DiMarzio DP123 Model J

Hum-cancelling replacement Jazz bass pickups.
Each pickup is split-coil with 4 leads and 8 adjustable pole pieces.
Design is very similar to a Precision pickup under a Jazz bass cover.
Set of 2.
Spacing is wider in the bridge, so older MIM J's will need a little sanding to fit.

Used in all positions in a Jazz bass built from parts.

I put these in because I never really bonded with the standard J tone. I was looking for a thicker sound and the hum-canceling is a bonus.

First of all, let me tell you what I didn't like about standard J pickups... I had some USA Fender J pups in this project originally. I really did like the single coil sound of either pickup solo'd, but the hum was annoying. Both on (to cancel the hum) sounded too quacky, just didn't have the girth that I was thinking of. I felt that it got lost in the mix a lot of the time. I wanted somthing thicker and beefier that cut through better. After a little research, I ended up buying these.

Dimarzio's recommended wiring has these hooked up in series, similar to a precision bass. Subsequently, the sound tends to lean more toward a P than a J. Like I said, that is fine with me, since I didn't really like the typical J sound.

These are 4-lead pickups, though, so you can wire them in parallel and go for a more traditional J sound though.

I am actually planning on wiring these with a 5-way rotary switch insteand of independent volumes, so that I have the following options: 1) neck parallel 2) neck series 3) both series 4) bridge series 5) bridge parallel. I think I'll get more than enough tonal versatility with this set-up to keep me happy for a long time.

I will also mention, these sounded good with round-wound strings, but really came alive with some flats on it.

Overall, I do like these pickups. If they were stolen (meaning the bass was stolen), I'd probably just replace it with a P instead. But, if I had another Jazz, I'd use these again. I was thinking of Fender Noiseless originally to combat the hum, but that wouldn't help the fact that I didn't like the both-on sound. It seems like all the J's that I like the sound of are active, and I really wanted to keep this one passive (I have other active basses that scratch that itch).

FYI, one thing I did not like about these when I first got them was that they came with black pole pieces. They looked like EMGs or Bartolinis from a few feet away. I wanted a more traditional look, so I emailed Dimarzio (they responded very quickly), and they told me that the pole pieces can be removed without damaging the pickup, and that they sell chrome replacements for $10. To me, they look much better now that I've put the chrome pole pieces in.

All in all, I'm very happy with these pups, and I don't plan on replacing them anytime soon. I'm only giving a 9 because I wish they had come stock with the chrome pole pieces.

This is a single coil humbucking pickup.

Fender MIM Jazz Bass
Both Positions
Replacing Stock Fender Pickups
No other pickups
none
Changed because of the sound of the stock pickups. Sound thin and bad :-P

The sound on these pickups are great! I love it! The tone is great and it is not muddy at all. I most play funk and rock and classic rock, and this pickup is great for all of that and everything in between! I put it in both positions of my bass.

I have played for 1 year and I needed new pickups and I love these. If these were ever stolen (well my bass would have to be stolen) I would the person who stole my bass and throw him onto Mars. I have played with many different pickups (Basslines, EMG, stock musicman, and others) and these are the best. People have wrote that their bass (like mine) is MIM and the bridge pickup is the same as the neck. The DiMarzio pickup is longer (like USA models) but mine did not need to be routed in fit right in! No routing had to be done!

Hum-cancelling direct replacement for Jazz type basses. Available with black or cream covers. Allen wrench adjustable height pole pieces. Impedance is 6.7Kohms. Can be wired individually for traditional series or thinner parrallel operation.

These are installed in my custom jazz bass built from USA Custom swamp ash body and Warmoth maple neck with rosewood board. I picked these after trying Fender custom shop, DiMarzio Ultra Jazz and EMG active jazz pickups. Hum-cancelling feature was a must along with high output and good midrange.

