Trebley Jazz Bass Pickups

Stickk · #1 05-09-2009, 12:44 PM

Hey, I'm looking for the trebliest pair of jazz bass pickups; I'm looking for a sound like this. Any suggestions?

Stickk · #2 05-09-2009, 02:03 PM

Anybody (I'm in a hurry)?

Rocky McDougall · #3 05-09-2009, 07:21 PM

Bypass the tone control and go straight to the output jack. Use only on the bridge pup and pluck right in front of the bridge. You probably don't need to change pickups.

Nick Kay · #4 05-09-2009, 07:29 PM

I'll bet dollars to donuts that Day of the Baphomets (especially the intro solo) was cut on his modified Lakland Joe Osborn. It's got Dark Stars instead of jazz pickups. You'll be hard-pressed to get something that clear and trebly out of a J.

Stickk · #5 05-10-2009, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Kay

I'll bet dollars to donuts that Day of the Baphomets (especially the intro solo) was cut on his modified Lakland Joe Osborn. It's got Dark Stars instead of jazz pickups. You'll be hard-pressed to get something that clear and trebly out of a J.

I realize that he's using dark stars, I just want a suggestion for a pair of trebley jazz bass pickups.

fullrangebass · #6 05-10-2009, 09:40 AM

I think that q-tuners will get you there

spade2you · #7 05-10-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fullrangebass

I think that q-tuners will get you there

Q-Tuners or EMG.

Jazz Ad · #8 05-10-2009, 10:49 AM

Another option would be Kent Armstrong SPlit Tubes.

mongo2 · #9 05-10-2009, 12:34 PM

Another vote for EMG.

String selection could be a critical decision for that kind of tone, IMO.

bearshimmy · #10 05-10-2009, 05:47 PM

I remember that the stock pickups in my american standard were very trebly. You could get some of those really cheaply and just use the bridge pickup. That would get you close.

punkanidea · #11 05-12-2009, 08:41 AM

NJ4 has great biting high n smooth low!! to get brighter tone, use higher pot (1meg maybe??). need more treble?? do not use tone pot. still want more?? reduce the coil.

the last is the stupidest. never try unless u r brave enough. heheh..

TimWilson · #12 05-12-2009, 08:53 AM

As a producer/engineer who's recorded hundreds of hours of bass, I think a key part of that tone is that those don't sound like really fresh new strings or a particularly trebly bass: I believe all that top end is added later, which explains why it's a crunchier, more synthetic-sounding top end. I hear half-dead strings, lots of treble added in the mixdown stage, and a distortion channel doubling the original - probably the original track copy/pasted to a new fuzz track in production.

Long story short - I don't THINK that wasn't the sound of Juan's bass as he played it: It was made that way at the board, after it had been recorded.

Stickk · #13 05-12-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimWilson

As a producer/engineer who's recorded hundreds of hours of bass, I think a key part of that tone is that those don't sound like really fresh new strings or a particularly trebly bass: I believe all that top end is added later, which explains why it's a crunchier, more synthetic-sounding top end. I hear half-dead strings, lots of treble added in the mixdown stage, and a distortion channel doubling the original - probably the original track copy/pasted to a new fuzz track in production.

Long story short - I don't THINK that wasn't the sound of Juan's bass as he played it: It was made that way at the board, after it had been recorded.

I'm not sure if that's true. If you've listened to Juan live, his Dark Starred bass is amazingly trebley.

TimWilson · #14 05-12-2009, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stickk

I'm not sure if that's true. If you've listened to Juan live, his Dark Starred bass is amazingly trebley.

Well, that's certainly possible: I've never heard in person nor recorded a bass/bassist using darkstars. But I HAVE recorded a lot of bassists using dead strings and had to add the top end in production, and it usually sounds a LOT like that, especially after copy/pasting their original track to a fuzz track.

millsbass5 · #15 05-12-2009, 09:20 AM

I think he's just attacking the strings really hard to give it that sort of "thwank" sound to it.Throw some compression on it,and,"thwank" away!I can get that tone all day out of my jazzes.

revlimitbounce · #16 05-12-2009, 09:26 AM

What Tim Wilson said.

