Antithesis of Fender Jazz

raise the pups and lower the strings!

 

Let's see: something with a little less smoothness/grittier tone & half the price of the new Gibson EB series...

Seems to me that you just described a MIM build (or similar) Precision. Squier CV, if you want to save a little extra coin.

I think we're done here.

 

Well, I can always cite the two basses I play nowadays, since precisely because they _don't_ sound like a jazz bass is why I have em

They're my G&L L2K and Carvin Bunny Brunel 4 string FL's. Probably anything with a big musicman style humbucker at the bridge will sound quite different.

The L2K is an oddity because it actually is easy to get a jazz bass tone out of it, at a rate of approx. 80%. Soloing the bridge PU in parallel mode gives a good approximation of the jazz nasally burp. Any other setting, though, and it sounds very different, with a much hotter, woolier tone.

The Bunny I can't get to resemble a jazz bass at all no matter what I do, for which I'm truly grateful.

The MM Sterling or Stingray is another couple basses I've played that give a very different sound than a jazz bass. So I'd check those out also.

LS

 

+1 on the MIM Precision for grit. The MIM I own is very treble-heavy and raw sounding, as opposed to my MIA which is pretty smooth and fat. MIA also has a good share of treble, but not as much as the MIM.

 

epiphone? thunderbird? EB? i dont know these instrumenst but they might be quite cool..

 

Is a Sterling BY MM Ray34 in your price range? Might be a nice departure.

 

I think hollowbody basses are also a great choice for you. Jack casside epiphone seems to be what you looking for I think. And don't forget use either flat or an old roundwound string on it.

 

Blacktop J should be another good choice. Very different sound from a normal J. The neck pickup is closer to the neck, and sounds very grindy in many demos I've heard. Like a cross between a P and a Rick.

 

I played that blacktop....its EXACTLY what u r looking for and pretty cheap too...

 

I'd go J... Same Jazz feel (body, neck) that you're used to, with two grittier P pickups in a J-type configuration.

 

Fender MIM BlackTop Jazz

dual split coil pickups on a higloss finished Jazz bass neck and alder body, with himass bridge already onboard

What d'ya need more?

Cheers,
Wallace

 

This should only further solidify that the Blacktop J is what you're looking for.

 

Your J is smooth? I find a J is usually punch with a lot of treble.

I'd go for something with growl, like a P or Spector. ^_^

 

I always thought of p's as the polar opposite because I can actually cut through a dense mix with them, whereas I'm off to an EQ noodle-fest when it comes to getting jazz's to work for me.

 

Also, I don't subscribe to the whole "I can get my J to sound like a P with the neck pickup" thing. To my ears, they sound vastly different. To me, P's have a throaty bark with the tone up, while J's have sizzling snap. With tone rolled off, P's "fart" and J's "burp". Sorry for the gross analogy....