MIM 2003 Jazz V - Will it blend?

[Baldwin]

Hi guys,

I've got a stock 2003 MIM Jazz V which I think is a keeper and I'm considering gutting the control cavity.

Now, I've never done any electronics work with my basses (or ever, really) so I don't know how worthwhile this would be.
It'd be great to hear some opinions from all you experienced Talkbass modders!

I've always found two separate volume controls a bit annoying - I like the idea of a Blend pot but I've seen a few posts here that have touched on various drawbacks - possible "tone-sucking" issues, leaps / drops in volume when moving the blend further away from the centre detent, passive blends being generally not very good, etc. What are your experiences with this?

Another problem I have is the tone control seems to have very little range. It goes pretty much from 10 to 1 (which then sounds very watery, almost hollow) without much variation in between. Could this be down to a crappy cap on the pot?

Ideally I'd like to retain the stock sound as much as possible (this Jazz is punchy as hell, I love it! ), but have no idea how the combined pot values will affect it. Seeing as the stock setup is two 250k volume pots, does a 500k blend, 250k master volume and 250k tone with a 0.47mf cap sound reasonable?

[luknfur]

The blend/volume thing is like pup swaps - you'll know once you do it. Why not just change one volume to blend?

Either audio or tone pots will typically work for a tone pot. You might try the opposite of whatever the pot is. It will have A/Audio/Log imprinted on it if it's an audio (also commonly called volume) pot. Since you're looking to pick up a blend you may as well get one as well. Probably pick up an assortment of caps as well. Shipping will probably cost about as much as these parts and these parts laying about will come in handy at some point if you're going to be your own tech.

[Baldwin]

Yeah, I was sort of planning on just ordering parts and experimenting like that anyway, but I was mainly wondering if the stock Fender pots were shoddy enough to be worth replacing. I'd like to at least try and get an idea of what is and isn't feasible before I order too much surplus!

I'm thinking of adding a bit more into the mix - would I be able to use a push/pull pot as a tone pot and switch between two cap values, or wouldn't this work? I'm hoping that a secondary 0.1mf Orange Drop cap coupled with series wiring (switchable with the master volume as a push/pull) will be able to pull off a decent P-bass ish sound. Of course, I'm sure the P-bass enthusiasts here will say otherwise.

So where to order from? There's enough places that are UK based, but they tend to be a bit pricey and limited in choice. Stewmac has a great selection, but I've seen a good few testimonials questioning the quality of their electronics. Explains why they're not too expensive, I guess...

[luknfur]

Fender uses CTS in their MIA's (I guess some are still made here) so I assume the same in MIM's. I've had a all kinds of pots and I haven't been able to tell the difference in any of them regarding function or even quality for that matter. It's just a pot for a guitar not something going in a space shuttle. They're probably all made in China anyway.

See FAQ Dimento's Trouble Shooting Guide for a minimalist list of parts and tools for working on basses. You could skip a switch on that list if you buy a P/P pot. Don't think it's on that list but probably an assortment of caps from about .02 - .07mfd at minimum would be a good idea as well since they're cheap.

[Eric Moesle]

Originally Posted by luknfur

Fender uses CTS in their MIA's (I guess some are still made here) so I assume the same in MIM's.....

Nope. Bad assumption. I just cracked one open, and the MIM pots are tiny, cheap little things that feel somewhat scratchy in comparison. Swapping them out with quality CTS pots is a good idea and a VERY cheap upgrade.

[luknfur]

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

Nope. Bad assumption. I just cracked one open, and the MIM pots are tiny, cheap little things that feel somewhat scratchy in comparison. Swapping them out with quality CTS pots is a good idea and a VERY cheap upgrade.

Making any assumption about Fender is definitely standing on shakey ground but it's not hard to identify a CTS pot since it's stamped into them.

I personally have had a myriad of pots and never had a pot so cheap it made any difference of consequence over another. Apparently it gets cheaper out there than low end Ibanez.

[Baldwin]

I'll just go with Stewmac, they've got all the bits I'd need in one place. If the parts are really that bad I can always whinge at them for a bit. Might pick up one of those nifty looking string action guages too...

Thanks for the replies!