Help me understand

[Inkdork]

I posted an intro thread in the appropriate section, but thought this would be a better place to ask some questions.

I bought my first bass last night, a Peavey Grind 4 string, and aside from the fact it's beautiful, I don't know anything about it.

A friend who plays bass said it's a jazz bass - what does this mean? How is it different from whatever other types?

If I need to put new strings on it, how do I even begin to choose? I briefly looked in the shop section here out of curiosity and holy crap. I noticed aside from different weights, there are also extra long strings? So much easier choosing strings for my ukes!

I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. I have an order in with Sweetwater for a cable, stand, and strap which will arrive Wednesday. Bf is letting me use his old bass amp.

 

[DigitalMan]

There are several interpretations of whar a Jazz bass means. First off, it is the proper name of a Fender model.

Some people refer to any bass with two single coil jazz-style pickups as a Jazz bass. The Peavey grind is available with that pickup configuration as well as with at least one other non-jazz configuration. That is likely what your friend is referring to. I do not agree with calling anything with two jazz pickups a jazz bass btw.

Another interpretation of jazz bass is one that has a similar body style to the Fender Jazz bass. The Peavey Grind does not.

Either way, Jazz bass doesn't mean what genre of music it is applied to. Jazz basses can be used for all kinds of music.

As for strings there are two basic styles to choose from, flatwound and roundwound.

Flats are smooth (tactile) mellow, and thumpy, whereas rounds are more coarse (tactile), bright, and livlely. You will hear an infinite amount of terms used to describe one versus the other, but the above should suffice for now.

Length should match the bass. I believe the Grind is a standard 34" bass which for most string packaging is considered long-scale.

As for thickness I would stay with a set that ranges from 105-45 gauge until you decide there is a compelling reason to go lighter or heavier. My assumption is that the bass is currently setup with normal or average strings.

Brand is a matter of taste, as is material (nickle, steel, etc.)

There are an infinite set of choices, but it mainly comes down to taste. If you have a favorite bass sound that you like I would post that information (player/song/link) and people can likely give some recommendations for strings that would work towards that sound.

 

[Gorn]

I know exactly what you're going through. You got a bass. You want to play it. You're perusing the threads and you see all this information. Types of basses. Strings. Amps. Effects. It's overwhelming. There's so much.

None of it matters. You don't need to know any of that right now. Just play your bass. Get a bass teacher if you can. What kind of bass you have or what kind of strings are the last things you should be focusing on. Believe me. I did what you're doing. Lots of other beginners do it. It'll only distract you and cost you money. Just play.

Sorry for the derail but I speak from experience. This is not the time to learn about basses. This is the time to play.

 

[Inkdork]

Some people refer to any bass with two single coil jazz-style pickups as a Jazz bass. The Peavey grind is available with that pickup configuration as well as with at least one other non-jazz configuration. That is likely what your friend is referring to.

Ah, interesting. I did do a quick Internet search and mostly came up with brand-specific info.

Good to know about the strings. That gives me a good starting place when I do change them. Thanks.

 

[Inkdork]

Sorry for the derail but I speak from experience. This is not the time to learn about basses. This is the time to play.

No, don't be sorry. I think you're spot on. My other instruments I basically chose one I liked, and jumped in (which is why I have 5 ukes), but I like having information too.

I'm not overly concerned with things like "did I get a good bass" or "will people think it's cool" (haha don't even care) but how to best enjoy it. And for me that means learning about different things related to it.

 

[hrodbert696]

The Grind is a good bass, I considered getting one. Good pick.

As for "jazz" bass, back in the day Fender had two iconic styles, the precision and the jazz. The precision or P has a fatter neck and a single split pickup, the jazz or J has a slimmer neck and two pickups. Most basses ever since are a variation of one or the other to some extent.

But honestly, the Grind isn't really a Jazz copy. It has two pickups, sure, but they're a different type. The neck has a different profile and it has a more modern body shape.

Strings will last a long time, unless you're picky about fresh new-string sound. They break way less often than guitar strings. You can poke around the strings forum here for more info. Just experiment.

 

[kodiakblair]

"I'm not overly concerned with things like "did I get a good bass" or "will people think it's cool" (haha don't even care) but how to best enjoy it."

Most sensible thing I've read today. A wee tip regarding time to change strings,record yourself every now and then
so you can hear the changes as your strings age.

Oh not that it matters a jot but I happen to think the Peavey Grind is a very cool bass

 

[Inkdork]

It has two pickups, sure, but they're a different type.

