Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter-Pound for J-Bass

passive

MIM jazz bass fender, replaced stock PUPS

output is a lot higher than the standard pickups. at first I was like 'wow that's too loud!' but with a few adjustments to my previous levels (mainly lowering them) it sounded fine.. The tone is clear and has a good range. The most impressive thing I noticed about these is how much they improve the sound of harmonics and double stops, simultaniously played notes sound much more even and doors are opened to many more harmonics that simply don't sound with the standard pickups. There is lots of bass and these are fine for most styles, i play anything you can think of and they suit me fine. WARNING - the one sound that definately was better with my mexican pickups was the typical Jaco Pastotius tone (ie bridge pickup on its own) so if your a jaco obsessive be careful, there is a more bassy edge to that sound. Other than that im happy and definately consider these a considerable improvement.

These give you a midway point between active and passive tones which is cool. I would upgrade them again allthough i would consider other options as they are not perfect (what is). it was mentioned in anouther review and ill reitterate that the foam and rubber tubes supplied to hold the pickup in place are pretty useless, this really should be sorted out.

Features: High output passive pickup with exposed Pole Pieces

Bass: Fender '82 Japanese Jazz
Position: Bridge & Neck
Old Pickups: EMG Conversion Active pickups
Reason for changing pickups: Old pickups were retrofitted EMG active Jazz pickups that were just too thin sounding. The EMG's were ok live but sounded awful when recording, I just couldn't get them to sound bassy, and the string volume was uneven!

Output Level: Lower than the EMG's (as would be expected). Need a fair old crank up on the input gain, but that's the way i like it!
Amp: 300W 4x10 trace elliot combo (c.1997) - I always play with the preset engages and the preamp through the tube rather than the mosfet.
Tone: GRRRRROWWLL!! (Compared to the EMG's!) I use rotosound heavy guage Stainless strings (110 E string) and tend to turn up the neck pickup and the tone all the way, wit ha smidgin' of bridge pickup to 'buck any hum. This combined with the overdriven tube input stage of the amp and the 4x10 speakers give a buttery growl that is very good for what I play on this bass.
My Style: Heavy/Grunge/Punk rock with a dunlop purple 1.14mm pick hitting the stings. Hard.

If my bass was lost, I'd buy another Jazz and but these babies in!
I've been playing in this band for 4 years now, and have tried musicman's and warwicks to see how they sound, but nothing came close to the sound I get now! And I don't have to buy 9V batteries!!

The one thing I would change (Mr. Seymour Duncan, if you are reading!) is the height adjsutment. The supplied height adjustment is provided by small pieces of rubber tube which surround the holding down screws - Difficult to fit and not very effective, I can only get the bridge pickup as close as half an inch away from the strings, and I have a low action!

All in all, not much to fault in such a great sounding pickup, its growl suits me right down to the GRRRRRRound!

Pickup features: Single Coil, HIgh Output, Exposed Magnets
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Standard Jazz Bass
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Both, it wasn't an option for position
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: dunno... don't care much either.
You musical style(s): I just play, man.
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were LAME.

Perceived output level: HOT
Tone: cutting, buzzsaw highs with solid mids with warm but slightly lacking mids
Sonic evaluation: Right now I am in between rigs so I have been using a BA-115 Ampeg combo, which is a great practice amp but probably doesn't do the pup the justice they deserve. I have tried them with steels, flats, nickels, and half-rounds and I have to say, if you're going for those razor-sharp highs, steels are the way to go. They sound GREAT with warm, fuzzy overdrive, too. Be warned, these things are hot as hell, hotter than the SJB-2 Hots. All in all, they're great pickups with an awesome value for their price.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: artrock/punk/grunge/ska/noise

Comments: If these were destroyed or somehow stolen out of my bass, I would probably end up replacing them just because they're such a great value. Then again, I might not just because it would be an excuse for me to get some that are more expensive or try something new. I have been playing for 5 years off and on and I own a fretless jazz as well as a couple of pedals and a Martin D-15 (doesn't apply to this at all but oh well). I think I will always be searching for "that sound", but these will do just fine for now.

Pickup features: Passive High Output Single Coil Jazz bass pickup replacement
Impedence or other specs: Quarter Pound Alnico 5 magnets.

Model of guitar or bass: Rickenbacker 4001 v.63 reissue
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock horse-shoe pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Stock toaster in the neck.
Artists using this pickup: Tye Zamora / Alien Ant Farm, Mark Hoppus / Blink 182, Robbie Crane / Ratt, Tim Payne / Thursday, Pat Kim / Unwritten Law, Joe Principe / Rise Against
You musical style(s): Classic rock from funk to progressive rock.
Reason for pickup change: The horseshoe pickup was out of control. The A string would feedback the sound of a wood-chipper if you hit it hard enough. I needed something more balanced, yet able to keep up with the output of the toaster pickup in the neck, which is very hot.

