Struggling to find the best PJ Bass pickups? Then you’ve come to the right place. We found and reviewed four great PJ pickups for you.
Are you a seasoned PJ bassist looking to make the most of P-style and J-style pickups? Then it would be best if you considered opting for high-quality PJ bass pickup sets that integrate the best features of both pickup types.
PJ bass pickups incorporating the inimitable growl of vintage-style single-coils and the crackling crispiness of a split-coil enable you to craft your distinctive bass tone.
Without further ado, let’s look at our list of the top four pickups for PJ Bass available on the market at the moment.
Best Replacement Pickups for PJ Bass – Comparison Table
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Set (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | EMG PJ Active Bass Guitar Pickup Set (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | EMG Geezer Butler Signature PJ Set | Check Price |
 | EMG PJHZ Pickup Set | Check Price |
1. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Set (Editor’s Choice)
The Quarter Pound PJ Set from Seymour Duncan lets you dial in the full-bodied punch of a P bass together with the J Bass’s aggressive snarl. In unison, these quarter-pound bass pickups deliver a robust, sonically rich voice with every plucking, strumming, or brushing characterized by punchy high-output and full-on, low-end crunch with massive sustain. Mount these Quarter Pound Pickups in your P-J Bass for making the most of their rich, fat, and thumping tone.
Seymour Duncan developed the Quarter Pound Jazz Bass for bassists looking to belt out smashing output together with authoritative attack. The quarter-inch poles together with concentrated coil windings go a long way in delivering a full-on response with huge sustain. Nestling in over-wounded bobbins, the jazz bass quarter-inch diameter magnets add to these pickups’ tones heft resulting in a heaving response across the frequency range.
On the other hand, the Quarter Pound P-Bass’s pole pieces help stretch the magnetic field for a broader frequency spectrum. So you can look forward to a fatter punchier sound typified by very intense output and incredible midrange presence. As a result, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P-J Set comes in perfectly handy for heavy rock, blues, classic metal, nu-metal, garage, death metal, and punk applications.
Features
- PJ active quarter-pound pickup set for bass
- Alnico V pole pieces
- Pickup position(s): Bridge, neck
Pros
- Direct replacement for PJ Bass stock pickups
- ¼” pole pieces with overwound coils for extended frequency range to deliver maximum intonation
- Bass tone typified by high-end output and punch
- Every note suffused with mellowed crunchiness and sustain
Cons
- You should have some experience of soldering to install these pickups
- Not as ‘warm’ or ‘organic’ sounding as some passives, according to some PJ bass players
2. EMG PJ Active Bass Guitar Pickup Set (Close Runner-Up)
The EMG PN Active Bass Guitar Pickup Set offers bassists excellent leeway and leverage for playing various tones. This PJ set is reinforced with the best of EMG’s legendary P, and the ingenious LJ guarantees a wider range of tonal variety. The traditional P pickup boosts warmth with an incredible low-end punch, and the EMG-LJ delivers a taut midrange thump and enthusiastic response for a focused attack.
Regardless of whether you take advantage of the pickups individually or together, you’re assured of near-infinite bass tone options, incorporating both vintage and modern playing styles. Ultimately with these pickups set up in your PJ bass, you can reproduce everything from hard-hitting slap bass tones to well-balanced Motown-style tunes. In addition, the EMG P features short, squatty coils that furnish almost negligible resistance but oodles of inductance that translate into the forceful midrange and beefy lows.
Unlike the passive pickups that come with coils in series, the active P furnishes nearly twice the low-end of the former. Ceramic magnets ensure buzz-free operation resulting in more clarity and a well-balanced tonal response. In addition, EMG has set in solid steel pole pieces for guaranteeing a more natural-sounding bass, pronounced midrange, and invigorating warmth.
Features
- Active PJ pickup set for bass guitar
- Prewired setup with 2 volume controls, master tone control, battery bus, output jack, pickup, connection, and battery cables
- Adjustment screws
Pros
- Excellent tonal combination range with a high degree of flexibility
- EMG-P offers more warmth and stupendous low-end punch
- EMG-LJ guarantees a distinctive attack via delivery of tense midrange along with the aggressive and focused response
- Used in combination or separately, these pickups help reproduce a wide variety of bass notes
Cons
- The pickups may not be easy to install, contrary to what the manufacturer claims (so research on your guitar before you buy this pickup set)
3. EMG Geezer Butler Signature PJ Set
EMG joined hands with the iconic bassist “Geezer” Butler (lead guitarist of the heavy metal band ‘Black Sabbath’) to create the exclusive GZR-P and GZR-PJ bass pickup sets. The Geezer Butler Signature PJ Set is a passive pickup set that emulates the unmistakable Butler tone with a strictly classic tone and feels. These EMG PJ pickups feature all-new vintage-style P & PJ architecture equipped with some state-of-the-art functional elements for reinstating Geezer’s original Black Sabbath sounds.
The utterly solderless P pickup set includes custom wound coils around Alnico V magnets for delivering balanced punch and grind. The J (PJ set) features Alnico V pole pieces with two typically wound split-coils that facilitate greater power and volume output than regular single-coil J. At the same time, the innovative design of the J goes a long way in guaranteeing an excellent equilibrium between the P and J.
This EMG Geezer Butler Signature PJ Set is just what you need for achieving a bass range characterized by taut and profound low-end. With these PJ pickups, you can expect plenty of output and thump ideal for everything from hard rock to blues.
