nj4

single coil 4 string jazz-type bass pickups

This is a vintage single coil J style pickup made with 60’s era correct Heavy Formvar wire and Alnico V magnets. In winding these pickups we use a simulated hand wound pattern that lowers the resonant peak of the pickup resulting in a pleasing yet present high end. These pickups have a very even and full sound with that snap and grind associated with the classic basses of that time. Includes black covers (exposed pole pieces).

This pickup is available with an alternative "70's wind" featuring enamel wire.

nj4sv

humbucking split coil 4 string jazz-type bass pickups

These are a split coil hum canceling design. This pickup is designed to have a tone as close as possible to the NJ4 single coils. They have a similar clarity and bottom, and have a good clean growl with the same interactive quality that all our alnico pickups are known to have. They are also totally humcancelling, and great for commonly noisy live situations.

nj4se

humbucking split coil 4 string jazz-type bass pickups

These are a split coil hum cancelling design. They use the same hand wound pattern found on our NJ4's but with a finer wire called 43 gauge enamel. The natural character of this design is to have a more pronounced lower midrange, and a slightly muted high end. This makes them exceptionally suited to fingerstyle players who are going for a solo bridge pickup sound with good "bark" and "heft." They are also totally humcancelling, and great for commonly noisy live situations.

nj5

single coil 5 string jazz-type bass pickups

Five string single coil pickups in the same style as the NJ4. Featuring Alnico V magnets and the same winding pattern as the four, these are very fat sounding with plenty of growl and bark. Includes closed black covers.

This pickup is available with an alternative "70's wind" featuring enamel wire.

nj5s

split coil 5 string jazz-type bass pickup

These are a split coil hum cancelling design. This pickup is designed to have a tone as close as possible to a true single coil. They have a similar clarity and bottom, and have a good clean growl with the same interactive quality that all our alnico pickups are known to have.

nj5f

single coil 5 string jazz-type bass pickups

These are Fender Jazz 5® replacement pickups. They will fit into your existing covers and make your 5 string come to life. They are based on the same formula that makes my NJ4 pickups sound so good: Alnico V magnets and Heavy Formvar 42 gauge wire wound in a simulated hand pattern. They have a nice growly bridge pickup tone, a big full neck pickup tone and a huge deep earth shaking tone with both pickups on. They will definitely make your bass sound better!

nj5fs

split coil 5 string jazz-type bass pickups

These are a split coil hum cancelling design. This pickup is designed to have a tone as close as possible to a true single coil. They have a similar clarity and bottom, and have a good clean growl with the same interactive quality that all our alnico pickups are known to have. Bring your Fender Jazz 5® bass to life with these great silent J pickups.

np4

split coil 4 string precision-type bass pickups

This is a faithful reproduction of one of the most famous pickups in the world. It will give a very big and full tone with the slightly hollow grind that the originals are known for. Includes black covers (exposed pole pieces).

np5

split coil 5 string precision-type bass pickups

Our twist on a five string P pickup. We angled the poles like we do on our Signature Big Single series of pickups for a couple reasons. We get more room for wire between the magnets and the cover edge, and frankly, we think it looks cool! The result is as close to an authentic P tone in a four string sized cover package and we believe is possible. Roger Sadowsky thinks so too...

npj4 set

np4 with nj4 bridge pickup as a set

npj4sv set

np4 with a split coil nj4sv bridge pickup as a set

npj4se set

np4 with a split coil nj4se bridge pickup a set

npj5

np5 with a nj5 bridge pickup as a set

npj5s

np5 with a nj5s split coil bridge pickup as a set

mm4.2

humbucking (dual coil) 4 string Music Man®-type bass pickups

This pickup is an accurate reproduction of an early pre-Ernie Ball® Music Man® pickup. It uses the same wire, the same magnets, and has the same DC resistance. As a result, it sounds just like the early Music Man® basses that are so widely coveted. Includes black cover (exposed pole pieces).

mm4.4

humbucking (quad coil) 4 string Music Man®-type bass pickups

The MM4.4 is the pickup to use if you wnt all the switching options. Each row of magnets is atually 2 coils (2 magnets each), so the pickup can be split and remain hum cancelling in any configuration. Front coil, rear coil, series, parallel... This pickup has all the basses covered ;-)

mm5.2

humbucking (dual coil) 5 string Music Man®-type bass pickups

A 5 string version of the otherwise identical MM4.2, itself an accurate reproduction of an early pre-Ernie Ball® pickup. It features Alnico V magnets and heavy Formvar wire for an authentic punchy, growly, and inherently fat tone. The MM5.2 is a dual coil pickup that can be wired series, parallel, or single coil (split-able). Includes black cover (exposed pole pieces).

