Fender Jazz Just WON'T Cut Through!

[kyral210]

Yes, with both pickups, it scoops a lot. The best situation I've found is to solo the neck pickup and the bass becomes "useable" but still not where I want to be.

I have two Rays, one with rounds and another with flats, both cut through with no problem. I even have a Squier VM Jazz with 15 year old flats that comes through better than this Fender Standard with new rounds.

I cannot understand this at all..

If all else has failed, try new pickups.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Play your Ray and call it a day.

 

[billinbrasil]

OP here..

Last night, I adjusted the height of the pickups. I had to put foam under them to bring them up. The bass seemed to really come to life...

Tomorrow's gig will be the litmus test, I'll report back.

Thanks to all for the ideas!...

 

[Ritter667]

I'm at my wit's end with this Fender Jazz Standard, I cannot get an articulate tone out of it when playing with my band (classic rock trio, not overly loud). All of my other basses (a lot of other basses) all work, some active, some passive, some with rounds, some with flats. I run a mid heavy EQ and never have a problem cutting through, except for this particular bass. I've run it with both pickups, just bridge, just neck. Just neck is the best but it's still not what I want or expect. It's strung with round steels.

What else can I try before I sell it?

EDIT: I should say that the bass sounds fantastic by itself.

Solo the bridge pickup and run it through an Xotic EP Booster in the stock setting.

And use fresh roundwound strings.

 

[IronLung1986]

You shouldn't have to favour one pickup over the other to cut through the mix - pickup selection should be a matter of tonal preference, not necessity. I play my Jazzes with the pickups centred 99% of the time and have no issue cutting through - whether it's in a trio setting or a twelve piece setting.

True. In my experience if you're feeling like you have to favor one pickup to cut through or be heard, it points to having not enough amp or cab. Single pickup basses can cut through with less power. It might not be as full and pillowy and luxurious but you'll hear it. I used to use just a 2x10 for shows. My P bass sounded fine, but all my two-pickup basses would get lost unless I favored one pickup. You need a certain amount of power to use two pickups, relative to the loudness of the band you're with. If you want that both-up-full Jazz bass sound you have to have the power to sort of brute force it through. There's other stuff you can do like add a pedal or aggressively EQ it to make it more audible, but there's an underlying issue of power and air.

 

[Geri O]

I'm at my wit's end with this Fender Jazz Standard, I cannot get an articulate tone out of it when playing with my band (classic rock trio, not overly loud). All of my other basses (a lot of other basses) all work, some active, some passive, some with rounds, some with flats. I run a mid heavy EQ and never have a problem cutting through, except for this particular bass. I've run it with both pickups, just bridge, just neck. Just neck is the best but it's still not what I want or expect. It's strung with round steels.

What else can I try before I sell it?

EDIT: I should say that the bass sounds fantastic by itself.

I can't believe no one asked this question yet. It just occurred to me to ask….

What bass tone are you looking for?

Are you looking that specific classic both pups 100%, tone 100% that the definitive Jazz bass tone?

Or are you looking for a good basic tone, no particular tone associated with any bass, but sufficient to use with your specific situation?

 

[Pacman]

You just don't see many people playing a jazz bass. Plus they are goofy shaped.

Did you really just type that?

 

[Geri O]

Did you really just type that?

I literally have no tongue biting it trying to not respond to that.

Literally. It's gone. You can look.......

 

[tvbop]

J's are either mid scooped (all up) or honky and nasaly (neck down bridge up) The cure is a P bass with dead flats. Dry punch and bark for days.

 

[Gizmot]

Conversely, Geddy Lee made the shift from his Rick to Jazzes. YMMV.

Nothing whatsoever against Geddy but what does that have to do with the issue at hand? Certain basses will work better for different players and in different setups. I think a Ric will go lower and have better presence than a Jazz, but some people won’t agree. Gimme the Ric any day of the week

 

[FRoss6788]

Nothing whatsoever against Geddy but what does that have to do with the issue at hand? Certain basses will work better for different players and in different setups. I think a Ric will go lower and have better presence than a Jazz, but some people won't agree. Gimme the Ric any day of the week

It’s a response to a prior post suggesting the OP switch to a Ric.

 

[Gizmot]

It's a response to a prior post suggesting the OP switch to a Ric.

I understand - and agree that it would be worth a try

 

[FRoss6788]

I understand - and agree that it would be worth a try

A Ric instead of a J to resolve the issue of cutting through?

Laughable. Truly laughable.

They’re FAR more similar than they are different.

 

[MrAB4003]

A Ric instead of a J to resolve the issue of cutting through?

Laughable. Truly laughable.

They're FAR more similar than they are different.

Why not? What's truly laughable is certain closed-minded Fender-centric attitudes here on TB. For some people, Fender Ps and Js are the be all end all of bass guitars. But there are so many other viable options out there and that is the whole essence of this thread. If OP doesn't hear their Jazz Bass cutting through the mix, there are plenty of similar basses that will get the job done better. A Ric 4003 is my preferred bass for the job, so I figured I'd suggest it.

