Much difference with expensive pickups vs cheaper ones ?

[gub]

Am looking to fit some new jazz pickups and am looking at wizards which come in at £90 a pair then was looking at some wilkinson ones which are about £20 a pair and seem to have similar output . Can there be such a difference in sound which is worth spending over 3 times the amount or is alot of it just paying for the brand name ? Cheers in advance lovelies

[Conan]

If you trawl through the many pickup comparison threads on here you will probably find that Wilkinsons have their devotees but generally get a mixed press. Hard to find anyone with anything negative to say about Wizards though! Bear in mind that Wizard do a number of different J sets and will wind to your specs too...

On the cheap side of things though, have a look at these...[url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-JB-Pro-Jazz-Bass-Style-Alnico-Pickups_p_318.html"]http://www.guitarfet...kups_p_318.html[/url] at thirty dollars they are about the same price as the Wilkos.

Also, look in the for sale threads on here - lots of good pickups for good prices!

Edited April 17, 2012 by Conan

[Panamonte]

I haven't used the Wilkinson pickups, although what I've read concerning other people's experience of them would suggest that they're a decent product, certainly at that price.

I've got two pairs of Wizards - 64s and 84s - and I do think they're worth the money (which is still significantly less than other after-market pickups). They're hand wound pickups and, as you'll see from the experiences of others here, the after-sales service is great - if the pickups you ordered aren't giving you what you were after, Andy will take them back and rewind them to suit your specifications (or - like Conan says - build them to the specs you give him when you order).

Hopefully someone will be able to give you a clearer idea of what the Wilkinsons are like, but, like many others here, I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Wizards.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Panamonte

[BottomE]

Your pickup(s) is/are probably the most influential part of your sound. Once i swapped some old Jazz PuPs for some new Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. The difference in sound was incredible. I much preferred the old Fender ones but wouldn't have known this unless i had experimented with the newer SD's.

[JTUK]

You wont know which you prefer unless you test both.... but I'd go with the Wizards every day and twice on Sundays.

[sykilz]

I put SD quarter pounders into my Mexican P bass.....and didn`t notice any difference at all. Except they look better. And I`m £50 down. However,lots of other people rave about them,so perhaps I just had great original pickups....

[KiOgon]

If £20 is all you want to spend you can get 'Tesco Value' pickups if you want 'Quality' pickups you have to pay more

What can you expect for £10 each?

Just my opinion.

John

[KiOgon]

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1334654786' post='1619074']
I put SD quarter pounders into my Mexican P bass.....and didn`t notice any difference at all. Except they look better. And I`m £50 down. However,lots of other people rave about them,so perhaps I just had great original pickups....
[/quote]

Did you try plugging it into a amp?

[bremen]

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1334654786' post='1619074']
I put SD quarter pounders into my Mexican P bass.....and didn`t notice any difference at all. Except they look better. And I`m £50 down. However,lots of other people rave about them,so perhaps I just had great original pickups....
[/quote]

Want to sell either of them?

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='gub' timestamp='1334642125' post='1618888']
Am looking to fit some new jazz pickups and am looking at wizards which come in at £90 a pair then was looking at some wilkinson ones which are about £20 a pair and seem to have similar output . Can there be such a difference in sound which is worth spending over 3 times the amount or is alot of it just paying for the brand name ? Cheers in advance lovelies
[/quote]

look secondhand- you can get 'decent' pickups for not much.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1334652767' post='1619026']
Your pickup(s) is/are probably the most influential part of your sound. Once i swapped some old Jazz PuPs for some new Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders. The difference in sound was incredible. I much preferred the old Fender ones but wouldn't have known this unless i had experimented with the newer SD's.
[/quote]

Same for me, in a Precision. Just prefer the sound of Fenders pickups. There is also a lot of difference between the Original/Vintage pickups by Fender, and the stock pickups in their MIM and US instruments.

[sykilz]

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Did you try plugging it into a amp?[/font][/color][/quote]
You have to plug it in....????!!!!!! Might well sell the pups, but will have to replace them,I left them in the bass as they certainly don`t sound any worse than the originals, just no different to my ears,and the output level is identical. They do look cool though....( sad man!).

[Conan]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1334654831' post='1619076'] if you want 'Quality' pickups you have to pay more

What can you expect for £10 each?[/quote]

To an extent... but are £200 pickups really ten times better than a £20 set? Dunno about the Wilkinsons as I've never tried them, but when I put a GFS P pickup in my Squier I was really impressed and that only cost about thirty quid.

I think there is a certain amount of people hearing what they want to hear when they install really expensive pickups...

[thumbo]

I've got a Fender MIM jazz that has had 4 different kinds of pickups in it: the standard set, then EMG J-set, then Wizard 84s and finally a set of pickups from an Fender USA Jazz. I like the USA jazz pickups best, but that's just because I like the characteristics of them in my sound. The EMGs and the Wizards were great pickups, but I just prefer the tone of USA jazz set. I'd recommend trying some different sets out, they're easy enough to install and the second hand market for pickups is pretty good on BC.

[Conan]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1[/url]

[spinynorman]

I think it partly depends on your perception of sound. I know some people who can come up with detailed and florid descriptions of the differences between two similar pickups, but I can't. So either they have a vivid imagination, or they're hearing something I don't. I put it down to having low-fi ears.

