Deep Thoughts on Jazz Basses

[Kael]

That’s all well and good, but this thread is about finding your sweet spot on a Jazz Bass. Denying that a Jazz bass also has an equally effective sweet spot, just because you’ve found that sweet spot on your P, does not mean that that it doesn’t exist on a Jazz. So naturally, I would have to say to you, perhaps you have not spent enough time with a Jazz to find yours. That’s essentially the reason I started this thread in the first place. Most everyone on this thread seems have a different spot they like to pluck, in combination with their own favorite pickup/tone settings, that gives them this sweet spot on a Jazz... The spot and particular setting that allows them to get the sounds they require to use the instrument to the fullest dynamically, responsively, artistically, etc... That allows the instrument to become the perfect tool for them to get the tones that are in their head to sound through the speakers.

For a P bass, I think Leo determined the best place to position the pickup to bring out the tone of the instrument in the best way, so a lot of that work is done because a P doesn’t have the variable of another pickup to blend with. I think a Jazz is more complicated, and it usually takes more experimentation to find that sweet spot that works for you personally, because the Jazz has so many more tones in it’s arsenal than a P.

Over the years, I’ve found that sweet spot on a Jazz that’s just right for me, and I also appreciate that there are other pickup/tone settings, besides my main sweet spot, that I can also use effectively on a Jazz bass in certain musical contexts when I need them (which a P Bass does not have - thus my “one trick pony” comment). So, I absolutely believe both basses have their sweet spot (which are not the same for everybody), and they are equal, just different. And the way to find them differs too.

The J bass pickups are in a different spot. The location of the P pickup is in the "sweet spot". It's a specific location. The J pickups aren't there. They are outside the sweet spot. It has to do with where the strings resonate with different harmonics.

Nothing wrong with J basses. Used them mainly for years myself. The pickups on a J however are NOT in the sweet spot. That's kinda the point of a J. They are intended to cover a broader frequency response than a P. That comes at a cost of some of the touch sensitivity that a P bass has. Unsure why this is controversial here.

 

[The Bass Clef]

The J bass pickups are in a different spot. The location of the P pickup is in the "sweet spot". It's a specific location. The J pickups aren't there. They are outside the sweet spot. It has to do with where the strings resonate with different harmonics.

Nothing wrong with J basses. Used them mainly for years myself. The pickups on a J however are NOT in the sweet spot. That's kinda the point of a J. They are intended to cover a broader frequency response than a P. That comes at a cost of some of the touch sensitivity that a P bass has. Unsure why this is controversial here.

It's only controversial because you are asserting your subjective opinion that a jazz's pickups aren't placed in the sweet spot for that bass, and only a P has that.

 

[Elusive1]

The pickups on a J however are NOT in the sweet spot.

I personally feel the "sweet spot" is different across all basses; Precision, Jazz or otherwise. Yes, the P Bass came first and therefore became the 'standard' by which all subsequent basses are compared, but that makes the P pickup's position the sweet spot for the Precision Bass, not the Jazz Bass.

That's kinda the point of a J.

That's kinda the point of this thread. It's intended for us Jazz Bass users to share what works for each of us.

They are intended to cover a broader frequency response than a P.

This statement proves all the more that the Jazz Bass does not lack a sweet spot, it simply has it/them in different positions from a Precision Bass. As @The Bass Clef mentioned earlier, just because you can find it on a Precision Bass and can't find it on a Jazz Bass doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it simply means you haven't found your sweet spot on a Jazz Bass yet.

Now don't get me wrong, I do like the tone of Precision Basses and I do agree that the position of the P pickup is a crucial factor to its sound; I just like the tone of Jazz Basses better. Given the choice between a Precision and a Jazz, I personally feel two single coils will work better than one split coil for me.

 

[bbh]

This post also proves that not all of us including me will read a complete post. Some don’t have the time and others like me don’t have the patience. I’ve misreplied myself a few times.

 

[Chicken Wing]

Might be off topic here, but when I play with other musicians, I tend to forget about all the features, characteristics of the instrument and just have fun. When I play at home is when I really pay attention to the fine details.

 

[vvvmmm]

Hey, The Bass Clef and Elusive 1, thanks for your patience and keepin' it classy in here - I mean it.