I understand that you personally are not a fan of Ric 4003s, but that has nothing to do with this thread.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

As a jazz bass player (yes, despite some comments in this thread we do exist) this is a pretty useful thread for troubleshooting a lost Jazz Bass in a mix. Personally, I play fingers and Labella flats on my Jazzes, and on my Ashdown amp I usually boost the low mids and treble.

I’ll say it, I don’t like rounds on a Jazz Bass. I find they really get lost in a mix, and I dislike how the single pickups sound with rounds. Just my opinion, and everyone has one.

As a gigging bassist who plays in multiple different venues in rooms of various sizes, the EQ on my amp is always changing to best suit the room I’m in. With my jazz bass, I usually plug in play a little then during sound check I go all in on adjusting the EQ knobs. I set it to where I can best guess the room, then I walk out to where the crowd would be while me and the band runs through a song or a section, then I twiddle knobs based on what I hear. A jazz bass with both pickups on is REALLY hard to eq just right, at least compared to a P. You really have to be comfortable with turning the knobs on your amp until it sounds good.

 

[FRoss6788]

Why not? What's truly laughable is certain closed-minded Fender-centric attitudes here on TB. For some people, Fender Ps and Js are the be all end all of bass guitars and that's OK. But there are so many other viable options out there and that is the whole essence of this thread. If OP doesn't hear their Jazz Bass cutting through the mix, there are plenty of similar basses that will get the job done better. A Ric 4003 is my preferred bass for the job, so I figured I'd suggest it.

I understand that you personally are not a fan of Ric 4003s, but that has nothing to do with this thread.

The OP is asking what to adjust or tweak to get the Jazz to cut, not spend 2K+ on a new (2) single coil bass, that in my experience ( three of them in the past) can get lost as easily as a Jazz.

That’s why the suggestion of buying a Ric is laughable.

 

[MrAB4003]

The OP is asking what to adjust or tweak to get the Jazz to cut, not spend 2K+ on a new (2) single coil bass, that in my experience ( three of them in the past) can get lost as easily as a Jazz.

That's why the suggestion of buying a Ric is laughable.

I'm at my wit's end with this Fender Jazz Standard, I cannot get an articulate tone out of it when playing with my band (classic rock trio, not overly loud). All of my other basses (a lot of other basses) all work, some active, some passive, some with rounds, some with flats. I run a mid heavy EQ and never have a problem cutting through, except for this particular bass. I've run it with both pickups, just bridge, just neck. Just neck is the best but it's still not what I want or expect. It's strung with round steels.

What else can I try before I sell it?

EDIT: I should say that the bass sounds fantastic by itself.

I understand your perspective. But I stand by my suggestion if OP can't cut through the mix in a power trio. It also seems like he doesn't like the tones he's getting from his bass in a not-so crowded mix (only him, one guitar, and drums). Why put lipstick on a pig? OP's Jazz Bass is MIA, so selling it and replacing it with a Ric (or something else) is not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Sorry to spam, but it also depends on how the other instruments are eq’d.

Let’s take 2 bands which material I’m familiar with, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Zep is Jazz bass and Sabbs is P bass. The guitars are usually eq’d and mixed completely differently, and I find if I play sabbath with my Jazz Bass, I struggle tonally whereas with my P I can just plug in. Same with Zeppelin, whenever I play my Jazz and throw on Zeppelin 2, everything just sits together so nicely but with a P I end up endlessly turning knobs until I find what works.

 

[Geri O]

Why not? What's truly laughable is certain closed-minded Fender-centric attitudes here on TB. For some people, Fender Ps and Js are the be all end all of bass guitars. But there are so many other viable options out there and that is the whole essence of this thread. If OP doesn't hear their Jazz Bass cutting through the mix, there are plenty of similar basses that will get the job done better. A Ric 4003 is my preferred bass for the job, so I figured I'd suggest it.

I understand that you personally are not a fan of Ric 4003s, but that has nothing to do with this thread.

I love it when close-minded (insert favorite bass here)-centrics come in here and call out other close-minded (insert their favorite bass here)-centrics.

What a route to intelligent conversation.

I’m Mike Lull-centric, Music Man-centric, and soon to be Fender-centric. I’m quite close-minded about it, too. But at least I’m honest about it. And I leave other close-minded (yet again the favorite)-centrics alone about it….

 

[MrAB4003]

I love it when close-minded (insert favorite bass here)-centrics come in here and call out other close-minded (insert their favorite bass here)-centrics.

What a route to intelligent conversation.

I'm Mike Lull-centric, Music Man-centric, and soon to be Fender-centric. I'm quite close-minded about it, too. But at least I'm honest about it. And I leave other close-minded (yet again the favorite)-centrics alone about it….

Offering different bass suggestions for OP is a great way to start and continue intelligent conversations. That's why I posted days ago on this thread. I appreciate your honesty and your love for Mike Lull, EBMM, and now Fender basses. Good on you for finding what works for you! But mocking my style of writing or my tastes in basses is uncalled for.