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Help me get a thick Jazz bass tone!

#41
By the way, if you have a single coil passive jazz bass and like your stock electronics but would rather go active then you might look into the EMG J-set pickups. They come with a active electronics harness but the electronics do not have an eq on it per-say. It has two volumes and a tone roll-off much like a stock passive preamp. I'm installing one into my 1975 Jazz bass and I'm excited about how its going to sound. I had the Audere in there but took it out and I'm going to replace it with the EMG's. Two of my favorite bass players (Alex Al & Maurice Fitzgerald) use them in their jazz basses, and I also have a cousin who has a 72 jazz bass that has EMG's in them that he bought back in 1989 and that bass sounds killer. You just have to use the eq on your bass head.....very simple and not a bunch of fumbling around on your bass to get your sound. Want highs?? Just use the tone control!!! No highs?? Use the tone control....that simple. I was skeptical of EMG's I've always been a fan of Barts because of their clear pristine sound.......but I like to be felt and heard when I play and I believe that the EMG's will do that for me.
 
#45
I own a couple of pasive JB type basses (far better than the Fender on my taste) and when I need more and defined low end I engage a Sadowsky floor preamp.
If you can, go to a shop with your bass and try it through a Sadowsky preamp. Turn up a little the Bass knob on the preamp until you hear comfortable.

My pasive JB basses sound killers and biggers with this preamp. The price is in your budget also.
 
#46
This is a great informative thread. I am having the same problems with my Fender 64 relic jazz. I thought it was just me because I was transfering from playing highly active 5 strings i.e. Spector and Lakland to a passive bass. I have found that placement of my right hand helps the bass sound fuller i.e. near the bridge pickup up or on top of the neck pickup or inbetween them. I love the idea of the BEAD string set up but don't know if I could get used to it.
 
#48
fullrangebass said:
If it's thick, full and organic the tone you are after, I'd suggest to look into Villex pickups. Even Dub tone is possible (but never muddy or indistinct)

www.villex.com

(there is a review of a J set in the review section)
Click to expand...
Those look nice but they are a bit pricey.

bewater said:
I own a couple of pasive JB type basses (far better than the Fender on my taste) and when I need more and defined low end I engage a Sadowsky floor preamp.
If you can, go to a shop with your bass and try it through a Sadowsky preamp. Turn up a little the Bass knob on the preamp until you hear comfortable.

My pasive JB basses sound killers and biggers with this preamp. The price is in your budget also.
Click to expand...

Those are the same as the onboard 2 band preamps right? If so then they might work.

frankie5string said:
Have you tried Rotosound nylon tapewound strings? Doesn't get much fatter than that...
Click to expand...

While tapewounds may work for some I don't really care for the sound they produce.


I have been messing with my amp some more and I seem to be getting close to a thick tone, some compression is helping. Ultimately I think a series/parallel switch and possibly a set of Model J's will be going on my bass, I might also try some flats.
 
#49
I am about ready to give up, I might have been wrong about it not being the amp. So matter what I do with the EQ on the buster it stays twangy and guitar like.

Does someone want a Mesa tube head? No matter what I do with the EQ it just sounds thin and weak.
 
#51
steveksux said:
Dumb question perhaps, but have you tried playing lightly and closer to the neck? Hands make a huge difference... Won't find a cheaper solution.

And can't you roll off the highs with the onboard tone control? Make it too muddy?

Randy
Click to expand...

Playing lightly is something I cant do while standing up, while sitting down I have no problem but everything gets really clacky.
I might try raising the action as it is pretty low but I loved the low action.

I can, it gets incredibly honky though.
 
#54
Kenny Allyn said:
Now if you want way BIG you might want somthing like the one below ... but most folks don't want to take it that far

76JazzDS2.jpg



Click to expand...


Holy Crap! One open E from that thing and you'll have no windows left!
 
#55
There is no reason why you can't get a deep thick tone from your bass unless they are making those basses diferently today.

I have 2 Fender Telecaster Basses with that single coil pick up.I play it through my Galiean Krueger stuff and I get a deep fat clean tone.

I roll back the high end eqs on the amp to ablout 11:00 and roll up the low end eq to about 2:00.

I keep the tone control on the bass off.

Hope this helps.

blue
 
#56
I just raised my action, its not as clacky and the tone is much fuller.
My only problem is that I was so used to the low action and tension that it is a bit awkward, Ill get used to it.
 
#58
this is crazy, i thought i was the only one with this problem, i guess this is fairly common. ive always been a P guy and just got my first J. i love the bass, but cant get that sound im used to. in theory i want a PJ sound, but a PJ wont do it. on my J i replaced the neck pickup with a model J and wired it in series with the bridge single coil (SX). still weak. i think i may get a new set of model J's and wire them in series, hopefully that will solve my dilemma. i also have that same issue with the E string, the other ones dont have that warm depth like the E. also it sounds awesome on its own, just in the band is when i hear this problem. will keep tuned in to see what happens.
 

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