=
L's) so it instantly makes them  noise-canceling (for the most part anyhow)=
. Next I Shielded both P/U Cavities and control Cavity with Copper tape (th=
is helped even more). Last I replaced the 2nd (no longer used) Volume Pot w=
ith a "Guitar Fetish" rotary selectable, 9-volt active preamp (Hell of a ti=
me fitting the 9 volt in that cavity after shielding, but got that sucker p=
acked in there). Replaced the stock knob and Walla- the Jazz Bass still loo=
ks completely stock and SEXY as hell. I thought the preamp would give it en=
ough "push" to compete with my G&L's but after about the 3rd HEAVY gig usin=
g it (It's way quieter now), it still lacks output and high end
 punch (the G&L's sound much like an Active Music Man Bass). So that's is w=
here YOU, my good friends, come in??

> What would be the best choice to upgrade for the type of performance and =
tone that I'm looking for??

>=20

> I've always been partial towards active pickups for Bass and even 6 strin=
g... So much quieter and no dealing with Bridge Grounded system HUM. I have=
 a single Bartolini J (in the sweet spot) with active Bartolini Preamp in m=
y Fretless and it kicks serious ARSE (but there are so dam many different B=
artolini's available now.. which one to choose? Active or Passive?  I've us=
ed EMG's and they are better than nearly all Passive Pickups I've tried, bu=
t a little on the plain vanilla side.  I've heard that the 1/4 pounder's ac=
tives are noisy junk, and I've scrapped DiMarzio's before.  I was never tha=
t into passive pickups until I started using this Washburn (as noted above)=
sounds really dam good, even tuned down to Baritone C! So I was also readin=
g about NORSTRAND Passive Bass Pickups and praise that they are the BEST.. =
 Okay, for those that don't know, the Mexican Jazz has 2 identical sized J =
pickups (same size as the Bridge on a US model) where as the
 American has a slightly smaller sized J Pickup at the Neck. I don't feel l=
ike messing with the pick guard so I'm going with the stock-sized set repla=
cements. I will be tuning it in Standard B with Heavy emphasis on low end a=
nd some slap..

>=20

> Suggestions, Opinions, Recommendations Folks???

>=20

> Thanks Much in advance,

>=20

> John LaPietra (J-man)

>





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