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I do believe in mojo when you find that right bass that plays well in your hands on your rig.
I know however that you can kill mojo with minor adjustments or different strings. Sometimes you can get it back, sometimes you can't.
For me, coated strings kill any bass. Took me a while to realize that though. They seemed good in theory, they look cool, but they never end up sounding good.
Sometimes you can give a bass mojo with a minor adjustment. Raising or lowering the pickup a mm or 2 can really change a bass.
I know however that you can kill mojo with minor adjustments or different strings. Sometimes you can get it back, sometimes you can't.
For me, coated strings kill any bass. Took me a while to realize that though. They seemed good in theory, they look cool, but they never end up sounding good.
Sometimes you can give a bass mojo with a minor adjustment. Raising or lowering the pickup a mm or 2 can really change a bass.
All pickups will sound a bit different and all pieces of wood are different. 10 of the exact same bass will likely vary a bit.
In any case, mojo to me means wear which means it was played. If a bass is very worn thru hours of honest playing, chances are that it sounds good IME.
I am more weary of mint condition 30-40 year old basses. Sure the odd one may have been left under a bed since new and is fantastic. Generally the old mint ones are not great basses IME.
Mojo re: tone? Some basses just sound better than others. I'm sure Alembic, Sadowsky and others have made the odd dud due to a knotty piece of wood or a poorly wired Pre or wound PU.
In any case, mojo to me means wear which means it was played. If a bass is very worn thru hours of honest playing, chances are that it sounds good IME.
I am more weary of mint condition 30-40 year old basses. Sure the odd one may have been left under a bed since new and is fantastic. Generally the old mint ones are not great basses IME.
Mojo re: tone? Some basses just sound better than others. I'm sure Alembic, Sadowsky and others have made the odd dud due to a knotty piece of wood or a poorly wired Pre or wound PU.
I have a 62 jazz that had a bad home refin done to it by a dude in his basement in a small town the mid sixties. It was evident that he had zero refin skills. That he had selected the wrong varnish: oil based clear exterior, fence board type stuff.
It was also applied over the back of the neck where the nitro had worn through, right over the gray dirty wear marks You could feel the brush ridges on your thumb. It is well used but had tape wounds on all its life so the frets and board were just tarnished and gunked up. Fortunately the face of the head and decals were left intact. It sounded incredible.
I had all its gunk (mojo) removed, stripped the BACK of the neck and the body, bleached the maple neck to rid the gray spots, shot a SB and thirteen coats of nitro.
Still Sounds incredible. No Change ITS THE PICKUPS DUDE! Only the neck FEELS better because it's smooth now. Otherwise none of this changed the tone it puts out
Moral? A good instrument is a good instrument. Mojo is a term that describes that culmination of feel and tone in one 'amusing' word. One tired, over used word. Calling wear, tear (character) and dirt (barf) mojo is silly.
The use of the term mojo around here is getting tired. It should be only used to describe that "certain something", that "je ne sais quoi" that some things possess. It is not dirt!
It was also applied over the back of the neck where the nitro had worn through, right over the gray dirty wear marks You could feel the brush ridges on your thumb. It is well used but had tape wounds on all its life so the frets and board were just tarnished and gunked up. Fortunately the face of the head and decals were left intact. It sounded incredible.
I had all its gunk (mojo) removed, stripped the BACK of the neck and the body, bleached the maple neck to rid the gray spots, shot a SB and thirteen coats of nitro.
Still Sounds incredible. No Change ITS THE PICKUPS DUDE! Only the neck FEELS better because it's smooth now. Otherwise none of this changed the tone it puts out
Moral? A good instrument is a good instrument. Mojo is a term that describes that culmination of feel and tone in one 'amusing' word. One tired, over used word. Calling wear, tear (character) and dirt (barf) mojo is silly.
The use of the term mojo around here is getting tired. It should be only used to describe that "certain something", that "je ne sais quoi" that some things possess. It is not dirt!
I voted yes. Isn't that why we keep searching for the one?
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
There is obviously more than one definition of mojo. I always thought it to mean something of a spiritual nature. The history that some believe somehow becomes a part of the wood, metal, plastic and electronics. A 60s P bass that was handmade in a factory by some guy in a headband, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, which got bought by an excited 15 year old during the summer of love in San Fransisco, got played by Geezer Butler one time when he showed up at a cover band's gig of the second owner, toured all of Europe with a disco band that was happening in 1980, then survived a house fire, car crash, and skateboard accident while under the loving ownership of some kid who wound up being the first bass player for Sheryl Crow. Then got sold on eBay and landed in the current owners lap.
If the person who owns that bass can't play, it's going to sound like crap.
I also believe that if you believe it has mojo, then it absolutely does. If you don't, then it absolutely doesn't.
If the person who owns that bass can't play, it's going to sound like crap.
