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Anyone else agree about jazz bass wiring?

#27
M0ses said:
I've always struggled to see the point in a VVT/switch setup. Is that so that you can solo either, and also have your choice of blend, more quickly? For me, I'd rather just turn the knob than add that extra switch.
Click to expand...

Well, I rarely play my pickups together, and I love having a pickup selector switch. The reason I wanted two volumes instead of just a master was that it allows me to still set the pickup volumes where I want them when I'm switching between the two pickups, and of course, if I do want to play them together, I can control the volume of each pickup.

Chasarms said:
Even in parallel?
Click to expand...

In series, you will lose the second volume and tone control and have just a master volume and tone running into the additional master volume.

In parallel, you will have two volumes and two tones running into the additional master volume, but as usual with a two-passive-tone setup, whenever the pickups are at the same volume, both tones will act as masters.
 
#29
ElectraPhoenix said:
So, I've been thinking about the wiring on my Jazz Bass. I don't like it. The two volume knobs and master tone? I just don't like it. So, I'm having it rewired with new pickups and such soon, my Jazz is going to become my main bass and... yeah. But, I think I'm going to have it wired like this: first pot, volume, second pot, blend between the pickups (so full to the left is just the neck, full to the right is just the bridge, middle is an equal of both, and other positions are just a blend of the two) and then the third is a master tone. What do you guys think about this wiring choice? And if it makes any difference... I'll be using a P bass pickup in the neck position because I don't like the sound of pretty much ANY jazz neck pickup I've ever tried. And then.. anyone else agree about not liking the standard jazz wiring?
Click to expand...

I was thinking about building a custom with the wiring like this!
 
#30
Quote:
Originally Posted by David1234
The standard blend pot is clockwise for bridge pickup and anticlockwise for neck...

walterw said:
not that i've ever seen.

usually turning the blend pot "up" gets you the neck pickup (the fatter, bassier sound) and turning it "down" gets you the thinner, barkier bridge sound.
Click to expand...

This just in. The latest issue of BassPlayer July 2010 has a review on the Sadowsky Will Lee J bass. I quote, Jonathan Herrera... "While I've quibbled about the Sadowsky's blend control orientation in the past (clockwise selects the bridge pup, which still seems backwards to me), I adapted to it pretty quickly.

Jimi
 
#31
so... having the knob "off" is bridge, and "on" is neck? that seems a little backwards to me... i just assumed it was oriented the same as the pickups; but it really doesn't matter. As Jimi just told us above, apparently what I was thinking (the same as what Sadowsky's apparently is) is actually considered "backwards." Interesting.
 
#35
jimiwhite said:
Lets take this a step "somewhere" !! On the new Tony Franklin Sig P, he opted for a three way switch ala Strat.

Position one, bridge pup, position two, bridge and neck pup, position three neck pup. One master volume and one tone.

The Roscoe Beck had a similar setup, but included a resistor on the neck pup so when inserted in the circuit, it slightly diminished the output on one of the pups. I forgot which one.

Jimi
Click to expand...

Right on, Jimi... stole my thunder. For 2 pickup basses, I almost always go with 3WS/V/T I like to use a Gibson style 3 way. I first tried it on a Fender JP 90 that I had. It just works. DOWN WITH THE VVT!!
 
#39
ElectraPhoenix said:
anyone else agree about not liking the standard jazz wiring?
Click to expand...

On a Jazz Bass with single coil (or narrow-aperture humbuckers) I agree; I'd much prefer a Master Volume & a Blend pot. I tend to use three different tones on a passive J:

- everything fully CW
- neck pu only, tone fully CW
- bridge pu only, tone almost fully CCW (~20%)

...and it's just a tiny bit quicker to access all those w/ a Blend pot rather than 2 Volume pots.

However - just to throw a minor wrench into the works - on my Steinberger L-2, which has typical Jazz Bass wiring (Vol/Vol/Tone) but uses EMG wide-aperture humbuckers, I really like the wiring and wouldn't change it at all...probably because I only use two tones on that bass:

- everything fully CW
- neck pu @ 50%, everything else fully CW

...and, unless the Blend pot was the 1st in line (closest to the neck) it would be just a tiny bit harder to go between those two settings than it is w/ standard Jazz Bass wiring.

Uh...wait, what was the question?
 
#40
I'm surprised at the strong preferences here. Three of my jazz basses are VVT, and one is VBT - I can honestly say is doesn't make a difference to me at all. Just dial in your tone with whatever you have.

Okay, muting your bass can take an extra 0.5 of a second with VVT. You got me. :)
 

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