I replaced a MIM Fender 5 string jazz set with SD Basslines. I think they made the bass easier to sell, but no effect on sound that I could hear. Replaced a Japcrap Ibanez Jazz set with Dimarzio Ultras, and put the originals back very quickly. Replaced Fender 51 P single coil with SD Antiquity, made no difference at all.

I get more noticeable difference in sound from tweaking the mids on the amp.

I guess if you replace a pickup with one of a different type, putting a Darkstar in for example, then there'd be a difference.

[KingBollock]

What is the actual, physical difference between a cheap and expensive pick-up, that are the same type and impedance? And how do the various materials effects the sound?

I'm curious as I'd quite like to have a crack at making my own one day.

Is it impedance they're measured by? Or is it inductance? I can't remember.

[chris_b]

If your ears can't hear the difference and many peoples can't, then cheap is good.

Others might think you don't sound very good but at least you will be happy.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1334682029' post='1619712']
What is the actual, physical difference between a cheap and expensive pick-up, that are the same type and impedance? And how do the various materials effects the sound?
[/quote]

I've been pondering this lately, as I'm gigging a £99 guitar on which I can't find any reason to change the pickups! It strikes me that while you get less choice, mass produced pickups that copy an established recipe closely can't go too far wrong. The very cheapest far eastern pickups are made to be as cheap as possible while still looking like the originals, but the better ones are copying established designs more closely.
The differences between two pickups using the same magnet material, gauge of wire, standard bobbin shape and wound with the same number of turns are going to be vanishingly subtle, to the point of insignificance in most playing situations.
OTOH some premium brands do have their own unique designs going on, but for basic Fender style stuff the cheapies have it pretty well covered.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Beer of the Bass

[ead]

There's a set of Wizard 84s on my f/l Jazz that are really rather nice, but not sure how to describe the tone. A bit darker maybe, definitely higher output.

[discreet]

I have an SD SPB-1 on my custom P, and had an original Fender pup on my USA 76P. I wouldn't say one was better than the other... just very different. But then I'm guessing neither were 'cheap'...

I did have a Ryder P with an EMG fitted which sounded very nice, but never had the opportunity to compare it with the original Ryder pup... I'm not helping very much, am I?

[4 Strings]

Interesting how upon changing pickups some people's basses are transformed and on others made no difference. King's suit?

Some people play out of tune without hearing it too, others' stomachs turn at the slightest hint, mine included.

I like to think I have a good pair of ears but I can't tell the neck pup of a Jazz from a P when playing in a band whereas others can appreciate the difference in a cellulose finish.

You can only try it yourself. See if your audience hears the difference. If they can't then you've saved yourself some money.

[apa]

My Wizard 64's on my fretless sound just as I want them. Sort of 'standard' but not weak or weedy. The 84's on my VM are a bit 'hotter' (If thats whats called slightly distorted!! dunno). Comparing these to the Duncan Designed pickups that came in the VM. The DD's were weaker and thinner and not my thing but OKish. However the 5 string VM Jazz Ive just bought has the 5 string Duncan Designed pickup and this sounds completely different. Much stronger and fuller than the 4string version. So much so Im considering keeping them in there!! How much would Duncan Designed cost if you could buy them as seperates? Probably about £40. Half of that cost because its got 'Duncan' on it.

A

[mcnach]

I have tried a fair share of cheaper pickups in my time, both on guitar and bass.
Some were ok, but most never lived up to expectations... and I was not happy with the change, so I ended up wasting money.
Some Kent Armstrong were very nice on guitar (stratocaster and telecaster), and same for ToneRaiders (humbuckers).

When I went more upmarket I have generally been satisfied (Seymour Duncan on bass and guitar, DiMarzio on bass and guitar). The only exception was Nordstrand MM pickup. And it was still good, but I just preferred the SD ones.

So I now prefer to spend a bit more from the start and save time, hassle and money.

One exception: Wizard pickups on bass (P-bass here), they are less expensive but they are good.

But I would not waste time with Wilkinson, GFS and many others.

[geoffbyrne]

A few years ago I bought (off this forum) a pair of rather expensive Joe Barden pickups for my Jazz. They were to replace the EMG Selects that were on that particular instrument.

Well. If you read up on them at source they are would to replicate the 'original authentic' sound of an early fender Jazz bass.

I sold the EMGs to Ou7shined up there in Aberdeen who put them on a good bass and proclaimed they were 'pretty decent.'

After a certain period of time it occurred to me that the EMG Selects were also designed to sound like the original 57 Jazz bass, and to be honest with myself, when I listened to recordings of the Jazz with each of the brands in, I was buggered if I could tell the difference!!! Oh sure, when I payed a lot of money for the Bardens, I kidded myself that I could hear a tighter bottom end, more defined mids and extended highs. That's what you'd like if you'd forked out a load of cash.

At the end of the day, I bought the EMGs back from Rich & put them back in - and do you know what? I couldn't really tell the difference. Both were wound to reproduce the same kind of tone & they both did it. Therefore they sounded very very similar except one was about 4 times the cost of the other.

I sold the Bardens.

And the GFS Fatbody neck pickup for Telecaster is an absolutely superb pup for the money. I may get another - in fact I fancy a specially cut Strat pickguard so I could have a Strat with 3 of them. The GFS bass pups are good value for money too.

G.

Edited April 17, 2012 by geoffbyrne