Bass Guitar Humbucker Pickups For Sale (2024 Update)

I put this in the neck as a second pickup on an old P-bass knockoff that I had originaly bought for parts. My son is the better musician and is always borrowing my Yamaha bass, so I figured I would see if I could get the old junker to sound good. I am so impressed with the sound that I am dissapointed that I carved the bass so badly putting it in. If I don't put this in my Jaguar bass that's on order, I am going to get a new pick guard and a DiMarzio P-bass pickup to turn this into the bass that my son will want to borrow.Insomniac

I put the Model-1 in my '05 Gibson SG Re-Issue bass, but it wasn't a drop-in replacement. I had to shave the sides of the cavity and the pickguard a bit to get it in there, so it was slightly more work than I'd imagined. The string spacing is perfect. I replaced the Gibson TB+ humbucker with the Model-1 only because the TB+s produce a serious 60 cycle hum in a couple of rooms I play. I had previously replaced the Gibson Mini-humbucker with a full-sized Lace Alumitone humbucker, which was was a huge improvement to the overall tone of the bass. I am a little disappointed in the sound of the Model-1, and I'd have to say that it's not a good replacement for the new TB+ humbucker as a stand-alone pup. The DiMarzio is only an improvement in that it allows me to actually use the bass anywhere – the noise problem is solved. The Model-1 puts out tons of lows & low-mids, but is not very defined. With that said, I am happy with the sound of the Lace Alumitone and the Model-1 blended together. The Lace has a great tone all by itself, and adds the much needed clarity and punch to the DiMarzio's big bottom-end. All in all I'm happy with the results as far as my bass is concerned. It's a lot of fun to play, and I get quite a few compliments on the sound of the SG. The DiMarzio may be an improvement over the old Gibson Mudbuckers, but it doesn't come close to the great tone of the new Gibson TB+ humbuckers. In fairness, Dimarzio suggests using it in a woofer / tweeter configuration, and used in that way it works well, so any 2 pup Gibson should be a good candidate for the Model-1. Bottom line: The Dimarzio works very well with the Alumitone bridge pup on my Gibson SG bass, but it is disappointing (almost unusable) by itself. If you're thinking about replacing a TB+ in a newer Gibson – Think twice. The Gibson TB+ is a great sounding pickup, and if you don't have a noise problem, leave it alone.Kelvinator-wUpB9

Always wanted another Gibson EB-O after mine was stolen in the 70's. After a lot of research I concluded that 1)I cannot afford what I used to have and 2) Gibson no longer makes the short scale EB-O anymore. BUT there was a way to get there anyway. I bought a new Epipi EB-O from M.F. and proceeded to modify it. The DeMarzio DP120 was designed to replace the original Epipi "mudbucker" exactly..with a small adjustment of the mounting cut out. The results are amazing ..I also changed out the original questionable three point bridge for a Hipshot replacement. I now have , what I think, is a much better instrument than the original at a fraction of the cost! My only issue was how long it took to get it… it was on backorder for a month!Bubba Mojo

This pick up really opens the door for bass players to add sonic layers to their sound. Great quality, easy installation and great soundCarlos Z

I installed this unit on a five string bass and use the GI20 MIDI convertor. Both are working great. I find the tracking and accuracy rate very good overall. I found the installation straight forward. The pickup comes with all the adapters necessary for most bass configurations. I will note that I had an initial tracking problem that was due to my rush to try the darn thing out. On the neck side of the pickup are two screws that allow you to adjust for varied string spacing. Make sure you take the time to align these. It greatly increases the accuracy of tracking. PS. Thank you Roland Support! they had me squared away in less than ten minutes.Mickey D.

This pickup came stock in the neck of my ESP LTD EC-1000 along with an EMG 81 in the bridge. All I can say is that this pickup is amazing. I play metal and play with my treble and bass turned up and the mids pulled way back on my amp. It definitely has the mid range crunch and brillance as advertised. For distorted lead playing the sound is smooth and full with just the right amount of crunch and for rhythm it packs plenty of punch. The clean sound is very strong and sounds good for chords and lead alike. This pickup is so good that I don't hardly ever use the 81, for lead or rhythm. It's a shame that this pickups isn't more popular because it is a very versatile and excellent sounding pickup. Just be warned that if you get this pickup that you may never need to use a bridge pickup again!Anonymous

Paired this with a red EMG81 for my B.C. Rich Jr V and it quickly became my new favorite neck pup!! Dynamic tone and really has a hot rodded vintage sound! Love it!Christopher

