'62 Reissue J-bass has too much treble

Bassguitarbubba · #1 07-09-2008, 11:47 AM

I have a '62 reissue Jazz bass that seems to sound over trebl-y, even with the tone controls turned all the way down. I play a '78 P-bass through the same amp and it sounds wonderful so I know it's not the amp.

I obtained the wiring diagram from Fender.com for the '62 reissue and saw that there are three ground wires in my guitar that are not reflected on the wiring diagram, yet these same wires are on the wiring diagrams for standard and deluxe J-basses. Could the wiring diagram be wrong or is the '62 RI not supposed to have these 3 grounds? For clarification, the diagram does in fact show a ground from the output jack to the bridge pot, which is the actual case in the guitar, but it doesn't show the three others.

Could the "extra grounds" cause the treble tone? I didn't necessarily want to change the pick ups, but if the guitar sounds like crap, I have to do something. Pots...pickups...Any ideas???

troyus · #2 07-09-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassguitarbubba

I have a '62 reissue Jazz bass that seems to sound over trebl-y, even with the tone controls turned all the way down. I play a '78 P-bass through the same amp and it sounds wonderful so I know it's not the amp.

I obtained the wiring diagram from Fender.com for the '62 reissue and saw that there are three ground wires in my guitar that are not reflected on the wiring diagram, yet these same wires are on the wiring diagrams for standard and deluxe J-basses. Could the wiring diagram be wrong or is the '62 RI not supposed to have these 3 grounds? For clarification, the diagram does in fact show a ground from the output jack to the bridge pot, which is the actual case in the guitar, but it doesn't show the three others.

Could the "extra grounds" cause the treble tone? I didn't necessarily want to change the pick ups, but if the guitar sounds like crap, I have to do something. Pots...pickups...Any ideas???

Sounds like... you prefer the sound of a P bass!

tjclem · #3 07-09-2008, 12:47 PM

What value cap is in there? If it is not a .1 give that a try...t

Bassguitarbubba · #4 07-09-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troyus

Sounds like... you prefer the sound of a P bass!

I can't argue that I do, in fact, like the P-bass sound. But I've played other '62 J-bass reissues and loved the way they sounded. The one I bought from GC was used and I'm wondering if the prior owner had the same issue.

My guitarist even crinkles his nose at how the RI sounds, and he's been in music for over 40 years.

I'm getting feedback from other sites that the pots may be bad. Any input here???

Bassguitarbubba · #5 07-09-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjclem

What value cap is in there? If it is not a .1 give that a try...t

You lost me... if you're talking about the capacitors , the bridge pick up pot has a .03uf and the neck pick up pot has a .05uf.

PilbaraBass · #6 07-09-2008, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassguitarbubba

You lost me... if you're talking about the capacitors , the bridge pick up pot has a .03uf and the neck pick up pot has a .05uf.

the two-tone control setup is a bit tricky to use...

if you run your bass with both pickups on full and both tones dialed off, you'll get the most tone roll-off

I'd change the neck cap from .05 to .1uF (double it) and keep your bridge pickup dialed back (volume-wise) to get the deep "thump"...tweak in the bridge to give you desired "sparkle"...

jazz tone isn't for everyone, however...

tjclem · #7 07-09-2008, 01:40 PM

"I'd change the neck cap from .05 to .1uF (double it) and keep your bridge pickup dialed back (volume-wise) to get the deep "thump"...tweak in the bridge to give you desired "sparkle"..."

there you go give that a shot

fourstringdrums · #8 07-09-2008, 01:42 PM

The grounds do nothing for the tone, at least not in the situation you're describing.

Your best bet is to try a higher value cap...or like was said, it sounds like you might just prefer the sound of the P-bass.

troyus · #9 07-09-2008, 01:49 PM

I know this is a little off topic.. but have you tried out the Active Jazz models... They have way more lows... As a P-bass loving kind of guy, I can say they really warm my heart... lots of oomph.

There's even a budget model with the same electrics:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN136760

You can find them in guitar centers, etc usually to check out.

Bassguitarbubba · #10 07-09-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilbaraBass

the two-tone control setup is a bit tricky to use...

if you run your bass with both pickups on full and both tones dialed off, you'll get the most tone roll-off

I'd change the neck cap from .05 to .1uF (double it) and keep your bridge pickup dialed back (volume-wise) to get the deep "thump"...tweak in the bridge to give you desired "sparkle"...

jazz tone isn't for everyone, however...

Thank you all so very much for the advice. I'll try tweaking the tone and volume knobs as suggested. Maybe I have to come to the conclusion that I'm a P-bass kind of guy, much to my dismay. The '62 Jazz looks so damned nice.

throbgod13 · #11 07-09-2008, 05:07 PM

replace the caps with higher values.. if you can afford it, use higher quality signal caps..

Bassguitarbubba · #12 07-10-2008, 12:42 AM

I replaced the round wound strings with flat wound. I then tweaked the tone and volume knobs as suggested. The tone is much better. My dad always told me to be smarter than the tool. I should have listened to him in this case.
Thanks again to all for your suggestions and support. My next step is to put the P-bass aside and play the RI for a while.

RBX4 · #13 07-17-2011, 05:27 AM

I'm having the same problem with my mim jazz!! Help!!

RBX4 · #14 07-17-2011, 06:06 AM

Just ordered Ernie ball flats!