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Which hum-cancelling Jazz set? Delano/Nordstrand/Fralin/other?
- Thread starter Ian774
- Start date
EMG J-X have delivered the goods for me.
Tight, Punchy, present and silent
love the sound of the old dimarzio model J , But I still found them a bit buzzy, not truly Hum cancelling
Tight, Punchy, present and silent
love the sound of the old dimarzio model J , But I still found them a bit buzzy, not truly Hum cancelling
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I'm about to build another J, this time with the Dimarzio Relentless J set. I have the Relentless Middle (P) and Neck (humbucker) in a P bass and they are AWESOME rock bass pickups. Actually, they are just great pickups. Clean, silent (no self-noise), punchy, thick, and plenty deep without being woofy/wooly.
Upcoming build:
The P with the white pickguard has the other Relentless pickups.
Upcoming build:
The P with the white pickguard has the other Relentless pickups.
I play rock mostly with a pick (due to finger joint problems), and I've been very happy with Lindy Fralin's Split-Jazz in my 2003 Am. Series Fender. IMO, they sound very close to pure single coils, with a little less "air" in the highs, but I roll off the treble a little anyway so that's fine. Do they bring as much thickness as a P-bass or my G&L SB-2? No, but they always sound great, and they record extremely well too. Totally classic J-bass tone, with zero noise.
I've owned a bunch of other hum-canceling J-bass pickups across a few different basses, including fours and fives, and the Fralins are my favorites overall. These include DiMarzio's Area J, which are about 90% of the Fralins at a much lower price. They're also great pickups IMO, which I used in my G&L JB for awhile.
About the raised poles: My Fender has a 9.5" radius fretboard, and I like the raised center poles on the Fralins. I think they're an advantage, because flush poles don't always produce good string-to-string balance, as I've experienced on my 2010 G&L JB and new Sandberg California TT-5 Superlight. With serious tweaking of pickup and string height I got acceptable balance on both, but it's easier with raised poles, especially if you want the pickups closer to the strings. I'd still like a little more punch from the A string on my Sandberg, but it's OK for now.
Another you should consider: Lace Man o' War. These are pure single coils with virtually no noise thanks to Lace's Sensor technology. They do not produce vintage J-bass tone. They have a little less treble, and thicker low mids, with the result that they sound almost like a P-bass in a band mix. And yet, because they're true single coils, they have serious growl, especially at high volume. They work extremely well for playing rock with a pick--or just about anything else IMO unless you want lots of treble sizzle. I have these in my G&L JB, and I like having this version of J-bass tone alongside the more classic tone of my Fender with Fralins.
I've owned a bunch of other hum-canceling J-bass pickups across a few different basses, including fours and fives, and the Fralins are my favorites overall. These include DiMarzio's Area J, which are about 90% of the Fralins at a much lower price. They're also great pickups IMO, which I used in my G&L JB for awhile.
About the raised poles: My Fender has a 9.5" radius fretboard, and I like the raised center poles on the Fralins. I think they're an advantage, because flush poles don't always produce good string-to-string balance, as I've experienced on my 2010 G&L JB and new Sandberg California TT-5 Superlight. With serious tweaking of pickup and string height I got acceptable balance on both, but it's easier with raised poles, especially if you want the pickups closer to the strings. I'd still like a little more punch from the A string on my Sandberg, but it's OK for now.
Another you should consider: Lace Man o' War. These are pure single coils with virtually no noise thanks to Lace's Sensor technology. They do not produce vintage J-bass tone. They have a little less treble, and thicker low mids, with the result that they sound almost like a P-bass in a band mix. And yet, because they're true single coils, they have serious growl, especially at high volume. They work extremely well for playing rock with a pick--or just about anything else IMO unless you want lots of treble sizzle. I have these in my G&L JB, and I like having this version of J-bass tone alongside the more classic tone of my Fender with Fralins.
Another option I don't think has been mentioned yet... But Suhr makes really lovely sounding hum-cancelling J-style pickups called Humphreys (Hum-free). I installed them in a Suhr J bass that had Suhr single-coils in it and was impressed. They are very hot in the sense that it is louder than my other basses, but provide a very balanced sound with lots of detail. Highly recommend!
Very cool. Wasn't aware of that. They are listed on the website but do not have any pricing listed. You wouldn't happen to remember how much those cost would you?
I think I paid $195 for a set in a music store in San Diego last year. Something close to that anyway.