I had the EMG 81, 85 combo. I replaced the EMG 85 with the EMG 60. This pickup gets the most pretty clean sound and compared to the 85 I like the 60's clean tone lots, lots better. The volume and bass are more equal to the 81 so when I switch pups there is no volume change. It also has a very nice distorted tone. I'm metal all the way. The EMG 60 and EMG 81 are the way to go. This is a much better combo than the 85 (no offense to anyone). I did keep my 85 and will always have it in storage but I'm sticking with the 60. The 81 is by far hotter than the 60 but the 60 gets a great bite. I love the pickup. I'm very satisfied with my 81, 60 combo. This is the way to go…..Thanks for reading my review.Lucusarts

When I ordered this product. I always trusted the Agular name and know they make quality products. When I put the pickups in it was a night and day difference. Clarity, punchy lows, miss, and highs. I would recommend these pickups to anyone who wants to improve the sound of their Fender Jazz Bass.Rick G

Bought this as the finishing touch to my Telecaster project. I was given the original guitar which had been left out in torrential rain in someone's garden years ago. Having refinished the body, replaced the neck and upgraded the hardware I decided to increase the tonal range by replacing the neck pick up with a Humbucker pickup. This involved some careful surgery to accommodate the new, bigger unit and a replacement, purpose made scratchplate ( customising the original didn't go well!) The new pickup is a genuine Fender part, substantial and well made. It's done exactly what I was hoping to achieve and I now have my perfect electric guitar with a fat, dirty sound option as well as a clean traditional Tele sound.jo_611328

I put these in an American professional jazz to be able to blend without noise. I chose them because I wanted it to remain a completely Fender bass. They aren't absolutely horrible sounding, but I have decided the only way these companies should make noiseless "single coils" is by using side by side split coils. Not stacked dual coils. Splitting the coils gives good output, attitude, and a low mid bump- you know the kind that makes people love P basses. Everybody is figuring this out except Fender- the greatest guitar maker in the world. Aguilar, Dimarzio, Nordstrand, Seymour Duncan (recently), mojotone (guitar pickups), Fralin. They've all figured out the noiseless thing. I ended up with Nordstrand NJ4SE in one and Dimarzio model J in the other. Love both of my jazz basses now. I love you Fender, but get in the game with your pickups!Andrew

I don't know if this is the LATEST version of the noiseless jazz bass pickups…it is so hard to keep up with Fender as they roll out newer versions, however, this is a great replacement to older jazz bass pickups. It really as close to noise free as you can get as you solo each pickup individually. As most jazz bass players know, the single coil aspect of the jazz bass pickup is GOING to get some hum or noise unless you are playing both the neck and bridge pickups at the same time to cancel out noise. This retains the signature Fender Jazz Bass sound with great clarity with the advantage of being noise free. Highly recommended!!road-cat1

These are a special wind from Tim Shaw, the ultimate pickup guy at Fender. They are capable of perfect vintage deep bass while throwing out strong mids and super crisp, bright highs. Not super hot so you still have to work if you want overdrive distortion, which is a good thing. These have become my favorites for all my Fender builds–basses, teles, and strats.bobvarns

Pickup came with all the soulless clip on wiring in a very nice presentation box. Was super easy to install and the tone was amazing. Turned a tired old bass into my favourite basscm130268

I recently purchased a Stuart Spector Legend Classic 5 string bass on Ebay. It came with EMG-Hz pick-ups. I wasn't satisfied with the tone and volume available through those pick ups. The Legend is a low-end Spector and it list for less than $900. I own a Spector Euro5LX neck-through which list around $2800. I had two EMG-40DC's professionally installed. The difference is remarkable. The cheaper bolt-on neck legend has a sound that is comparable to the Euro LX. I played the Legend on the gig this past weekend and the sound was awesome. Remarkable tone; even the low B was clear and fat. The EMG-40DC pick ups will turn an ordinary 5 string instrument into an extraordinary one. If you own a inexpensive instrument try replacing the stock picks with EMG's. You will not regret it.P. Muzi Branch

I've used EMGs before in the guitars I make, so I know the quality of the sound but when I made my latest bass, I didn't have the cash to fit EMGs and had to put up with inferior pickups for a while. Although the previous pickups were good, fitting these have been a great improvement in depth of sound, clarity and headroom. EMG recommend using 2x 9v batteries to increase headroom and I would have done this but my bass is a small headless one with no body space for 2 battery cases. Despite this the result has been excellent and well worth the money.mcveigh7tx