 

[Bassa Nova]

I own a J and P, but really feel most at home on the J which I learned on.

I believe that not every J sounds the same and picking up a new J takes a little fiddling around to find your spot. And you can’t forget about the amp.

I like the variety. Sometimes neck on full, bridge rolled off a bit, tone to taste. Sometimes neck only. Sometimes series.

 

[Auspuff]

I pretty much always run both pickups on full and I use the tone knob to get the right amount of clarity, or definition, or whatever you call it for the line I’m playing... usually tone is about 1/2 way up for fingers or pick, and about 3/4 to full for slappy stuff. If I want the Jaco finger punch, I’ll pluck over the bridge p/u and it gets me in that world. I don’t solo the bridge p/u like Jaco though, the full blast “zipper” just isn’t my thing. If it’s yours, please by all means, zip away. I’d say 95% of my playing is over the neck p/u (and both p/us volumes on full). That’s just THE sound of a Jazz bass for me, and what I feel is the best sound I pull out of a Jazz for the majority of normal everyday playing.

I look at a P Bass as a simple, one trick pony because it is, and it does that one trick wonderfully. And I look at a Jazz as more of a 3 trick pony... neck p/u solo’ed is the ”P Bass impersonation”. It’s cool. I’d rather have a P Bass, but it’ll do. Both p/us is THE jazz bass tone. Period. (insert obligatory “your mileage may vary” here, as not to offend someone who feels differently about their Jazz Bass tone). And then there’s the solo bridge p/u “Jaco zipper”. All the different volume knob combos in-between are basically irrelevant in the mix of the band, to me anyway. It’s those 3 that pop out as the clear “tricks” that a Jazz Bass does... And for me, the middle “trick” is the only one that I really care to use. I love that trick.

I have both a 2004 MIA Precision and a 2002 MIJ Jazz.

Love them both, however, I play the Jazz, daily, while the Precision sits in the case.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

After years of playing active fives, two years ago, on a lark I bought the Squier James Johnston Sig Jazz, basically because I always wanted a matching peghead Jazz in that LP Blue or Candy Apple Red. After playing since the late 70's, this was my first Fender and first Jazz Bass.

I now understand the attraction of these axes, BUT . . . . . it drives me completely nuts setting the two gains to get the sounds I'm after: As others have pointed out, it's hard to get repeatable settings. I've had combination locks on my school lockers that were easier to operate. I'm going to upgrade the pickups to side x side humbuckers and a vol / blend / tone setup as soon as possible. I'm all for honoring history, but geez, this is like going back to a kick-start motorcycle or 8-track players . . . . .

Then I bought a Precision, and it's as expected: Get enough top end on the one tone pot, then where you pick the strings is the ultimate determiner of final tone, as on any single-pickup axe. A lot to be said for that simplicity, 'one-trick pony' or not.

What’s wrong with kick-start motorcycles?

 

[JimmyM]

I have zero deep thoughts about any bass except, "Does it do what I want sonically and play well with super low action?"

 

[Stumbo]

I have deep thoughts about my pool and making sure I don't crack my head when I dive in.

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

My general thoughts on jazz basses:

1) Overall, I like them - very much. I've owned several. My current one, an 2012 Am standard - was my main gigging bass for several years.

2) They sound very good on pop records.

3) I especially like the way a '70's jazz sits in the mix when played fingerstyle.

4) They need a big amp with plenty of headroom to sound really good IMO, otherwise they can sound boxey / choked / clanky...especially with flats.

5) They are ergonomically superior to the P bass, but by and large, tonally inferior IMO - though suffice to say, some of the tones available are very good; especially the dark mid-scooped tone achieved with both pickups on, played fingerstyle.

6) Unlike most others, I'm not particularly enamoured of the typical 'both pickups with mid-scoop' SLAP tone that everyone seems to go for. I much prefer the 2 band stingray as a slapper. Come to think of it, I prefer the Precision too. It just sounds 'funkier' and way more percussive - which IMO is the whole point of slapping in the first place.

7) Anthony Jackson got the best ever sound out of a fretted jazz bass IMO - classic 'mid scoop both pickups on full', jazz tone. Geddy and JPJ close runners-up { needless to mention who got the best sound out of a fretless jazz }

8) When I play a jazz, it's usually neck P/up on 100% bridge on 90%. When I play JAZZ on a jazz, it's usually same configuration - just in reverse. I find both P/ups at 100% good for anything that requires a 'dark' tone. I never use the bridge P/up solo.

