EMG GZR PJ Black

I recently upgraded my second-hand Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass (short scale) with the EMG GZR PJ pickup set, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Out of the box, I already liked the original P pickup—it had a solid tone that suited the bass well. The J bridge pickup, though, always felt like the weak link. It sounded thin and brittle, and on its own, it produced a noticeable amount of hum—typical for a single-coil. I considered just replacing the J pickup, but finding one that balances well with a P pickup can be tricky. That’s what led me to go all-in and replace both with the EMG GZR PJ set.

The difference is night and day.

The new neck pickup sounds at least as good as the original, maybe even a touch darker—which I actually prefer. It delivers that satisfying, punchy "thump" that you’d expect from a good P pickup, and it’s hard to believe it’s coming from a short-scale bass with such a slim neck.

The bridge pickup, though, is the real game changer. The EMG J pickup is a stacked humbucker, and it completely eliminates the hum I used to get with the stock single-coil. More importantly, it sounds fantastic—more mids and highs than the P, with a nice growl when you dig in, especially right above the pickup. It’s punchy, full, and perfectly balanced with the neck pickup. The bass is now dead silent when idle, which confirms the shielding is solid too.

Installation was a breeze—no soldering at all. Just plug and play. I did have to order new knobs to fit the EMG pots, but that was no big deal.

Tone-wise, I’m loving the flexibility. The P pickup alone is completely usable. Blending both pickups gives me a wide tonal palette just by adjusting the volume knobs. And best of all, the J pickup on its own is now actually usable—just roll off the tone a bit, and you're good to go. That was never the case with the original setup.

In short: this set breathed new life into my Jaguar Bass. Highly recommended if you're looking for a passive PJ upgrade with zero hum and a ton of character.

Pickup manufacturers really need to start following EMGs example. EMG pickups are so easy to install and really make modifying guitar electronics enjoyable and not an agonising chore.

I had an old Westfield bass that I ripped the electrics from years ago and just never got round to sorting it. I did consider buying a pre-made loom but for £80 more I could replace the whole set so I thought why not.

Install was a breeze and I'd recommend using the foam inside the EMG box underneath the pickups so you can have some slight pickup height adjustment.

Overall very pleased with the sound and install. Other manufacturers take note, this should now be a universal standard. Seymour Duncan knocked off the quick install so you can drop blackouts in to EMG pot sets and then include bog standard pots and wires, crazy!

I've installed these pickups into a fairly cheap, but still awesome Yamaha BB234. It sounds like a perfect PJ now. The P is a king of the set: it's loud, punchy and round. J by itself it quiter and not so impressive, but the PJ combination is just perfect.

What I don't like about the electronics is that the volume range is not that usable. It feels more like an on/off than a gradual change. I think I'd even swap one volume knob for a 2-way switch between P and PJ, and leave the second volume as master, it would make life easier without losing any functionality.

The installation process was a breeze: zero soldering, took me about 15 minutes total. I'd love more manufacturers to swith to such a system.

Overall the set works perfectly for my needs, they cover both P tones for rock, as well as PJ for slap.

I installed this set in a passive Cort action PJ, alongside bridge replacement, and the result is fantastic. The guitar sounds different and better, there are good tone options, much better than the original set.
The only thing I'm not happy with is the two volume controls. They hardly make a difference for most of the potentiometer sweep. It seems like most of the change in volume is noticeable at the last quarter/fifth of the knob's turn. To my question about it, EMG's support replied it is not uncommon for passive pickups in this configuration (volume/volume/tone).
Even though, i am very pleased with the end result of this mod: Solderless connectors makes the installation process easy, the parts and their finish looks and feels high quality, and most importantly, the sound is great. Thumbs up!