Perceived output level: Hotter than a stock P-Bass pickup, never mind a jazz pickup. Right up there with a MusicMan Humbucker.
Tone: Balanced. Top and Bottom and everything in between. Like an active pickup would sound if it had warmth and character.
Sonic evaluation: I am writing this review after having owned this pickup for several years. I've had it briefly in the bridge of a Bass Collection bass (import P/J type bass not unlike the Ibanez RG800s. In a true jazz bridge position, this pickup has more output than a stock P bass pickup so I had to actually lower it a bit. Tremendous growl in that position and the bottom didn't drop out as much when soloing the bridge. My main bass, where this pup now resides, is a Rickenbacker 4001 v.63 reissue. I took the horseshoe pickup apart and screwed the QP into the riser platform of the horseshoe pup. So it sits in the "sweet spot" of the Rick. The sound is fantastic. There is no drop in bass response between the bridge and neck. It still has the Rick character to it but with a little J-Bass smootheness thrown in (I get many compliments that I sound just like Geddy). This is hands down my favorite bass pickup. If I could figure out how to get these to work out in my 5 string G&L, I'd be a very happy camper.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I can't see this pickup being unsuitable for anything. Normally, a Rickenbacker is considered to be a one-trick pony, but I would take mine to any gig without any fear, due to this pickup.

Comments: I would buy this pickup again and again and again. It is nearly impossible to find a pickup that has such a great range of bass and treble, and yet sounds warm. This is it. The hum isn't so bad considering what you are getting in return.

Pickup features: single coil passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Peavey Unity Series Dynabass
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Peavey J-model
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Precision Pickup
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock, pop, blues
Reason for pickup change: wanted bigger tone, hotter output

Perceived output level: significantly louder than stock Peavey pups
Tone: wide bandwith, bigger highs and lows, great clarity, nice midrange punch without sounding thin.
Sonic evaluation: I run this bass through a Mesa Buster Bass tube head, and a 2X10 cab. It gets a great rock tone without a lot of tweaking necessary. The J pup gets that Jaco-ish midrangy growl without losing the bottom.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I rely mostly on the P pup, with the J adding some midrange clarity to the mix. works great for the sound I like, clear bottom with growling mids.

Comments:

Pickup features: single coil - passive
Impedence or other specs: n/a

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American jazz bass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: replaced both neck and bridge
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): slap and finger style
Reason for pickup change: read alot of favorable comments regarding Bassline PUPs and wanted to expand to a funkier sound than the stock PUPs.

Perceived output level: IMO the Basslines are 20-30% hotter than the stock PUPs
Tone: Deeper lows and higher highs that are superior to the stock PUPs.
Sonic evaluation: SWR working man's 15 with extension cabinet (2x10s)with a SansAmp Bass Driver with a Fender American jazz bass.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: slap and finger funk style

Comments: The tone change allows my bass to sound closer to the Musican Man-and still retain its Jazz bass qualities. The Bassline PUPs live up to their reputation, they are a definite improvement in tonal quality for the jazz bass. For conventional playing, the PUPs sound deeper and richer. For slap, the JB-3 provide an improved slap/pop tone- well beyond the stock PUPs.

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Don't need no stinkin' numbers

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Precision Bass Active
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Lace Sensor for Jazz
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound for Precision Bass
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Rock, Emo-core, Progressive Rock
Reason for pickup change: I needed to match the QP for P-Bass... the Lace didn't do it, nor did the stock Fender.

Perceived output level: Pretty damned hot... not as loud as the P-Bass version, but they match when working together, so it's not that far off.
Tone: Punchy and bright without being close to brittle. It's a loud, poppy sound that's thicker than most Jazz pickups but not they heavy boom that I seek with the Precision styles.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a GK800rb (preamp out to a dbx rack compressor and a bbe sonic maximizer) into a Bag End S-15 Deep cabinet. This pickup gives the edge to the sound and emphasizes the bridge quite nicely.
I have to say that it's a great sound, but my problem with the J style pickups is that they are inherently thinner sounding than the P styles. They don't have that real thump and boom to them. While this does WAY better than most, it's still not quite where I'd like it.
I will say that in conjunction with the P, it smokes. It is more an accent pickup, but that accent really helps a lot. If you try to use this in conjunction with a different P or J than the Quarter Pounder, you might have problems with volume matching. I did with the P and different Jazz pickups. Regardless, I think you'll like this better than any other passive on the market... remember that that volume control does work and in this one, turning it down makes it sound just a bit smoother and quieter... it doesn't suck the tone completely.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Emo-core, Progressive Rock

Comments: I bought this pickup in a set because I knew that I'd use the other one. I love Duncan's pickups... for guitar and bass, they offer the most models and the best sounds. They also charge the most, but in my mind, they're worth it.
There are a few things I wish they'd do with this pickups... one is that I wish they'd make a stacked humbucker version that had some of the real boom that the P model has. The other is that I'd love a 5-string version. This is too good a pickup to leave to just the 4-strings.