What about Jaguars?

[HuntYouDown]

My Squier VM is really quiet, compared to my MIM Jazz especially. It has a Jazz neck and is the passive model. The Duncan Designed pickups are very good. The bass also, looks great with it's MOP inlays and matching headstock.

[Toptube]

Originally Posted by Bongolation

In that I these days approach bass purely from a recording standpoint, I would define that as tonal consistency and absence of hot/dead spots, which is an almighty quest on a Fender bass!

I can't be certain about dead spots, because I've never had anyone literally play for me a deadspot. I will say that both my Jaguar and my Ibanez SRT seem to be reasonably free of the phenomenon. Although I'm not sure if when someone says "deadspot" they mean some really obvious note variation that just about anyone should notice, or if its some thing that only an music purest with a trained ear would notice?

When I mentioned the natural acoustic quality of my Jaguar, I meant that when I play the thing unplugged it, has a more apparent bass and punch to its unplugged sound than any other bass i've used. It also has a naturally sweet and musical top end. all of this seems to translate back into the strings, as my CIJ Jag is very punchy when Plugged in, regardless of what strings I may use.

What those pickups actually are would be interesting to find out. How, or even if, they differ from OVs I can't imagine...in fact, I believe they ARE indeed OVs in a new 2012 box with a price increase. Think about it.

I understand what you mean. Though I'm pretty sure they are different. (watch this amazing comparison video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Sba...xekCf1JGGpzRUg) They aren't a ton different, but there are a lot of jazz pickups out there, so not being a ton different form the next is ok. They were just so low output that I had raise them really high and crank everything to get a decent signal. But since they were so high, they sounded pretty harsh. I've recently learned a few things about gain structures and pickup heights, so I'm gonna give them one more shot before I try to sell them...

I foolishly got a set of OVs (just because they were on sale) to replace a 58358/9 "vintage" set in another Jazz. My A/B digital test DI control recordings showed no really appreciable change, though the pickups had substantial build differences.

The OVs are the pickups that come in the 62 re-issues. based on audio/video comparison similar to the one I linked above, I'd say they are of course meant to sound like a Jazz bass. but they won't get you "that sound" (see second post in this thread for "that sound", poste by "Narud" The real sound of a 62 jazz bass pickup). That's the sound that people pay big money, searching and searching for.

The fact that they, a "lower" in the line-up pickup don't get that sound, or sound much or any different from the "cheap" MIM pickups doesn't surprise me. The custom shop 60's are supposed to sound different and they seem to. But they have a lot of design similarities and share magnet types, so...

My understanding was that the neck dimensions were the same as the GL's but though I've read this many times, I personally don't know if it's true.

Right. but I think the new, re-introduced Jaguar Deluxe has a more standard Jazz neck.

Still have the 025- Japanese part number. The GLs, which are MIM now, have changed to 014- Mexico part number. I think these are still being turned out by Dyna-Gakki. FJ production is supposedly all Dyna currently and Tokai is out of the picture.

Awesome. I'd avoided looking for the Jaguar Deluxe because I thought it was no longer CIJ/MIJ. I'll have to try to play one sometime! That Cobalt Blue is pretty hawt.

[bootsox]

it's just a jazz bass with more complicated controls and terrible shielding. the only way I could be sold on it is if it had the trem system off a jaguar guitar

[mixtapelove]

Have a black one which was owned by a member of a famous terrible band. He changed the bridge and put in a drop tuner and had stupidly industrial-thick strings on them.

I thought at the time it was good value for money; I really wanted a Fender and since I couldn't afford an MIA and I was (perhaps unfairly) sketchy on the quality of MIMs..... I thought a MIJ was a good compromise, there were a lot of these around at the time, and they just looked cool. I love the block inlays.

I'm sort of on the fence as to what to do with it.... it's very playable and oozes character, but it buzzes like a mofo and I don't really have any use for the electronics. I'd always wanted a Jazz. I really want to at least have one Jazz and one Precision eventually.

But every time I think about selling it, I just can't go through with it.

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by mixtapelove

Have a black one which was owned by a member of a famous terrible band. He changed the bridge and put in a drop tuner and had stupidly industrial-thick strings on them.

I thought at the time it was good value for money; I really wanted a Fender and since I couldn't afford an MIA and I was (perhaps unfairly) sketchy on the quality of MIMs..... I thought a MIJ was a good compromise, there were a lot of these around at the time, and they just looked cool. I love the block inlays.

I'm sort of on the fence as to what to do with it.... it's very playable and oozes character, but it buzzes like a mofo and I don't really have any use for the electronics. I'd always wanted a Jazz. I really want to at least have one Jazz and one Precision eventually.

But every time I think about selling it, I just can't go through with it.

These were known for poor shielding in just a few small spots. A 5 minute addition of some copper tape and Voila, Quiet as a mouse. Mine never was never noisy but it's one of the very first. Actually built in 2004. I never even pulled up the scratch guard to check the shielding. I've been neglecting mine and playing my Ric but it does play like a dream.

[zachoff]

Anyone know if the new crop of Jags' pre is totally defeatable or if you still need a battery in there for it to make noise even if the pre switch is off?

[jnslprd]

My old one needs the battery to work, regardless if the pre amp is on or off.

[JoeWPgh]

The Jags are our dirty little secret, that's not very dirty or very secret. I have heavily modified mine, and it's now the most awesomest bass toy, EVAH! The lutherie of the basses is very good, right out of the box. The electronics are average. I put some DiMarzio 123s in and repurposed the lower switches to run each pickup series or parallel. The easily obtained tonal range is just insane.

[Bongokid]

I'm totally GAS'N for a Fender Deluxe Jaguar bass. I've been looking for a "sunburst" CIJ. Anyone looking to sell one?

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by jnslprd

My old one needs the battery to work, regardless if the pre amp is on or off.

Can you explain how that works?

I've never really looked at the schematics, or messed with mine.

It's counterintuitive that passive mode requires a battery. If it requires a battery, then something in the circuit isn't passive.

[Sleeq]

Well I have one... I love these basses!

[Sleeq]

Originally Posted by zachoff

Anyone know if the new crop of Jags' pre is totally defeatable or if you still need a battery in there for it to make noise even if the pre switch is off?

I have the new version and I confirm no battery is needed for passive mode.

[CrayZee_One]

Wish the Jags came with a maple fretboard option.

The squires are good value for money for what they are???

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by Sleeq

I have the new version and I confirm no battery is needed for passive mode.

Awesome, thanks.

[mpdd]

i use a japanese jaguar for recording, the vintage l2k and new sb-2 are my live basses, the jag i play has no issues and plays like butter, maybe our jag was one of the top examples