60's era jazz bass

[Shakin-Slim]

whose argueing ? Go ahead and spend a pile of money chasing the elusive tone, its your money. I could care less, just giving my 2 cents worth, I know what I know, your results may vary.

When I say argument, I don't mean a yelling-match. By definition, offering your 2 cents is making an argument.

But this is a very pointless conversation.

Oh, and I don't spend a pile of money. I have 2 rather cheap basses and will likely not get a much more expensive one. I just don't think saying "it's in the players hands" when someone asks an equipment related question is very smart.

 

[MVE]

Seymour Duncan Antiquity II pickups.

+1

I've got a set of them in my fretless.

You need true single coil pickups to really get that authentic Jbass tone.

You just need to live with the noise they make.

 

[bluesblaster]

When I say argument, I don't mean a yelling-match. By definition, offering your 2 cents is making an argument.

But this is a very pointless conversation.

Oh, and I don't spend a pile of money. I have 2 rather cheap basses and will likely not get a much more expensive one. I just don't think saying "it's in the players hands" when someone asks an equipment related question is very smart.

your confusing opinions with arguements just to make a some sort of useless point. I thought I might save the guy some money but apparently thats not a valid enough answer for some of the gear crazed keyboard warriors here.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

your confusing opinions with arguements just to make a some sort of useless point. I thought I might save the guy some money but apparently thats not a valid enough answer for some of the gear crazed keyboard warriors here.

No, stating an opinion for the purpose of persuasion is making an argument. You're not saving anyone any money with "it's all about the player". He asked a very specific question about modding a bass. Yes, technique, attack, all of those things are very important, but if you're thinking a good set of vintage-style pickups, some different strings, etc. aren't going to help at all, you're even more dense than your concept of an argument lets on.

Nobody here is 'gear-crazed'. I'm certainly not, but I've already mentioned that earlier in this wee discourse of ours. People are only responding appropriately to a very straightforward question.

I suppose you've never changed out stock pickups, used a different type of string, or been interested in one type of bass over another, cause... you know, it's all about the player, right? You'd be hard pressed to find a single famous bassist in history who didn't choose their bass, and any modifications, for a very specific purpose. How is this any different?

 

[Stumbo]

Check out Bill Lawrence pickups.[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[DanGouge]

I like Seymour Duncan Antiquity IIs myself. Made my AVRI 62 just that much sweeter than the stock pickups.

 

[smperry]

I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions on how to mod a fender to make it as close to an old 60's model as possible. Looks are not important to me so I don't care about having the right body shape or pickguard or finish or whatever. Strictly looking for the sound and playability.

This is from the OP. If you don't have anything to contribute to this topic of modding a modern Fender, don't post in here.

 

[Musicman1901]

Jeez I feel like I started a battle with this thread! I was just looking for ideas. I have done some research and I think i'm going to get some of the SD Antiquity pickups. They are not too expensive and with the new pickups and a fresh set of flatwounds I should be close enough to the sound i'm after. Thanks everybody

 

[The Bass Clef]

Jeez I feel like I started a battle with this thread! I was just looking for ideas.

No, you really just can't say anything on this forum without starting an argument.

 

[Jungy]

Aguilar have some great 60s style j pickups too. I would put some of them in an any old alder bodied jazz with 60s pup spacing and rosewood fretboard.

 

[MVE]

Jeez I feel like I started a battle with this thread! I was just looking for ideas. I have done some research and I think i'm going to get some of the SD Antiquity pickups. They are not too expensive and with the new pickups and a fresh set of flatwounds I should be close enough to the sound i'm after. Thanks everybody

Again, I want to mention the single coil hum because it is really something you want to think about before you dive in. Modern split coils get pretty great tone and come pretty close, but if you really need that authentic 60s tone you gotta get true single coils. I think any of the true singles will work fine. SD Antiquities, Lindy Fralins, Fender CS, etc...

The problem is they are super noisy.

You might want to get a pedal with a mute if you are planning on using it for live shows.

 

[narud]

Again, I want to mention the single coil hum because it is really something you want to think about before you dive in. Modern split coils get pretty great tone and come pretty close, but if you really need that authentic 60s tone you gotta get true single coils. I think any of the true singles will work fine. SD Antiquities, Lindy Fralins, Fender CS, etc...