I also believe that if you believe it has mojo, then it absolutely does. If you don't, then it absolutely doesn't.
There was a 2014(?) Fender Jaguar bass that I liked much more than all of the Jazz basses in the store that I played, including custom shop ones. In fact, one of the custom shop Jazz basses offended me so much, with its glossy neck, rounded fretboard, and other repulsively refined sensibilities, that I wanted to buy it just to destroy it. I didn't know a mere instrument could trigger such strong emotions. Anyway, I would've bought the Jag bass if it weren't for the neck dive and the color... I don't know if 'mojo' could apply for modern Fenders, but this one sounded unusually good.
I bought my Fender American Deluxe 5 new. Only bass I ever bought new. It's an advance copy, shown to stores by factory rep as an example when they were re designing the Deluxe Jazz line. I've played it at every show and date I have done in the last 4 1/2 years, which is a TON of dates. It weighed 10.5 pounds when I got it, now it weighs almost 12. I got my Deluxe 5 before any of my buddies got one, now? Many of them have em. An not one is as powerful as mine. There is a very discernable jump in volume when I plug mine in. I have tried it against others made in 2010-11, and, have tried it against post 2012 models after the redesign in pickups. Mine is still bigger sounding. My friends an I have no explanation. I believe you can play your sound into a bass. My Jazz sounded one way comin out of the box, great! Now? It now sounds better. More full, bigger and overall just a great bass. My friends have "identical" basses, but wanna buy mine. Wit no Mods mine is quiet, always has been. It is beat up, now. Dings, buckle rash, dents in binding, the frets are worn in. The color of the neck has darkened. The pickguard is more grey than black anymore. It is the best bass I ever owned. And yeah, I believe it has that thing. Mojo. I think you play mojo into a bass. A combination of love and the realization the instrument is but a tool to achieve a goal, not the goal itself.
Luthiers are no different then guys who build cars, sometimes you just get one extra right in a sea of others that just meet the specs.
Mojo? Not so much for me. I leave the emotions and thoughts of magical happenings to others. It is my job to keep a firm bass line going.
But music is magical. Have you ever thought about why we enjoy music?
Agreed.
When I went to buy my Fender Strat. All I knew was that I wanted a Strat and had the budget for an MIA, but I wanted to test MIA's, MIM's, and Squier's side to side to determine which one I thought was the best... I tried out every Strat the store had (about 40 of them) and settled on an MIM because it just sounded and felt right for me... Maybe it was lighter, maybe the setup was most agreeable with me, maybe the neck finish or profile was perfect for me.. Who knows, but I'm sure there's a legitimate reason for it. It wasn't just magically better.
I voted yes but I want to state that some new basses have mojo, not just older instruments.
Sometimes the sum of the parts adds up to a lot more.
Even Carey Nordstrand calls it a crapshoot..
Cool vid, but check out from 4.00 onwards :
Sometimes the sum of the parts adds up to a lot more.
Even Carey Nordstrand calls it a crapshoot..
Cool vid, but check out from 4.00 onwards :
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,598
- 18,627
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
You could build 2 basses the exact same way with the same materials and electronics and they could and sound different from each other.
I know I have done it.
One piece of Alder might handle vibration differently then the next piece of Alder in the assembly line.
Organic material will vary on how it reacts.
I know I have done it.
One piece of Alder might handle vibration differently then the next piece of Alder in the assembly line.
Organic material will vary on how it reacts.
My enjoyment of music or anything else has nothing to do with magic. Magic is a silly notion to me. I play because at an early age I realized I had the ability and drive to learn to play this guitar with 4 strings so I chased it like a man on the hunt until I made it mine. Magic? No. Just a lifetime of natural ability combined with the persuit of self improvement.
mojo - magical spell , hex , ..or charm .. ? No ...
i think the term is way overused and now it is fairly meaningless ... ! like Vintage ...
what's cool to one person might be total crap to the next person ...
i have my grandfathers trumpet that he played around Europe waiting to come home after WWII ... have great grandfathers 1929 Gibson UB-1 ... do these have 'mojo ' ... nope .. ! they have history and personal sentimental value ... ! they are very cool to me ... nothing else matters .. !
i think the term is way overused and now it is fairly meaningless ... ! like Vintage ...
what's cool to one person might be total crap to the next person ...
i have my grandfathers trumpet that he played around Europe waiting to come home after WWII ... have great grandfathers 1929 Gibson UB-1 ... do these have 'mojo ' ... nope .. ! they have history and personal sentimental value ... ! they are very cool to me ... nothing else matters .. !
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Some it is in your head - but nothing wrong with that.
I call it the "$%& eating grin" (SEG) effect. This is coming from someone who would prefer to drive his 46hp Karmann Ghia over any other car.
I call it the "$%& eating grin" (SEG) effect. This is coming from someone who would prefer to drive his 46hp Karmann Ghia over any other car.
