Help Make My Jazz a bit more P...

[lamarjones]

This won't help it be more P, but it'll turn it into the beast it should be. Fralin single coils and an east j retro. You can do nordstrand stacked js and you can probably get a good thump from soloing the neck pickup, but you have a p. That'll be full ninja katana.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

The pickups that have given me the most P-bass-esque tone from a J-bass are probably the SeymourD Apollos (with the neck pickup soloed obviously, anything involving the bridge pickup, blended or soloed, will never sound even remotely like a P-bass). The Apollos are split coils though, like P-bass pickups, not single coils, so while you get slightly more of a P-bass vibe, you will also lose some of the classic J-bass vibe. I'm not saying the Apollos sound exactly like a P-bass. They don't, and no J-bass pickup ever will, because the neck pickup is in a different position.

Of course there are lots of other split coil J-bass pickups out there too, but many of them seem to aim for a tone/feel that's as close as possible to single coils. The Apollos definitely don't do that, they are noticeable fatter sounding.

The SD Apollos:

- Hotter pickups: Check.

- More growly low-mids: That depends on what you mean about "growly". If you mean "fatter" then yes, they are definitely fatter sounding than single coil J-bass pickups. If you mean the kinda nasal mid-range that most people refer to when they say growly then no, it won't really be growlier than any other J-bass pickups, maybe even slightly less than most (and that nasal kinda growl isn't what a P-bass tone is about anyway).

- Don't want to loose that J Bass zingy attack\brightness: That's not what a P-bass is about, so no, that's not the Apollos are about either. You can't have it both ways. You'll need single coils for the classic J-bass attack.

And if you want the bass to sit in the mix like a P-bass, you'll need the pickup to be in the P-bass "sweetspot", which isn't the case on a J-bass.

 

[H13]

UPDATE

I appreciate the suggestions so far!

I played around with some compressors and some OD pedals. In every circumstance I was able to compensate for the lack of output by turning up the level past unity.

BUUUUT...I don't want to have to do that. I'd like the bass to have enough output to make me happy so that I could run the bass DI and get the output I want. It feels like a band-aid rather than an actual solution.

The series\parallel switch is something I'll get my tech to install for me . That sounds cool and considering it's literally switchable, I see no harm it being there. Even if the pickups solve my issue, no biggie, might be cool every now and then

SO:

I went on a pickup deep dive. I appreciate that bass pickups sound fantastic DI because it makes it so much easier to compare than guitar pickups

I found a neck pickup that I REALLY like.



The Model J pickup in the neck is pretty much spot on what I'm looking for. HOWEVER: Not a huge fan of that Model J bridge. Sacrificed some zing there and I feel like it's a bit barky\not suuuper deep like a normal J Bass pickup.

And blow me down, it's a humbucker. Surprised me because as I said, I thought I was a single coil guy but...well...maybe it's a one-off?

So I think I'm leaning towards a Humbucker neck, and then a single coil in the bridge? Is this feasible? I assume I'd need a pretty powerful bridge pickup to not get dominated by the neck pickup, which will cost some zing, but hopefully not as much as a Bridge humbucker?

 

[deepestend]

My problem with Andy is that it's difficult for me to be sure it sounds soooooo good because of the bass or the guy behind the bass !

I know. Can’t really tell what they’d sound like because his playing is so good. I listen to this and then him playing traditional jazz pickups and it all sounds killer.

 

[logdrum]

Just bring the bridge or neck pickup volume down a bit

 

[deepestend]

Just bring the bridge or neck pickup volume down a bit

This too. Don’t over complicate everything for a few % points of difference.

 

[HelpImaRock]

UPDATE

I appreciate the suggestions so far!

I played around with some compressors and some OD pedals. In every circumstance I was able to compensate for the lack of output by turning up the level past unity.

BUUUUT...I don't want to have to do that. I'd like the bass to have enough output to make me happy so that I could run the bass DI and get the output I want. It feels like a band-aid rather than an actual solution.

