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ITT: TB'ers who've tried everything & found love in a passive J-Bass

pablomigraine

pablomigraine

Commercial User
Feb 9, 2005
3,458
611
New York
neuraldsp.com
Disclosures
Director of Commercial Sales - Neural DSP
#1
Just thought I'd start a little unofficial appreciation thread for the passive J-Bass.

I play mainly metal, but hire out for all sorts of stuff, from Disco to used-car dealer commercial jingles.

Ive owned (in no particular order) Spector basses, MTD basses, Lakland 55-02, 55-01, 55-94, Warwick Thumbs & Corvettes, Musicman Stingrays & Sterlings, Zon Sonus, Steinbergers etc etc.

Each and every one of these basses had something special about it, and some were just better than others. For years, I thought there was nothing to compare to a Stingray for rock or metal. The Spectors (American) are really unique instruments in my mind as well. Nothing really imitates them. The American MTD is also, for me, the best all around "everything" bass you can own at any price.

But something was always missing. I was always wrestling with onboard preamps, never getting what I wanted from them, and seemingly every bass I owned was too heavy or too light or just not comfortably shaped.

Last year I fell on extreme financial hardship, which is still continuing unfortunately, and I was forced to sell off all my Laklands and some of my Amps, and buy a cheapo Jazz bass. I played every jazz they had in the store and I actually preferred the Squier Classic Vibe Jazz to the MIM Fenders. So I got one used, had a full copper-foil shielding job, put better pots in, and had a set of passive Dimarzio Ultra-Jazz Pups.

I dont think Ive ever been happier with a bass. Sure its a Squier and the neck does the pretzel act every time I move it from one place to the next but this is true love man.... Ive never had such a worry free, easy and fun time with an instrument. Every sound I want is just THERE!! Super fast, heavy mix? No problem! Solo the bridge Pup, back off the tone knob a touch and BAM - - - cuts through like a belt-fed machine gun! Time to Flex the Funk? Both Pups on full, and its BANGIN. I dont even touch the (rather extensive) EQ on my Navigator preamp. Just turn the Enhance up a quarter of the way and go. Im sure its much the same for you thunderfunk users.

Currently saving my dollars for an aero-equipped passive Lakland Darryl Jones. I played one in Manhattan a few months ago and it punched me so hard I thought I had lost a tooth. I dont think I'll ever need another bass. The Laklands are so tough I'd only ever need to bring 2 on a 6 month tour.

Nino knows this love, and so does Jauqo. Anyone else here "been around the world" and settled on a good ole' passive Jazz from whatever maker?

Lets hear it !!
 
#2
I know exactly how you feel. Several years ago, I had to let go of my Modulus Quantum five and a get a Yamaha BB404. It is not a jazz, but a jazz style bass, and I was tickled to death at how well it handled. I now have a 2008 American Standard Fender Jazz V, and I am as happy with this bass as I have ever been with any bass I have ever owned.
 
#5
I'm in this club,too.When I pull the trigger on a full-on custom bass,I'm bringin' my 1975 J-Bass with me.I'm gonna hand it to the builder and say,"Here,listen to this bass.I want this sound,and those characteristics,in a 5 string version."My preference for active-electronic basses stops when I pick up this J-Bass of mine.I have never,never heard such an "alive-sounding"instrument,in all of my life.Simply amazing.I DEFINITELY got one of the"good ones."
 
#6
I love a passive Jazz bass. Sometimes it's a tone that is like no other. Other times it doesn't quite give me what I'm after. The beauty is in having options to me. I know myself well enough to understand that I could never be content just always picking up a Jazz bass, but I'd also be a very unhappy person if I didn't have one at my disposal.
 
#10
Ric5 said:
A passive jazz always seems to have some holes in its sound ....
Click to expand...


Interesting observation; many years ago I worked with a drummer who told me he preferred the sound of my Fender to my Steinberger specifically because "the Fender sounds more pixillated, like it's made of dots with big spaces around them. The Steinberger fills in too many of those holes."

