Decided to switch it up a bit, I put the stock bridge back on mine and remove the hipshot bridge
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I've seen some of the Aerodyne's that say Crafted in Japan on the back of the neck and also seen Made in Japan
which is the better of the two?
which is the better of the two?
guys i need some help. i have a fender deluxe active mim p bass which i love and i might want another pj soon. it has come down to these choices.
fender aerodyne bass
fender duff mckagan sig.
fender blacktop jazz.
how do these basses compare to eachother and to my current bass?
fender aerodyne bass
fender duff mckagan sig.
fender blacktop jazz.
how do these basses compare to eachother and to my current bass?
The Aerodyne has a lighter and thinner body with, IMO, a much more comfortable neck
Duff uses Aerodynes over his sig models at many times, so that says something about the two basses.
The main difference is the electronics. The Aerodyne has a VVT set up and standard MIJ pickups, which people often change out. The Duff sig has an SD Bassline pickup in the jazz position, a 3way pickup selector switch which lets you get a true iso on the P, and a TBX control instead of a tone pot.
I have the original 80s MIJ version rather than a Duff sig and the Aero is nowhere near as punchy with the sound. The Aeros are a Jazz body while the Duff is slightly smaller Precision shape, but has the regular roundover edges as opposed to the archtop and binding of the Aero.
They're both solid basses and you wpuld do very well with either, but I would say if you can find a used Jazz Bass Special from the 80s (what the Duff is based on) that's the way I would go. They're all in the same price range used, though it sounds like you're thinking of buying new?
The Blacktop I can't comment on as I haven't played one, but isnt that a dual P as opposed to a PJ?
I have the original 80s MIJ version rather than a Duff sig and the Aero is nowhere near as punchy with the sound. The Aeros are a Jazz body while the Duff is slightly smaller Precision shape, but has the regular roundover edges as opposed to the archtop and binding of the Aero.
They're both solid basses and you wpuld do very well with either, but I would say if you can find a used Jazz Bass Special from the 80s (what the Duff is based on) that's the way I would go. They're all in the same price range used, though it sounds like you're thinking of buying new?
The Blacktop I can't comment on as I haven't played one, but isnt that a dual P as opposed to a PJ?
so you're saying aerodyne has better pickups or that they're kinda the same?
thanks. when you mean the aerodyne has standard p/j pickups, do u mean like the same pickups found in the $500 fender mim standard precision ad jazz basses? if so then forget about it. but yeah im looking for new stuff. and the blacktop jazz is jazz bass body and neck with 2 p bass pickups (sounds like a jazz bass on steriods from what ive heard)
The Aerodyne pups are MIJ and better than the Mexican stuff, but some people like to swap them out for something beefier. I think they sound pretty good, but the Aero is often used by rock/metal players and you hear the occasional complaint of a thin sound when both are dialed up - but that's normal for most PJ setups where the J will have a lower impedance or be quieter due to being at a less resonant point of the string.
I meant 'standard' as in common, along with the VVT controls of a normal Jazz. I think a pickup selector switch and/or a series parallel switch are always a good idea for dual pickup basses - but these would be mods to every model you're looking at, aside from the selector switch on the Duff.
I think Malak also has a Blacktop Jazz with the dual Ps so he can probably answer there. I have a dual P in an older 80s Fender but it has hot-rod pickups and different switching, so it's likely got a different sound. In terms of the bridge pickup, you can dial in a fair bit of the 'burp' but it doesn't get nasally like a J pickup does. It's not quite as crisp and clear either, but again, that may be your preference if you're looking for a little more depth in the sound.
I meant 'standard' as in common, along with the VVT controls of a normal Jazz. I think a pickup selector switch and/or a series parallel switch are always a good idea for dual pickup basses - but these would be mods to every model you're looking at, aside from the selector switch on the Duff.
I think Malak also has a Blacktop Jazz with the dual Ps so he can probably answer there. I have a dual P in an older 80s Fender but it has hot-rod pickups and different switching, so it's likely got a different sound. In terms of the bridge pickup, you can dial in a fair bit of the 'burp' but it doesn't get nasally like a J pickup does. It's not quite as crisp and clear either, but again, that may be your preference if you're looking for a little more depth in the sound.
Duff doesn't play quite the same bass as his sig. The original 80s model had large pole, hot rod pickups which get more grind and mid-range, and he has several of these. Some people dislike these basses for that reason, but they cut through any mix because of this. The sig model is MIM and has a regular alnico P mated with a SD Basslines J in order to match the output of the two pups better, and would be a hotter output than a stock Aerodyne. I have seen pics of him using an Aero with Velvet Revolver and in some youtube interview type vids, but it's not a stock model. It has the Bassline J pup and a different control setup that is not VVT. It actually looks like the Frank Bello sig, with a side jack and dual control knobs, and more of a slab body with a different arm cut.
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Marcus, I'm fixing your reply. It got lost in Marko's original quote. For everyone else, if you haven't noticed, Marcus is new to the forum and I suspect he might be getting a little confused by the jargon we throw around all the time. So, just for the sake of clarity;
MIM: Mexican-made
MIJ: Made in Japan
CIJ: Crafted in Japan (there's a difference between a few factories in Japan, this is so we know which one it was made at and when)
MIA: American-made
pups = pickups
Etc, etc…
Just by the fact of it being "ACTIVE" will increase the sonic output. It doesn't necessarily mean it will sound better to your or other's ears. But if you were to plug both into the same amp, with the same settings, I'm willing to bet it would have more presence. However, with enough amplification, you could make even a ukelele fill an auditorium.
