Single-coil pickups are hard to beat for their punchy midrange and crystal-clear highs. The downside is that they are susceptible to picking up 60-cycle hum from stage lights and amp transformers, which can cause a loud buzz to emanate from your speakers. If you’ve ever played a Jazz Bass under a canopy of stage lights with only the bridge pickup on, you’ll know what that sounds like.
With its new DC J-Bass pickups, Lollar Pickups has tried to preserve the punchy purity of single-coils while stripping out any unwanted noise. Most importantly, though, they’ve been designed to retain much of that warm, early-‘60s sound.
“The Lollar DC J-Bass is our take on a hum-cancelling Jazz Bass pickup design,” says Lollar’s Austin Patterson.
“It keeps the best of the clarity, presence, and punch that J-Bass pickups are known for, while minimizing the hum. The bridge pickup is also wound slightly hotter, making it a great fit for players looking for a fuller sound that’s still vintage-faithful, or PJ Bass combinations.”
This could be a great solution to noise or interference issues, while also well-suited to bass players looking for a slightly fuller-bodied Jazz Bass voice – mainly due to the increased number of wire turns on the bridge pickup (as you wind more turns of wire onto a pickup the output increases, but the upper-end response decreases).
Having tweaked the design to fatten up the overall tone, these pickups would be a great choice for those in need of a J-Bass sound that’s beyond the threshold of traditional single-coil pickups without having to ‘upgrade’ to active electronics.
According to General Manager Rick Vanselow, “Though we continue to build our vintage-inspired single-coil version of J-Bass pickups, we also recognize the differing needs of our customers and are pleased to respond to that demand for quieter operation with this new hum-cancelling design.”
The DC J-Bass retails for $155 and ships with black covers.
For more info visit lollarpickups.com
