Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

I just purchased a Fender Jazz Standard. I love it so much. It is a solid bass, but people are telling me it will be even more worth my while to change the stock pickups to something else. I have been researching different types of pickups and was wondering, is there anything wrong with using 2 different pickup brands? for example, Emg-Duncan combo or whatever. Let me know what you guys think.

lowrider4 wrote:I just purchased a Fender Jazz Standard. I love it so much. It is a solid bass, but people are telling me it will be even more worth my while to change the stock pickups to something else. I have been researching different types of pickups and was wondering, is there anything wrong with using 2 different pickup brands? for example, Emg-Duncan combo or whatever. Let me know what you guys think.

I'm generally of the opinion to not f**k with original Fenders, Gibsons, etc. That's why God made knockoffs. I like customizing my basses & guitars. But, if I want to retain any value of the guitar I'll leave it alone and monkey around on a Warmoth or something else. I used to get really pissed going into music stores, to find beautiful vintage gear with some half-assed modification job done to it. I wanted to throttle that person!

Ummm, unless there is a serious problem with the stock pickups that you cannot live with, leave it alone. A Jazz Standard is a marvelous Bass that really doesn't need any help to sound great.

TheJohnny7Band wrote:Ummm, unless there is a serious problem with the stock pickups that you cannot live with, leave it alone. A Jazz Standard is a marvelous Bass that really doesn't need any help to sound great.

x2

TheJohnny7Band wrote:Ummm, unless there is a serious problem with the stock pickups that you cannot live with, leave it alone. A Jazz Standard is a marvelous Bass that really doesn't need any help to sound great.

x3

Did I say 4 ?

Of course I did !!

If it aint broke....

Really, if you wanna know the answer to that question, there's only one thing to do...

Go to the pawn shop, buy a cheap bass, and try it out.

But leave that fender alone.

I had a Jazz. I liked it okay, but when I wanted another sound, I sold it & got another bass.

I wouldn't huck around with a classic, myself.

There was an old Fender P Bass which I had thought was called a Telecaster bass. The one I saw had Humbuckers - not sure if they were stock or not - didn't have the internet back then.

I put one of those humbuckers (I think Fender made them but not sure) in a Jazz bass I had and was very pleased with the result. I don't remember which J-Bass pickup I replaced - sorry. But I remember one of them sounded thin to me.

The advice I'm hearing about not modifying a classic is good (I messed up the value of a old Tele Esquire by changing the pickup) but unless its an old priceless gem - I'd be more concerned with playability and sound than value for resale.

Talbot

When I purchase any instrument, if I am not happy with the sound it is of little value to me. I don't care what it costs, I am not in the collector business, I am a musician. If I like the guitar and don't care for the sound, I will change the sound.
The first thing I do is play with it for a while. If I can't get a sound that I want, I change the pickups. Hardly any of my guitars have OEM pickups. I prefer Mexican Strat pickups to American Strat pickups because they have been a bit more powerful and have more of a midrange edge to them. However, I most always save the pickups that I have exchanged in case I should develop a different taste down the line.
As far as bass pickups, I have found that most OEM pickups are fairly good. At least until I find them noisy or anemic. An instrument that doesn't sound like I want it to or play good is useless to me.
Collector value means nothing unless you find some idiot who is ready to pay an absurd price for something just because it is old.
But on the other hand, Jesus or Mary potato chips rake in a fortune if you get someone stupid enough to buy them. Go figure.

I would never alter a Jesus potato chip.

Six here.

I just don't like messing with my axes at all.
I'll tune a revolver to suit me in a heart beat.
But not my guitars.