Like Marko said, they're MIJ, which presumably should be better. I, for one, try not to let "country of origin" color my perceptions. Unless something is wretchedly built, I try to see things as "different", not "better". Here's two examples;
The last I heard Duff was using a refinished Reggie Hamilton body mated to a Geddy Lee neck, or at least, that's what Reggie himself said. Sounds like an interesting hybrid, no?
MIM: Mexican-made
MIJ: Made in Japan
CIJ: Crafted in Japan (there's a difference between a few factories in Japan, this is so we know which one it was made at and when)
MIA: American-made
pups = pickups
Etc, etc…
Just by the fact of it being "ACTIVE" will increase the sonic output. It doesn't necessarily mean it will sound better to your or other's ears. But if you were to plug both into the same amp, with the same settings, I'm willing to bet it would have more presence. However, with enough amplification, you could make even a ukelele fill an auditorium.
Like Marko said, they're MIJ, which presumably should be better. I, for one, try not to let "country of origin" color my perceptions. Unless something is wretchedly built, I try to see things as "different", not "better". Here's two examples;
- I built a bass from parts (a Franken-Fender, if you will) earlier this year, but I haven't had much luck getting a sound I like. Although I prefer a more aggressive tone, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder Precision pickup may be a little too harsh. I recently bought an MIJ P-pup from the classifieds section, and when it arrives, I'll see if I can get a little "mellow" back into the sound.
- This will also address your Blacktop question. (Didn't I already talk about it in another of your threads, Marcus?) Yes, the Blacktop basses are MIM. Does that make them "no good"? Not by my measure. As far as I'm concerned, it' kicks serious @$$. I'm so impressed someone can get so much bass for so little money! But I think calling it a "jazz on steroids" is a rather confusing term. (There are many debates and opinions around the forum as to what constitutes a "Jazz Bass". Some base it on the pickup configuration. I, personally, go by the body shape since electronics can be altered…like having, say, a Lexus with a Porsche engine in it. As far as anyone can tell, it's a Lexus, no matter what's under the hood.) It's a Jazz bass that happens to have a pair of split-coil Precision pickups installed instead of a pair of single-coil Jazz pups. When you solo the neck pickup, you get something pretty-darn-close-if-not-spot-on to a classic, Precision sound. When you start adding in the bridge pup, it takes on a sound unique unto itself…aggressive, boomy, ballsy, kicks-like-a-mule, choose your own adjective. I suspect if you were to hand it off to most bassists for a blindfolded test, making sure they couldn't get any clue of it's model or country of origin, they couldn't call it "inferior".
The last I heard Duff was using a refinished Reggie Hamilton body mated to a Geddy Lee neck, or at least, that's what Reggie himself said. Sounds like an interesting hybrid, no?
lol sorry. i know what all those abbreviations are? i tend to miss things when im reading but ive been playing bass for four years. i know the terms
No problem. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.
So anyway, my current PJ bass has vintage alnico p pickup and then I'm buying a squier VM 77 j bass with Duncan's. And also a swuier cv 60s p bass with custom alnico pu. How do those compare to duff mckagan signature pickups and sound again?
If the stock CV-P's pickup, what they call "custom", is as good as the CV-J's, it should be pretty darn good, if not outright excellent. (I'm thinking of buying a CV-J bridge pickup for a small upgrade, if that tells you anything)
If I'm reading the specs on the Duff-sig's bridge pup correctly, it should be an over-wound stack coil. I could be wrong, but I think that might make it like a split-coil pickup packed into a Jazz-sized housing. If so, it should be similar to a Super 55 Split-Coil Jazz I used in my parts-bass project. This all means it will be yield stronger output than a normal single-coil bridge pup AND will eliminate a lot of the hum they are prone to.
One of the reasons I don't want a Duff-sig is the three-way switch. With it a pickup is either "ON" or "OFF". You can't dial down the amount of volume of either in small doses. So for me, who likes a 100%/50-75% setting (neck/bridge), it can't be done without modding the electronics. Some people like it, but it's just not for me.
Sorry I can't comment on "how does it sound?". I've never had a chance to see one up close. But beyond that, even if you put the same exact pickups in your own P/J (which is possible…they're not hard to buy), the TBX control would give a different shape to the overall tone.
Thats true. I saw him playing it with slash and that Miles Kennedy dude slash plays with now. It makes sense as duff had a bone stock Reggie and Geddy years ago , I dont believe he ever played those out though but he must have got the idea of combining them from that. I know Slash's Tech and a guy that is actually just a photographer but really good friends with Duff just from there love of cycling so I get a lot of second hand info, never met the guy though.
This is not true.
You still have 2 volume controls, so if the pickup selector switch is set in the middle to "both" then you can mix volumes from each pickup as you please.
The main benefit of the switch is being able to iso the P pickup to get a pure, thick and meaty P sound that is not colored in any way by the J pup being in the circuit, something that many P players dislike about PJ setups.
Doh!
That's right! My bad…me sad…Marko rad.He's absolutely right. Thanks for the correction. I had a serious brain-fart there.