Okay... talk to me about pickups. How do they work, for starters. I understand mine has passive instead of active pickups? What's the difference?

 

[Inkdork]

Most sensible thing I've read today. A wee tip regarding time to change strings,record yourself every now and then so you can hear the changes as your strings age.

Oh not that it matters a jot but I happen to think the Peavey Grind is a very cool bass

I do this periodically with my other instruments to hear where I'm progressing and where I need to work on things. Sometimes it also help me notice when I'm just a little out of tune (though I'm pretty good about hearing that pretty quick).

Lol and haha thanks!

 

[abarson]

Okay... talk to me about pickups. How do they work, for starters. I understand mine has passive instead of active pickups? What's the difference?

Simple explanation: Pickups in general are devices that sense the string vibration and convert it to an electrical signal that can be amplified. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and configurations, all having some effect on their signal output level and tonal character.
A passive pickup means that it is solely comprised of magnets and copper wire coils arranged in a way to convert the string vibration.
An active pickup adds a small preamplifier into the circuit before sending the signal to your amplifier. This usually allows for more tonal variation options and a stronger signal to the amplifier.

 

[Inkdork]

Simple explanation: Pickups in general are devices that sense the string vibration and convert it to an electrical signal that can be amplified.

Ah, so basically the opposite of how an electric solenoid works (electrical signal converted to mechanical energy).

I thought it was something like that.

 

[Max Blasto]

Welcome and congratulations on your Peavey.

Pickups can be discussed endlessly, and you'll see that there is a specific forum for that very purpose. It can get crazy for some but a lot of people just like to make things simple.

Pickups these days can be almost any shape but functionally there are only two types that most people care about: Single Coil, and Humbucker.
Single Coils are in general bright and present, but by themselves can sometimes have an irritating buzz or hum. Humbuckers are designed to cancel that hum but the cost is they are usually darker sounding pickups, more muffled. There are electrical and physical reasons for this difference.

Precision basses have a slit coil, a clever engineering solution to killing the buzz but not the same as a humbucker. Results in a low midrange honk.

Where they are located on the instrument has a lot to do with their sound: closer to the bridge is brighter, closer to the neck is darker and "bassier". An instrument with two can be blended for variety.

Hope that helps.

 

[Inkdork]

Welcome and congratulations on your Peavey.

Pickups can be discussed endlessly, and you'll see that there is a specific forum for that very purpose. It can get crazy for some but a lot of people just like to make things simple.

Pickups these days can be almost any shape but functionally there are only two types that most people care about: Single Coil, and Humbucker.Hope that helps.

Thanks. That's really interesting. I'll have to read more on this. I've heard the phrase "humbucker pickups" before but had no idea what it meant really.

 

[hrodbert696]

Ah, so basically the opposite of how an electric solenoid works (electrical signal converted to mechanical energy).

I thought it was something like that.

Yes. Then the amplifier reverses the process at the other end, converting the electrical signal back into mechanical energy, vibrating a speaker cone.

 

[Inkdork]

In hindsight now I feel silly having asked, because it seems too obvious now... But I suppose better to feel silly than to assume wrongly.

 

[petrus61]

In hindsight now I feel silly having asked, because it seems too obvious now... But I suppose better to feel silly than to assume wrongly.

Don't feel silly. You have no idea how refreshing it is to have honest, good questions coming from a polite and intelligent person on this forum

Kidding aside, this is a great place. Hang around...there are some great, knowledgeable folks here that can answer pretty much anything bass you can imagine.

 

[Inkdork]

Don't feel silly. You have no idea how refreshing it is to have honest, good questions coming from a polite and intelligent person on this forum

Kidding aside, this is a great place. Hang around...there are some great, knowledgeable folks here that can answer pretty much anything bass you can imagine.

Aw thanks.

I'm thrilled with how friendly and helpful everyone I've talked to so far has been - I think the only other forum I've found to be so welcoming has been Ukulele Underground.

So yeah, really glad to have found you all here and super glad to have somewhere to ask my questions and find information without driving anyone crazy.

 

[two fingers]

You are getting good answers already. I'll simply say welcome to TalkBass!

 

[Inkdork]

Thank you!

 

[catcauphonic]

I can't add much info that hasn't been said above, but welcome to TB!

There's so much to learn here. Any question you post will give you a variety of helpful (or not) answers. We like to see our bass playing brother & sisters succeed on their journey ... so don't be shy