The pickups were super easy to install and almost hassle free! Almost all connections are solderless which makes installing them a breeze. These pickups sound amazing compared to the stock Peavey Millenium Pickups. Only slight sanding on the screw point was needed in order for the neck pickup to drop into place.Trisphere

I bought the pickups a couple of days ago and immediately tried setting them up for my jazz bass and i was having a little bit of difficulty. one of the soderless wires didnt quite fit in the pickup but eventually i made it work. Also there was not enough room under the control plate so i had to route out the back of the body and use an old pickguard and the back of a wah pedal to fashion a battery clip. After the battery was in place i realized that i had the wrong type of output jack. I had a mono and needed a stereo jack. i drove down to radioshack and picked one up and plugged the guitar in. I immediatly heard a difference. i can get anywhere from ajaco pastorius sound to a growling sound easily just by tweaking the knobs on the bass. Im really happy with their performance so far and cant wait to test them at a gig.reedorius123

These emgs are overall a very good buy. You won't hear a completely different tone coming from your amp if you have jbass stock pickups, but they are definitely a whole different level of pickup. Fairly easy to install. The only trouble I had was fitting the battery in, but I made it work. Slapping is crisp and nice and fingerstyle and pick playing are nice and smooth. Highly recommended to anyone who has stock pickups and would like an upgrade.Jbassist

Bought this as the finishing touch to my Telecaster project. I was given the original guitar which had been left out in torrential rain in someone's garden years ago. Having refinished the body, replaced the neck and upgraded the hardware I decided to increase the tonal range by replacing the neck pick up with a Humbucker pickup. This involved some careful surgery to accommodate the new, bigger unit and a replacement, purpose made scratchplate ( customising the original didn't go well!) The new pickup is a genuine Fender part, substantial and well made. It's done exactly what I was hoping to achieve and I now have my perfect electric guitar with a fat, dirty sound option as well as a clean traditional Tele sound.jo_611328

I purchased an Epiphone Les Paul with active EMG 81/85 pickups. It wasn't horrible, but I felt that the pickups were a little sterile. Changing them out for the EMG Fat 55 pickups was a breeze since they both have quick connect wiring. All you have to do is unscrew them, disconnect the wire then connect it to the new pickups and screw it back in. It's a 15 minute job with no sodering required. The tone is much more passive in nature, with good natural tone, but it's also hot enough to drive an amp for metal or classic blues/rock. I would not say these are as natural sounding as a passive pickup, but much, much better than the 81/85 combo (for my needs).bonedigger

I had been hesitant about installing active pickups for years, due to all the mixed reviews I'd read. There seems to be no middle ground, people either love them or hate them. A friend of mine swears by the 81/85 combo, so I ordered the RetroActive set. All I can say is WOW! The neck pickup alone is worth the price of admission. These pickups have a very warm tone, not glassy or shrill, and the tone pot actually works. Even with the bass rolled up, the tone is clear and smooth. Installation was a breeze and my guitar is dead quiet, even at full gain. I will never buy another brand. EMG has outdone themselves with these vintage voiced pickups. Five stars.Dru

Overall: Just installed the zebra set in my Les Paul Prophecy EX and, wow! This is the best sounding set of pickups I have ever installed in a guitar! The clarity and gain structure is second to none. When playing clean, you can hear everything, all the way down to the pick impacting the strings, helping create a nicely percussive sound and giving you that clean tone you've been longing for. Dirty, these pickups push you further into the territory of sonic, god-level, overdriven greatness!!! Pinch harmonics are much easier to attain and are supremely clear! All-in-all, I'd say these pickups resemble a Hot-Rodded Duncan that was hot-rodded even further! I've found no style of music that these can't handle. Give em a shot. You won't regret it.Iron

I replaced the pickups and circuitry of a new Squier Classic Vibe '60's Precision Bass, first with EMG pickup (Did NOT like the EMG) then the Aguilar, after seeing reviews. I also replaced pots with Bourns 250k Linear for Vol. and Bourns 250k Audio for Tone, installing a 0.068mf capacitor on the Tone pot. Terrific combination. There is a fine range of tone with these pickups, nicely governed by the Bourns. Really lovely deep clear growl on the low E, so it's a pleasure to be doing scales and riffs down there. The .068mf cap filters off the thinner, snappy upper string sound, so there is more useable range since the A, D and G don't sound tooo thin and barky on the low frets. That single, inexpensive capacitor change makes a fine difference! Oh, also installed a Fender higher-mass bridge, as seen in photo.Andrew G.