The problem is they are super noisy.

You might want to get a pedal with a mute if you are planning on using it for live shows.

pretty overblown ime. otherwise no one would be playing or recording with strats.

and ill say it again, considering the op's tone reference, pickups are going to be the least of his concerns.

 

[MVE]

Recording is never an issues as you can yank the gain or automate a drop on the offesive channel whenever there is a silent part.
Live it is much more apparent, that is why I suggested a mute pedal.

I don't know if I would call it overblown as it is the reason every pickup maker out there makes fake single coils.

FYI, most modern Stats and Teles have splits in them. They just dont sound quite the same as true singles.

 

[solderjunkie]

Here's a better pic of my replica '66 Jazz, sans covers (the way it spends 99.5% of it's life) hanging with it's stablemates. I built all but the DD SR5.

I had several questions about specs...

AllParts B & B jazz neck
Alder 2-piece body
Shoreline Gold nitro lacquer finish
Lollar pickups
Repro Fender lollipop machines
Gotoh threaded saddle bridge
CTS solid shaft pots
Bakelite knobs
Russian PIO tone cap
cloth-covered wiring
Switchcraft jack

 

[Tom Howland]

Pickup will make a difference.
Duncan, Lollar, Fender CS, D. Allan, are all good pickups.
If you want a 60's Jazz tone.
Get a Fender "Roadworn" Jazz, and put one of the above pickup in it.
You will get very close.

 

[Jim Carr]

He's using John Paul Jones as a tone reference. Those iso[lated] tracks of his playing sound pretty muted along [with]...flats. There's no reason his MIM standard shouldnt be able to get close to that sound.

+1

I agree, especially about the flats, but the pickups I would recommend for a tight budget are the basic "Vintage" pickups found in the Road Worn and '60s Classic Jazz.

How tricky is it to install a set of mutes ala JPJ?

 

[Jim Carr]

Pickup will make a difference.
Duncan, Lollar, Fender CS, D. Allan, are all good pickups.
If you want a 60's Jazz tone.
Get a Fender "Roadworn" Jazz, and put one of the above pickup in it.
You will get very close.

I agree, but find the pickups in my Road Worn Jazzes sound very much the same as the '68 Jazz I had. My CS stack pot Jazz with CS pickups is different—but gorgeous sounding.

 

[solderjunkie]

I agree, but find the pickups in my Road Worn Jazzes sound very much the same as the '68 Jazz I had. My CS stack pot Jazz with CS pickups is different—but gorgeous sounding.

Something about those two resistors changes the timbre. I like the stacked-pot tone... it's a little darker, but still has the Jazz bass tone.

 

[MDBass]

I agree that the strings,amps,cabs, eq'ing, and the hands of the player make up a huge amount of the tone but all basses still sound different. That's just a fact. My p-bass will never sound like my warwick. It's just not gonna happen haha. Maybe i'll try to find some pre-cbs pickups and just toss them in my mexican jazz bass with flats and see how far it gets me.

I still have my first Mexi Jazz and used it for quite a few gigs and sessions after swapping out the pickups; that made a HUGE difference in the tone.

My personal favorite 60's wind pickups are the Aguilar AG-60's, but the SD Antiquity II's, Fender CS-60's, and Nordstrand NJ4's I've tried are all killer as well.

Check the classifieds and drop any of those sets in your jazz, that should get you most of the way there; obviously a tube preamp with NOS 12AX7 tubes will help as well.

Plucking hand placement also affects the sound considerably, more so I feel with passive pickups, and favoring the neck pickup in the blend certainly seems to help bring out the 'wood' as well.

JPJ has also stated many times in interviews that people always think he uses flats but he can never get the sustain he needs with them, so he actually used rounds; whether that's actually true or he was simply trying to throw people off the tone trail I have no idea, but he certainly used rounds a few years ago when playing Them Crooked Vultures.

Cheers

 

[MDBass]

Hi fellows. I did this track with a 61 J bass with concentric Knobs and rotosound flatwound strings(bought in 1970 at Manny's in NY). Check out the sound . Later.
Scott Edwards

KILLER pocket and tone brother!