KAISH Jazz Bass Pickups
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4-String-Jazz-Bass-Alnico-5-Pickups-60-s-Vintage-Sound-J-Bass-Pickup-Set-Black/32761524948.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.iEMMur
This set of two pickups from KAISH, a Chinese maker of guitar parts, cost only $27.50 a set (at this point in time), and feature actual AlNiCo pole pieces. On the face of it, that's a great deal. A domestic made set with AlNiCo pole pieces easily exceed $100 a set.
So how do they compare electronically to domestic sets? I've measured three or four other sets from Fender, Seymour Duncan and Lollar, and compared those those sets, the inductance is low at 3.1H for the neck and 3.5H for the bridge. Both are about 0.5H lower than other Jazz Bass pickups I've measured. However, the resonant peaks are really close, in the high 2kHz, low 3kHz range, due to the fact that these pickup measure nearly twice the capacitance. Most Jazz Bass pickups I've measured show around 150pF, these measured 255pF and 336pF, most likely due to being wound neatly and tightly by a machine winder.
The Q factor, or the increase in amplitude at resonance, is a little higher for this set, 6dB versus 5dB, too small to make a tonal difference, but it suggests the AlNiCo 5 formulation is a little off, causing less eddy current losses than typical AlNiCo 5. The magnets' gauss strength is perfectly strong, though.
The result is that these pickups should sound like typical Jazz Bass pickups, but due to the lower inductance, they might produce slightly less voltage output than typical Jazz Bass pickups, but shouldn't be any noisier, since the S/N ratio should be the same either way.
Verdict: a really good value.
KAISH Jazz Bass AlNiCo 5 bridge
- DC Resistance: 9.12K ohms
- Measured L: 3.510H
- Calculated C: 336pF (346 - 10)
- Gauss: 1200G A5
unloaded: dV: 16.1dB f: 4.57kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.1dB f: 2.83kHz (red)
KAISH Jazz Bass AlNiCo 5 neck
- DC Resistance: 8.43K ohms
- Measured L: 3.111H
- Calculated C: 255pF (265 - 10)
- Gauss: 1000G
unloaded: dV: 16.3dB f: 5.54kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.5dB f: 3.21kHz (red)
Bode plot:
--=== ====--==-=-=-- -- - - -- --- --- - ----- -- -- ---
KAISH P-Bass Pickup
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Black-4-String-Precision-Bass-Vintage-Sound-Pickup-Alnico-5-P-Bass-Pickups-Set/32805554458.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000015.9.4DbYkZ&s=p
This KAISH P-Bass pickup costs only $18 at this moment. It features AlNiCo pole pieces, which is a rare thing for pickups at such a low price point. They fit correctly in a P-Bass, but the question is, do they perform as expected?
The inductance of this set is only 3.3H, and the DC resistance only 8.7k. The typical P Bass pickup has an inductance of 5 to 7 henries, and a DC resistance of 10k to 11k ohms, so this set is undeniably under-wound. The resonant frequency of this set is over 1kHz higher than typical P Bass pickups, 3.7kHz versus ~2.5kHz. IN otherwords, these are very, very bright bass pickups, more suited for a Stratocaster than a P Bass.
I haven't installed this set in a guitar yet, but I imagine you'll get too more fret noise and not enough bass content, but it might be possible to get a usable tone by rolling back on the tone knob. Fortunately, this is a humbucking pickup, so that higher treble content shouldn't mean excess noise. I probably will install this set just out of curiosity.
Verdict: mixed, a good value if you want to try out a super bright bass pickup, a bad value if you want standard P-Bass performance.
KAISH P Bass pickup
- DC Resistance: 8.65K ohms
- Measured L: 3.322
- Calculated C: 28pF (38 - 10)
- Gauss:
unloaded: dV: 17.6fB f: 14.1 kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 5.9dB f: 3.68kHz (red)
Bode plot:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4-String-Jazz-Bass-Alnico-5-Pickups-60-s-Vintage-Sound-J-Bass-Pickup-Set-Black/32761524948.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.iEMMur
This set of two pickups from KAISH, a Chinese maker of guitar parts, cost only $27.50 a set (at this point in time), and feature actual AlNiCo pole pieces. On the face of it, that's a great deal. A domestic made set with AlNiCo pole pieces easily exceed $100 a set.
So how do they compare electronically to domestic sets? I've measured three or four other sets from Fender, Seymour Duncan and Lollar, and compared those those sets, the inductance is low at 3.1H for the neck and 3.5H for the bridge. Both are about 0.5H lower than other Jazz Bass pickups I've measured. However, the resonant peaks are really close, in the high 2kHz, low 3kHz range, due to the fact that these pickup measure nearly twice the capacitance. Most Jazz Bass pickups I've measured show around 150pF, these measured 255pF and 336pF, most likely due to being wound neatly and tightly by a machine winder.
The Q factor, or the increase in amplitude at resonance, is a little higher for this set, 6dB versus 5dB, too small to make a tonal difference, but it suggests the AlNiCo 5 formulation is a little off, causing less eddy current losses than typical AlNiCo 5. The magnets' gauss strength is perfectly strong, though.
The result is that these pickups should sound like typical Jazz Bass pickups, but due to the lower inductance, they might produce slightly less voltage output than typical Jazz Bass pickups, but shouldn't be any noisier, since the S/N ratio should be the same either way.
Verdict: a really good value.
KAISH Jazz Bass AlNiCo 5 bridge
- DC Resistance: 9.12K ohms
- Measured L: 3.510H
- Calculated C: 336pF (346 - 10)
- Gauss: 1200G A5
unloaded: dV: 16.1dB f: 4.57kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.1dB f: 2.83kHz (red)
KAISH Jazz Bass AlNiCo 5 neck
- DC Resistance: 8.43K ohms
- Measured L: 3.111H
- Calculated C: 255pF (265 - 10)
- Gauss: 1000G
unloaded: dV: 16.3dB f: 5.54kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.5dB f: 3.21kHz (red)
Bode plot:
--=== ====--==-=-=-- -- - - -- --- --- - ----- -- -- ---
KAISH P-Bass Pickup
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Black-4-String-Precision-Bass-Vintage-Sound-Pickup-Alnico-5-P-Bass-Pickups-Set/32805554458.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000015.9.4DbYkZ&s=p
This KAISH P-Bass pickup costs only $18 at this moment. It features AlNiCo pole pieces, which is a rare thing for pickups at such a low price point. They fit correctly in a P-Bass, but the question is, do they perform as expected?
The inductance of this set is only 3.3H, and the DC resistance only 8.7k. The typical P Bass pickup has an inductance of 5 to 7 henries, and a DC resistance of 10k to 11k ohms, so this set is undeniably under-wound. The resonant frequency of this set is over 1kHz higher than typical P Bass pickups, 3.7kHz versus ~2.5kHz. IN otherwords, these are very, very bright bass pickups, more suited for a Stratocaster than a P Bass.
I haven't installed this set in a guitar yet, but I imagine you'll get too more fret noise and not enough bass content, but it might be possible to get a usable tone by rolling back on the tone knob. Fortunately, this is a humbucking pickup, so that higher treble content shouldn't mean excess noise. I probably will install this set just out of curiosity.
Verdict: mixed, a good value if you want to try out a super bright bass pickup, a bad value if you want standard P-Bass performance.
KAISH P Bass pickup
- DC Resistance: 8.65K ohms
- Measured L: 3.322
- Calculated C: 28pF (38 - 10)
- Gauss:
unloaded: dV: 17.6fB f: 14.1 kHz (black)
loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 5.9dB f: 3.68kHz (red)
Bode plot:
