Seymour Duncan Antiquity Jazz Bass

Passive single-coils. Hum-canceling. Traditional pole spacing.

Installed bridge and neck pups in a 2001 MIM Jazz--a straight drop-in. Replaced the stock pups. I made the change because I wanted a richer, thicker, more balanced, classic jazz sound. Stocks were okay, but just lacked a bit of character and complexity.

Output's about the same as the stocks--maybe slightly less. I play through a Mesa 400+/Marshall 7215, or else through an Eden wt550 and two Eden 210s. No effects, but a bit of EBS compression. I find the tone through either rig is thicker and fuller, definitely more bass and low mids, with very smooth, just slightly grindy upper-mids and treble. Beautiful balanced tone. I play straight ahead pop-rock, math-punk, and country, all finger-style, with just a bit of slap and pop here and there. I find these pickups very adaptable (I get a great sound for each of these styles with a just a little twiddling of the onboard tone and pickup controls.) Really unbelievably sweet for straight up rock though.

I originally intended to put Antiquity IIs in, but having had a bad experience with SD HOT for P-bass (just too much low-end for me) I went for the Is instead after reading reviews here and at BGRA and on the Talkbass forum, and I don't regret it. I can't imagine what the use of even more lows/tonal thickness would be. These pickups are to me the perfect blend of clarity and punch, and so versatile. They're expensive, but totally worth it. Why buy an expensive bass, when a great set of pickups on a nice, playable bass achieve the same (maybe better!) result?

Pickup features: single coil { passive }
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender 60s jazz reissue
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: neck and bridge pickups
Other pickups on guitar: stock fender Jazz pickups
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock, Jazz, just about anything
Reason for pickup change: Stock fender pickups sucked

Perceived output level: Very warm , growly , nice punch, very old school sound
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use Fender Rumbler 100 and a Peavey Mark VI head with a 215 and a 210 cabs. The bass sounds great

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups will work for just about anything you want to play, except maybe techno

Comments: I love these pickups so much, I also put them on my 62 jazz, Much better pickup than the stock fenders. I would buy these pickups again in a heart beat.

Pickup features: Single coil neck and bridge
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender 62 re-issue and Peavey Fury
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock fender 62 re-issue
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, R&B, funk
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups didn't sound like a real 62 jazz. Wanted a smoother and warmer tone.

Perceived output level: Slightly lower than 62 re-issue pickups
Tone: warm, smooth, clear, sweet, woody and less harsh and clicky than stock.
Sonic evaluation: Fender 62 re-issue or Peavey Fury(80s)through an SVT proIII and Eden 115T and 210T cabs. I also use a Sadosky outboard pre-amp for more punch and clarity when needed.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups are the best I've heard so far. They are definately desighned for a very accurate vintage tone. They will work for just about any style of music but might not be the best for modern slap tones ala Marcus.

Comments: I've been playing for over 20 yrs and i'm constantly searching for my tone. These pickups let me just play. I find that I'm tweaking much less and enjoying the gigs more. They are almost perfect but they are single coils and will hum in noisy venues but I have not yet found a hum cancelling jazz pickup that "does it" for me. They could also be a little hotter but that would probably change the overall tone so I'll just deal.

Pickup features: Two passive single coil pickups.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Standard Jazz
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender pickup.
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Antiquity for Jazz Bass bridge pickup
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jamband fusion of rock, jazz, funk, blues, bluegrass, psychedelia, etc.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted my bass to sound like a classic Fender Jazz; wanted more clarity.

Perceived output level: Slightly hotter than the stock pickup.
Tone: Very clear and focused with accentuated low-mids and pleasant compression.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing my Fender Jazz through a Gallien Krueger 400RB and an SWR Workingman's 4X10T. These pickups do exactly what Seymour Duncan says, they make my bass sound exactly like a vintage Fender Jazz. The fingerstyle tone is really a knockout! The instrument sounds great in all positions of the neck. Due to the exceptional clarity, I don't have to dig in as hard to be heard and all of the notes are clearly definined and warm. The tone when popping is still good, but perhaps not as good as stock, since stock pickup has scooped mids which give that percussive twang without "honky" mids. I rarely slap or pop, so these pickups are a better fit for my style.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a fusion of style that encompasses just about anything other than metal or hip hop. These pickups probably don't have the harsh bite required for metal, but I consider that a good thing!

Comments: I've been playing bass for almost 12 years. After reading the March 1999 issue of Bass Player, which reviewed a ton of Jazz bass replacement pickups, I narrowed my choices down to Lindy Fralin's, Seymour Duncan Antiquity or Antiquity II's. I happened to be searching Ebay when I found an incredible deal on both neck and bridge Antiquity pickups. I got both for cost! I may have been just as happy with the others I considered, but am very happy with these and would do it again. The only negative is that these pickups are so clear, I can't get away with flubbed notes! Time to shed...

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Standard Jazz Bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Standard Fender
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Jazz, Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock Fenders were really too noisy for recording in my MIDI studio, the Antiquities are a bit quieter, and sound a lot better.

Perceived output level: Slightly more than the standard Fender's, but not really "hot".
Tone: Clear, smooth, articulate.
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my bass into a POD2, (not bass POD), and then into my PA. This sounds really great for both live and recordings.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This makes an inexpensive bass sound like a "classic". The pickups deliver on the idea of the "antiquities".

Comments: If I ever bought a Fender Standard Bass, I would put these in right away. Guitar Center was blowing them out for $25.00 ea. and I am lucky I was able to get them. Now that I know the quality of the sound, I would pay the normal price if I had to.