Lollar JB Pickups in place of EMGs?

[HeadlessBassist]

Hi everyone, looking for some pickup advice. I recently picked up a 'bitsa Jazz with active EMGs in it. It's a great bass to play and the EMGs certainly cut through easily, but there's no bottom end richness or warmth. That rich scooped out bottom end Jazz sound just isn't there with the powerful snarl of the EMGs.

 

My other two Jazz basses (a 2018 Fender American Original 60s with Custom Shop Pure Vintage 64's and a 2012 FSR Limited Edition Hand Stained Am.Std with the 2008 std. pickups) both have the rich bottom end tone by the bucket load, despite being very different instruments/voicings. Obviously a lot of that is down to the other materials, such as the 60's Original's Nitro finish and the FSR's hand stained ash body.

 

Having listened to sound samples of practically all the high end pickup makers, I'm thinking of ordering a set of Lollar Jazz Pickups for the 'bitsa. They seem to have the best combination of punch vs vintage tone.

 

My question is, would you throw £200 at a pickup set for a £400 'bitsa, or keep it as it is with its snarly bite..? Typically, I have other much more glassy and snarly basses too, so it's not an alien sound to me, but it just feels like a Jazz should have that bottom end richness to it's scoop. Am I making any sense here?

 

 

Edited Saturday at 11:43 by HeadlessBassist

[Lozz196]

If it were a bass I liked and wanted to keep & play regularly then yes I’d spend on it to get it where I wanted it. I know full well from experience if it didn’t sound as I wanted I’d rarely pick it up, so if I were in your situation to me that would be £600 well spent overall rather than £400 wasted.
 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

2 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

If it were a bass I liked and wanted to keep & play regularly then yes I’d spend on it to get it where I wanted it. I know full well from experience if it didn’t sound as I wanted I’d rarely pick it up, so if I were in your situation to me that would be £600 well spent overall rather than £400 wasted.
 

 

 

Sound advice, Lozz. Thank you.

 

[Mokl]

Either what Lozz said, or try some cheaper pickups and see what you think? I put a Tonerider in the neck position of my 70s Jazz as getting a bit broke but wanted to replace the ole DiMarzio bridge pup someone had shoehorned in there. 

 

I should qualify this by saying that I've never been shy of spending on gear.

 

I want expecting much, but it honestly sounds excellent.

[chris_b]

42 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

My question is, would you throw £200 at a pickup set for a £400 'bitsa, or keep it as it is with its snarly bite..?

 

 

I had the same dilemma.

 

Do I spend £400 improving the sound of a £200 bass My lightbulb moment was to buy a Sadowsky preamp for £50 (other preamp pedals are available).

 

This has improved the tone 1000%.

[80Hz]

I'm sure you'll be able to shift the EMGs if you pull them out and put that towards the Lollars. So maybe look at it as a £120 ish upgrade?

 

I think Lozz's advice is good. I just did a passive pickup swap in an active bass that otherwise I'd have put back in its case and moved on, probably at a significant loss. The new pickups have brought it to life.

 

If it ends up being a bust I think you could part this JB out and recover a good chunk your outlay (I sat down and calculated this as I was interested in the roasted neck for another build 😀).

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

2 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

I had the same dilemma.

 

Do I spend £400 improving the sound of a £200 bass My lightbulb moment was to buy a Sadowsky preamp for £50 (other preamp pedals are available).

 

This has improved the tone 1000%.

 

Oddly enough, I did the same some 17 years ago when I was dissatisfied with the sound my then 2008 American Standard Jazz. The Sadowsky Pre Pedal was a very good option for a bass with standard pickups. In this case however, I think it might just amplify the angrier aspects of the EMGs.

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

4 minutes ago, 80Hz said:

I'm sure you'll be able to shift the EMGs if you pull them out and put that towards the Lollars. So maybe look at it as a £120 ish upgrade?

 

I think Lozz's advice is good. I just did a passive pickup swap in an active bass that otherwise I'd have put back in its case and moved on, probably at a significant loss. The new pickups have brought it to life.

 

If it ends up being a bust I think you could part this JB out and recover a good chunk your outlay (I sat down and calculated this as I was interested in the roasted neck for another build 😀).

 

 

I'll reserve the neck for you if I break it  I looked the other day and the roasted Fender neck alone is £380 these days! I seem to remember that the original builder spent £8-900 on parts alone.

 

Having played it hard in a three hour session yesterday to get a new drummer through a whole trio set, I can confirm it's lovely to play - just that harsh edge. It's also my years-old gripe with Mark Bass amps which suit Status basses to a tee, but anything 'vintagey' sounds a little too harsh and artificial through them - my back likes them, though!

Edited Saturday at 12:18 by HeadlessBassist

[chris_b]

Just now, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Oddly enough, I did the same some 17 years ago when I was dissatisfied with the sound my then 2008 American Standard Jazz. The Sadowsky Pre Pedal was a very good option for a bass with standard pickups. In this case however, I think it might just amplify the angrier aspects of the EMGs.

 

 

Maybe, I have no experience with EMG's but the EQ in this pedal is very strong and my marginally-OK-at-best Cort pickups are 90% the way to sounding like full blown Sadowsky pickups.

[80Hz]

Just now, HeadlessBassist said:

I'll reserve the neck for you if I break it  I looked the other day and the roasted Fender neck alone is £380 these days.

 

Haha, that's the problem though, it's a real looker and would be a shame to part out 😀

[signals55]

lollars are nice sounding pickups shop around for a competitive price 

[fretmeister]

I’m a big fan of those EMGs. I pair them with an EMG EQ and I always add some bass end from that. I hardly ever touch the middle and treble controls but they do come alive with a bass bump.

[ead]

Something a bit left field but the Tonerider The Duke J set are really good and have that deep warmth you describe at c.£65.