Introduced to the world by Leo Fender in 1960, the Jazz Bass has gone on to become one of the most
popular bass guitar models ever – and for good reason.
It’s perhaps the most versatile of the two core Fender electric bass models (the other being the Precision Bass). While the J Bass was originally marketed towards jazz bassists, it has been used by all styles of bassist in most genres of music over the past six decades – including Jaco Pastorius, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Larry Graham, Aston Barrett, Marcus Miller, and Flea.
The pickups on Jazz Basses differ from
Precision Bass pickups mainly in the way they are setup. On a Jazz Bass, there are two
single-coils located at the bridge and neck, both of which can produce a versatile range of tones, for everything from heavy rock to blues, funk, reggae, and jazz (of course).
If you’re looking to upgrade the stock single-coils on your Jazz Bass, or if you just fancy a bit of a tonal change, you’ve come to the right page as we’re about to take a look at five excellent J Bass pickups in our chart below. Then stick around after the chart for a short guide on these pickups.
Note that, while
five-string basses are incredibly popular these days, the pickups we feature in our chart are solely intended for the more commonly found four-string basses.
The Top 5 Jazz Bass Pickups:
What Makes a Good Jazz Bass Pickup
More often than not, a J Bass pickup will be a single-coil design instead of a humbucker. Naturally, there are exceptions, but in the world of the Jazz Bass, single-coil pickups rule.
As you’d find with standard
guitar pickups, the J Bass single-coil will primarily feature a bright and defined tone, which is ideal for keeping your low-end sound from drifting into mud. It’s worth noting that these single-coils feature two pole-pieces per string, which helps deliver that tighter bass sound with stronger trebles.
Meanwhile, like their guitar counterparts, Jazz Bass single-coils are susceptible to background interference in the form of hum, and can be an inconvenience as the volume and gain increase.
So, a good J Bass pickup will retain a defined low-end with ample brightness, while keeping noise to a minimum. The five on our list certainly do this with varying degrees of success, while some – such as DiMarzio’s DP123 in particular – offer the best of both worlds, by staggering two halves of a single-coil for a humbucking experience that retains the bright snap of the single-coil.
How Do They Sound Compared to P Bass Pickups?
As we’ve established, generally, when compared to the tone of a Precision Bass, a Jazz Bass pickup traditionally offers a brighter and cleaner sound, although you’ll tend to find a little more background noise and hum. P Bass pickups are a bit fatter in tone. It’s all very subjective, but this is the general agreement.
For an audio example, it’s worth checking out the following video, which looks at the subtle tonal differences between Jazz and Precision Basses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1hGL2OxFts
Why Change Your Pickups?
Whether your bass cost $150 or $500, chances are the stock pickups are fine and do an adequate job. However, if you’re with a band in a gigging or recording environment, or looking for a new sound for your solo work, changing the pickups can bring any bass guitar to life.
Some brands offer single pickups individually, instead of sets, which can be great if you’re on a budget and prefer to change just one pickup at a time, such as the neck or bridge.
Remember that pickups are sometimes complicated to install – especially J Bass single-coils – so if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, ask your local guitar professional to install them for you. Saving a few extra dollars is not worth ruining your bass over!
The Final Word
Don’t believe everything you read! It may sound odd coming from us, but all reviews are subjective.
While our reviews can certainly help highlight the best models, if possible go and test the pickups that appeal to you. Or – at the very least – listen to them in action, whether live or via videos. This way you’ll get a true feel of what the pickup sounds like, and whether they will work for your style of playing.
Good luck in your hunt for your perfect Jazz Bass pickup!