Are you looking for the best pickups for fretless Jazz Bass? Then, you are in the right place.
Are you thinking of buying a fretless bass pickup? First, you must know what you need to look for when buying the pickup for fretless jazz bass.
The most important thing is that it should accompany the musical freedom that fretless bass is known for.
Pickup should be such that it can catch bends and microtonal shifts. In addition, the pickup should be precise, and most importantly, it should not sound dull.
Buying a pickup depends on the kind of bass you want to play. In this article, we have meticulously gathered the best pickups for fretless jazz bass. We have covered every detail about each pickup so you can make the right decision.
The 6 Best Fretless Jazz Bass Pickups (Comparison)
1. EMG J Active Bass Guitar Pickup Set (Editor’s Choice)
The EMG J Set has become popular worldwide with a wide-ranging punch, overtones, and noiseless operation. The pickup set adds clarity and dimension to bass playing because its classic jazz bass features an extensive tonal frequency range that broads its dimensions.
The EMG J active bass guitar pickup design offers low resistance to inductance ratio that increases low-end response. In addition, the ceramic bar magnet used in its construction keeps the mid-range punch tight and high-end response dynamic.
These bass pickups offer spectacular full sound whether you are playing fretless or fretted, performing in the studio or live session. In addition, EMG J pickups are simple to install and feature a mating cable along with a quick connect header. All these make installation quick and straightforward.
Each pickup features pre-wired tone and volume controls, output jack, battery clip, and diagrams for ease. The models work perfectly with most standard instruments, and these are adequate for direct replacement.
The EMG-J is known for jazz bass tone because of clarity and broad harmonic overtones. The custom design gives a modern tone response that gives a unique dimension to bass playing.
2. Fender Custom Shop ’60s Jazz Bass Pickups (Close Runner-Up)
The Fender Custom Shop Jazz bass pickups are over-wound for high output, balanced low end, and midrange. This pickup offers clear and classic Jazz bass with a snarl. The Fender Custom Shop jazz pickups are outstanding and offer an excellent tone. It is unique in its way.
With these pickups, you will get the right amount of growl placed in the bridge and lots of tone with the neck pickup. You can easily install these pickups without much variation. These pickups sound great whether you are performing live or in-studio.
The pickup gives a sparkling high tone like a telecaster while the low notes are smooth round and sound deep. These pickups sound fantastic, and they will enhance the tonal qualities once you install them in your instrument.
3. Fender Generation 4 Noiseless Jazz Bass Pickups
With the modern Generation 4 noiseless jazz bass pickups, you can get the authentic vintage-style sound equivalent to the noiseless Fender tone. These pickups are famous for their excellent design and technology.
They offer a clear and crisp tone that Fender is known for. You will attain new heights when it comes to tonal excellence. The Gen 4 Noiseless Jazz Bass Pickups have clearly defined high end, tight low end, and powerful, punchy mids.
These passive pickups are made from Alnico 5 magnets. The neck pickup has 11K resistance, while the bridge pickup has 12.5K resistance.
These pickups from Fender sound extremely good and cancel out the hum. Installation is easy and requires minor adjustment as they are generally taller than other jazz pickups. The Fender Gen 4 Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups are a new addition to the Fender’s Jazz bass pickups. These are the latest update to the Fender’s noiseless technology. Fender is working on the creating noise-canceling pickups, and this fourth generation assures better performance than other pickups.
These single-coil pickups are made to replace stock Fender Jazz bass pickups. These offer noise-less operation, giving you a broader tonal range.
The pickups are a new addition to the Fender’s noiseless technology. Fender has worked hard to make noise-canceling pickups, and this latest fourth-generation guarantee provides better performance than any other pickup.
4. DiMarzio DP123 Model J Bass Pickup Set
DP123 Model J bass pickup by DiMarzio is a great humbucking pickup. This neck pickup solo sounds like a punchy, fat precision. When soloing the bridge pickup, it will offer that burpy Jazz bass tone but with an added punch. DiMarzio recommends 500k pots so that pickups can sound dark. This pickup will offer you everything you want from your guitar.