When soloed the SVs sound very ugly. Raw, punchy, and articulate. Not as clean as the Apollos, Area Js, or stock Fender pickups. In a rock mix (and especially with a pick) they just kill. The high mids really cut through while the bass is full enough that they still sound huge. It's definitely a 1960s Fender Jazz tone on steroids. At home I usually play my EMG equipped basses, but on stage I play the Jazz with Nordstrands.Please tell me more about the SV’s in rock/pick setting?
I have three PJ installs: on my fanned fret P-style bass with a Rickenbacker humbucker in the P position, which has a fair amount of mids, I used a DiMarzio Ultra-Jazz for the J-bridge pickup. By itself, it has a modicum of scoop, and provides a wide tonal range when used with the Rickenbacker HB.
A friend of mine has an Ibanez Mikro, and we replaced the P-pickup with a Fender '58. We used a Seymour Duncan Apollo with it which by itself is a full-bodied pickup, but with the '58 has a sweet tone that can slot a mix very well indeed.
I have also used two different generations of DiMarzio model J sets. The old set, which I got in 1981, right after they first came out, and installed in a 1975 light ash J-bass, was a rocker with mighty growl. The set I had a couple of years ago was a little thin by comparison. After researching the web, I found the old spec sheet which bore this out: the first generation had more wire, which translated to more growl, than a current set.
On another parts bass I have a Bart J set: the darker model for the neck and the brighter model for the bridge. The darkness of the neck approaches P tonality without tubbiness and rolling up the bridge gives clarity and punch.
Finally, I have a short scale Mitchell PJ. I put a bridge on it that has the narrower spacing, more like a Mustang bass. I took out the P-pickup and installed a Nordy Mustang, which is between a Mustang and a P in character, especially since the Nordy has double poles per string like a P-pickup. With that I installed a neck version of a Seymour Duncan 5-string stack, which has a bar instead of individual poles, and is not overwound like the bridge version is. Since my band plays a lot of Stones, I can perfectly cop Bill Wyman's 1970 vibe as well as having a range of tonality to play a wide classic rock repertoire with a set of GHS Balanced Nickel strings.
Thanks to the OP for choosing to go with hum-cancelling pickups so you can cut down on stage hum; the kicker is most of these modern pickups are also shielded and help cut electrostatic noise as well. Your band mates will thank you; your sound man will thank you; the crowd may not know or care, but they will be dancing.
A friend of mine has an Ibanez Mikro, and we replaced the P-pickup with a Fender '58. We used a Seymour Duncan Apollo with it which by itself is a full-bodied pickup, but with the '58 has a sweet tone that can slot a mix very well indeed.
I have also used two different generations of DiMarzio model J sets. The old set, which I got in 1981, right after they first came out, and installed in a 1975 light ash J-bass, was a rocker with mighty growl. The set I had a couple of years ago was a little thin by comparison. After researching the web, I found the old spec sheet which bore this out: the first generation had more wire, which translated to more growl, than a current set.
On another parts bass I have a Bart J set: the darker model for the neck and the brighter model for the bridge. The darkness of the neck approaches P tonality without tubbiness and rolling up the bridge gives clarity and punch.
Finally, I have a short scale Mitchell PJ. I put a bridge on it that has the narrower spacing, more like a Mustang bass. I took out the P-pickup and installed a Nordy Mustang, which is between a Mustang and a P in character, especially since the Nordy has double poles per string like a P-pickup. With that I installed a neck version of a Seymour Duncan 5-string stack, which has a bar instead of individual poles, and is not overwound like the bridge version is. Since my band plays a lot of Stones, I can perfectly cop Bill Wyman's 1970 vibe as well as having a range of tonality to play a wide classic rock repertoire with a set of GHS Balanced Nickel strings.
Thanks to the OP for choosing to go with hum-cancelling pickups so you can cut down on stage hum; the kicker is most of these modern pickups are also shielded and help cut electrostatic noise as well. Your band mates will thank you; your sound man will thank you; the crowd may not know or care, but they will be dancing.
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Update:
i had this bass assembled a few months ago and I loooove it. I went with Delano JC4 AL/M2 hum cancelling pickups. And while these sound great, I struggle with the string to string balance. If I play a riff that involves the E and A string for example, I feel like the E is louder and the A is lacking a bit of volume and punch.
The pickups have flat poles and the way my bass is set up, the strings slightly follow the 9.5” radius.
