The punch my Geddy Lee Jazz bass needed
I've played jazz basses for years, recently picking up a late 90s CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz. This bass is based on a 1972 Jazz. The bridge pickup was not working, so I set out to find a good set of pickups.
I tried Seymore Duncan Quarter Pounders, a Mexican Standard, and a Fender Custom Shop 60s model not produced any more. By far I liked the Fender Pure Vintage 74s the best.
These have a vintage sound, not too hot, with a fuller low end than the 60's custom shop, or my stock pickups in my 2011 am standard jazz (a killer jazz sound). The midrange was very punchy, not too thin, but not fat or thick enough to get lost in the mix. The top end had a bite that lends itself well to a dirt pedal to get some texture.
I'm not a huge fan of the bridge pickup soloed on a 70's model jazz, it's too nasal sounding to my ears. I much prefer the 60s spacing. The '74s seem to address that to a certain extent, smoothing out some of the thin nasal bite the 70s bridge pickup is known for. Blended, the sound is full and very punchy.
The set growls nicely, in an upper mid sort of way (I see this more due to the 70's bridge pickup spacing) and slapping sounds great if that's your thing. Being mostly a finger player, a fresh set of stainless steel Rounds will get a nice tone that snarls when pushed. I haven't tried flat wound strings, but I'm sure they would sound good.
I've never played a 74 jazz, but the pickup set seems to be made for this bass. I think Fender nailed the sound they were looking for here.
Construction was typical Fender, nothing fancy and the poles and fiber bobbins were shellac covered. I'm not a huge fan of push back cloth insulated wires, but I had no issues soldering these. So far I haven't had any issues with hum or grounding problems.
These are packaged with minimal information, but a schematic was provided for soldering instructions.
My one complaint was the lack of information on which pickup was bridge or neck. One was marked with a red dot ( I assumed this was the bridge pickup) but not a single written word regarding the difference. This is annoying at the least, and could be a deal breaker for some if the pickups were are placed incorrectly. Come on Fender, even a note or written mark on the pickup would have been nice. Follow through and do your homework.
All complaints aside, these are well worth a try in any jazz, and definitely a home run in a 70's model jazz bass. Add to the fact you can pick these up new for under 100 bucks if you look around, these are worth a try.
Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
