Fender Pickups - The 60s and 70's

[Linus27]

I have a Fender Jazz American Vintage Re-issue 1975 Jazz bass and it gives me a very mellow, warm sound, even verging on muddy if I'm not too careful. I've played a few 60's Jazz basses and they have not been so mellow and have sounded more nasal, more defined but a little thinner sounding. Both have sounded amazing but certainly different tonally. I know the bridge pickup placement between a 60's and 70's jazz was different but I'm interested in if there is a considerable difference in the pickups from the 60's and then 70's.

I also have a lovely 1970's Re-issue Fender Precision and again, I am wondering if there is any difference tonally between the pickups used in a 50's Precision, a 60's Precision and a 70's Precision and what those differences are tonally?

[fretmeister]

I don't know how accurate they are - but Aguilar do 60s and 70s wind versions of their J pickups and do video demos of them.

They don't do a specific 70s P, but they have a Hot version. The Js have 60s, 70, Hot etc

 

Worth having a listen on youtube even if the person playing is a bit stinky poo.

 

I've got a 60s wind P in my PJ-Ray and it's very nice. Not sure that helps you really!  

[ikay]

The wire and winding specs of a Jazz pickup changed in the 70s. This description of the Nordstrand NJ4 and optional 70s wind gives a bit more detail - https://nordstrandaudio.com/collections/4-string-jazz-bass-pickups/products/nj4-vintage-single-coil.

Curious that your 75 reissue sounds so mellow and warm, a 70s Jazz is usually a bit more aggressive due to the different pickup wind and bridge pup position. Have you tried raising the pickups a bit? If you've got some leeway to do that (without introducing magnetic pull/warbling) it should add a bit more bite and grunt. Particularly the bridge pup, but raising the neck pup will also tighten up the sound.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by ikay

[ead]

My '66P definitely sounds 'warmer' for want of a better word than more modern P basses that I have owned; maybe this is why I flip them.  There may of course be other things going on like the body woods having endured 40+ years more seasoning, the nitro lacquer, the actual values of the electronic components as I'm sure manufacturing tolerances were less repeatable then than today.

I took the bass to rehearsal last night as I hadn't played it for a month or so and was immediately struck but the tone compared to the other P bass I use more frequently.  My 'other' P has a Nordstrand NP4 in that is apparently designed and wound to sound like a vintage bass.