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Post subject: Noiseless J PU to match RI '63 P PU
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:17 am
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Hello... I'm new to the forum. I really appreciate any and all help.
Which Fender Noiseless Jazz Bass Bridge Pickup would be the best match for a Fender '63 Precision Bass Pickup?
Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Noiseless J PU to match RI '63 P PU
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 12:46 am
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Pickups...like strings and compression, distortion, tone caps, straps, cables, pick or finger style, etc...are a very personal decision. What I like you may hate. What you like I will hate if it is different from my favorite. However here is what I really and truly think about adding a Noiseless Jazz pickup to a 63 RI P-Bass to turn it into a PJ in four short words. Do not do it.

Do Not Do This Reason 1: While Noiseless/dual coil/stacked coil Jazz pickups do have lower RF sensitivity (less hum) they often have lower apparent output to the human ear than a single coil Jazz pickup with the same impedance. Since the object here is matching the output of the pickups while retaining at least some of the voicing of both pickups you need a really strong Jazz pickup to even come close to blending well with the Precision split coil without getting drowned completely out by the stronger Precision voicing.

Do Not Do This Reason 2: Stacked/split/Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups (which are really humbuckers in disguise) can introduce unanticipated phasing issues when mixed with the humbucking arrangement of the P-pickup in a P/J setup. A most unpleasant surprise, unless you are into out of phase tone.

Do Not Do This Reason 3: Typically stacked/split/Noiseless Jazz pickups do not sound like a Jazz pickup should to me. They lack upper mids, attack and for lack of a better word...air. The lack of these upper mid components makes them sound more like a Precision set than a Jazz pickup. Do not get me wrong, I love P-Bass tone, but the tonal similarity between a humbucking Jazz pickup and a Precision pair is going to restrict your tonal options eclipsing the wider tonal palate most people are seeking in a true P/J instrument.

Do Not Do This Reason 4: That 63 RI is an American Vintage Reissue. It is far more limited than lesser US models. These AVRI models get discontinued every so often replaced by another year model. They tend to go up in value when discontinued, not down. If you want to hack around on an instrument can I please talk you into modding a used American Standard P-Bass or even a MIM Standard and spare the AVRI the pain? Just asking.

If you are bound and determined to convert a P-Bass to a P/J what follows is how I would go about it myself. This will also work even on knockoffs.

1. You are probably looking a Noiseless Jazz pickup to reduce RF sensitivity and hum. A good way to accomplish the same thing without resorting to a tone choking dual coil/stacked coil/Noiseless Jazz pickup is to copper foil shield to ground the Jazz pickup cavity and the control cavity. The advice to properly shield to ground is sound with any single coil pickup on any instrument, not just in this one case. It can make a significant difference and if it does not you did not do it right. Copper foil shielding is cheap, easily reversible and should only makes things better. Little if any benefit will be gained by foil shielding the Precision pickup cavity though.

2. About the only ways to get a decent volume balance between a P and J is to either buy them in a matched set specifically intended for a P/J setup or do an impedance reading on the existing Precision pickup pair (with the pot out of the circuit) and then try to match that impedance reading as closely as possible in the new Jazz pickup, even if you have to have it custom wound. I mean within +300 Ohms to -150 Ohms close. Better on the plus side than the negative. The Jazz pickup should have Alnico 5 for the strongest output. Hopefully the Alnico 5 will add some signal strength contributing to better balance.

Unless you buy a matched P/J pair or closely match the impedance of a single coil Jazz pickup to the Precision pair yourself you might find yourself in the familiar P/J conundrum where the Precision pickup dominates the Jazz so severely it makes the Jazz pickup pointless.

Seymour Duncan makes a matched set and so does Nordstrom, Wilde by Bill Lawrence and others. I personally like the Wilde P/J matched set by Bill Lawrence but it is not for everyone as it requires a Master Vol/Pickup Blend/Master Tone control setup, has some extra wiring to get right and requires two caps which makes it more complicated to wire up, especially if you have restrictive wiring channels. I think the Duncan set would fit most players budget better ($135 US about everywhere), is a perfectly viable solution and is much simpler to install than the Wilde set.

3. I would change all the pots to 500k for the widest possible tonal range in a passive P/J. 500k pots will open up more of the Jazz pickup upper mids or air when the P and J pups are blended. Retaining the orignal 250k pots in a P/J tend to strangle the Jazz pickup's upper mids which becomes especially problematic when the Precision pup is turned up as well.

4. You will possibly want to try different tone caps too. A vintage ceramic disc sounds really good in a P/J. So does a Vitamin-Q type whether Sprague, other US maker or Russian. Try a couple of different cap values and types until you hit on the the one you like best by alligator clipping them on. I am not sure what cap is stock on the 63 AVRI P-Bass but the 62 AVRI P-Bass uses a 0.1uf cap. However when converting to a P/J you may want to try a 0.05uf also. I would then use the one with the most tonal range.


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