The series\parallel switch is something I'll get my tech to install for me . That sounds cool and considering it's literally switchable, I see no harm it being there. Even if the pickups solve my issue, no biggie, might be cool every now and then

SO:

I went on a pickup deep dive. I appreciate that bass pickups sound fantastic DI because it makes it so much easier to compare than guitar pickups

I found a neck pickup that I REALLY like.



The Model J pickup in the neck is pretty much spot on what I'm looking for. HOWEVER: Not a huge fan of that Model J bridge. Sacrificed some zing there and I feel like it's a bit barky\not suuuper deep like a normal J Bass pickup.

And blow me down, it's a humbucker. Surprised me because as I said, I thought I was a single coil guy but...well...maybe it's a one-off?

So I think I'm leaning towards a Humbucker neck, and then a single coil in the bridge? Is this feasible? I assume I'd need a pretty powerful bridge pickup to not get dominated by the neck pickup, which will cost some zing, but hopefully not as much as a Bridge humbucker?

Yes, guitarists do this all the time. If you've ever seen a Fat Strat or 70s Tele Custom, they mix humbuckers and single coils.

I'm not a Jazz player, so I'll refrain from pickup opinions here. Another option is to get a clean preamp pedal like the MXR M81 or an EQ pedal like the BOSS GEB-7.

 

[Malak the Mad]

BTW buddy. That's a sweet looking bass. Still have it??

Yessir!

I should be changing the electronics suite to DiMarzio Sixties and an Audere Pro JZ3. If all goes according to plan, this should hopefully be the last time I mod it.

 

[H13]

Yessir!

I should be changing the electronics suite to DiMarzio Sixties and an Audere Pro JZ3. If all goes according to plan, this should hopefully be the last time I mod it.

Forgot to mention this before.

Seriously AWESOME looking beast.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

First of all, let's get the sexy picture out of the way.

View attachment 7196883

This is my Squier Classic Vibe. It's bloody fantastic, but what a shock! The pickups could do some work...

I bought the J after a CV P Bass. I love what a P Bass does to a mix, but I find it hard to make "cool poopie I do on my bass" cut through the mix properly. It does an amazing job of filling everything in and making the mix sound huge, but yeah, when I go for a wanky bit, it gets lost in the mix.

Obviously the wanky parts are the most important bit right?

ANYWAYS

So I got myself a Jazz. I figured the "zing" from the Bridge Pickup would help me cut through. I have tried a P\J before and...ehhh? For me, it didn't do a good enough job of being a P, nor did it do a good enough job of being a J.

So I want to take this J, and make it P-Bass ish but hopefully keep all the zing to help it punch and cut through a mix so that you can hear when I do something cool (which is shagin rare, so damn straight y'all should hear that SWEET Pentatonic run)

Also, the stock J pickups are a BIT...limp-wristed. They sound nice! But they're a bit pissweak. So before you recommend "volume down on the bridge" it didn't really do the job because the pickups are underpowered.

In my head, I can hear a bass which has the sharp transient of the J, that then blooms out like a P. However there are also voices in my head which tell me I should stack rocks from smallest to largest. My brain is a weird place that doesn't make sense. Obviously I'm going to have to make compromises but I'm sure I'm not the only person who has dreamed this up.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE:
- Hotter pickups
- More growly low-mids
- Don't want to loose that J Bass zingy attack\brightness

I've seen the Dimarzio Model J pickups discussed like this before? Also a series switch for the pickups? Any other tips and tricks?

My 1982 Jazz that I bought in 1985 has an all-maple neck (with dots) and the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" center to center. So I would expect yours to sound similar to mine. I bought mine because it had the same neck dimensions (60's Slim C-shape with 7.25" radius) as my 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966. Played that throughout high school and some college and then toured with it in a nightclub band for 3-years in the early 70's. We played 5-nights a week 50-weeks a year. I got to know the feel of that neck really well. Quite touring in 1974 but still played weekend gigs. Then in 1976 house was burglarized and all my touring gear was stolen, including my '65 Jazz.

