PauBass Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 (edited) Hello guys, let's see if you can help me out here: I have an '08 American Fender Precision and it sounds awesome, I'm in love with this baby but now and then I wish I had a jazz pickup on bridge position installed to make the bass a bit more versatile and get that jazzy growl. As alwalys I've got my doubts and I wanted to ask you: - Is it going to affect the overall sound? I mean, when adding the jazz pickup, the soloed P pickup will sound the same or it will change the tone? - I've heard about problems when balancing the two pickups, one being more powerfull than the other, how do you guys go around this problem? - If possible I'd like to keep the P pickup, because I love the tone it has and just add a jazz one, which one would you recommend me? - Another possibility I'm thinking is a set of Sadowskys PJ but not sure if the overall sound will change too much from the original Fender... what do you think? I assume Sadowsky will have the pickup balance sorted so: [url="https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=76_43_44&products_id=69&osCsid=ada8ae4917c72dde9a328ac7bedbf83a"]https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/product_i...a328ac7bedbf83a[/url] - How much do you reckon it will cost to have the routing and pickups installed? Any other recommendations? Thanks! Edited February 4, 2009 by PauBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 [quote name='PauBass' post='399889' date='Feb 4 2009, 12:42 PM']- Is it going to affect the overall sound? I mean, when adding the jazz pickup, the soloed P pickup will sound the same or it will change the tone?[/quote] If it's wired up properly then it will make an imperceptible difference. You'll be introducing another pot into the circuit (assuming you're going VVT) [quote]- I've heard about problems when balancing the two pickups, one being more powerfull than the other, how do you guys go around this problem?[/quote] Turn the more powerful one down a little? [quote]- If possible I'd like to keep the P pickup, because I love the tone it has and just add a jazz one, which one would you recommend me?[/quote] Man, take your pick. There probably is the most variety in jazz pickups than any other type. I wouldn't like to say. I have a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder in the bridge position of my MM/J custom build, but it has trouble being heard over the MM. To be honest though, I tend to use either one or the other depending on what I want to achieve. [quote]- Another possibility I'm thinking is a set of Sadowskys PJ but not sure if the overall sound will change too much from the original Fender... what do you think? I assume Sadowsky will have the pickup balance sorted so: [url="https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=76_43_44&products_id=69&osCsid=ada8ae4917c72dde9a328ac7bedbf83a"]https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/product_i...a328ac7bedbf83a[/url][/quote] I couldn't possibly comment on that. [quote]- How much do you reckon it will cost to have the routing and pickups installed?[/quote] No idea, I'd do it myself. [quote]Any other recommendations?[/quote] Remember that you'll likely be installing another control. Usually that means bumping the tone pot down to where the jack socket is and then routing out a side mounted jack socket. Squeezing it onto the pickguard looks cluttered and wrong to me, but each to their own. Are you sure you want to do this? It might be safer to get hold of a secondhand Squier PJ and see what you think. You'll get most if not all of your money back on resale. Alternatively, get a Jazz as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I've been down this road with my lakland Duck Dunn. The pick-ups are [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lindy-Fralin-Precision-Split-Coil-Jazz-Bass-Pickups_W0QQitemZ270339480049"]Lindy Fralin Split Coil[/url] They come as a matched pair. No problems with imbalance or hum/noise when using bridge only. have stack-knob controls V/T + V/T so I can tweak the tone from each pick-up independently. Routing was done by the Gallery. Sent them the body and they routed out for the pick-up, plus a battery box and side jack just in case I want to make it active in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bass Doc Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 There are many different makes of pickup that could do the job but the actual type I would recomend would be a "side by side" humbucker (e.g. Di Marzio model J). This type of pickup consists of two coils wired in series in the same way as a precision but of course squeezed into a Jazz cover. It makes for correct phasing with the P-bass pickup whereas single coils can be in phase with one half and out of phase with the other half of the P pickup. I have carried out many such mods over the years including fitting one to my 1963 original sunburst - I didn't realise at the time I was knocking wads of money off it's value in the eyes of the 'collector' brigade. Don't care - its my main working tool and the extra sound capability is very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Buy a Jazz type bass. I've found on my Aerodyne that the p-pup overpowers the J-Pup even when turned down a fair bit, but you'd be alright if you had a matched pair like OBBM suggests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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