I've got the Squire VM fretless J-bass - a Christmas gift from my excellent wife.
I've added a thumbrest above the strings, and put on a set of those nylon-wound Fender strings.
Now I'm curious about replacing the pickups. The stock pickups don't sound bad, but I'm pretty sure I could do better.
What's out there? Suggestions? Thanks!
s'all goof.
For the two Jazz Basses I built I chose the Fender CS '62 re-issues. I'm not a bass player but my brother is and he really likes these pickups for their vintage tone.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Will it fit regular Jazz Bass pickups? My 1999 MIM Std. Jazz Bass won't.
I'd suggest contacting Pete Biltoft at vintagevibeguitars(dot)com.
He custom winds everything to your specifications, and he's very good at translating "musospeak" into a finished product that meets your needs.
He made a set of J-bass pickups for me last year, and it transformed a "ho-hum" bass into an absolute tone monster. It's also dead quiet, too, which is quite unusual for single-coil J-bass pickups.
His prices are very reasonable, too: just a little more than off-the-shelf aftermarket models you find out there.
When I ordered mine, he had them finished three days after he cashed the check, and they were in the mail the same day. There's none of the "waiting around, not sure what's going on" that happens with too many custom build folks.
Pete does great work, is very accessible and personable, and gives great customer service. I recommend him highly.
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
-Dave Barry
Thanks, gents.
That's a good question, Don. I'll be careful to take measurements before I order.
Thanks, Psuedocat. I wouldn't even know how to specify some custom-wound bass pickups. I've only really been playing bass for about a year, this is the first bass I've owned, and I'm just not sure what's even possible with pickups. For guitar - no problem - I've tried dozens of different pickups over a 25 year period and have some idea what I'd want.
I guess I've been leaning toward some Seymour Duncans, just because I've always had a good experience with them in the guitar department. Fender CS is probably pretty darn good too.
I've been thinking of sorta pimping the bass a bit, replacing its chrome hardware with all black hardware. The nylon wound strings are all black so it would be a neat effect.
My basic problem is a difficulty leaving well enough alone.
s'all goof.
The Duncan SJB-1, Seymour's "vintage" wind, is also a very good J-bass pickup. If I hadn't gone with Pete's custom winds, I probably would have gotten SJB-1's. They're easy to find, and can often be had for cheap, too (always a bonus).Originally Posted by curtisstetka
That's the story of my life...My basic problem is a difficulty leaving well enough alone.
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
-Dave Barry
me three!
the duncan classic, custom shop fender, fralins, pete @ vintagevibe. and there are 1,000's of others. but it's hard to beat these guys.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
Doesn't the Vintage Modified series already have Seymour Duncan Designed pickups in it? I've got the fretted version and I love the tone of the stock pickups.
It does indeed have Duncan Designed pickups in it.
This is the first bass I've owned so I'm not really sure what I can get out of bass pickups. I'm not completely sure I'll bother replacing them at all. They sound okay to me, but what the heck do I know?
Tonight I'm going to hang out with a bassist friend of mine and check out his collection. Also getting my first bass lesson.
s'all goof.
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