I’m thinking of getting Fralin Split Jazz pickups with the A and D poles raised. I imagine that it would help bringing back some balance to the string volumes.
and yes I do use a compressor but it still is quite obvious.
i had this bass assembled a few months ago and I loooove it. I went with Delano JC4 AL/M2 hum cancelling pickups. And while these sound great, I struggle with the string to string balance. If I play a riff that involves the E and A string for example, I feel like the E is louder and the A is lacking a bit of volume and punch.
The pickups have flat poles and the way my bass is set up, the strings slightly follow the 9.5” radius.
I’m thinking of getting Fralin Split Jazz pickups with the A and D poles raised. I imagine that it would help bringing back some balance to the string volumes.
and yes I do use a compressor but it still is quite obvious.
Yes, balance can be an issue with flat poles, and I'm still experiencing the same E-A imbalance on my Sandberg five mentioned above. It's not terrible, but it could be much better and I'm contemplating a custom pickup set to address it. Unfortunately, the Sandberg's pickups are sized like four-string J-bass pickups, and there simply aren't many pickups that size designed for fives. And, among those that are, like Delanos, I can't find any with staggered poles except the Wilde J-45, but (based purely on web photos) those look too staggered for my 14" radius Sandberg and I'm not sure about the nine-pole approach for a five.
Anyway, before ditching those pickups, try lowering them. This does improve the balance, and can go a long way toward addressing the issue.
But I'm not about to dissuade you from the Fralins--they remain my favorite noiseless J-bass pickups among the five sets I've tried. When I play my Fender, I do notice the great balance from the raised A and D poles.
Anyway, before ditching those pickups, try lowering them. This does improve the balance, and can go a long way toward addressing the issue.
But I'm not about to dissuade you from the Fralins--they remain my favorite noiseless J-bass pickups among the five sets I've tried. When I play my Fender, I do notice the great balance from the raised A and D poles.
Did you get the standard wind set? Do they have enough punch to them?
Also, lowering the pickups would probably help with the louder E string but I doubt it would make the A string any louder….
Also, lowering the pickups would probably help with the louder E string but I doubt it would make the A string any louder….
Sonoma Bass
(was "Ukiah Bass")
I just got a set of standard wound Split Jazz Fralins and the A and D poles came slightly raised as a default option. They sound great, balanced and clear.
IME, raised center poles definitely help with string-to-string balance on 9.5" radius necks. Ideally, you'd get something that has adjustable pole height like the Model J, which works for me, but you said you don't want that. The Fralins would be a great option, and you can mix-and-match the 0%, 5%, and 10% overwinds in the bridge and neck to help get the tones you like from each pickup. Another option is the Wilde J-45 with the raised center poles, which also work well for me. The Wilde is Alnico II, which you said you don't want, but the usual complaints with Alnico II (softer, rounder tone) don't really apply to the Wildes, which have a deep, tight bottom and great clarity across the spectrum.
Yes, I got the standard wind, and they have enough punch for me. I think they're amazing.
Lowering the pickups, in percentage terms, reduces the relative differences in string height from the poles, so it evens the output. (I tried to create a diagram to show this, but it didn't post properly.) If you can lower the A & D saddles a bit, and maybe raise the E saddle, you'll even it out further.
Some judicious lowering worked pretty well on my G&L JB with its stock pickups, and helped with my Sandberg too (along with saddle tweaking). But of course you don't want to lower the pickups too far, because the tone and punch will suffer.
@Lo-E
When you mentioned in your post: It’s also worth noting that, on the three occasions I had Lindy wind pickups for me, he said “When you first install them, make sure you leave the leads long" Just wondering did he say why?
I have a set I bought off TB and was considering shortening the leads, until I read your post.
When you mentioned in your post: It’s also worth noting that, on the three occasions I had Lindy wind pickups for me, he said “When you first install them, make sure you leave the leads long" Just wondering did he say why?
I have a set I bought off TB and was considering shortening the leads, until I read your post.
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If you buy pickups from Lindy and you don’t like them he’s willing to take them back and wind something else for you - as long as you don’t shorten the leads. That’s so he can resell them.
If you decide that you like them and you know that you’re not going to return them there’s no reason not to shorten the leads.
Ok cool. Thanks for that. I thought it might be something to do with the sound. Glad to hear it's just for resale. Thanks.
Agree with @mmbongo on the spacing. Be aware that Hipshot makes different mountings on the same bridges. Also agree that B style is the best. Vintage, the balls slip out while you're trying to string it.