You can consider this pickup option for fretless jazz bass. It is among the best pickups in the market for fretless jazz bass. With this pickup, you can play different styles as it quickly responds and picks several playing styles. The qualities are well combined, which results in extraordinary musical output.
These operate hum-free and have traditional look with a wide frequency range and response. If you are searching for pickups for Fretless Jazz bass that offer more bang and thump without enhanced punch, clarity, and sustain but with less noise, then you can go with this pickup set undoubtedly.
Once you install these pickups in your guitar, you will enjoy playing guitar even more than before.
5. Tonerider TRJ1 Jazz Plus Bass Bridge Pickup
Tonerider TRJ1 Jazz pickup is made for offering maximum tonal versatility. This passive pickup is perfect for Jazz Bass. Open up all controls to get that punchy harmonic tone with clarity. The magnets in the neck retain crisp and detailed attacks. The pickup features superior quality Alnico Polepieces with a smooth top and no sharp edges. These are hand-beveled laser-cut flatwork.
The pickup has a high-end hook-up wire for straightforward installation. Every pickup includes plated steel screws and foam pieces. There are no chances of damage as all coils are bounded carefully with fabric tape. In addition, these pickups have wax-potted coils that keep the feedback at bay in high-gain settings.
The pickups are RWRP to offer noiseless operation. . The pickup is durable enough as it is sturdy, and over the complete tone range, it has a balanced output signal. This is a well-made product bought into the market after extensive research, so your instrument can sound as you want.
6. EMG J5 Active 5-String Jazz Bass Pickup Set
EMG J5 pickup set has attained instant popularity due to its broader harmonic overtones, noiseless operation, and punch. In addition, the jazz bass pickup set features a broad tonal frequency range that gives clarity and dimensions to your guitar playing.
The design of this pickup is such that it offers low resistance to inductance ratio. In addition, the ceramic bar magnet allows tight mid-range punch in the tone with a dynamic high-end response.
Whether you are playing in the studio, live, fretted, or fretless, these pickups offer incredible sound. In addition, EMG J pickups are simple to install and feature a mating cable along with a quick connect header. All these make installation quick and straightforward. Once you install this high-quality pickup on your guitar, you can easily hit the stage with confidence.
How to Choose Pickups for a Fretless J-Bass?
By removing the frets, you can make any bass fretless. This means there are a lot of options when considering the sound quality and construction of fretless basses. When there are no frets, strings get more room to move, and all fretless basses have a unifying sonic quality. In addition, when compared to fretted counterparts, the fretless basses have more vocal and singing quality.
While selecting the pickup for fretless bass, you must consider the one that boosts these features. Single coil pickups and humbuckers can work perfectly without fail on fretless basses. Some pickups mentioned above give a sound of single-coil, however, without that irritating hum.
Replacement is easy when your replacement pickup closely matches the size and design of the original pickups. The sound should be your priority; however, you must also consider the logistics of pickup installing before making the final decision.
You may also replace a single pickup rather than both of them because the fact is that the bridge pickup plays a more critical role in capturing the fretless sound rather than the neck pickup.
Sometimes only with a bridge pickup you can get a perfect fretless bass sound. When having budget constraints, consider single-coil pickup and do not split it between the neck and bridge.
Conclusion: The Best Pickups for a Fretless Jazz Bass Is…
The pickups mentioned above are among the best pickups for fretless Jazz Bass. The options we have reviewed are excellent choices. Some offer something new, and some take over traditional ways. There are reasons you want to change, and we have kept everything in mind while compiling the options.
Our favorite from the list is EMG J Active Bass Guitar Pickup Set, as it allows the lows to thump and highs to shine. We wish you the best in finding the pickup that can sound perfect as you want.