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Jazz pups - Wizard / Bareknuckle / other?


NoLogic69
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I have just acquired a 2009 USA Jazz and to be honest I'm not overly impressed with the sound. It plays amazing but is just lacking something in the sound department, a bit 2 dimensional and flat. I have another Jazz with Wizard 64's in it which sounds better all together, more depth and 3 dimensional if that make sense. It does have CTS pots, but would that make such a difference?
Anyhow I'm gonna swap out the pups in the USA, my dilemma is with what? I have a Guitar with a pair of Bareknuckle p90's in it, and it's the best sounding SG I've ever heard, but I've never heard their Jazz pups. The Wizard 64's in my other Jazz are great but would still like some thing fatter with more tonal depth more 3D. I keep coming back to this 3D thing, I don't know any other way to describe it. If anyone has any idea of what I'm on about and has any pickup suggestions for my flat sounding Jazz, I'm all ears!!
Merry Crimbo,

Mario.

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Well my only real experience with swapping Jazz pickups was the stock bridge pockup in an Aerodyne Jazz, and I replaced it with a Seymour Duncan Hot Stack. Was a real improvement, made the sound more "substantial" if that`s the right word, but without actually changing eq/tone. And being hum-cancelling, well that was an added bonus.

Re pots, fairly sure Fender put CTS in as stock on US models, and not sure if they`d really have that much of an impact - certainly Wizards are very nice, and are probably the real reason for your liking. I`ve got those (but no idea which) in a bitsa that I have, and they are very nice indeed, really sound full and not weedy or "meh" at all, which some Jazzes have seemed to me.

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As you're probably already aware, Wizard pups are now being made by Hot Rod Pickups...

https://hotrodpickups.wordpress.com/index/bass/

Looks like they offer a similar custom / bespoke build option as Wizard used to, so they could maybe do you summat beefier than 64's, but not as dark as 84's?

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Thanks for your input guys. Yeah I think I might ask hot rod to custom wind me something in between the 64's and the 84's as you suggest Tony. I've been reading some great reviews on here, where Andy at Wizard, custom wound just that, and seems that his customers were over the moon with them. Anyone bought any pickups from hot rod?

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Not a Jazz, but just got one of their Precision Thumpers. Very nice, bought it to try and emulate the sound of my 78 Precision on my backup MIM and it does a pretty good job of doing it. Seems to cut some mids and make both lows and highs a bit tighter, which is what I was after.

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[quote name='NoLogic69' timestamp='1419446920' post='2640113']
I have just acquired a 2009 USA Jazz and to be honest I'm not overly impressed with the sound. It plays amazing but is just lacking something in the sound department, a bit 2 dimensional and flat. I have another Jazz with Wizard 64's in it which sounds better all together, more depth and 3 dimensional if that make sense. It does have CTS pots, but would that make such a difference?
Anyhow I'm gonna swap out the pups in the USA, my dilemma is with what? I have a Guitar with a pair of Bareknuckle p90's in it, and it's the best sounding SG I've ever heard, but I've never heard their Jazz pups. The Wizard 64's in my other Jazz are great but would still like some thing fatter with more tonal depth more 3D. I keep coming back to this 3D thing, I don't know any other way to describe it. If anyone has any idea of what I'm on about and has any pickup suggestions for my flat sounding Jazz, I'm all ears!!
Merry Crimbo,

Mario.
[/quote]

DiMarzio Area J

Very well balanced and fat, and being humbuckers... they're hum-free too.

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[quote name='tony_m' timestamp='1419455103' post='2640227']
As you're probably already aware, Wizard pups are now being made by Hot Rod Pickups...

https://hotrodpickups.wordpress.com/index/bass/

Looks like they offer a similar custom / bespoke build option as Wizard used to, so they could maybe do you summat beefier than 64's, but not as dark as 84's?
[/quote]
Hot Rod did some '74s for me. Old Wizard spec and are fabulous, higher output than '64s, less dark than '84s

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[quote name='NoLogic69' timestamp='1419618263' post='2641350']
That sounds like what I'm after. I've sent them an email, just waiting on them getting back to me.
[/quote]

This is what I said to Dave after getting them:

[i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]Hi Dave[/size][/font][/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]
[i]Got the '74 Jazz Bass pickups. They sound superb, just what I needed. I like the long wires, nice to see. With nickel round wounds they have lovely sizzle and good bottom end and remind me of overwound Fralins and also Aero Type 1 but British! Nice looking scatter too. Was I right in thinking they are overwound 64s? [/i][/size][/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]
[i]Really pleased. Thanks for a quick turnaround, much appreciated.[/i][/size][/font]


he said:

[i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]Hi Sean - great stuff and thanks for the feedback, much appreciated...[/size][/font][/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]
[i]The spec is a mixture of the two main models: same magnets as 64/84s but with a different gauge wire and number of turns. It still impresses me just how much sonic difference these small details make! [/i][/size][/font][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]
[i]Please let me know if you ever need anything else.[/i][/size][/font]
[i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]All the best for now.[/size][/font][/i]

[font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]Great service and it's nice to see Wizard's business going to people who offer great service and passion for the products. [/size][/font]

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