SJB-1's all day! That vintage tone always sounds great in a live band mix. Quarter Pounders, be it a Precision bass or Jazz bass, always seem to sound great at home when practicing then get lost in the mix when playing live. YOU NEED THE MIDS!
Nothing an eq pedal or a tube screamer on low-gain setting can't help out with, though. Of course it's alll a matter of taste and what your role in the band it. I'm more of a "hold that bottom and drive" guy than a "guaranteed bass solo on every song" guy ;)
This confirms what I was hoping would be true when I ordered new pickups for my PJ: the SJB-2 bridge pup has the perfect vibe to mix with a quarter-pound P-bass pickup in the neck. Thanks for a great video!
Thank you so much for this demo. Honestly to God I really tried to be fair with all four sets. The one set that over and over has the sound that is the most appealing to me are those Apollo ones, which I never heard of before today. Already made up my mind from this video to save some money for those.
Came to the comments first and seen everyone talking about the Apollo pickups and I wanted to see what the hype was all about and MY GOD. The Apollos just sound absolutely incredible. They’ve just got that little *extra* razzle dazzle on them.
The Apollo pickup set sounded the best to my ears. All the others sounded somewhat dull like they were missing all the treble. I think the reason I like the Appollo more is that these are essentially Precision bass pickups in a Jazz bass pickup cover. They have the punch and clarity that you usually need a Precision for.
A very helpful video. I bought Quarter Pounds in the end for a bit of vintage beef (my other bass handles bright and punchy). Very pleased with the results.
I have had the QP for 20 years and they are good. I only bought them because they were so cheap in those days (about £30 each) but If I was to switch now I would go for the vintage ones. QP are very good for rock and everything agressive but these days ive calmed down a bit ;-)
@@TheBassChannel Yeah it's just funky because everyone's gushing about the Apollos, and to be honest I found them a bit too hi-fi and wide-range for my taste. I feel like the SJB's did the brighter sound much better without getting too bright like the Apollos. The SJBs had plenty of cut while still retaining that J grunt and growl
@@doczooc For real though...seriously considering replacing the bridge pickup in my PJ with one of these. That said, I do like how my existing J pickup blends with the P when both are on for a classic clanky thrash tone.
Noiseless passive pickup comparison would be great, both versions of the Duncan Hot Stacks, the Apollos, maybe the most recent Fender Noiseless. Perhaps throw in the EMG JVX actives for a double compare. What do you say?
I wish each demonstration of each pick up was labeled. It would make it easier to remember what y'all were talking about/ playing haha. Other then that, I still love this video. I watch it every so often just to make sure I buy one of these.. some day haha
SJB-1s for me. They make the jazz bass sound just like it should. SJB-2s are ok, fatter jazz bass tone. SJB-3s are just too hot and lack some mids. Apollos are nice, punchy and modern sound.
Thanks for the comparison. I feel like the Quarter Pounder bridge will sound great next to my Geezer Butler EMG neck pickups. I want a real nice growl.
An Apollo bridge pickup seems like the perfect solution for my problems with the current Fender MIM Mustang P/J bass. My only previous experience has been toaster style humbuckers and split coil P-bass humbuckers. I recently bought a new bass and started playing again. The Mustang P/J feels great. It's very easy for my small, older hands to play. I almost don't miss my vintage P-bass. There are only a few problems with the Fender Mustang P/J: 1.The rubber band like quality of the stock Fender round sounds. This can easily be fixed with some good flatwound strings. 2. The Jazz bridge pickup sounds a bit weak and thin, especially since there is no blend control, just a three way selector switch. 3. Having never owned a Jazz bass before, this last one bothers me the most. The Jazz bridge pickup is pretty noisy when the gain is cranked up and the tone is near 100%. The tone on the Precision pickup is not exactly amazing, but it's adequate and at least there's no noise. I guess I didn't notice the noise from the J pickup in the guitar store, because I didn't have the gain and the tone turned up. Now, that I know the noise is there, it really bugs me. I just have one question. If I installed an Apollo bridge pickup in my Mustang would it be compatible with my stock Mexican Fender P pickups? Will the two different brands of pickups be out of phase with each other? I've never been a big tone chaser before. I don't need perfect tone. I just want clean, quiet, balanced signals and a couple of tonal options.
You’ll be fine, no incompatibility issues. You really need a hum cancelling bridge pickup in a pj bass because, as you found out, a single coil will hum badly. As a bonus, most of the hum cancelling pups will have a higher output.
Since SJB-3 are not humbuckers, how noisy can they be compared to the Apollos? I like their tone, but I'm looking for silent yet punchy, growly pickups, because I base my sound on different modern distortions, trying to get a modern fuzzy tone.
Iv always wanted the jazz sound so I bought a 2019 performer jazz. I just ordered a quarter pounder, but now I’m thinking of buying a higher end Spector.
I just bought a set of the sj5 3's... this review really gave me a fantastic idea of what to expect. My '06 MIM jazz bass will be my go-to passive studio bass and I feel that the quarter pounders won't get lost in the mix and will push-through the groove. Also, you always do a great job with helping us understand your content, thanks and peace.
It's interesting, i am considering the QP set for my Mim Jazz but these Apollos sound great. I am a little concerned about the grinding highs going byebye if i change pickups and these Apollos are very sparkly, plus they are noiseless.
Great job man, GREAT JOB!!! THIS IS A VIDEO THAT ALL US J-BASS GUYS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR, FOR A LONG TIME! Instead of comparing different videos with completely different sound quality in each one, then trying to come to conclusions on sounds and stuff.. Thanks again! Do the same thing again, but with the Seymour Duncan P bass pickups bro, please! Hashtag= Just sayin'
The Apollo set set curiously sound the most polite. They seem very low in output even compared to the vintage jazz set. Not for me, I like some hair on my tone!
SJB-1 sounds like a Jazz to me, though I just got an SJB-2 for a PJ. The Quarter-Pound J's are too hot and scooped. The Apollos sound like EMGs with a preamp, holy smokes.
Don’t sleep on the old MIJ Marcus Millers, you can get that same kickass 70’s passive sound as the Geddy Lee and have the option to switch to an active 2-band boost preamp.
Wow the Apollo sounded really good, would anyone recommend this for blues music? I play a MIM Standard Jazz and I feel it’s time to upgrade the pups. Would these do?
They all sound great…. IMO it’s just a matter of taste and the way you want your basic sound to be. But never forget: the real flavor is in the fingers!!!
Did u install each Apollo pickup in parallel or serial mode? I thought about using a push/pull knob for each volume and thus change the wiring modes. Possible?
Also this has been one of the most helpful comparison videos ever. I’m about to “hot rod” a used bass I got from my local music store and this video has helped me IMMENSELY. Thank you, sir! 🫡
Its such a hard thing to decide jcjfjr I really want something smooth, warm, mellow and soft While still not being too growly or sharp Can someone with experience with these pickups share their opinion on whats best for that?^^ (I play with flatwounds btw)
No, I don't have fancy technology to record like this, or the skills to solder new pickups in/out, or the money to buy all those sets and try them, myself, but... Slap technique on a Jazz Bass is a very popular thing, as well as pick playing. Each one of those two techniques would have brought out more, and more useful sonic differentiation between each one of these pickups sets, beyond the fingerstyle-only used. Thanks for installing these in a regular MIM Jazz Bass. Good job, yes, but with a few small procedural changes employing commonly-used techniques and the sonic revelations that would come from them, this demo could have been SO MUCH more useful in terms of making a purchase decision for a much broader spectrum of bassists.
