FGN Geddyzilla Pickup Swap - Installing Tom Brantley Geddy Lee pickups! - LowEndLobster Fresh Look

Link to pickups: www.solomusicg...
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Hey everyone! Today we're taking a look at a bass we haven't seen in a while, Geddyzilla - My FGN Neo Classic Jazz Bass in Geddy garb. Though FGN and this bass have no affiliation with Geddy or Rush, the styling is very similar. I've already replaced the bridge with the Hipshot Kickass high mass bridge, but the pickups weren't all the way there yet. Luckily, I stumbled upon Tom Brantley's pickups. Tom is THE GUY who winds Geddy's pickups, and he sells pickups that are Geddy's exact spec! I snagged a set, so let's see how they sound in Geddyzilla!
Big thanks to Dom @ ThirdFloorGuitars for setting up my instruments. You can find him at www.thirdfloorguitars.com
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
Facebook: LowEndLobster
Twitter: @LowEndLobster
Instagram: LowEndLobster
Reverb: reverb.com/shop/lowendlobster

[@boomerbassmeme]

Yasssss have been dying to hear these things! Killer Geddy licks! Can definitely hear the difference. A lot more clarity, definition, and bite! 😎👍

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Boomer! Been sitting on these things forever, finally decided to pony up and get it done :). Very pleased with the results!

[@boomerbassmeme]

@@LowEndLobster Ya know who has J basses up the wazoo... 🤔wonder if he dropped these into something with an Audere pre amp what it would sound like...

[@jdmarino]

Pickups aside, your jam was way more passionate than usual.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks John! My love of Rush is showing ;P

[@Bds737]

I’ve been playing guitar for 35 years, but I recently got my first bass, a Fender Japan Geddy Lee. As a total bass newbie, I think it sounds pretty good. I appreciate your video. To be totally honest, I couldn’t really hear much difference in the pickups. I thought the stock pickups in your FGN sounded great before. Thanks

[@joecasa85]

After losing two friends due to COVID-19 all in one day, watching you play this FGN beauty equipped with these two incredible sounding pickups has been a good treatment for my psyche. Nice improvement, bro. You've been able to cancel a small part of my depressive state of mind...small, but that's always something. Joe

[@LowEndLobster]

I'm so sorry to hear about the friends you've lost. I'm glad that my video could provide some comfort. I have another video planned for tomorrow that I will release later tonight instead, hope that will bring a little more comfort for you my friend.

[@joecasa85]

@@LowEndLobster all we are a big family, bro. Joe

[@LowEndLobster]

@@joecasa85 Indeed, feel free to reach out if you ever wanna chat (lowendlobster at gmail, and my IG link is in the description).

[@joecasa85]

@@LowEndLobster you're so kind, man! Joe

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Sorry for your loss condolences

[@falappisgarage_yt]

I've been waiting for the return of geddyzilla. Sounds great!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Mickey!

[@klaymeister]

Series mode is nice. I always thought jazz basses were naturally a little too scooped, so the extra mids beef it up.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Klay! I agree entirely. I wish regular J's had the push pull to give em even more flexibility. Fender offered this on the J basses as their "S1" switch on American instruments about 10 or so years ago. Terrible marketing for that stuff, and they dropped it soon after. I remember they would claim that with the S1 you could get "J and P tones!"... that's not how it works, Fender... haha

[@klaymeister]

@@LowEndLobster More like J and H tones, it's pretty humbuckerish

[@a.k.9660]

I upgraded my Mex JB last year with a prewired and solderless series/parallel kit and it was really worth the money! Check out Arty's Custom Guitars, great quality and still affordable

[@chickentwisties2298]

Yes absolutely 💯 agree

[@cliffords2315]

nah just CRANK IT

[@revlewisrees9880]

Series mode sounded SO good. I thought the difference was bigger than you seemed to suggest. The new pickups had more balls... am I allowed to say ball? Oh well, I just did! You’ll have to do a tutorial on that fingerplectrum style you use!!!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Rev! That tutorial is a great idea :)

[@StephenBecker]

Wow...that series mode is making me like a jazz bass tone.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Stephen! I wish regular Jazz basses had the push pull series/parallel, adds an extra layer of versatility

[@StephenBecker]

@@LowEndLobster definitely gives it kind of a P-bass character!

