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Adjusting tone on my new jazz bass

4

__4f166

Nov 12, 2022
13
11
#1
I was originally a bass player with a leaning towards metal, using an Ibanez EHB with Darkglass effects. Recently, I've discovered the fascination of vintage tones, especially funk or those fusion bass line. So I bought a Lakland '62 J Bass.

When I used the Ibanez, I rarely touched the tone knob, except when playing clean tones in the higher register, such as spacey solos or chords. In those instances, I would increase the blend towards the bridge pickup and set the tone knob to around 40%.

Now that I've just started using the Jazz Bass, I've noticed that I only need to roll off the tone knob to around 30% or less to achieve a sound where the predominant frequencies are around 200-400 Hz. This results in a noticeable peak on the EQ curve that doesn't sound pleasant to me. It feels abrupt, almost like having an octaver effect engaged. How can I make it sound more "mellow" and avoid having one frequency stand out so prominently that the others become inaudible?

Additionally, since it's a '62 Jazz Bass, it has a separate tone knob for each pickup (neck and bridge). This is a setup I haven't encountered before, and I'm not sure whether I should adjust the tone of the neck or bridge pickup for a more muted sound, or if I should turn down both tone knobs together. Do you have any recommended approaches for using the two-tone knobs together?

I'm using a Lakland Shoreline 44-60 (alder body, rosewood fingerboard), going into the Darkglass Hyper Luminal in BUS mode, then into the Darkglass Harmonic Booster preamp, and finally into an Ampeg 8x10 cabsim by Darkglass Element.
 
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#2
If we were on TB the answer is lean it against something then reach for the P bass and get on with the music. :)

Since we aren’t enjoy all the tone possibilities. :)

Seriously. Don’t plug it in. Play it gently and firmly. Put your ear to the upper horn and listen.

Now plug it in. Is your amp setup set like you always like? Cool leave that. Take it for a string by string test drive. Then each note on each string.
Then move your fretting hand from bass of neck to bridge. Why all this? To hear what it is and how it responds. It’s showing you.

Now play each pickup alone and sweep the eq. Then pickups together. Notice that phase thing the pickups do depending on how cranked they are in relation to each other.

Enjoy your new acquisition. Bring the moosic.:)
 
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#7
I’m a fan of the stacked knob Js, but my answer probably won’t satisfy since I hardly ever use both pickups at the same time: it’s either 100% neck or 100% bridge. Since I use only 1 pickup at a time, the ability to individually set the tone works for me. On the other hand, if I used both pickups together, I’d want a single master tone knob.
 
#9
Roger W said:
I’m a fan of the stacked knob Js, but my answer probably won’t satisfy since I hardly ever use both pickups at the same time: it’s either 100% neck or 100% bridge. Since I use only 1 pickup at a time, the ability to individually set the tone works for me. On the other hand, if I used both pickups together, I’d want a single master tone knob.
Click to expand...

Doesn’t your bass provide a huge noticeable noise when you use only single pickup? Especially when the tone is in 100% on
 
#10
Single coil noise is a whole big thing. Your environment (electro-magnetic), electrical service and gain staging and tolerance for noise determines whether this is a problem for you or not.

for me, playing a jazz bass at home, through an old ampeg portaflex, no problem. And like Roger I usually prefer to use the neck or bridge pu soloed. I hear a little hum when I’m not playing, and I could care less. Also not a problem recording for me at all. Oh yeah, also, I never run tone or vol other than wide open on basses.

when playing guitar in a band with single coil pickups and distortion type pedals in play I’d mute my guitar whenever not playing. Really, in loud situations a guitar will always want to feed back if you don’t stop it from doing so
 
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#11
__4f166 said:
Doesn’t your bass provide a huge noticeable noise when you use only single pickup? Especially when the tone is in 100% on
Click to expand...
Not anymore than a single coil pu guitar, for example a Tele or Strat. I prefer the articulation of single coil pickups in general. If it’s really a problem, then several aftermarket pu makers (Nordstrand, Duncan, etc) have versions of Jazz pus that retain at least some the articulation of single coils without the hum.
 
#15
As I see it, this is the first fundamental question: Does Lakland build their VTVT concentric controls with or without summing resistors?

If it were a pre-CBS Fender or a new or newer vintage reissue or Fender Custom Shop the answer to this would be much closer to relatively common knowledge.

The answer to that question goes to inform the OP's questions.
 
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