Looked for the better part of 10-years for another Jazz with that neck, but the every Jazz I came across had a fat neck. Was working part time in 1985 at a large privately owned music store when my '82 came in. Fellow wanted to trade it towards an Aria Pro II because that was an active bass and the Jazz is passive. As soon as I played it, I knew I had to have it and 30-days later the owner gave me a good deal on it. Didn't have an amp again until 1997 and then I found out that this '82 Jazz sounded better than my '65, while playing just like it. With that all-maple neck it gets great sustain, far better than my '65. And, since the bass pickup is almost 1/2" closer to the bridge (0.4" to be exact) it has a brighter sound than my '65 did. I'd love to have my '65 Jazz back, but my '82 would still be my primary bass because it sounds better than my '65.

Before you changing pickups and other pieces try turning all your controls (V, V, & T) all the way up. Then set your amp EQ flat except for your low-mids. I boost my low mids at 250Hz to 1:30. If I am recording at a pro studio, I'll set my low-mids at 500Hz with that same amount of boost. In both cases, it's not much but makes a big difference in the sound. It will give your bass presence and definition in the mix. Anywhere between 250Hz and 550Hz will do the trick but I really prefer 250Hz for live performances and 500Hz for recordings.

I stumbled across that 500Hz for recordings back in 2019 when our group booked a 3-hour session with a pro-studio in Seattle. I bought in my Eden WT500/800 amp and my DNS-410 cab but the studio wanted me to go direct because the drums and bass were in the same room and there would be too much cross talk between tracks. So I pulled out my WTDI, which is a stompbox size DI with built-in Eden WT preamp. That preamp only has one mids control and you can toggle it between 500Hz and 2.2KHz. So I toggled it to 500Hz put in that little boost and there was that sound that I love.

The studio wanted me to use one of their generic DI's but I insisted on using my WTDI. At the end of the 3-hour session they had me listen to the raw takes and my bass sounded spectacular. Then both the sound engineer and the owner of the studio came out to see what I was using that sounded so good. The engineer said what I heard was exactly the signal I sent him. The only thing he did was adjust the level. He didn't change the EQ or add an compression to it, or make any other adjustments at all. I used it a couple of times since for recordings and always get the best recording out of it. And that's just from a little boos in the low-mids using a bass very similar to the one you have pictured.

So give that little boost to the low mids at try and see if that doesn't tickle your fancy. Also, if you want to make your bass growl, just dig into the strings directly over the bridge pickup, and she'll growl all night long.

And finally, you are not going to be able to make it sound like a P-bass because it's not a P-bass. You can get it close, but if you want it to sound like a P-bass, then you need to buy a P-bass. Just be aware that you will lose all those upper harmonics with the P-bass though, which is why you can't make a P-bass sound like a Jazz.

 

[DCCat]

I suggest a Model J in the neck and an Ultra Jazz in the bridge. The Model J will approximate a P and the Ultra Jazz will give you some zing.

 

[GR7G5TER]

My problem with Andy is that it's difficult for me to be sure it sounds soooooo good because of the bass or the guy behind the bass !

The is yes!

Beast of if a player

 

[Gervais Cote]

I suggest a Model J in the neck and an Ultra Jazz in the bridge. The Model J will approximate a P and the Ultra Jazz will give you some zing.

How come I never thought about that ?????

(Honey, please bring me my small Philips screwdriver !)

 

[bucephylus]

I use the Delano JMVC pickups and a Sadowsky Onboard or Outboard preamp. I found that combination while performing with the last (to my knowledge) Big Band in PHX some years ago; and favoring that neck pickup with that setup produces very credible mid-50’s - ish P sound. I still use that combination for P oriented material.

