I like it. I put a killer preamp in my jazz with blend, passive tone and sweepable mids. Best thing I ever did. My problem now is if I mod the next one (thinking of five string) to match or just keep it stock.
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blend knobs - yay or nay?
- Thread starter Bass V
- Start date
I like it. I put a killer preamp in my jazz with blend, passive tone and sweepable mids. Best thing I ever did. My problem now is if I mod the next one (thinking of five string) to match or just keep it stock.
Funny, I was on the same opinion. Lately a friend of mine who is very skilled in electronics pointed out that the "Panorama"-Blend is absolutely the same (two potis in opposing direction - simply said) either in a passive or in an active bass.
V/V/T is crap. Both potis are influencing each other all the time. I have never seen any J-Bass passive player really dialling in or out a part of one pickup. They always use both PUs with full volume or turn off one.
Panorama-Poti seems more practical. But same here: you never use one setting else than "both PUs full" or "only one PU full". Please do not state that it really makes a difference to you whether you dial in "47% neck-PU + 53% bridge PU" or something else that you will never recall. Total crap.
In passive bass I replaced all the V/V/T or V/P/T with a toggle-switch. Selecting "neck PU" / "both PUs" / "bridge PU" is fully sufficient, is easily done and you will be able to remember the setting. That's all you'll ever need!
Panorama-Poti seems more practical. But same here: you never use one setting else than "both PUs full" or "only one PU full". Please do not state that it really makes a difference to you whether you dial in "47% neck-PU + 53% bridge PU" or something else that you will never recall. Total crap.
In passive bass I replaced all the V/V/T or V/P/T with a toggle-switch. Selecting "neck PU" / "both PUs" / "bridge PU" is fully sufficient, is easily done and you will be able to remember the setting. That's all you'll ever need!
I really prefer my V/V/T basses but V/B/T can be good in some cases. It's all down to personal preference and mine is to have separate volume knobs.
Agree. But the onboard preamp provides better range and separation and (if each pickup has its own tone controls) zero interaction between them. So a blend does bring something to the party with active basses. On most passive basses the results are far less interesting.
Bottom line, it works better with an active preamp.
Have you ever seen an "active bass" with panorama-blend and separate tone controls for each pickup? Where can I find this?
I think you’re painting with an overly broad brush a bit.
On every JB I’ve ever played, there’s a certain sweet spot with the two volume knobs which not only affects the pickup balance, but the tone as well. And it varies significantly from JB to JB. And most savvy longtime JB players will dial that sound in and then leave it there. The rest (for them) really is “all in the hands” as the saying goes. Because a passive JB doesn’t really lend itself to knob twiddling IMO. It’s more like an upright in some respects. You get one that sounds great and then let your hands and technique do the rest.
On my JB I’ve got the neck set for 85% and the bridge set around 75%. And that’s where it’s stayed (allowing for some very minor adjustments to the bridge setting if I changed the type of strings I was using) since I bought it. And I’m not alone in leaving the volume knobs alone when it comes to JBs. Which in my mind is a real plus. I can just grab my JB, plug in, check the tuning, and play.
And recalling the sweet spot setting is easy thanks to a little trick you can use. Just loosen the set screws on the knobs and arrange them so the knob’s marker lines are pointing directly at each other. Then tighten the set screws. Now you know when the pointer lines are bumping noses that you’re dialed in on your preferred volume knob settings.
Most players familiar with a JB also know that if you want to get the fullest output you don’t dime the pickups. Around 85% up on both is where it’s at. Full on usually results in lower output volume.
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i prefer 2 volumns to a blend. My JAzz and T-Bird have 2 volumes.
Get so much more tones than a blend.
My TBird is my main bass these days. so easy to go from country to grunge.....just by turning down neck or bridge.
Thanks for the interesting insight, 40Hz. I understand that the typical sound of the Jazz bass is "scooped" when both PUs are full on. Thats the effect of the specific wiring where on the one side the humming disappears and the mid-tones are lowered on the other side. Therefore the J-Bass became famous for slapping and funky sound (which you still can produce with a P-Bass in a different way). Each potentiometer will reduce treble when not full on. So you will be forgiving the crispy sound a J-Bass is able to provide and which makes a good distinction to the P-Bass sound. Reducing treble of course can also be done when using the tone-blend. But I see that each player has his/her typical setting and tonal preference.
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A blend pot is useless to me, I prefer all pups full on, a selector or dual volume is more useful for me.
Rock on.
Rock on.
same.
per the OP: four of my five (in rotation) have blend knobs: one active, three passive. here's the piece i use for the passives:
Prewired Passive Harness (Volume - Blend - Tone - Tone) - Best Bass Gear
i wouldn't leave home without them!
In a passive bass, neither VVT or VBT really work like you think they do - there are interactions that compromise what's going on. I do simulations of the circuits in my basses, and when you do that, you can easily recognize the limitations of either scheme. A pickup switch, a volume (wired the way a PO bass does it, not in shunt like a VVT setup), and a tone is preferable for making things work like they actually should on a passive bass. On an active bass, there are ways to do things better - not that people always take advantage of that, but you can make a VVT or VBT scheme work well in an active bass.
All that being said, if you can make good music with a vVT of VBT passive bass, go for it.
All that being said, if you can make good music with a vVT of VBT passive bass, go for it.
I have one on my ‘Warwick. 90% of the time I have it in the centered detent which I suppose is 50-50 on the two pickups. My PJ both volumes are always wide open most of the time.
I prefer a pan\blend over a Vol\Vol setup. I don't care for selector switches at all; I may want just a little more of when pickup than the other.
I don't really fiddle around with my active EQ that much, but when I do, I need to, and I prefer the sound of an active bass to a passive one.
Less is less, and more is more; Reality 101.
I don't really fiddle around with my active EQ that much, but when I do, I need to, and I prefer the sound of an active bass to a passive one.
Less is less, and more is more; Reality 101.
I used to prefer V/V/T. My main bass is a Fender Jazz bass so I was used to it. However, when I got my Yamaha BB735, I discover that the Blend can be more usefull. 90% of the time is only the P-pickup or both, but when I need just a little bit more highs, I just blend it a little bit towards the bridge pickup. Something that I found more difficult in my jazz bass
I prefer blend to VVT, but I would prefer a rotary select of N/S/P/B to a blend or two volumes.
Ixnay on the blend knob. I try to go VVT. Can't do it on my Warwick because of the electronics, but that bass, well, just wish it had a kill switch and that's all. I run it full blast no matter what.