Features
- Signature passive pickup set for PJ bass
- Alnico 5 pole pieces with dual custom wounded split coils
- Position: Middle and bridge
Pros
- Recreates the celebrated vintage Geezer tone of Black Sabbath fame
- Passive pickups which do away with the need to use batteries
- Works best with 4-string electric basses
- Taut and deep low-end minus the noise
Cons
- No foam or springs are included for inserting beneath the pickups
- Providing a longer wire piece would’ve made things simpler
4. EMG PJHZ Pickup Set
The EMG PJHZ Pickup Set packs one P pickup and one LJ pickup in a single set, furnishing you a unique passive tone and greater versatility. The P and LJ pickups that work as a perfect drop-in replacement for all Fender-style stringed instruments feature ceramic pole pieces with a steel core. In addition, every HZ pickup comes with EMG’s proprietary 5-wire quick-connect output, which enables players multiple wiring options.
On the other hand, the solderless wiring connection helps in hassle-free installation. This PJHZ passive pickup set by EMG pairs perfectly with 4-string bass guitars, providing an extraordinary response together with the celebrated tone and flexibility that make EMG pickups highly sought-after. The ceramic magnets coupled with a steel base aid in delivering amazingly clean and rich tones, while the shielding reduces microphonics for distorted tones.
The P-HZ pickup has a split-coil for accommodating a broad sonic spectrum incorporating modern and vintage bass sounds with the dynamism typical of passive pickups. The small squatty coils of the P-HZ guarantee a high-level expression with unprecedented low-end hit and incredible warmth. Alternatively, the J-HZ pickup with its stacked coils helps in generating enhanced output for archetypal jazzy bass tones.
Features
- Set of three passive PJ pickups for bass
- Solderless 5-wire connecting system for easy installation
- Package includes all hardware components, including 2 x 250K volume pot, 1 x tone 250K tone pot, and one mono output jack
- Pickups have ceramic magnets with a steel hub
- Limited two-year warranty
Pros
- P-HZ ensures delivery of broader sonic range with remarkable clarity
- LJ-HZ delivers a more vintage bass tone
- Directly replaces pickups in any Fender-style PJ bass
Cons
- There’d be some unwarranted feedback
FAQ: Why PJ Basses Are So Popular?
PJ Bass vs. P Bass vs. J Bass
Numerous bassists, particularly the persnickety ones specializing in hard/soft rock, punk, blues, and metal genres, are divided over whether to use a P bass, J bass, or PJ bass. Many players think that precision-jazz (PJ) basses are mash-up variants of P- and J basses and sound mediocre.
Notwithstanding the personal views of a section of bassists regarding P-, J- or PJ guitars, this section attempts to set the record straight about these different bass types.
Once you have a fair idea about how a P-, J- or PJ bass works, you’ll realize each type is unique with its distinct benefits and drawbacks.
The Precision Bass or P Bass
The P bass features a dual cutaway similar to a Fender Stratocaster but is larger and has two pickup configurations. A standard ‘P’ or precision bass comes with a single humbucker-style pickup enabling the delivery of a full-range massive tone that does pretty well for some specific playing styles. A bass with a single pickup is good, but you struggle to dial in your signature tone when you combine two pickups.
That said, P basses are not quite versatile as they’re good enough for playing old-school tones but not for delivering ultra-modern sounds.
The J Bass or Jazz Bass
The J-Bass resembles the Fender Jazzmaster electric guitar through construction and has two single-coil pickups in the bridge and middle positions. The dual single-coils make the Jazz bass incredibly versatile, offering you more midrange and treble than the P-bass. Tonally speaking, you can explore a wide range of combinations by turning up one pickup and toning down the other or vice-versa.
Though you can experiment with greater leeway in comparison to a P-bass, the single-coils in a J-bass tend to create some hum or noise. Therefore, comparing a P-bass with a J-bass in terms of their pickups is akin to evaluating humbuckers with single coils.
PJ Bass
PJ basses are by and large P-basses with the extra benefit of a Jazz-bass pickup for dialing in that bright classic trebly virtuousness or full-on sizzling solos. PJ Bass bridges the gap between P- and J-basses providing players with a broader tonal variation exemplified by a slightly better high and midrange articulation and cleaner low-end.
The most noticeable benefit of a PJ bass is that the instrument spares you from the hassle of lugging around two guitars for playing a range of genres.
PJ Bass Pickups: What You Need to Know
A standard PJ Bass comes equipped with the P-bass’s single humbucker-style split-coil pickup and the J-bass’s single-coil pickup(s). Since the PJ bass is integrated with both P- and J-bass pickups, you take pleasure in enjoying the best of both pickup types. Additionally, you have the option of choosing from either active or passive pickups or a combination of both.
You can switch from ‘active’ to ‘passive’ or vice-versa with the help of a built-in selector switch on your instrument. The PJ bass, specifically the pickup set in the instrument, allows players to dial in the J-bass’s sparkling sound and the P-bass’s brawnier sound.
So, the Best Pickup for Fender PJ Bass Is…
Rounding up, we can state convincingly that the Seymour Duncan’s Quarter Pound PJ Set is the clear winner. The quarter-inch magnets and bear-hugging windings widen the electromagnetic field leading to stretching out of the frequency spectrum for a fuller and punchier soundstage.
This pickup set delivers the resounding roar of J-bass and the thumping smack of a P-bass.