I'd only add that the tune sounds like it's in Eb (so perhaps he's drop-tuned it and is playing in E nat.) and also he may be using very light gauge strings, which tend to clack more when digging in hard (as he's doing in the intro).

SGD Lutherie · #17 05-12-2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimWilson

As a producer/engineer who's recorded hundreds of hours of bass, I think a key part of that tone is that those don't sound like really fresh new strings or a particularly trebly bass: I believe all that top end is added later, which explains why it's a crunchier, more synthetic-sounding top end. I hear half-dead strings, lots of treble added in the mixdown stage, and a distortion channel doubling the original - probably the original track copy/pasted to a new fuzz track in production.

Long story short - I don't THINK that wasn't the sound of Juan's bass as he played it: It was made that way at the board, after it had been recorded.

I disagree. The "synthetic-sounding" top end you are hearing is distortion. He's overdriving the signal slightly.

The "half dead" strings is him hitting the strings hard so they choke off, and low action. I get the same type of tone on all my basses.

You are hearing a new set of strings.

Case in point:

Bright Jazz

New nickel strings, recorded direct, lows and highs boosted and some overdrive. The second half is with a pick.

These are narrower aperture than the Dark Stars, so the lows aren't as fat. They also aren't single coils.

But I've used a tone like that Mars Volta song since the mid 70's when I got my first Ric.

It's a fairly easy tone to get.

TimWilson · #18 05-12-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

I disagree. The "synthetic-sounding" top end you are hearing is distortion. He's overdriving the signal slightly. The "half dead" strings is him hitting the strings hard so they choke off, and low action. I get the same type of tone on all my basses. You are hearing a new set of strings.

Case in point:

Bright Jazz

New nickel strings, recorded direct, lows and highs boosted and some overdrive. The second half is with a pick. These are narrower aperture than the Dark Stars, so the lows aren't as fat. They also aren't single coils. But I've used a tone like that Mars Volta song since the mid 70's when I got my first Ric.

It's a fairly easy tone to get.

I dunno, bro, I'm not hearing that. All distortion and processing issues aside, I think the tone of YOUR bass from the sample you gave is throatier and deeper—a much better natural tone than Juan's in that MV song: I can hear the newness of your strings and the natural, singing top from them. To me, it sounds like maybe they rolled tape on a take that wasn't really mic'd/DI'd to sound great, but the performance was so good, they decided to do what they could to keep it

You do have a point about Juan maybe choking the low-slung strings by hammering 'em hard, but I still think his top end—at least in that recording—is artificially introduced at the board or in mixdown, and THAT'S the synthetic-sounding top I hear, not the distortion channel (although I do hear that top as well).

I guess we're gonna have to drag the man in here... JUAN!? JUAN!? Put down that lager and get in here!

SGD Lutherie · #19 05-12-2009, 01:18 PM

His top end sounds like what you get from wide aperture single coils... Dark Stars, Alembics, and even a P-bass. It's a rounder type of thing.

I just don't think there is all that processing going on, since I get similar tones with a lot less work. Just keeping the mic pre cranked gets that thickness and that overdrive.

Listen to Entwistle on Boris the Spider. That's practically the same tone as Juan's. Plus Entwistle was probably using nylon tape wounds.

Do we know what strings Juan was using? Graham Maybe got that type of tone also with nylon tape wounds on a P bass copy with the treble all the way up.

TimWilson · #20 05-12-2009, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

That's practically the same tone as Juan's. Plus Entwistle was probably using nylon tape wounds. Graham Maybe got that type of tone also with nylon tape wounds on a P bass copy with the treble all the way up.

I think that's just what I was trying to say: Nylon tapewounds are not renowned for their sizzling top end—the player has to crank treble from anywhere he can to force it. Unlike the tone in your sample, where you can hear the strings' natural top end.