[@ChrisFohner]

Got the Tom Brantleys earlier this year for a jazz bass project I did and maaan cant express how much i absolutely love the sound. Lots of clarity and growl through the setup that i have and cuts through really nicely in a mix!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chris! That's awesome! Great to hear that you're enjoying your pickups. What kinda jazz did you throw em in?

[@ChrisFohner]

@@LowEndLobster its one of the daphne blue squier classic vibes. Changed the neck to a warmoth roasted maple neck, all black hardware and pickguard (hipshot kickass bridge and schaller tuners) and added a finger ramp. Totally gutted the poor thing lmao but now its my go to and i love it!

[@ChrisFohner]

But yeah love your videos. Awesome bass collection! Keep up the great content man!

[@LowEndLobster]

@@ChrisFohner Thank you my friend! Hit me up on IG and send me some pics of that Jazz, it sounds awesome!

[@fistinair1979]

1) this bass is a beast, love it! 2) the Hipshot Kickass bridge is the only bridge I have ever tried that I could say had a noticable positive impact on my tone. Love that bridge!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! Very happy with the bridge, the added mass is very very nice

[@seanpowell1496]

I haven't drank the milk of paradise today but I did stay at a Holiday Inn. Nice dood! Love the sounds of my favorite bass player coming out of a bass being played by one of my other favorite bass players. Great vid!!! Thanks for letting us know where we can get some Geddy sounding pups. I'm getting ready to hot rod another Jazz bass so I may get me some of those and go active preamp with em. Love the audere pro Z so much.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Sean! Your first sentence gave me a chuckle hahahaha! I'll put a link to the pickups in the description :)

[@rqkeating]

The "back to back" sound demo is a great idea. Hope you will expand and develop that idea more for future videos where applicable. Cool!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Russel! Glad you enjoyed that, wanted to try something new

[@rasmillion]

Agreed

[@blakeoaks25]

Love the “Kickass” bridge. Been thinking about adding the fender custom shop 60’s pickups to my jazz bass,

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Blake! I too am a fan! I haven't messed with any Fender pickups, but I hear the new ones in the American Pro II series are pretty sweet

[@allghilliedup21]

I endorse the Custom Shop 60s. They add one helluva punch and growl!

[@stephenfell4338]

Hi did you fit the custom shop 60s pickups how were they?

[@stephenfell4338]

@@allghilliedup21 great how do they compare with the Greedy set is there a lot more difference as I am looking at the late Chris Squires tone so I need some good feed back

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Wow!! I would really love this bass with the geddy pickups!! I'm a sucker for, series and parallel, thanks a lot musicman😆🤘 happy Friday homie!!!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks man! Yeah the series push/pull is a nice touch. In series, both pickups are essentially just one big pickup and adds some kick.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

I would love one!! , thanks for the honest review!!

[@martinheath5947]

Pickups sound great 👍☝ I reckon you could lower that action a bit to hit the fret growl sweet spot.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Martin! I'm a weirdo who plays with medium/medium-high action ;P. Low action doesn't do it for me.

[@glenndjubilee]

Yep. Kickass bridges. I have two now. I put a black one on my Paranormal Jazz and I have a gold one on my Franken P. Nice job, again!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Glenn!

[@thiagodeandradeneves4585]

Absolutely fantastic tone! I love the low end growl. Definitely noticeable on phones. Great Rush playing by the way, even "SLAPPIN' DA BASS". Don't we all love Mr. Lee?

[@LowEndLobster]

Haha thank you Thiago! Yes haha, I LOVE Rush - they were my first musical obsession and helped me learn the bass!

[@ChipsA17]

Well done. Sounds really good. The basses in the background have me drooling though. That rick and stringray look amazing.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ross :). I was just rockin on the Ric yesterday, I love that thing.

[@ChipsA17]

@@LowEndLobster Hell Yeah!

[@evianx1]

Just ordered a set today earlier! Watched Tom stearce video and couldn't wait to buy them

[@Joetime90]

It's so subtle, yet so much more spark. It definitely brought more life to the bass. I have an 07 Geddy Lee Jazz and been thinking of swapping the pickups. For about $200 USD it's steep but I mean, I love a Jazz Bass and Geddy himself. Curse my impulse wants...

