My aerodyne is lovely to play, but the hum from the bridge pickup means I usually stick to the neck pup.
Additionally I own a darkglass vintage deluxe pedal that I love. However the stock pickups on my fender aerodyne sound terrible through it. When I use a bass with EMG style pickups (Active) the grit from the pedal really comes through, but the aerodyne just doesn’t seem hot enough to bring out that character.
I am looking to replace the pickups, wanting a hum cancelling J and a P that has more drive to it. Currently hovering between a Seymour Duncan PJ Quarterpounder set and EMG GZR’s, and would appreciate others experiences and opinions!
Another thing to try would be to put a compressor with a nice clean boost in front of the VMT. Both the boost and the compression would probably make the overdrive/distortion sound better.
I have tried with a Behringer DC9, with limited results. My Ibanez K5 sings with that setup but I really prefer the Aerodynes playablity. I will try again with your suggestion though, maybe a fresh look will help! Thanks for the suggestion
+1 on the DiMarzio DP126 PJ set. I upgraded my Squier PJ with this and am quite pleased with the results. They’re passive, so pretty much a drop-in replacement, although I did have to enlarge the J pickup cavity just a teeny bit (a few seconds with a Dremel tool).
The J is definitely a humbucker, producing zero hum at max output. I find both pickups to be hotter and brighter than the originals, although not radically so. I like the individually adjustable pole pieces,
However, I’m going for more of a classic P bass sound, so YMMV.
Had the same issue with my Squier Affinity PJ to upgrade it with EMG GZR pickups
Guess it’s best to find sound samples to compare the pickups. Found this one, not sure it will help though…
Sisters of Mercy comparison track as well The DiMarzios sound better to my ear, the GZR’s have a lot going for them install wise, they have more kick but are rather clinical.
I suspect the GZR’s might have the edge running into the Vintage Deluxe though.
Although my favourite band back then was Fields of the Nephilim, followed by SOM and Ministry. Later came Tool and Nine inch nails. Also apparently I talk too much (my replies got capped for my first day!) so I had to wait to post this
With my Aerodyne I put in Duncan QP in the bridge and it has been great. I left the stock neck pups in as the sound pretty good already. I play mostly pick style bluesy rock. To each their own but the QP has been great for me. Good luck!
those things sound very agressive. very very very, like too much for me (!). but yeah I guess it’s a good idea to mount only one QP in bridge position, because this pickup is also pretty powerful and should be able to match very well a more mellow neck pickup.
so true … there is no rule at all !
not what EMG makes best in my opinion, but very good quality/price ratio. not a bad choice for sure !
I have a question regarding replacing pickups, which may trigger an argument. This is not my intention, I’m simply curious…
After spending a great deal of money on a high quality bass (in my case $800), what would be the reason for wanting to replace the pickups? Is the manufacturer’s choice of pickups inferior or inadequate? Can I not trust Yamaha to provide me with good quality pickups despite this being one of their top of the line basses? Can other people who have spent good money on other brands of basses not trust their manufacturer to have provided good quality pickups?
Sorry if I’m kicking over a bee hive with this question, but I really would like to know.
hey @PamPurrs the reason to change pickups is when the stock pickups doesn’t match what you want out of them. (don’t know at all if it’s a right english sentence)
say … you buy a nice American-made Fender Precision Bass, you paint it in an incredible and unique Reseda Green ( ), it’s a dream to play but it sounds a bit too shy … because, you know, you play sludgecore and Fender pickups are usually not good (despite the price and the fact that they invented those pickups !). sounds a bit “not enought” or “not right” for what you do. I talk about pure sound but it can be about reactions too, or output level if you’re in a little bit more advanced level regarding to what you really ask to an instrument electronics. (if it’s not an issue for you : great ! it’s not an issue !)
Yamaha pickups are usually very good regarding to the range of your instrument. if you don’t feel like there is a problem with your pickups : just don’t change. like @howard said.
(my Yamaha has the stock pickups and I will never change them)
Couldnt agree more. My aerodyne has a lovely soft mellow sound, even more so with flats.
Problem is that’s not the sound I want. I want a sound that plays well with the specific eq/overdrive pedal I use. I have another bass that has that sound…but I want to combine it with the feel of the aerodyne’s neck.
The only complaint I have about the fender is the bridge j single coil hums…and that’s not a quality issue, any single coil lone j pickup would likely hum. Lot’s of people don’t care, heck I usually just roll the volume off on it a little!
On an tangent…Not so long ago I had lots of yamahas. I loved them and never changed a thing. I suspect because they just agreed with my ear.
the reason to change pickups is when the stock pickups doesn’t match what you want out of them. (don’t know at all if it’s a right english sentence)