Aguilar 4P-60 4-String P Bass 60's – High quality of pickup. class A . I installed it on my Fender P bass made in Japan and you can hear the difference straight away, bright and load of mid with full open tone, and if you close the tone old Motown sound that take you right to old funk club. this is very good replacement for MIJ or MIM bass or take every "on the budget" bass and make it high standard bass (or if you build you own bass kind of guy or girl) . this is top a product from top A company that give you 120% value for you money.kinkyroy2

I have been a bass player for several churches, and continue to do so now on a weekly basis. I played bass in several church events and fundraisers aswell, but never really got the low-end and punch from my bass that I wanted. It always seemed a little too shallow, and behind the music in volume. I finally invested in an active set to replace the passive stock pickups, and I couldn't be happier (I also invested in a nice bass-booster pedal, which is phenomenal). I bring my 5-String SX Vintage Series Bass equipped with these EMGs every Sunday now, and the tone could not be more impressive. I recently bought a 4-String P-Bass Style Fretless for a more wide-range of sounds, and it won't be long before I stick some EMGs on it aswell. Also on a side note, running these EMGs through a nice Ampeg Bass amp, is a bass dream come true.Shawn

Great pickups that add life to your bass bringing out its natural sound. These produce a tighter sound than stock pickups without all the hum associated with single coil pickups. They feel like they have upgraded the bass a lot and broadened the sound possibilities.Mr N. C.

Nice build, but not hum cancelling. Disappointing. These pickups have nice tone, and have good build quality, but they are marketed as a set for Jazz bass which should be Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity (RWRP) so that they are hum cancelling when both pickups are engaged which these pickups are not. Very disappointing as this makes them basically unusable in an electrically noisy environment (even in a well shielded and properly grounded bass) where normal jazz pickups are totally fine.eberbachl

I swapped some Bass Bars in place of the stock EMG 40 sized soapbars in my LTD-B5E, and it made a world of difference to the touch, dynamic response, and overall fullness of the instrument. I researched the best low cost replacements for months and settled on Alumitones. They certainly aren't low cost in tone and materials, since they use only a large magnet without a half-pound of copper windings. They are very attractive, and the finish was 7/10. Not sure about the chrome version, but would say they could be de-burred a tiny bit better but is only a microscopic flaw. The overall impression they gave me was a very natural, but present sound, that is balanced like a great hi-fi system. Every frequency range is presented well, and were actually quite a bit more bright in comparison to the pickups they replaced, but are just as full in the low end (seriously). When playing fingerstyle, they are smooth and fat, yet edgy on the top since so much more is represented. When slapped, they are ballsy as hell. They have a bit of everything you want to hear from your playing through an amp and DI. Another good upgrade to make if tone is an issue, would be to also replace pots, wiring, and preamp. I can tell the sound will compliment, or potentially reveal weak areas in the circuitry. The Alumitones mated well without any issues to the passive pup/active preamp circuit in my bass. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase, and would recommend Lace to anyone.calucal1f7ossu

I bought two of these. One of them doesn't work. These pickups have 4 holes to mount, but they only come with two screws (yes, both pickups only came with two screws). The wiring of these pickups is unique, but they don't come with a wiring diagram. An Email to Lace MIGHT get you a response… but don't count on anything quick.Septemfluous

I have a Spectorcore 5 string bass which is a semi hollow bass with a active Piezo bridge pickup, which is awesome, and a passive EMG bar pickup. I was never happy with the EMG, not enough highs, it wasn't as load as the Piezo and not enough growl for me. Maybe if it is used active or on a solid body it would be better, anyway when I came across this pickup and read what it does, especially acting like an active pickup I thought I'd give it a try. I put it in and it blew me away. It is louder, brighter and it growls. I love this pickup it's like I just got a whole new bass, thanks Lace.HerbalT

The pickups were super easy to install and almost hassle free! Almost all connections are solderless which makes installing them a breeze. These pickups sound amazing compared to the stock Peavey Millenium Pickups. Only slight sanding on the screw point was needed in order for the neck pickup to drop into place.Trisphere

I went through a few boutique pickup makers for my custom built guitar and was having trouble finding a bridge pickup sound that wasnt super thin/twangy. Fortunately a friend recommended these dragon II and Im a happy boy! I immediately ordered the neck pickup version!blkmax03