That said, the post 57 P pickup does have a wider aperture to the strings, and so intrinsically produces a smoother bass blanket of a tone. The better humcancelling J pickups, such as the Delanos, have a bit more cut, while generally being in the P zone; more similar to the early single coil P’s.

The 2 band Sadowsky preamp, used properly, also helps. The Onboard versions have the VTC, which adds further benefit.

Ultimately, if you want a split pickup P, then play one. Properly modded J basses get close enough for cover work, while doing a whole array of other things the P can’t touch. I use both, and am pretty sure neither my ensemble mates nor the audience can discriminate.

 

[Hectobar]

If you want a p pick up get one. That being said you can get super close by neck pu only, turn down volume a hair (changes character), tone knob.

The j pick up has more inherit lows. Clip those on your amp, tone knob on the highs and you will be there.

 

[dougjwray]

I would try the series/parallel pull pot first.
Another thing: The "neck pickup only" setting on a Jazz Bass really doesn't match a Precision. But that's good. I use it when I want a more "polite", smoother Precision sound. You already have a Precision. Why not simply give yourself more colors to work with?

Edit: I feel like the universal default setting for making people notice your (fingerstyle) wanky bits, post-Jaco, is the soloed bridge pickup with some low end added by the amp. Or, as Jaco said, "Treble all the way up on the bass, and bass all the way up on the amp." So maybe you already own what you're seeking?

 

[AK Bass Guy]

UPDATE

I appreciate the suggestions so far!

I played around with some compressors and some OD pedals. In every circumstance I was able to compensate for the lack of output by turning up the level past unity.

BUUUUT...I don't want to have to do that. I'd like the bass to have enough output to make me happy so that I could run the bass DI and get the output I want. It feels like a band-aid rather than an actual solution.

The series\parallel switch is something I'll get my tech to install for me . That sounds cool and considering it's literally switchable, I see no harm it being there. Even if the pickups solve my issue, no biggie, might be cool every now and then

SO:

I went on a pickup deep dive. I appreciate that bass pickups sound fantastic DI because it makes it so much easier to compare than guitar pickups

I found a neck pickup that I REALLY like.



The Model J pickup in the neck is pretty much spot on what I'm looking for. HOWEVER: Not a huge fan of that Model J bridge. Sacrificed some zing there and I feel like it's a bit barky\not suuuper deep like a normal J Bass pickup.

And blow me down, it's a humbucker. Surprised me because as I said, I thought I was a single coil guy but...well...maybe it's a one-off?

So I think I'm leaning towards a Humbucker neck, and then a single coil in the bridge? Is this feasible? I assume I'd need a pretty powerful bridge pickup to not get dominated by the neck pickup, which will cost some zing, but hopefully not as much as a Bridge humbucker?

If the model J doesn't have enough zing, try and find some demos of Dimarzio Ultra Js. I hade a PJ with one of those in the bridge and they are really loud and really bright.

 

[H13]

Guys.

I hate to be such a basic bitch.

...but I think I may have sorted it?



Quarter Pounders.

Big, beefy, still got the normal "J Bass" pick attack which I'm desperate to keep. It's something which I've noticed the Split Jazz basses kinda lose a little.

I'd like a BIT more snap, but...I could probably get that from my amp or pedals without much effort. Or maybe drop in an active circuit with a treble boost?

Thoughts on these pickups?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Quarter Pounders.

Big, beefy, still got the normal "J Bass" pick attack which I'm desperate to keep. It's something which I've noticed the Split Jazz basses kinda lose a little.

I'd like a BIT more snap, but...I could probably get that from my amp or pedals without much effort. Or maybe drop in an active circuit with a treble boost?

Thoughts on these pickups?

If they give you the sound you hear in your head, who are we to say otherwise? Good luck and I hope they work out for you!

 

[H13]

Well I've never played them in person so...

But it seems like "really hot J Bass" pickups were what I'm after?

Has anybody got any experience with these? Thoughts?