kent armstrong jazz bass pickups

[Geek99]

has anyone tried

Kent Armstrong Jazz Bass Open Ceramic Bridge or Kent Armstrong HOT VINTAGE JAZZ PICKUP (see <url>http://www.guitarthings.co.uk/kent-armstrong-hot-vintage-jazz-pickup-front-1082-p.asp</url>)
in a jazz bass ? I tried his strat pickuips before. How good/realistic is the tone and how noisy are they?

thanks

[EdwardHimself]

I've heard little else but good about kent armstrong pickups, they're certainly good value for money imo.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I have a pair of Kent Armstrong jazz lipsticks in my j-retro equipped highway 1 jazz. Great pickups.

[CHRISDABASS]

Hey

Ive also heard good things about kent armstrong pickups but i would Recommend Wizard pickups!

[url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass[/url] (i think andy at wizard used to be involved with Kent Armstrong)

They provide a really fast, friendly service and the prices are hard to beat

[Geek99]

thanks - how noisy are they? i know theyre rwrp wound but i mean when at differing volumes?

also are the wizards slightly different sizes? Kent mentions this and gives dimensions

thanks

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='Geek99' post='584938' date='Aug 30 2009, 08:42 AM']thanks - how noisy are they? i know theyre rwrp wound but i mean when at differing volumes?

also are the wizards slightly different sizes? Kent mentions this and gives dimensions

thanks[/quote]


i just put a set of wizard 84's in my sadowsky and they fit perfectly, they dont seem noisey at all but Sadowsky are pretty amazing at electronics sheilding/earthing etc

well all i know about sizes is that the bridge pickups are longer than the neck pickups.......is that what you meant?

im sure the guys at wizard could sort you out with any info that you need or i could measure mine for you if you like?

[DanOwens]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='584775' date='Aug 29 2009, 09:17 PM']I have a pair of Kent Armstrong jazz lipsticks in my j-retro equipped highway 1 jazz. Great pickups.[/quote]

How do you find the lipsticks? How vintage is the voicing?

Dan

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Geek99' post='584938' date='Aug 30 2009, 08:42 AM']thanks - how noisy are they? i know theyre rwrp wound but i mean when at differing volumes?

also are the wizards slightly different sizes? Kent mentions this and gives dimensions

thanks[/quote]

That's just standard sort of jazz affair, the bridge pickups are always longer to compensate for the slightly larger string spacing in that position.

[Geek99]

thanks, I have since measured mine and they are longer/wider (91mm v 94mm) - I just measured the covers. I wasnt sure if it was true of all jazz basses, and thus not necessarily true of all replacement pups.

Anyone else got any tone/noise comments to offer? I'm looking at the vintage ones. I'm guesiiing that as they are singlecoil they're going to be at least a bit noisy compared to a humbucker.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Geek99

[Stewart]

They're never going to be completely silent, but nothing else is going to sound quite like single coils...

The main thing is to screen the pickup cavities and control cavity, and ensure all the screening and signal screens (earths) meet at the same point - all you need is some copper foil, a few inches of wire and a soldering iron & solder (and someone to do it if you can't).

I don't have experience of Kent Armstrong Jazz pickups, but I have the Hot Vintage P in one of mine, and it's almost too dark and heavy.

That said, I don't seem to be able to be able to bring myself to replace it.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='584977' date='Aug 30 2009, 10:14 AM']How do you find the lipsticks? How vintage is the voicing?

Dan[/quote]
To get it more Danelectro-like I think I'd have had to move the neck one forward and the bridge one back - like the Lakland Jerry Scheff.

Its hard to say how vintage the voicing is as I have a set of very old (ie totally worn-in) TI JF344 on the bass and a J-Retro which I guess kind of work against each other. With the J-Retro in passive mode it still sounds like a Jazz - maybe warmer than most jazz basses I'e played, but I could be imagining that and it could be down to my string choice. I'm thinking of taking the J-retro out and rewiring the original passive gubbins with a series/Parallel switch, but I probably won't get around to it.

With all the chrome my jazz does look more like a motorbike now.