=========================

I've certainly found the love in a passive Jazz bass -- in my case it's a mid-1980s Schecter B/4 -- and it's almost always the first bass I reach for. But, while I've owned a lot of other basses I certainly don't think I've "been around the world", and more importantly, my love for the passive Jazz does not come at the expense of my love for the other cool non-passive, non-Jazz basses in my arsenal.

iow, they're not mutually exclusive.
 
#11
All I can say is if the jazz wasn't such a great bass it would not have been replicated by so many super high end boutique builders. And even though a nubmer of them are active, I would only want passive. By way of example I was screwing around with my Elrick trying to get the sound I wanted (which is what I spend almostevery second doing with that bass for some reason). Instead of my fiddling and screwing around with knobs the whole time I adjusted the blend a little and found it! Best it had ever sounded to me. Needed a little more crunch for something I was screwing with so I rolled the blend back and I had it. I was amazed that after two years this was the best I had got it to sound. It was then that I realized I had bypassed the pre. I just don't need 90 percent of the sounds I can get from an active bass, and either my ric or jazz do it right off the shelf. Might not be for everyone, but works for me.
 
#12
I play mostly 5 string basses these days, and many of them are the fancy modern stuff. However, the ONE 4 string bass I still have is my Geddy signature model. I've tried a couple preamps in it, but at the end of the day, it just sounds the best passive to me. I've also tried to bring myself to sell it several times because of how little I gig it, but then I play it, and it reminds me of why I haven't sold it yet. It just works, and works WELL. My first really nice bass way back when was a late 70's J that was just unbelievable. They've been irrevocably in my blood and soul ever since.

Yeah man, passive J's... it's like that. :)
 
#14
you had come to this conclusion BEFORE you spent countless hours and dollars trying every bass on the planet?!

I do, but then I would never be sure and that would drive me nuts :)

I started out with Fender P's and J's, moved to active basses, five strings, boutique models, yada yada yada. I think a lot of it does have to do with the style of music you play, but I currently have just 2 basses - a Fender Precision and a Lakland DJ-4, and one of those two is always PERFECT for the sound I'm looking for.

I use the P with flats for blues and old school funk, country, jazz and such. The Lakland is the ticket for rock and pretty much everything else.

I also believe that many players (myself included) are sort of mystified by this fanatical devotion to the passive Jazz bass UNTIL THEY PLAY ONE OF THE "MAGIC" ONES, then it all becomes crystal clear.

My Lakland was like that. The Fender Jazzes I owned were nice and I always liked them, but can't really say I ever loved them. Then I came across this Lakland and it all made sense. Mine was made in 2005 and has either Lindy Fralin or Aero pickups in it (I emailed Lakland with the serial number, Dan says they're Aero's, Brian says they're Fralins...I don't know who's right!) and this thing just sings and punches and growls and does everything a truly great Jazz is supposed to do.
 
#15
After playing active basses most of my 35 yrs of playing, I've had about 2 stints where I'd played passive basses for a short while, until last year when I scored big with my '08' MIA Fender Jazz V. That is the bass that I measure all others basses too. Just yesterday I picked up a brand new Carvin Icon 5'er, but I had my Jazz sitting right there to compare it to. The Icon did all right, I bought it.:smug:
 
#17
Pablo... I know exactly your pain. Extreme financial hardship here is forcing me to sell all my top flighters... there's only three of them, one of which is a '61 Jazz, but they've been with me a long time and are part of the family in my opinion.

I'm hanging on to my trusty MiM P, however I also need a fretless so it's a Squier VM fretless Jazz for me (when I've found a good un).

Whether it will stay passive is another story though.
 
#19
The first good bass I bought 23 years ago was a 3 bolt Fender Jazz Bass. That poor bass had been thru the ringer before I got it. Because of this it turned into my first customized bass when the truss broke with in a year after I bought it. Through the years it sat while I played my Rics and Alembics. About 5 years ago I broke the old Jazz back out and have recorded and played out with it ever since. You just can't match it for versatility or playability. It also inspired me to have a custom built jazz with a walnut body and buy abunch Warmoth parts that will be here tomorrow to build another passive jazz bass. In my opinion you won't find a better musical tool than a good Jazz Bass.
 

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