How to Test Jazz Bass Pickups

Testing a Jazz bass's pickups will help maintain the tonal output of the instrument.

Fender's Jazz bass arrived in the early 1960s as an alternative to Fender's popular Precision, the industry's first mass-produced electric bass guitar. The thinner neck and contoured body became a hit among players who also appreciated the newly designed twin pickups featured on the Jazz. Now regarded simply as Jazz pickups, the single coiled pickups, one near the bridge and one near the neck, are responsible for the bass's signature growly sound. Sometimes testing the pickups is needed to ensure they are properly outputting their signal.

Things You'll Need

• Ohmmeter
• Screwdriver
• 2 small towels

Instructions

1. Spread one small towel out on a flat and stable work surface (such as a table) before laying the bass down. This helps prevent any accidental scratches to the body finish. Roll up the other towel and position it under the headstock to create a level work surface.

2. Loosen the strings considerably, using the tuning keys on the headstock. Unscrew and remove the pickguard (if your Jazz bass has one) and set aside. Unscrew both the bridge and neck pickups and gently pull each up from its body cavity; pull up enough to expose the wiring underneath.

3. Hold the ohmmeter next to each pickup. Touch the black (negative) wire of the ohmmeter to the black wire attached to the pickup. Simultaneously touch the red (positive) ohmmeter wire to the red pickup wire. Note the resulting number displayed on the meter.

4. Reverse the wiring: touch red to black and black to red. Note the resulting number; it should read exactly the same as the previous result when you touched red to red and black to black. Matching numbers mean the pickups are outputting properly. Mismatched numbers mean something is amiss, and you might have to re-solder the offending pickup.

References

• "The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance"; Dave Burrluck; 1998

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish