so have you done the easy stuff yet like flatwounds and the understring mutes on your jazz?
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60's era jazz bass
- Thread starter Musicman1901
- Start date
I'd start by trying these in the Jazz you already own, add '62-style pots and harness..
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It IS the player. I sound just as bad with my 59 p as I do with the 65 J, or the gibson basses. Really, you couldnt tell any bass apart when im playing.
Now some here will disagree but Fender's Road Worn series (Jazz and Precisions) do get a thumpy, "woody" tone to my ears. I even hear that brightness I have heard when I have played real vintage 60's basses. Therefore my suggestion is to try a set of Road Worn pickups and a good set of flatwound strings (Labella for example).
I REALLY feel that will get you closer to that sound of the 60's. Just my opinion of course.
Now others may have some other pickup ideas as I have heard some pickups descriptions on Talkbass that sound like they get pretty close. Again that is what my ears tell me but I really think flats will get you there.
I REALLY feel that will get you closer to that sound of the 60's. Just my opinion of course.
Now others may have some other pickup ideas as I have heard some pickups descriptions on Talkbass that sound like they get pretty close. Again that is what my ears tell me but I really think flats will get you there.
Seems there are always 2 or 3 fodera basses for sale in the classifieds at any given time, I sometimes wonder if they havent come to the same conclusion that I did, that its not the equipment that makes the player.
Someone made a great point earlier that the classic 60's tone that you hear on recordings from that time period, were done on fairly new instruments. Some of those old fender basses have a wonderful tone, but how that can be replicated today is probably a crap shoot, there are a few factors that conspire to create that sound. You could start by trying a set of flatwound strings, thats cheaper than new pickups, although not by a whole lot, but the upside is they last a long time and sound better with age and playing time.
Someone made a great point earlier that the classic 60's tone that you hear on recordings from that time period, were done on fairly new instruments. Some of those old fender basses have a wonderful tone, but how that can be replicated today is probably a crap shoot, there are a few factors that conspire to create that sound. You could start by trying a set of flatwound strings, thats cheaper than new pickups, although not by a whole lot, but the upside is they last a long time and sound better with age and playing time.
- Jun 30, 2010
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I built my own '66 replica. Roughly $900 invested.
Nicely done - I'm building-up an early bound/dotted Oly wht/tort '66 - are those Hipshot pops? What pu's, strings?
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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Easy. You can get '60s tone dead on with a good Road Worn Jazz through a DI strung with Fender or Labella flats. Skip the mutes. Even broken-in rounds do it. A used Road Worn Jazz will cost around $700 or less.
As far as "player as a tone factor" is concerned, this may be a bit over-estimated, IMHO, in comparison to the effect of the '60s studio technology and the studio/label system itself. Most of the hits in the '63-73 "'60s decade" were played by a handful of studio players, not all of whom used a Jazz.
In the US with a Fender Jazz Bass, I think Harvey "Brooks" Goldstein, Jim Fielder, Charlie McCoy, Chris Hillman, Joe Osborn, Norbert Putnam, and Carol Kaye literally set the tone. One wonders how much the major LA, New York, and Nashville cats studio tone became the tone in our heads for my generation.
As far as "player as a tone factor" is concerned, this may be a bit over-estimated, IMHO, in comparison to the effect of the '60s studio technology and the studio/label system itself. Most of the hits in the '63-73 "'60s decade" were played by a handful of studio players, not all of whom used a Jazz.
In the US with a Fender Jazz Bass, I think Harvey "Brooks" Goldstein, Jim Fielder, Charlie McCoy, Chris Hillman, Joe Osborn, Norbert Putnam, and Carol Kaye literally set the tone. One wonders how much the major LA, New York, and Nashville cats studio tone became the tone in our heads for my generation.
This is going to sound really off the wall, but read it through before you damn it.
You can buy an Ash body Maple neck Rosewood finger board bass that looks like a Jazz base from Rondo, for about $200. From there you can add the necessary electronics and hardware, and still probably stay in about the $500 dollar range when done.
Just a thought, don't shoot me for it.
You can buy an Ash body Maple neck Rosewood finger board bass that looks like a Jazz base from Rondo, for about $200. From there you can add the necessary electronics and hardware, and still probably stay in about the $500 dollar range when done.
Just a thought, don't shoot me for it.
For $500 my Fender Classic 60's Jazz bass is available. You won't find anything more 60's than this, especially at this price.
http://http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/fender-mim-classic-60s-jazz-bass-relist-price-drop-1015127/
http://http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/fender-mim-classic-60s-jazz-bass-relist-price-drop-1015127/
This is just silly. Of course the bass itself factors into what sound comes out, to think otherwise is just being ignorant.
