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1972 Global Jazz Bass

J

jobiwan

Aug 6, 2011
3
0
#1
Hello all. I am new here and have a question..well several, but the main one is this:I have a 1972 Global Jazz Bass and I can figure out what type of pickups this thing has in it. They remind me of some sort of P90's and have 3 wires and nothing printed on them ANY WHERE. Any ideas?

Thanks
~Joe

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62721619@N07/6016365642/" title="IMG_0711 by Joebiwan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/6016365642_7f7b4ae39d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0711"></a>
 

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#3
GrapeApe said:
I have no idea, but they look pretty sick... what do they sound like?
Click to expand...

Not to bad..although I am having issues with them all full volume, which would lead me to believe that they are out of series with each other. If I have them both on 10...its lower(in volume) But, if i back the bridge pup off to say 7 or 8...it sounds great...nice and full. Vise versa withe turning down the neck p/u, the bridge is full.

So needless to say once i find out what replacements I can use i reckon i will change all the electronics...kinda takes away the vintage aspect, but i need it to function right.lol.
 
#6
Those are Maxon pickups. They were the household name during the early "lawsuit" era before the japanese started to copy also the pickups. They can be found on almost all 70's japanese copies, no matter if it is a F****r, G****n or a R*ck copy. The Maxons are great little pickups and although they have two rows of pole screws they are actually single coils, even the three wire versions. The third wire is a grounding wire for the metal cover.
As said, they are great little pickups and they are getting increasingly rare and there are people (like I) who appreciate them a lot. So I would advice you to instead of replacing them, take them to a tech to have them repaired. Or at least don't bin them if you choose to replace them
 
#7
Ratatosk said:
Those are Maxon pickups. They were the household name during the early "lawsuit" era before the japanese started to copy also the pickups. They can be found on almost all 70's japanese copies, no matter if it is a F****r, G****n or a R*ck copy. The Maxons are great little pickups and although they have two rows of pole screws they are actually single coils, even the three wire versions. The third wire is a grounding wire for the metal cover.
As said, they are great little pickups and they are getting increasingly rare and there are people (like I) who appreciate them a lot. So I would advice you to instead of replacing them, take them to a tech to have them repaired. Or at least don't bin them if you choose to replace them
Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice.

I have had a discussion with a local blues guitarist guitar/amp tech who plays a Japanese guitar himself. I just haven't got around to bringing him one of the basses for an exam. They hum more than my Fender Jazz bass too so I suspect they might need better shielding. Remarkably nice necks on these bass guitars. Matsumoko-made, I suspect.
 
#8
De nada.
Shielding is a piece of cake. The chrome cover is soldered to the base plate which is made of brass so if you solder a ground wire to the base plate the PU is fully shielded.
Also these Maxons have a weak point; the solder joint between the coil wire and the thicker connection wire. With any luck your problem is there. Hope you can get them working OK. I keep my fingers crossed.

Regarding the @jobiwan issue that should be an easy fix with a resistor of suitabe value in in series with the volume pots. He will lose a little bit of max output but should be able to crank both pots up to 10 without loss of the other PU.

Finally, about Matsumoko I wouldn't bet on it. There is a lot of buzz about Matsumoko but there were other manufacturers equally as good. Back in -73 or -74 I traded a 3TS Kasuga Jazz bass (with Maxons) in for a used 3TS Fender Jazz. I guess this is like swearing in church but I couldn't actually tell the difference, neither in look, feel nor sound. But when you are 17 it is WAY cooler to have Fender on the headstock than Kasuga.
When I turned 60 a few years ago I got another Kasuga Jazz from my brother and I agree with you, the neck is wonderful. In my (biased) opinion far better than my 2014 VM Squier.

I don't know the label of your bass but there are lists of japanese manufacturers on the net. With a little luck you might find out who made your bass.
I have no idea who made the Global brand, I have never heard of it.
 
#9
Ratatosk said:
De nada.
Shielding is a piece of cake. The chrome cover is soldered to the base plate which is made of brass so if you solder a ground wire to the base plate the PU is fully shielded.
Also these Maxons have a weak point; the solder joint between the coil wire and the thicker connection wire. With any luck your problem is there. Hope you can get them working OK. I keep my fingers crossed.

Regarding the @jobiwan issue that should be an easy fix with a resistor of suitabe value in in series with the volume pots. He will lose a little bit of max output but should be able to crank both pots up to 10 without loss of the other PU.

Finally, about Matsumoko I wouldn't bet on it. There is a lot of buzz about Matsumoko but there were other manufacturers equally as good. Back in -73 or -74 I traded a 3TS Kasuga Jazz bass (with Maxons) in for a used 3TS Fender Jazz. I guess this is like swearing in church but I couldn't actually tell the difference, neither in look, feel nor sound. But when you are 17 it is WAY cooler to have Fender on the headstock than Kasuga.
When I turned 60 a few years ago I got another Kasuga Jazz from my brother and I agree with you, the neck is wonderful. In my (biased) opinion far better than my 2014 VM Squier.

I don't know the label of your bass but there are lists of japanese manufacturers on the net. With a little luck you might find out who made your bass.
I have no idea who made the Global brand, I have never heard of it.
Click to expand...

Mine is a "Raven," a badge on Japanese instruments imported into western Canada in the 1970s.


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