J-Bass Pickups and other bass-related things

[Staceman]

I'm looking to replace the pickups on my SX J-bass clone soon, and was looking for some advice.

I'd like to get a little more growl, without adding too much treble to the mix. What are the best pickups for accomplishing this, without breaking the bank? I understand that my choice of using flatwound strings sacrifices a bit of the growl, but I imagine other factors can improve it a bit nonetheless.

Also, I always hear talk that replacing wiring, knobs, etc., in some basses can make a difference. The SX basses, while being of better quality than most basses in their price range, are still more or less cheap, so I was looking for advice here as well, like, what guage of wire to use, etc..

Thanks!

[MOONDOGGY]

I'm by no means a pro and I am not familiar with a every little J-bass mod, but from what I understand, Lindy Fralin makes a killer set of vintage J pickups that are supposed to have tons of growl. Also IMO, you can't go wrong w/ active. Raven labs makes a retro-fit active pre for J-basses. It will add more of the trebly punch but that can always be rolled off. EMG makes what is probably the most popular active Jazz p/us. The other J-p/u that I know everyone raves about is Dimarzio's Ultra Jazz.

If you really wanna spend some cash, you could go with Aero or SD Basslines (Their Vintage and Quarter Pounders are pretty popular).

As for changing the pots and wiring, that won't make a noticeable difference in tone. Getting the capacitor changed will give you different capabilities with your tone.

A Leo Quan Badass bridge (known for improving sustain) might also give you a bit more growl.

If you really really want a killer Jazz bass, then I wouldn't start with an SX. I would start with Warmoth parts or with a real Fender and then buld up from there.

Hope this helps!

[bassist_25]

The body and neck construction of SX is comparable to any Fender, at least any MIM or MIJ Fender, and their guitars/basses shit all over anything in the Squier product line. My philosophy has always been that if you have a nice piece of wood, you can always upgrade the electronics to your liking. But to be honest, I consider the electronics in the SX basses to also be comparable to a MIM Fender.

I plan on upgrading the pickups in my SX. I was originally considering a set of Basslines, but after playing Jeff Clapper's Fender Precision with a Dimarzio pickup, I'm most definatley considering the Dimarzio Ultra Jazzes (for 5 string of course ). I found the pickup to be very smooth all the way through the lows to highs; the mids were the smoothest and set well in the mix. It had insane amounts of output for a passive pickup. You can check out DiMarzio here: http://www.dimarzio.com/

For what you're considering, you'd probaly want to either go with the DeMarzio or a set of Basslines. I wouldn't go too hi-fi with anything like an EMG or Bartolini. The only rewiring I would do is to check the pots. I found my tone pot to be a little scratchy. If you ever wanted to upgrade the bridge, the BadAss II is pretty much considered the standard. To be honest though, I've never had a bass that I felt that I needed to upgrade the bridge.

[bassist_25]

If you really really want a killer Jazz bass, then I wouldn't start with an SX. I would start with Warmoth parts or with a real Fender and then buld up from there.

I always thought that Warmoth was way over-priced if you were trying to build an instrument from scratch. If someone were to put together their own custom instrument, I'd recommend a Carvin kit or something first.

[MOONDOGGY]

Their prices are a bit high, and you really can't beat Carvin's prices for a custom bass. I just think trying to make a killer Jazz bass starting with a made in China knock-off isn't the best place to start.

[bassist_25]

Oh no, I dig what you're saying. But for made in China stuff, I've been very impressed with SX. I even know a cat who went into the studio to lay down some tracks, and the engineer told him to put down his expensive boutique bass and play his SX because it tracked better.

[MOONDOGGY]

I guess I shouldn't knock it until I've tried it huh! I can be a bit of an ass when in comes to American made versus imported stuff or hand made vs CNC milled parts and components. There are a lot of 'cheaper' basses out there that rival 'boutiques' and upscale basses as far as tone and quality. I forgot that you owned an SX Paul, so Staceman, you're best off taking his word for it. He can vouch for their tone.

As for pickups, I would search Ebay to find the best deals!!!

[bassist_25]

Stop by a show and check it out sometime. The pickups are the bottleneck of the bass, hence why I want to upgrade to the DiMarzios, but I gaurantee that you'll be impressed with the construction. The fretwork is better than the bass I own that I paid over twice as much for, and the B string is also way tighter. I'm not just saying this because I have one, but you honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an SX and Mexi Fender just by picking the two up.

[MOONDOGGY]

I just may take you up on that sometime Paul. You definitelty have my curiousity peaked!

[Staceman]

Thanks for the advice!

It's somewhat understandable for people to have doubts about SX before trying them, since most of the time when it comes to musical instruments, the "you get what you pay for" saying is true. SX is among the few that prove that mindset wrong. I did a little research before getting mine, and the price along with what people were saying about them on the talkbass.com message boards made me jump on it, I was originally planning on waiting a while and getting a true Fender. Most people that have tried mine are blown away that I only paid $99 for it.

I tried an Austin and a Squire before, and they both had a really chincy feel to them compared to my SX. I don't know how to describe it, but the SX just has a feel to it, like you have your hands on something good, when you first pick it up.

The guy who set mine up (Donald Showalter, at Don's Music Exchange in Bedford, old friend of mine) did mention that the nut was poorly positioned, and thus he took it off and re-seated it. He also said that my frets are a tad uneven, and could use a "stoning", and suggested that I find someone that can do that, as it was beyond his skills. As my playing skills have been progressing, I think I can feel that problem somewhat.

Well, anyway, thanks again!

[bassist_25]

I just may take you up on that sometime Paul. You definitelty have my curiousity peaked!

Actually, the correct spelling is "piqued". I'm sorry, but I just had to be a grammar Nazi.

I don't know how to describe it, but the SX just has a feel to it, like you have your hands on something good, when you first pick it up.

That's exactly what I thought!!! I still remember when I first took mine out of the box and wrapped my hand around the neck. I said, "Holy Fuck! This feels like I'm holding a Fender!" God knows that I've played enough Fenders in my life to know what they feel like. I originally bought it as a back-up, but I've been known to pick it up and play it for two sets or more at a gig. Soundmen seem to like it a lot. I'd recommend an SX to a beginner over anything else (Johnson, Squier, Rogue); I'd recommend it to a pro as a backup instrument/practice instrument; and I'd recommend to people like Stace and myself, who want to use it as a good base instrument that we can invest a few dollars in to make a killer instrument.

I'm very curious to try a Brice.

[Banned]

I have a Valley Arts Custom bass that I ordered about ten years ago.
I had a set of Seymour Duncan passive pickups installed on it in a P/J
combo set up. It has a nice growl, overall smooth tone, and good output
for passives. I'd recommend SDs to anyone who doesn't want to spend a ton of money, but wants decent bang for the buck quality.