The industry never really adapted a standard for this style of pickup, and as a result we have at least 3 different spacing and cover combinations:

1. Soap-bar shape with no ears and narrow spacing. These have a rectangular cover and narrow spacing that will work on original MusicMan® five string basses.
2. Larger shape with ears and wide spacing. These will fit Lakland® and other basses with wider spacing.
3. Larger shape with ears and narrow spacing. These will fit OLP® and other basses with narrow spacing.

mm5.4

humbucking (quad coil) 5 string Music Man®-type bass pickups

The MM5.4 is the 5 string version of the MM4.4 and is split in similar fashion, except that it has a 2 string coil (B and E) and a 3 string coil (A, D and G). The pickup can be split and remain hum cancelling in any configuration. Front coil, rear coil, series, parallel... This pickup has all the basses covered, and is particularly suited to a Lakland istallation where the 3 way switch selects front, rear, or parallel coils.

dual coils

humbucking 4/5/6 string bass pickups

This is a modern design dual coil humbucking pickup. Pickups like these are usually found on very high end basses. They use Alnico V magnets and the traditional bi-pole layout with two poles per string. It's almost like two Jazz Bass® stlye pickups in one cover.

These pickups are available in two different versions. One set is designed to be wired in parallel, and the other in series. The reason we do this is that a pickup that is made to sound good wired parallel will usually be too hot and dark sounding if wires in series. So, we put less wire on a series dual coil than a parallel dual coil. In general, a pickup wired in series will have a fuller and fatter midrange with a subdued high end than a pickup wired in parallel, which will typically have more highs and a deeper low end with a cleaner midrange. Series pickups also have more output than parallel pickups. Parallel pickups are generally a better choice for a split-able installation, as there will not be the gain loss associated with series pickups.

These pickups are available only in black plastic covers with exposed pole pieces.

These pickups will fit as replacements for Bartolini™ P2 (5 string) and BC (4 string) pickups. Dimensions are 4.25" by 1.25" and 3.95" by 1.25" respectively. Standard spacing is 19mm ctc at the bridge.

fat stacks

stacked humbucking 4/5/6 string bass pickups

These are a proprietary Nordstrand design. The traditional bi-pole magnet layout was, literally, twisted in a new direction. By rotating the pole 45 degrees for each set we have increased the size of the traditional J style coil by 50%, making it wider, or "fatter". This results in a larger aperature, which captures more harmonic content from the string, resulting in a "fatter" tone. These pickups have a tone reminiscent of a J style single coil, but they are bigger and bolder. Full range and a present but pleasant high end response. These pickups have a great deal of midrange detail and fullness. Due to the naturally lower output of this design, these pickups can sometimes benefit from a pre-amp with 3 or more db of gain.

These pickups are shipped with three conductor wire for a split-able installation. When the third lead is shorted to ground only the top coil will remain active for a louder, more aggressive and mean version of the fat tone these pickups deliver (albeit with 60 cycle noise that single coils inherently possess). Think of it as a turbo charger for tone!

These pickups will fit as replacements for Bartolini™ P2 (5 string) and BC (4 string) pickups. Dimensions are 4.25" by 1.25" and 3.95" by 1.25" respectively. Standard spacing is 19mm ctc at the bridge.

big singles

single coil 4/5/6 string bass pickups

These pickups are all about huge, full, loud, aggressive single coil tone. They use the same magnet layout as the Fat Stack, and the resultantly big coil is about as much single coil pickup that can be packaged in a soap-bar cover. This is the ultimate pickup for the Jazz Bass®-on-steroids tone purist! These pickups will fit as replacements for Bartolini™ P2 (5 string) and BC (4 string) pickups. Dimensions are 4.25" by 1.25" and 3.95" by 1.25" respectively. Standard spacing is 19mm ctc at the bridge.

big splits

split coil 4/5/6 string bass pickups

These are a split coil version of the Big Single. They are very close to the Big Single tonally with a full rich pallette.  They use the same magnet layout as the Big Single, and the resultantly big coil is about as much single coil pickup that can be packaged in a soap-bar cover. This is the ultimate pickup for the Jazz Bass®-on-steroids tone purist! These pickups will fit as replacements for Bartolini™ P2 (5 string) and BC (4 string) pickups. Dimensions are 4.25" by 1.25" and 3.95" by 1.25" respectively. Standard spacing is 19mm ctc at the bridge.

3b preamp

The new Nordstrand Preamp is now shipping. Please contact your dealer for pricing and purchase information.