These things are HOT! They are full, loud and extremely well balanced string to string thanks to the adjustable pole pieces. I prefer vintage type amps like Ampeg, Kustom, or Peavey but I'm now less concerned about the perfect amp rig due to the distinct character of these pickups. Very focused low midrange voice is great for fingerstyle or picking. Slap tone is good for old school 70's funk but not hi-fi enough for modern R&B or pop. They are deep and ballsy but not muddy. Still sounds like a jazz but much bigger and without the distracting hum and uneven volume of the center strings. Good for Blues, Rock, R&B, Reggae and probably Country too.

These things are great. I don't know why I avoided these for so long. I've been playing for over 20yrs and just never tried these. The Fender custom shops were smooth and warm with almost enough midrange definition and surprisingly even output across the strings considering there are no raised or adjustable pole pieces but the 60hz hum was not practical. The EMGs were just not for me. Very even across the strings and hum-free but with a distracting high-mid voice. The Sadowsky set I'm keeping for another bass or for when I need a more modern sound. The model J's are it for now. maybe I'll need a little more highs for some situations but this is the meat and potatoes of gigging tones.

Passive humbucking Pickup

Model:
Made-In-Mexico Fender Jazz bass

Position:
I replaced both pickups

Reason for replacing:
The stock pickups were flabby and weak. The DP123s REALLY added a lot of punch and growl.

The output is much higher and is very punchy. There's a nice growl above 8.

I like to play rock and blues with a bit of jazz too.

I'm very happy with the DP123.

I recently purchased a set of DP123 pickups for my made-in-Mexico (MIM) Fender Jazz Bass. When I began to install them, I noticed that the bridge pickup wasn't going to fit into the body of the bass.

This problem is NOT DiMarzios fault.

Fender decided to use a the same size pickup in both postions on the MIM basses, while their American Basses use a slightly larger pickup on the bridge.

To their credit, when I called DiMarzio about how to proceed, they just said "Send us the pickup and we'll give you one the right size. They rapidly shipped me the new pickup and I was up and running in no time at all.

If you're somewhat technical, replacing pickups is pretty easy.
Simply loosen the strings, remove the pick-guard and the electronics cover. You need to have a soldering iron strong enough to be able to desolder/resolder the ground wire on the back of the volume pots. Just follow the wiring instructions that come with the pickups and you're all set.

The new pickups are very warm and punchy. They're humbucking pickups, so they're very clean sounding and growl nicely once you get above 8 or so on the volume pot. Compared with the stock pickups the Model J's really shine. My MIM bass now sounds great!

Highly recommended

Each one is a humbucking, and both passive...

Installed on my 1990 Fender American Standard Jazz Bass, replaced the hole set.
I replaced a set of "Vintage Fender Custom Shop 60's" pickups, because - for me - they were a little "weak"...

These suckers are waaaay louder than the 60's Custom Shop, with more punch, mids - I'm a sucker for their midrange tone - and growling, get the hell out of the way, bass!
Despite that, because they're humbuckings, that 60 cycle hum that comes out when you unbalance both pu's volume knobs is gone!
That's the sound a J-Bass should have!

Of course I'd replace them!
I've been playing for a little more than 20 years... I have got other Fender basses before, with bartolini's, EMG's, stock and now the vintage 60's custom shop pickups...
If you like the passive tone, but would like it more with a little "louder voice", these guys are your choice!

Pickup features: passive humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: bridge and neck pickup set

Model of guitar or bass: SX J Bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: both bridge and neck pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock, reggae
Reason for pickup change: I got this beautiful SX yellow Jazz bass knockoff, gutted it and replaced the pickups, pots, cap, jack and wiring to make its sound worthy of its appearance.

Perceived output level: Much hotter that the stock SX China-made pickups...
Tone: kinda growly with all bass knobs at 10, sweetens up nicely if you back off
Sonic evaluation: Playing through a Carvin RL1000 head and Carvin RL410 cabinet, this guitar has come to life. I'm not an expert at describing bass tone, but the improvement over the stock SX pickups was amazing. Sound is full and fabulous and can be sweetened nicely by backing off the volume on the bridge.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock, reggae - yes a good match

Comments: I ordered these online from MusiciansFriend.com. I installed them, did all my adjustments, and plugged in. The neck pickup sounded great, but the bridge sounded thin and tinny on the D,G strings and there was NO OUTPUT at all from the E,A strings. Several emails to DiMarzio later, they said it was probably defective and I should send it to them for repair/replacement. Great, they're in Staten Island and I'm in California. So I had to de-install the bridge pickup, then sent it to DiMarzio by Priority Mail along with my warranty registration, my purchase receipt, and copies of our email exchanges. I asked them to return my receipt with the pickup. Four days later, I hadn't heard anything, so I emailed DiMarzio. They said they repaired it and already mailed it back. Hey, thanks for the heads-up guys. They said that a magnet had been installed "the wrong way". How the heck does that happen in a modern pickup company anyway? Of course, they sent it UPS Ground so it took over a week to get back to me, and they DID NOT return my purchase receipt as I requested. I finally got the pickup installed and the bass working TWO WEEKS after the original installation. DiMarzio customer service sucks. Oh yeah, while I'm at it, MusiciansFriend sucks too. I requested a Return Authorization Number from them and they never got back to me. I guess they're only your friend when you're buying, not trying to return a defective item. They pickups sound great, they really do, but because of my experience with DiMarzio I am only rating them a 5.
"

Pickup features: split coil himbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: MIM Fender Jazz Bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock at neck AND bridge
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): N/A see reason
Reason for pickup change: A friend owned this bass. He played well but was getting brutalized by the pure crap stock PU's on the bass. Had to run both pickups wide open or HIDEOUS LOUD hum!

Perceived output level: Hotter and louder than even USA stock Jazz pickups
Tone: Best described as a Jazz with a New York attitude. Much more in your face than stock
Sonic evaluation: Running at the time a Carvin 200 head into a Sonic single fifteen cab with a 400 watt EV 15L Proline. Much, much better! All settings and mixes of proportions of pickups were available without humming hideously. Even a credible bridge pickup Jaco thing.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The pickup is one that I have used on Jazz Basses multiple times before for folks. It seems to be suitable for most anything. Worked well for a slapping funk player, on a custom eight string bass where it really shined, and most recently for this guy's bass who plays church contemporary worship to alternative rock.

Comments: This really is a good value pickup. If you want something more like an idealized Jazz in a pristine studio you ought to go with the active EMGs. If you want quiet yet loud and a bit in your face, these are the freakin' grail of long standing. They even look more aggressive than the stock PU's, something that will appeal to many who are appearance driven. If I build up an eight string bass again, these will be on it. Other than that I probably would not buy them again for myself, but that is because their thing is not my thing right now. Used to be though and they did it well.
I am playing an 89 PRS five string, a custom five string fretless Jazz with solid Rosewood neck using the Steve Bailey Seymour Duncan assembly, A Conklin five string electric upright, and a cheese P-bass clone with a Bill Lawrence P-45 pickup (the only thing good about it!).
This stuff gets played through a monster PA, an SWR Redhead, or a Boogie 400 Plus driving two Dr. Bass Rx-112ds.

Pickup features: Humbuckin' Passives
Impedence or other specs: whats Impedance mean?

Model of guitar or bass: Fender MIM Jazz
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Both those hummin' stock things
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Picasso and Dali
You musical style(s): Rock and Jazz
Reason for pickup change: The old ones hummed too much when I changed volumes and you do get lots of different tones just by doing that.

Perceived output level: a much hotter signal. they have a lot ALOT of crunch at full volume
Tone: warm, dirty, ballsy and PUNCHY! these things THUMP!
Sonic evaluation: Playing a MIM Fender Jazz through an Aphex Bass Exciter into a GK 400 RB into an SWR Workingmans 210 and Hartke 115.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: You can get a round sound but not as easily as really nice gritty warm and punchy sound

Comments: These are good pickups. You can do a lot with them. some right hand mutting and thumbing the strings gets a nice jazz sound and plucking up by the bridge with the bridge pick up soloed gets a nice dirty blues sound. One thing though and this is what you have to pay attention to when trying these: they do sound ugly when you are not playing with a band or CD, just like the bass player shootout said. but in a band setting they are really nice

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Am Deluxe Jazz Bass 1996
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: stock Fender
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Funk/Acid Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more sound

Perceived output level:
Tone: massive, warm and present (www.subsonicfamily.com/bass/ for details)
Sonic evaluation: www.subsonicfamily.com/bass/ for details and audio files

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Funk/Acid Jazz

Comments: I LOVE these pickups ! I compared them with DiMarzio Ultra J pickups. Again, go to www.subsonicfamily.com/bass/ for details and sound files.

Pickup features: Passive side by side humbucking.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: '75 reissue Fender Jazz
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Pink Floyd to Tom Petty
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were good, these are better.

Perceived output level: These pickups sound a little hotter than the stock ones I replaced, but not hugely.
Tone: Punch and Growl without being overly bright. These sound 'manly' to me.
Sonic evaluation: Japanese Fender '75 Reissue Jazz through a GK800rb into a Hartke 215bxl. I wasn't happy with the microsecond delay of the stock pickups, or the noise. Replaced them with the DiMarzio's and now the bass is perfect. Let it be noted that I swapped out the 250K 'mini' pots for full size US made 500K's... and replaced the tone capacitor as well. Adjusting the pickup volumes results in a HUGE tone difference. By lowering either of the volumes you can give yourself bad unbalanced tone. DiMarzio's website calls this a 'woody tone'. Whatever. Everything stays at 10 where it should be.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I've been playing bass for 12 years and have been all over the board with my set up. This is the sweetest tone I've obtained yet. Great rock tone.

Comments: I would suggest these to anyone who would like to improve the tone of their set up. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat. The installation of these pickups and the addition of a Gotoh Quick Release Bridge has turned this very decent bass into a sonic warrior. I'm from the old school of bass tone. The introduction of horns in bass cabs makes me cringe. If you want big rock tone drop these in and run through two 15's. Punch, Growl, Sustain, huge low end. The only problem I have with these things as that one of the adjustable poles will not adjust down. Oh well. I'd give these a 10 if it weren't for that small problem.

Pickup features: Jazz style humbucking bridge and neck pickups
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha BBN-4
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: both bridge and neck stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Anyone who values great tone!
You musical style(s): Heavy rock/funk
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups in the Yamaha bass are good sounding, however, they are single coil and as a result, hum unless both volume controls are wide open.

Perceived output level: These pickups are great! By using DiMarzio's series/ parallel switching, you can sound like a jazz (growly sounding) or a rickenbacher/ music man (punchy funk/clean solo)
Tone: these pickups certainly growl in series position. Sounding very much like a vintage jazz, or even a P-bass with guts. In parallel, these pickups take on a glassy character- very clean and neutral sounding, which would be great for slapping or tapping (ala Stuart Hamm). You do need a little more gain in this setting however.
Sonic evaluation: I use each pickup into its own amp (stereo, just like the old Chris Squire/Geddy Lee Rickenbacher sound). I run separate FX loops for each. Bridge gets some distortion and chorusing form time to time while the neck gets a little (read: killer!) bottom end from an octave pedal. These pickups cut! I have to contend with two guitarists, each with a 4x12 cabinet on stage. I use two Gallien-Krueger 400RB heads, one powering an SWR 4x10 and the other, a 2X10 cabinet with old Ampeg drivers. with this bass/pickup/amp combination, there is enough lower mid/bass punch to cut through the guitars at just the right frequencies without burying them (and the other way 'round as well!).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly a heavy version of rock that sounds like Metallica meets The Spin Doctors (or even Danko Jones). I like the separation of my bass running in stereo, rather than mono (mono tends to dull the pickups top end). If you have the means to do so, wire your bass for stereo- otherwise, they still make great QUIET replacements for you Fender Jazz style bass!

Comments: I would IMMEDIATELY replace these pickups if they were stolen! Of course that means the bass would probablyhave been taken as well. So whoever tries might end up with broken fingers!!!!
I've been playing over 18 years in studio, stage, and clubs. Like I said before- the Yamaha single coils just weren't doing it for me, so in went the DiMarzio DP123s! The instructions were clear as day and the soudn is AWESOME!!! Comparing the price to a lot of (overpriced!) pickups on the market, these are an incredible deal!!!

Pickup features: passive humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: fender jazz
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: original fender set
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): jazz, stds, r&b, latin, swing, mor
Reason for pickup change: looking for a better sound

Perceived output level: same or more than the normal fender jazz stock output
Tone: a pickup that can be adapted to any music I play
Sonic evaluation: fender jazz, gibson acoustic bass, swr, acme, carvin and canadian yorville amps, acoustic image amp, sadowsky outboard preamp, trace elliot tube preamp. I combine the gear for the night from these.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: jazz, stds, r&b, latin, swing, mor;

Comments: these pickups have the tone, growl, output that surpass all the passive and active ones I have tried. and i have tried a lot. just like the basses, you still go back to the fender jazz. take it from me, take the short cut, a fender jazz and dimarzio 123's.

Pickup features: split coil humbucking laid end to end in jazz packages, passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender jazz mexican
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: both stock jazz pickups,
Other pickups on guitar: no other pickups
Artists using this pickup: the artist formerly known as "me"
You musical style(s): jam, blues, rock, freaky, styley
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were not humbucking.

Perceived output level: little louder than the stocks
Tone: pretty standard sound, sounds more like a modern dual pickup bass now
Sonic evaluation: Sounds good. I turn down the tone for a more low-fi sound. When both pickups are on, it gets a hollow kinda growly tone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: all

Comments: I'm satisfied. They are much better than the stock hummers. They've got a good sound. I had to break out the wood chisel to fit the larger bridge pickup into the route on the body, but no big deal.

Pickup features: split humbucker, passive pickups, ceramic magnet
Impedence or other specs: 4 conductor, DC Resistance: 7.76K

Model of guitar or bass: 1997 Squier Jazz Bass (Mexican made)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock pickups (something really cheap)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: any Jazz Bass user who cares about tone
You musical style(s): rock (punk to metal, pick and fingerstyle)
Reason for pickup change: Unhappy with stock pickup sound. Drowned out in mix (one guitar and loud drummer). Needed something with more definition and bass.

Perceived output level: according the the manufacturer, the output is rated 150 Milliwatts...higher than a normal Jazz Bass pickup but not high enough to be consider a hot pickup....my ears tell me that this thing is loud!
Tone: according to DiMarzio, the sound is as follows: Bass: 6 Mids: 5 Treble: 4 From my own two ears: thick ass bass and cutting mids with rolled off treble...wonderful tone!! sounds pretty balanced to me...makes my cheap Squier beat the living shit out of all American STD Jazzes out there! No kidding, these pickups are fabulous!
Sonic evaluation: you already know the guitar, but my amp is a weak Fender BXR 60 (I say weak do to the fact that 60 watts does NOT suffice when you have a loud ass drummer and 30 watts of distorted guitar blasting beside you). You should stick to a 4 to 1 ratio.....for instance, if your guitar player's amp is 25 watts, you should have AT LEAST 100 watts if you want any kind of presence in the mix......These pickups are fabulous, I really can't describe the tone aside from saying that they are much nicer sounding than the AM STD Jazzes that I've tried....warm, loud and they cut well in the mix....very smooth and bassy, try'em to hear what I mean.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: wonderful for rock (I do punk to metal), pick and fingerstyles sound great, can't complain about anything.

Comments: If my bass (with pickups attached) were ever stolen, I'd buy an AM Std Jazz, and buy the Model J's to put in...that must sound orgasmic. I've only been playing for about 2 years, but I know what tone I like, and this is definitely it! I love it's sound, I hate nothing. Although I haven't tried any other jazz replacements, the price and sound just did me in, I'm hooked for life. I've got "that" sound, or should I put it more correctly, "MY" sound.