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Anyone else agree about jazz bass wiring?

#41
The extra time makes a big difference in some situations. I'm currently playing in a pit band for a stage musical, and the cues come quickly and sometimes unpredictably. I usually play with my blend at about 30% neck, 70% bridge so it's not humbucking. In between cues I need to turn down to avoid hum, and I need to quickly turn up in the dark when the musical director points at me.

For me, I prefer either VBT or VT and a selector switch.

Oh yeah, and I had my Sadowsky blend reversed, it just seemed wierd the other way...
 
#42
...or you could leave you Jazz Bass like it is and get another bass with a bridge pickup you like, a neck pickup you like, preamp you like, etc.

My favorite configuration is a pair of Bartolinis with an active preamp. I have three basses with variations on this set up.
 
#43
Now I'm feeling most players want a mute switch on their bass. Watching a Victor Wooten bass lesson, he has a mute button. One quick hit, silence, another hit right back to exactly where he was. NICE…..

If its that important, (it isn't) one can get a Korg PitchBlack tuner.
When its time for a break, or get a drink, hit the Korg PitchBlack stomp box, put it in tuning mode, it will mute your bass. Come back, a quick tune up and right back to your volume, tone and blend settings.

The advantage of the tuner option is any bass you have, now will be tuned and ready for action.

Jimi
 
#44
jimiwhite said:
Now I'm feeling most players want a mute switch on their bass. Watching a Victor Wooten bass lesson, he has a mute button. One quick hit, silence, another hit right back to exactly where he was. NICE…..

If its that important, (it isn't) one can get a Korg PitchBlack tuner.
When its time for a break, or get a drink, hit the Korg PitchBlack stomp box, put it in tuning mode, it will mute your bass. Come back, a quick tune up and right back to your volume, tone and blend settings.

The advantage of the tuner option is any bass you have, now will be tuned and ready for action.

Jimi
Click to expand...

I've used a Morley ABY switch as a mute when playing pit gigs. Just leave one port open.
 
#46
any pro player should already have his rig set up to mute via foot-stomp while tuning, whether by pedal tuner, a-b box, or whatever.
 
#49
walterw said:
any pro player should already have his rig set up to mute via foot-stomp while tuning, whether by pedal tuner, a-b box, or whatever.
Click to expand...

Sorry, Walter. I disagree.

If I want a way to easily mute my bass, there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to to that from the instrument itself. When you get down to it, you're essentially suggesting "If the problem is with X, go out and buy Y instead of fixing X."

Not everyone here is a pro player, so you can't expect everyone to have a good, well developed rig.

Also, what if you are across the room from your rig, and can't get to it quickly enough?
 
#51
line6man said:
Sorry, Walter. I disagree.

If I want a way to easily mute my bass, there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to to that from the instrument itself. When you get down to it, you're essentially suggesting "If the problem is with X, go out and buy Y instead of fixing X."

Not everyone here is a pro player, so you can't expect everyone to have a good, well developed rig.

Also, what if you are across the room from your rig, and can't get to it quickly enough?
Click to expand...
no, i'm with you. i hate the idea of having to turn down two volumes to shut a guitar off, then having to hurriedly try to recreate whatever the balance between them was when i turn them back up.

i was just saying as a slightly OT point that a pro onstage rig should allow for instant, muted tuning. too many bass players think they can just say "hey, gimme an E", pluck the ol' 5th-7th harmonics thing a couple times, and that's good enough. sorry, but it's not. :scowl:
 
#52
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...


Even though I'm not really a jerk, I can make you think I am by reminding you that the Stratocaster typically has a 5 way blade switch.

3 way switch a la tele/Gibson?


I love the V/V/T but am thinking about Blend, series/parallel mini-toggle, Master Volume/bypass push pot, tone cap 3 way toggle.

I may go V/T concentric instead of the bypass pot and may forgo the toggle...but a B/V/T with a series/parallel toggle is the only way I'd get away from a V/V/T, as the separate volumes are pretty intuitive.

As far as the 'those guys are backwards'...it depends on which side of the knob you think about...or how you touch your knobs. fingertips on the underside of the knob or top side?
 
#53
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...


Even though I'm not really a jerk, I can make you think I am by reminding you that the Stratocaster typically has a 5 way blade switch.

3 way switch a la tele/Gibson?


I love the V/V/T but am thinking about Blend, series/parallel mini-toggle, Master Volume/bypass push pot, tone cap 3 way toggle.

I may go V/T concentric instead of the bypass pot and may forgo the toggle...but a B/V/T with a series/parallel toggle is the only way I'd get away from a V/V/T, as the separate volumes are pretty intuitive.

As far as the 'those guys are backwards'...it depends on which side of the knob you think about...or how you touch your knobs. fingertips on the underside of the knob or top side?

I think that the 'backwards' way would save a lot of damage to the pot shafts.
 
#54
V/V/T is substantively different than V/B/T. What I mean is, there are sounds available via V/V/T that are not accessible (IMHO) on a V/B/T bass, which, btw, I do agree is a more efficient solution.

Most of the V/V/T arrangement's expanded palette comes with settings where neither volume control is full-up.

Just a comment.

All the best,
Jonathan Herrera
SENIOR EDITOR
Bass Player Magazine
 
#55
I agree in principle that VVT gives you combinations you can't get with VBT, but I've never found a tone that is different enough that I could actually hear it in a band setting.

On my 62 RI Jazz, I have the VT/VT setup, and while it's kind of fun to mess with, again, I don't feel I get any useful variation out of either the dual volumes or the dual tones.

Jonathan, do you find that there are tones you actually want and miss when you are playing a VBT setup?
 
#59
walterw said:
yes, absolutely, and that pro should also be able to silently, instantly, and accurately check tuning mid-show.
Click to expand...

You've never tuned silently using 5th and 7th harmonics? If you pluck the same harmonic and quickly place your fingers on the tuning keys, you can feel if the strings are out of tune with each other because the vibrations are out of phase with each other. Then, just tune till you feel them cancel out.

Oh, wait... too pro for you? ;)
 
#60
walterw said:
no, i'm with you. i hate the idea of having to turn down two volumes to shut a guitar off, then having to hurriedly try to recreate whatever the balance between them was when i turn them back up.

i was just saying as a slightly OT point that a pro onstage rig should allow for instant, muted tuning. too many bass players think they can just say "hey, gimme an E", pluck the ol' 5th-7th harmonics thing a couple times, and that's good enough. sorry, but it's not. :scowl:
Click to expand...

well, if the intonation setting on your instrument is off, then of course it's not! because yes, the 5th and 7th is perfectly fine if everything's set up correctly.
 

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