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Can a Jazz still get "Jaco Tone"?

Can the Standard Jazz Bass and other inexpensive basses still get the "Jaco Tone"

  • Yes, but other same priced basses can't

    Votes: 9 20.5%

  • No, you need to pay more to get that tone

    Votes: 10 22.7%

  • Yes, but other even less expensive basses can get that tone

    Votes: 22 50.0%

  • No, but other less expensive or equally priced basses can

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Total voters
    44
  • Poll closed .
M

Mud Flaps

Feb 3, 2003
1,144
5
Norton, MA
#1
Can the Standard MIM Fretless Jazz Basses still get the Jaco Tone? I was thinking about getting one. This summer I plan on getting a Full-Size Upright Bass and a Lakland 55-02 fretless (both cost about $1,100) so I'm looking for an inexpensive 4 fretless "in pursuit of Jaco-ness". Can the Fender Standard 4 Fretless Jazz Bass get that "Jaco Tone", or do I need to look somewhere else?




Edit: err, the poll doesn't make much sense. Just cross out "other inexpensive basses" or whatever that part says and you should be fine. Maybe a mod could touch that up for me? Thanks.
 
#10
It's great to be able to strive towards a sound and admire the sounds of the greats. You need to find your own voice on the bass, not someone elses. Jaco is Jaco, and you are who you are. Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't try and grasp elements from different players into your sound (and by sound I'm referring to more than just the tone coming out of your fingers and bass and amp and speaker, also what you're saying/playing).
Don't buy a Fender Jazz because you want to sound like Jaco, buy a Fender Jazz because it best helps you sound like YOU, because nothing else can achieve that sound you hear in your head. (In fact, I myself own a fretless mia Fender Jazz deluxe).
When you go to the store, play all of the basses they have, fretless, fretted, 4-string, 5-string, 6-string, active, passive, dirt cheap, super-expensive. Then after you've played all the basses there, make your decision. If fact, I went in with the thought "I'm not going to let myself buy a Fender" because I didn't want to sound like Jaco. I ended up getting the Fender because it gave me the sound I was looking for.




I'll shut up now that I'm done ranting (I appologize) and go crawl back into my cubby hole and practice.
 
#11
Yes, it can nail the Jaco sound pretty well. Jaco didn't have a magical bass carved out of a wonderful piece of wood or something. He had a couple of Fenders that probably weren't anything that special and he simply soloed the bridge pickup. But there are a lot of variables to consider, such as the individual pickup, the individual bass, and of course, the individual player. Each varies so greatly from one to the other, it's hard to say if one will sound anything like it. So not every MIM may nail it, and conversely, some may nail it perfectly.

But I do think it's a Fender thing. Fender's sound like Fenders. You likely won't get the same sound out of a Yamaha or Ibanez. Different woods, different construction (neck width, weight, etc).
 
#12
I had an instructor that could pick up any bass and sound like Jaco... or Marcus... or Victor. Didn't matter if it was a Squire or a Zon. Now, I can pick up a '62 Jazz, put Rotos on it, solo the bridge and play thru a 360 and not sound like Jaco (unfortunately!).

I think up to 90% (or more) of a "signature" sound is a combination of the artist's mind and hands. No bass will deliver that. It's practice and talent - not names on a headstock.
 
#13
Jeff Rader said:
I had an instructor that could pick up any bass and sound like Jaco... or Marcus... or Victor. Didn't matter if it was a Squire or a Zon. Now, I can pick up a '62 Jazz, put Rotos on it, solo the bridge and play thru a 360 and not sound like Jaco (unfortunately!).

I think up to 90% (or more) of a "signature" sound is a combination of the artist's mind and hands. No bass will deliver that. It's practice and talent - not names on a headstock.
Click to expand...

I concur!

I can almost nail a Jaco-esque tone, but I'm using an SX fretless Jazz with a poly-coated fingerboard, bart j's, and my SWR WM10 combo. I'm not trying to copy his sound, but I'm trying to blend it in with my own sound, because I absolutely love his tone.


And I solo the bridge pickup. :ninja:
 
#16
Jeff Rader said:
I had an instructor that could pick up any bass and sound like Jaco... or Marcus... or Victor. Didn't matter if it was a Squire or a Zon. Now, I can pick up a '62 Jazz, put Rotos on it, solo the bridge and play thru a 360 and not sound like Jaco (unfortunately!).

I think up to 90% (or more) of a "signature" sound is a combination of the artist's mind and hands. No bass will deliver that. It's practice and talent - not names on a headstock.
Click to expand...
we're talking about tone not playing style. jaco playing a p bass would sound like jaco with p bass tone, not his signature sound.
 
#17
narud said:
we're talking about tone not playing style. jaco playing a p bass would sound like jaco with p bass tone, not his signature sound.
Click to expand...

not necessarily...Jaco was a pro, and knew how he got his sound. Something I've notice when I play my P-bass is that I can coax a jazz-bass-esque tone out of it by playing closer to the bridge.

And since I'm no genious, I'm sure this occurred to dear old Jaco. So I'm sure that he could get something quite close to his sound. That's that. I'm sure his tone would vary between basses, but given enough time, he could get even his sound out of a 2x4 with fishing line stapled to it.
 
#19
BASSnSAX said:
not necessarily...Jaco was a pro, and knew how he got his sound. Something I've notice when I play my P-bass is that I can coax a jazz-bass-esque tone out of it by playing closer to the bridge.

And since I'm no genious, I'm sure this occurred to dear old Jaco. So I'm sure that he could get something quite close to his sound. That's that. I'm sure his tone would vary between basses, but given enough time, he could get even his sound out of a 2x4 with fishing line stapled to it.
Click to expand...
theres a difference between fretless mwah and jaco's sig tone. i can get mwah that is jaco like on a tele bass with a mudbucker, but in no way would i say it sounded like jaco's tone.
 

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