Easy. You can get '60s tone dead on with a good Road Worn Jazz through a DI strung with Fender or Labella flats. Skip the mutes. Even broken-in rounds do it. A used Road Worn Jazz will cost around $700 or less.
As far as "player as a tone factor" is concerned, this may be a bit over-estimated, IMHO, in comparison to the effect of the '60s studio technology and the studio/label system itself. Most of the hits in the '63-73 "'60s decade" were played by a handful of studio players, not all of whom used a Jazz.
In the US with a Fender Jazz Bass, I think Harvey "Brooks" Goldstein, Jim Fielder, Charlie McCoy, Chris Hillman, Joe Osborn, Norbert Putnam, and Carol Kaye literally set the tone. One wonders how much the major LA, New York, and Nashville cats studio tone became the tone in our heads for my generation.
hes using john paul jones as a tone reference. those iso tracks of his playing sound pretty muted along well as the flats. theres no reason his mim standard shouldnt be able to get close to that sound.
If you use a standard fender bridge bend style bridge, vintage voiced pickups (I like the antiquity duncans as mentioned earlier) a quality wiring harness and flats you will get close.
I can't imagine that you can't get your current jazz close. If you lived closer to me in NY I could put 4 or 5 different Jazz pickups in you hands and let you go nuts at my place with your bass.
The amp (DI or whatever) makes a huge difference too. I am not telling you anything you don't know, but I think that really brings out the last bit of that tone. Moving my hands around where I pluck the strings makes a big difference too.
Good luck man...
I can't imagine that you can't get your current jazz close. If you lived closer to me in NY I could put 4 or 5 different Jazz pickups in you hands and let you go nuts at my place with your bass.
The amp (DI or whatever) makes a huge difference too. I am not telling you anything you don't know, but I think that really brings out the last bit of that tone. Moving my hands around where I pluck the strings makes a big difference too.
Good luck man...
I think this is the tone you are talking about...
I have a nice Fender CS NOS 64 Jazz bass... that's the sound. It has been my main player for several years now, and the longer I have it, the more I fall in love with it. For a long time I just ran everything (V-V-T) wide open. Now I am really getting into the subtle differences that you can get with just the small turn of a nob. Huge amount of sounds in there.
My bass has the custom shop 60s P-ups that you mentioned in the OP. I think they are very nice. The true test for me is going direct in a studio. Last week I got to do about three tracks, and dang the Jazz sounded good. I used my Countryman DI to send a signal to the engineer, and I bet he has a pre-amp, but about as simple as you can get. I also tried out and Jack Cassady bass, and it sounded like junk compared to the Jazz (and I like the JC bass for gigs).
Find the right body and neck (alder / RW), and throw some CS 60s P-ups in there and go. I really like flats for that sound, but old RW sound good too. A simple / transparent amp set up, and you are set.
Lot's of debate if JPJ was using rounds or flats... sounds like flats to me, but might be rounds. Either way, a while back I found a pic of Zep playing live, and JPJ had a TON of foam stuffed under his bridge, so if he was using rounds at the time, he was muting them to get the flat sound.
I have a nice Fender CS NOS 64 Jazz bass... that's the sound. It has been my main player for several years now, and the longer I have it, the more I fall in love with it. For a long time I just ran everything (V-V-T) wide open. Now I am really getting into the subtle differences that you can get with just the small turn of a nob. Huge amount of sounds in there.
My bass has the custom shop 60s P-ups that you mentioned in the OP. I think they are very nice. The true test for me is going direct in a studio. Last week I got to do about three tracks, and dang the Jazz sounded good. I used my Countryman DI to send a signal to the engineer, and I bet he has a pre-amp, but about as simple as you can get. I also tried out and Jack Cassady bass, and it sounded like junk compared to the Jazz (and I like the JC bass for gigs).
Find the right body and neck (alder / RW), and throw some CS 60s P-ups in there and go. I really like flats for that sound, but old RW sound good too. A simple / transparent amp set up, and you are set.
Lot's of debate if JPJ was using rounds or flats... sounds like flats to me, but might be rounds. Either way, a while back I found a pic of Zep playing live, and JPJ had a TON of foam stuffed under his bridge, so if he was using rounds at the time, he was muting them to get the flat sound.
+1.
Think about JPJs technique too. He plays almost on top of the neck vs. say Jacko, who plays almost on top of the bridge.
Flats for that thumpy wooden tone, play closer to the neck, roll the tone back a bit, favor the neck pickup, etc, etc...
One thing that many people fail to take into account when they say they want the "tone like X got in the '60s" is the recording techniques of the day. The bass, player style, amp and microphones used are just some of the many factors that influence their tone. So just buying the same bass as your favorite player won't necessarily get you that exact tone.
Yeah, they're pretty bullet proof. Really good bases. That's a nice price you have hung on it, too.
