zac2944 said:
Can you comment on the changes in tone before/after for any of your projects? Any sound clips? How's the tone compare to a newer MIA Fender P or J?
The change in tone for the P was pretty drastic from it's humble beginnings to where it is now. I might have some soundclips of it from my band, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what stage it was in on the recording. The P was done piecemeal, but the J was done all at once. The P was a regular gigger ever since I put the QP in it. She logged quite some gig mileage. It's a perfect bass to sit with a Blues band.
The difference in tone for the P was night and day. The QP and TI flats gave it a nice P-bass growl and it sits perfectly in a mix. The bridge added sustain. The tuners and nut didn't do much to the tone. The nut just was more sturdy and allowed to properly set the action. If there's a difference in tone, I wasn't aware of it. The Aguilar preamp really made the bass roar, as well as add versatility. It still has the P bass thump, but more of it. Many preamps add noise, but the OBP actually made the bass sound clearer. Rolling off the tone and boosting the bass gives it a tone that would make any Robbie Shakespeare fan well up with tears. Adding some highs gives it a little more sparkle, but the growl is still there.
As far as the J, there was a difference in tone, but not as much with the P. The changes were more in terms of playability. As far as tone, the Ultra Jazzes took out the hum and added clean sparkle. It took out a little growl, but nothing really worth noting. Output was about the same. The OBP-3 added versatility, and the mid boost at 250K brings back the vintage growl that is otherwise missing with the Dimarzios. The highs can be a little harsh when it's dimed, but the bass boost is nice and clean. I can get this bass as bright as I'd ever want it to be. Overall, the goal was to make something with sparkle and thump, and it does sound like that.
One of these days, I'll put up some clips.