[@chrismassa5891]

Tom sells his pickups direct for $160 USD

[@danmeek928]

There’s a company called, true custom shop. They have been high output jazzy’s pick up that sings under 80 bucks.

[@keithgray7593]

Great playing as always. How you’ve nailed those intricate Geddy lines I don’t know? Re the pickups ....it’s very difficult to hear much difference. I think the FGN pickups sounded great to start with.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Keith! I spent endless highschool evenings and weekends in my parents' basement learning Rush songs ahahaha. I agree, the FGN pickups sounded great out of the box so the difference wasn't that drastic.

[@michaelblaney4461]

Lobster I see your a Geddy fan too. Those pickups sound better . I should buy some of those pickups for my Squier CV Jazz Bass that has the Badass bridge and vintage fender tuners .

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Michael! That sounds like a great idea :). The CV pickups aren't bad, but if you are going for the Geddy tone, there's no substitution for Geddy's own pickup (clones)!

[@lakingscup]

Noticeably better to my ear! ⭐️

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks BP :)

[@stushwartz]

Lovely. I found the Tom Brantly site too. Was thinking if doing something similar . Buy parts cheap enough. Great review again my friend.

[@stushwartz]

@@LowEndLobster looking at hi mass Bridge hioshot A style or kickass what's your thoughts. Or is there another alternative. I've seen a geddy lee Bridge @ stratosphere. However postage is high. BTW I purchased the black late 60's Japan jazz bass may swap pickups ooy for the COSTOM SHOP 60's I've purchased with a East JTone. . Waiting for it to arrive. May have to sell the Stingray. We will see. Stay safe.

[@LowEndLobster]

@@stushwartz I like the kickass. I still have an Badass III laying around from my old daily driver jazz bass. I like those designs too. Not a huge fan of the Fender design for their hi-mass bridge IMO.

[@stushwartz]

@@LowEndLobster thanks. I will look at that one. Maybe buy a Squire 70's JB and mod that .

[@chrismorris3897]

Extremely nice tones!

[@kushking420]

I'm thinking of getting these for my Fender Mex jazz

[@rasmillion]

The new pickups sound like you are attacking more. Great for those with a light touch I would guess

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ras!

[@kevmac1230]

Great demo as usual.Can I get some help?I have a set of pups to go in my J bass that are designated "front"and "rear".Can I assume that the "front" means bridge? BTW that bass sounded great from the git.

[@LowEndLobster]

Hey Kev! Thanks and great question. Front is usually the neck pickup and rear is the bridge.

[@kevmac1230]

Thanks,needed the heads'up.I had it backwards! I have a set of Kent Armstrong Hot Lips Lipstick Tube jazz bass pups.These things are totally unique,they absolutely kill it! Not a lot out there on these,you should check em' out.

[@paulevans4334]

Being brutally honest, I can't hear any difference at all. I even listend to it a few times. What did they cost?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Paul! They were around $170 for the set methinks. Link is in the description.

[@marcoesposito8753]

Looks so goddamn cool, i bet it feels like heaven

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Marco! It feels great, FGN sure know how to build a great feeling neck!

[@PorchBass]

To me the new ones are slightly better balanced but they lose some upper mid for zing. It's a nicer zing though for sure especially slapped

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks James! I agree, a bit stronger in the lower mids. The tone is not so much different as the voicing, if that makes sense.

[@reubenkinsey2947]

Thanks for the video, I'm ordering me some for my geedy MiM

[@lexdecs8294]

I like it. Is there a reason you only have one traditional jazz bass?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Lex! No real reason. I used to be a huge J bass fan, my daily was a frankenJ for a while. I actually got two more Jazzes in this week after I filmed this vid, but they're not staying (review n screw ;P, gotta flip em or send em out to my friends).

[@lexdecs8294]

@@LowEndLobster that’s awesome. I figured you were a music man fanboy. Which I fully support.

