Anyone tried a pick up like this?

[Dom in Dorset]

I saw it here : [url="http://www.fender.co.uk/products//search.php?section=basses&cat=jazzbass"]http://www.fender.co.uk/products//search.p...mp;cat=jazzbass[/url]
it's on the black bass, big pic on the right. Looks like a pair of jazz pick ups put together to make a humbucker. Oops! it's a different pic each time the page refreshes, but there are other basses with this pick up.
I was thinking of making such a beast out of spare parts as an experiment, I had no idea it had already been done.
I can't find the bass in Fenders catalogue, I might just be looking in the wrong place.
Anyone know what bass it is, or tried one?
I like the idea of four pole pieces per string.

Edited October 20, 2009 by Dom in Somerset

[Greene-Mann]

It's a big Block precision, they have a similar Jazz humbucker on the USA Deluxe Precisions,
also, Wizard Pickups make a JHumbucker, Rio grande do, and i know for certain quite a few other companies are building them aswell.

I dont think theyre making the BBP's anymore but you might be able to get one off of evilbay or some places may still have them in stock

[Darkstrike]

I've made them myself out of Jazz pickups, to great effect, real nice powerful humbucker sound, can be muddy if you're not careful.

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='Darkstrike' post='631255' date='Oct 20 2009, 12:10 PM']I've made them myself out of Jazz pickups, to great effect, real nice powerful humbucker sound, can be muddy if you're not careful.[/quote]
What do you need to be careful with to avoid the muddiness?

[Darkstrike]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='631327' date='Oct 20 2009, 01:54 PM']What do you need to be careful with to avoid the muddiness?[/quote]
Mainly that you don't use very high gain Jazz pickups.

Depends on a few things really,
How do you plan on wiring them, series, parallel?
Where do you plan on installing it?

[OutToPlayJazz]

Yes, the Big Block Precision never really took off. Basically works like an MM Hubucker, which I'd imagine was part of the idea, to create a cheap off the peg MusicMan competitor.

The other multi-jazz pickup that springs to mind is the Tri-Max used on the Status Groove (another MM-type bass.) The Tri-Max used the same style of hum cancelling as the Sterling basses (with the silent third dummy coil in between the main two coils), but moulded into a block of three. Makes a great sound. I'd like to hear two of this style of unit on one bass. Now that would be something!

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='Darkstrike' post='631407' date='Oct 20 2009, 03:11 PM']Mainly that you don't use very high gain Jazz pickups.

Depends on a few things really,
How do you plan on wiring them, series, parallel?
Where do you plan on installing it?[/quote]
My plan is to use it in the bridge position, in series.
How are the pups wired when in thier conventional settings (individualy mounted) on a jazz bass?
I'm going to build a test bed body , ie a thin board with built up neck block and tail piece so that I can experiment with pick up types and positions , I want to be able to slide pick ups in and out from under the strings.

[Darkstrike]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='631480' date='Oct 20 2009, 04:24 PM']My plan is to use it in the bridge position, in series.
How are the pups wired when in thier conventional settings (individualy mounted) on a jazz bass?
I'm going to build a test bed body , ie a thin board with built up neck block and tail piece so that I can experiment with pick up types and positions , I want to be able to slide pick ups in and out from under the strings.[/quote]
Standard on a J bass is parallel.

Series is louder and with more mids, can get muddy, parallel, is lower volume, but more lows and highs.

They'll be fine in the bridge position, in series.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Look also to Warwicks for an implementation of this sort using an MEC Pick-up known as a TJ (twin Jazz). It's also sometimes denoted as JJ (as opposed to J/J as used in a Fender Jazz)
The models in question? The Infinity, Vampyre, Dolphin and Streamer Pro M (I vaguely recall a Fortress Masterman?)
The Infinity, Vampyre and Dolphin use it in parallel at the bridge, with a coil tap to switch it to single coil operation. They also have a J at the neck.
The Pro M had its bang in the middle.

If at all possible, I'd opt for a coil switch to allow series/parallel/single coil operation. If you intend to use another pick-up such as a J at the neck position, watch out for the increase in output as you change coils - particularly from parallel to series. I've often debated the merits of having a resistor put in the switching to match the output in series to that in parallel mode.

[Dom in Dorset]

Thanks for all of the advice.
it's all part of my master plan to build my "ultimate" bass. I'm going to test various pick up types, positions and combinations as well as body shapes , necks etc. Then build the perfect bass for me. Easy.
I like the idea of a humbucker at the bridge that could be split and maybe a p bass pick up at the neck, who knows. I'll see what I like best.

[The Bass Doc]

I've got a cheapy double J pickup you could use in the experimental stage of what you have in mind - it could then be used as a cover only for better quality J-pickups if you take the project further. Bear in mind that the right way to house a pair would involve finding pickups that are reverse-wound/reverse polarity to behave as a true humbucker. I might just be able to help on that score too if I can find the right parts in my many spares boxes.

[Dom in Dorset]

That would be great!
I intend to do the whole thing with cheap and salvaged bits until I hit on the perfect recipe.

[lee4]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='631454' date='Oct 20 2009, 04:04 PM']Yes, the Big Block Precision never really took off. Basically works like an MM Hubucker, which I'd imagine was part of the idea, to create a cheap off the peg MusicMan competitor.

The other multi-jazz pickup that springs to mind is the Tri-Max used on the Status Groove (another MM-type bass.) The Tri-Max used the same style of hum cancelling as the Sterling basses (with the silent third dummy coil in between the main two coils), but moulded into a block of three. Makes a great sound. I'd like to hear two of this style of unit on one bass. Now that would be something! [/quote]
Yep,I can confirm that the Status pup sounds great.It can be muddy,but nothing an eq can't sort out.

[NickH]

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='631873' date='Oct 20 2009, 10:14 PM']I've got a cheapy double J pickup you could use in the experimental stage of what you have in mind - it could then be used as a cover only for better quality J-pickups if you take the project further. [b]Bear in mind that the right way to house a pair would involve finding pickups that are reverse-wound/reverse polarity to behave as a true humbucker[/b]. I might just be able to help on that score too if I can find the right parts in my many spares boxes.[/quote]

Wise words.
If you get two of the same pup, see if you can take it out of the cover, slide out the magnet and reverse it. Then just reverse the way you wire it and presto! RWRP coil to make your humbucker!