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Can you hear the difference?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I can hear a difference but it is pretty slight. The 70s spacing is definitely more familiar to me (I play a MIJ Marcus jazz)/closer to what I would expect, but the 60s spacing is REAL close. I wouldn't sweat one over the other if purchasing one. They both sound great.
I can always hear the difference when I'm playing a 60s vs 70s spaced jazz. And always prefer the 70s. Whether that translates into the audience being able to tell the difference is kind of immaterial. I want to be happy with my sound, forget what anyone else thinks!
I am pretty sure that I said multiple times that I did ever see me not wanting more basses. I have overcome GAS to the degree that I do not see me trading away my current gear on a whim, as I did multiple times in the past, just to get something new. By that standard, I am holding up just fine.
I hear a difference, but it's like Galas and Fujis rather than Apples and Oranges
That's a great way to describe the difference!
Its hard to tell because it isn't a very well done comparison.
First, there is A LOT of fret buzz, made worse by the audio clipping and distorting the top end of the bass.
Then, they twiddle the knobs frantically, making it hard to tell exactly what position you are hearing.
Finally, the two clips should be interlace, so they are edited to have the different tones and position right next to each other.
From what I understand, the different between the two has always been very subtle, and only a real jazz bass geek could pick one out from the other in a clean recording. In a mix, the slight change in attack would pretty much disappear.
First, there is A LOT of fret buzz, made worse by the audio clipping and distorting the top end of the bass.
Then, they twiddle the knobs frantically, making it hard to tell exactly what position you are hearing.
Finally, the two clips should be interlace, so they are edited to have the different tones and position right next to each other.
From what I understand, the different between the two has always been very subtle, and only a real jazz bass geek could pick one out from the other in a clean recording. In a mix, the slight change in attack would pretty much disappear.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Hopkins
Commercial User
Its hard to tell a difference in this video. His slap style was was all attack without letting the notes ring out, and I am not even sure if he had the neck pickup on which would have obscured the result. The finger style player played two completely different things which made it pretty difficult to gauge a difference. That being said, within a normal circumstance, anyone should be able to tell a difference between 60's and 70's pickup spacing, because there is nothing that has a bigger impact on tone other than pickup spacing, and the difference gets larger as you get closer to the bridge.
There's a slightly audible difference between the two to my ears. But it's so minor as to be insignificant AFAIC. Especially listening to the playing styles in the first video - which are (IMO) completely lacking in any subtlety. Hardly the best way to play when doing a comparison of this type.
So I'm not convinced the audible difference is solely due to the pickup placements. There's just too many variables to call it with any degree of accuracy.
And I agree with an earlier comment somebody made, because I too have heard greater tonal differences between two virtually "identical" JBs to attribute what I'm hearing in the video to anything other than the normal and expected sonic differences between any two JBs.
So I'm not convinced the audible difference is solely due to the pickup placements. There's just too many variables to call it with any degree of accuracy.
And I agree with an earlier comment somebody made, because I too have heard greater tonal differences between two virtually "identical" JBs to attribute what I'm hearing in the video to anything other than the normal and expected sonic differences between any two JBs.
It seems to me like they are using the same pickups in both basses and just changing the spacing which just means the bridge pickup getting nudged back less than half an inch. That will change the tone for sure, especially the amount of scoop with both pickups on, but the differences between real 60's and late 70's/early 80's Jazz basses went further than that.
70's jazzes were often boat anchor heavy due to the hard ash bodies. I'm not one for saying "this wood sounds like this and that wood sounds like that" etc but I HAVE found that denser/heavier basses generally have a brighter sound to them. And the 70's Jazz. pickups themselves were cleaner sounding with less midrange information. Did the poly finish (including on the fingerboard) also play a role? I don't know. You wouldn't think the finish would have an effect but those basses were basically dipped in finish while the nitro finish on pre CBS basses was much thinner. Who knows?
But yeah, 60's vs 70's spacing with the same pickups does create a different tone but as far as actual Fenders go there's more than just the spacing that's different.
70's jazzes were often boat anchor heavy due to the hard ash bodies. I'm not one for saying "this wood sounds like this and that wood sounds like that" etc but I HAVE found that denser/heavier basses generally have a brighter sound to them. And the 70's Jazz. pickups themselves were cleaner sounding with less midrange information. Did the poly finish (including on the fingerboard) also play a role? I don't know. You wouldn't think the finish would have an effect but those basses were basically dipped in finish while the nitro finish on pre CBS basses was much thinner. Who knows?
But yeah, 60's vs 70's spacing with the same pickups does create a different tone but as far as actual Fenders go there's more than just the spacing that's different.
I have two Peavey Forum V basses. The black one is urethane coated poplar, and is about 10.5 lbs. The purple one is northern ash, and is 12 lbs. The ash bass is much brighter, but with slightly older strings, it sounds about like the poplar bass. Comparisons have so many variables.
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
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I played a couple 70s jazzes recently, and they both had a great slap tone, but were also unacceptably heavy. I assume it was the whole package contributing to the sound.
