So I've had my 2012 MIJ Fender Jazz '62RI for a few years now, and I love everything about it except the hum that appears when using each pickup on its own. Didn't think much of it in the earlier years when I was merely performing on stage as it wasn't as noticeable, but in the past couple of years or so where I've started recording with my band, the hum is beginning to bug me a lot more.
DiMarzio is one of the brands I narrowed my hum-cancelling options down to (there were other brands I saw as well, simply decided to look into DiMarzio first because they're the most convenient so far). For the neck pickup, I'm considering the Model J, and for the bridge pickup, I'm looking at either the Area J or Ultra Jazz, but I got a few questions for those who use them:
1) I've been wanting for a while to get a thicker- and punchier-sounding neck pickup, something with a Precision-like tone but in a Jazz single coil size. I've heard some people claim that the Model J sounds similar to a Precision: Exactly how true is this?
2) The Model J seems to be much higher in output than the other two and is likely to dominate both, especially in the neck: If I were to get a Model J neck pickup, which model, Area or Ultra, will be a better bridge pickup to match?
3) If neither combination in Question 2 is a feasible idea: What about other combinations like Area neck + Ultra bridge or Ultra neck + Area bridge? (I will most likely not be going for a Model J bridge as I prefer a more vintage-sounding bridge pickup)
4) If I decide to use the same pickup for both neck and bridge positions: Which model, Area or Ultra, is the better set when used both individually and as a pair?
If it helps, I rarely use both pickups together, I generally use either one on its own for different tones; in fact, the only time I use them together is when I'm slapping. I play a lot of different genres from R&B to alternative rock, and so far my MIJ Jazz has worked for everything (aside from me personally wanting a thicker neck pickup tone). I would say my playing is 75% fingerstyle, 15% slap, 10% pick.
As for my bass, it has a basswood body and rosewood fingerboard, a lot of my friends have commented that it's very mid-forward. Converted from VVT to concentric stacked knobs about a year ago, it has 250k volume pots, 500K tone pots, and .047 and .022 caps for neck and bridge tones respectively.
I have no way of trying out any of the pickups without buying (none of my friends have them, and even if they did, as a lefty I wouldn't be able to play their instruments anyway), so I'll really appreciate the input from people who own them and/or have had experience with them. Thanks
DiMarzio is one of the brands I narrowed my hum-cancelling options down to (there were other brands I saw as well, simply decided to look into DiMarzio first because they're the most convenient so far). For the neck pickup, I'm considering the Model J, and for the bridge pickup, I'm looking at either the Area J or Ultra Jazz, but I got a few questions for those who use them:
1) I've been wanting for a while to get a thicker- and punchier-sounding neck pickup, something with a Precision-like tone but in a Jazz single coil size. I've heard some people claim that the Model J sounds similar to a Precision: Exactly how true is this?
2) The Model J seems to be much higher in output than the other two and is likely to dominate both, especially in the neck: If I were to get a Model J neck pickup, which model, Area or Ultra, will be a better bridge pickup to match?
3) If neither combination in Question 2 is a feasible idea: What about other combinations like Area neck + Ultra bridge or Ultra neck + Area bridge? (I will most likely not be going for a Model J bridge as I prefer a more vintage-sounding bridge pickup)
4) If I decide to use the same pickup for both neck and bridge positions: Which model, Area or Ultra, is the better set when used both individually and as a pair?
If it helps, I rarely use both pickups together, I generally use either one on its own for different tones; in fact, the only time I use them together is when I'm slapping. I play a lot of different genres from R&B to alternative rock, and so far my MIJ Jazz has worked for everything (aside from me personally wanting a thicker neck pickup tone). I would say my playing is 75% fingerstyle, 15% slap, 10% pick.
As for my bass, it has a basswood body and rosewood fingerboard, a lot of my friends have commented that it's very mid-forward. Converted from VVT to concentric stacked knobs about a year ago, it has 250k volume pots, 500K tone pots, and .047 and .022 caps for neck and bridge tones respectively.
I have no way of trying out any of the pickups without buying (none of my friends have them, and even if they did, as a lefty I wouldn't be able to play their instruments anyway), so I'll really appreciate the input from people who own them and/or have had experience with them. Thanks
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