​

9) My jazz rarely comes out of its case these days. Even though I still love her. My two workhorse basses - CS '59 P and Yamaha BB2000 are on another { i.e. higher } tonal plane and seem to be getting all the gigs.

That's about it really...

Kind regards to all

 

[JW56789]

What’s wrong with kick-start motorcycles?

Trust me, they kick back.

 

[Kael]

It's only controversial because you are asserting your subjective opinion that a jazz's pickups aren't placed in the sweet spot for that bass, and only a P has that.

No, it isn't controversial. There is a sweet spot. It's a spot that Leo designated when he invented the dang thing.

There's nothing wrong with j basses. They do their thing just fine. Their thing is a wider tonal spread due to the two pickups being spread outside the sweet spot. That yields a wider range of frequencies covered at the cost of touch response. Not saying you can't play a j bass with feel or using your fingers to coax extra tones out of the damn thing. Just saying that a p bass has a wider variety of tones available due to the technique used at the price of having fewer tones available due to knob turning. That shouldn't be a point of argument. It's just a fact. You can state that isn't so as much as you like. This isn't an opinion situation. It's just a flat out fact. Both basses are perfectly functional. Heck I think every bassist should have both at some point in their career. They have differences though and understanding each instruments strengths and weaknesses is important in developing as a musician on these instruments.

 

[The Bass Clef]

No, it isn't controversial. There is a sweet spot. It's a spot that Leo designated when he invented the dang thing.

There's nothing wrong with j basses. They do their thing just fine. Their thing is a wider tonal spread due to the two pickups being spread outside the sweet spot. That yields a wider range of frequencies covered at the cost of touch response. Not saying you can't play a j bass with feel or using your fingers to coax extra tones out of the damn thing. Just saying that a p bass has a wider variety of tones available due to the technique used at the price of having fewer tones available due to knob turning. That shouldn't be a point of argument. It's just a fact. You can state that isn't so as much as you like. This isn't an opinion situation. It's just a flat out fact. Both basses are perfectly functional. Heck I think every bassist should have both at some point in their career. They have differences though and understanding each instruments strengths and weaknesses is important in developing as a musician on these instruments.

I simply don’t agree with you about Jazz basses not having their pickups in their own sweet spots, and repeating yourself isn’t going to change my mind, sorry. In fact there are Jazzes with ‘60s pickups spacing and some with (wider) ‘70s spacing, which means there are different Jazzes with different “sweet spots” that have different tones. And which one is “better” is also just as subjective. And that’s nothing to get offended about, you have your opinion, I have mine. But there’s only one of us here that believes their opinion is the only correct one, and it’s not me.

 

[socialleper]

A slightly driven double single coil, with both pickups all the way up, and a pick is a pretty awesome thing. I seem to be one of the few people that enjoy slap bass, and think a Jazz style is one of the best ways to go.
I keep trying to talk myself into a Sire V7 Vintage. I just don't have a use for it right now.

 

[socialleper]

I love jazz bass. I fall into the "dime all 3 knobs all the time" camp. Otherwise why play one.

I generally agree with you.
The bridge soloed with the tone rolled off can be pretty sexy.

 

[BassinCT]

Fortunately, there is no one “sweet spot”, but rather several spots that sound great in different contexts. If it sounds good, you can call it sweet, tasty, perfection... enjoy the flavors and try not to over think this one.

 

[Medicine Man]

I generally agree with you.
The bridge soloed with the tone rolled off can be pretty sexy.

Yeah, it was hyperbole.

 

[Gee Man]

So, a few days ago I mentioned in this thread that I was having heavy Jazz Bass GAS. I am now the proud owner of a sweet frankenbass jazz, (1997 MIJ 75 ash body, new MIA Standard Jazz neck/RW,) that has the most transparent pickups I have ever heard. Original Lane Poors from 1999. The tone is whatever you put in, nice and organic sounding, very dynamic and clear, but the best part, absolutely silent. I can set the bass down on the couch and make sure the strings aren't vibrating and you would swear the amp wasn't turned on. Love it.