Rude, rough, and radical, this aggressive split coil design will chomp its way through any live or recorded mix. The NJ4SE uses the same hand wound pattern as Nordstrand's other NJs, but is given its midrange heft through the use of a finer enamel wire. The character of this pickup comes down to a pronounced lower midrange and slightly muted high end, which makes it exceptionally suited for finger style players who might want a solo bridge pickup that has a bark that bites. The NJ4SE is bred for the stage, where its hum-canceling clarity and boisterous presence will slaughter any noise that dare desecrate the circumference of its sonic facility.
This pickup's design stems from the pursuit of eradicating all shy and wilting bass tone from the live setting. Nordstrand believes in the maintenance of bold pronunciation, and so in order to achieve this, they did their best to create the Rottweiler of bass pickups…literally. The techs at Nordstrand siphoned the spirit of Carey Nordstrand's late pup, Maya, a Boxer-Rottie mix, and embedded it into the fabric of the NJ4SE's central character. This K-9 had a particular reverence for spatial chaos and impact — a whirlwind of energy akin to that of freeform progressive jazz — and so it is no wonder that the pickup which contains her spirit has the ability to bludgeon audiences with jazzy vigor and relentless articulation.
Artists: Billy Carrión Jr.
Size (Neck):
3.60” [91.44 mm] Long
.72” [18.29 mm] Wide
Size (Bridge):
3.73” [94.74 mm] Long
.72” [18.29 mm] Wide
Another muscular pickup from Nordstrand Audio. The NJ4SE is slightly darker than their NJ4 or NJ4SV sets (which are aimed to be vintage), which is not surprising. The NJ4SE is not meant to be a vintage replicant. It has a top end that is rolled off a bit, and nice low mid punch.
Put on a good set of headphones and check out the audio demo below to hear it for yourself.
As always, keep in mind that these are generalizations. Your experience could be different depending on many factors.