[@mitchellbracey5234]

Opens with riffs played on the 4001

[@LowEndLobster]

I think back to when I saw Primus last year for the 'Tribute to Kings' tour. Before starting the Rush set, Les got up on stage and said "If there's one thing I've learned about Rush fans.... it's that you're all a bunch of picky bastards" ahahahaha.

[@57precision]

Geddy himself plays riffs on his Jazz that he played on his 4001. You should DM him and let him know he's wrong.

[@philipmcadam5339]

To me, the Tom Brantley pick ups sound a little bit more efficient. I love the tone.

[@joshhaugh1]

sounds nice - but pretty sure "Xanadu" was recorded with a Ric

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Josh! Not when I played it ;P. Not going for a "Geddy played this bass on this song", I just like the song and I like this bass :). Xanadu is such a fun song to play!

[@soundzofnoize8603]

We must form a band, I'm a guitarist but also a huge fan of bass...what no kitten cats ehh! sounds good peace shalom ciao tutti...

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL Thank you

[@iggyb63]

Curious? The Hipshot Bridge, what did it improve with the swap out?

[@LowEndLobster]

Nothing measurable, a little sustain and I could dial in the setup better which resulted in a better playing experience IMO

[@latonyahemingway3752]

Sounds really nice!! And where does one find these pickups?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you LaTonya! Link is in the video description under my little blurb, but I'll move it up top!

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Got them from Canada. Too Ps they Sound well better through a Tube amp

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Paul!

[@ricardobass4831]

yo why no Jb? i always wondered why i never saw one in your vids. recently got a Jb ultra in texas tea, amazing instrument

[@LowEndLobster]

I don't know, honestly. I used to be really into them when I first started playing. More J content coming very very soon :)

[@ricardobass4831]

@@LowEndLobster i cant recommend the Jb ultra more. im in love

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Great for single be hum.issues

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Paul!

[@Sanson101]

On a passiove bass the imp0rvement is HUGE w TB Geddy Pickups

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Wait till you play through A Ampeg Pf50t

[@LowEndLobster]

:)

[@stephenfell4338]

Does the Geedy Lee Fender signiture bass come with the Tom Brentley pickups fitted ?

[@LowEndLobster]

Great question! No, it comes with Fender in house pickups.

[@stephenfell4338]

@@LowEndLobster I thought so So there's nothing special about that Jazz model untill you dump the cheap fitted pickups and pots and fit the Tom B ones typical of Fenders miss leading marketing.Thankyou for your valued honesty that's why I love your chanel

[@jamcam9]

I wonder how these pickups would do on a fretless jazz with TI Flats? Anyone have any input?

[@stephenfell4338]

Is it ok when swapping just to cut the old ones off and join the new wires in line rather than having to solder at the pots ?

[@LowEndLobster]

Should be fine, though it's best practice just to solder directly to the pot to have the cleanest signal

[@stephenfell4338]

@@LowEndLobster Thank you I was going to join them by solder and heatshrink them be ok ? (easier to change again if needed) how do they compare with th 60s upgrade pick ups ?

[@LowEndLobster]

@@stephenfell4338 Yeah should be fine. Not really sure in regards to comparison honestly. These are very classic sounding

[@johndobbins1105]

Would these pickups make a big difference in a Squire classic vibe 70s Jazz?

[@LowEndLobster]

Honestly, probably not a HUGE difference but there will be differences in some frequency voicings I guess. The stock CV pickups are probably the best part of those basses IMO, they sound great and it's really the inconsistent QC that's the letdown on those basses (and not all of them, there's good ones out there too!)

[@johndobbins1105]

@@LowEndLobster IYO what’s a better bass in the same price range?

[@LowEndLobster]

@@johndobbins1105 for a J? Sire v5 is 499 and we'll worth the extra 70-80 over the CV (they bumped the price of the squiers)

[@johndobbins1105]

@@LowEndLobster thank you, sir!

[@bassimprovjams3772]

How does the neck feel?

[@LowEndLobster]

Super good, the tuners are a bit heavy. I think I'm going to replace them.

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Noise gate Lobster Electo Harmonix big muff pi

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Paul! We're going to try and do more pedal stuff for 2021 :)

[@Jitobass]

I don't hear almost any difference!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jorge! It's subtle as the pickups are still the same type in terms of construction.

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

For I have dined on 🍈