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I’m done with jazz basses

#83
GreaserMatt said:
The couple jazz basses I owned, I was able to emulate a p bass sound by turning the bridge pick up all the way down and turning the neck pick up all the way up; I always thought you could get a jazz bass to sound like a p bass but not the other way around...
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Same here. I I it all the time and think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference without A-B'ing them against one another. Especially if you play with the mids appropriately. I can get pretty close to v any fender or Musicman tone with pickup favoring and mid control.
 
#88
Very simple for me, personally. I understand your position. I own AM fender Pbass, and Jazz. Also other brands, passive and active. For me, each has it's own voice and fit in the mix of whatever music is at hand. Sounds like you like the thunder of the pbass vs the less boom of the jazz. I understand. It all comes down to your personal tonal preference. Choose what is good for you. Have fun!
 
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#89
Play what you love man. I've played jazz for years, got tired of it, wanted a P, got a PJ, then a P and it stayed for good. Got a Stingray as my other bass and for other bands. Liked it, but it just wasn't quite that Fender tone I was into. Started missing a J. Got a J, works great for me. Now I'm a P and J guy. I just expect to hear them both in a different tonal range which is why I love em both. Both sound warm and big though. J a bit smoother, a bit lower in the frequency range, but also snappier and brighter when I need it to. P with flats for my vintage hard rock band though, I just prefer it there. But both can really do anything. Ok, I'd be pushing it by bringing my P & flats to RHCP tribute band but I love how my J with rounds works there.
 
#90
Alexis Duntov said:
Here’s the ‘66 MIJ in rehearsal last night
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Hello there, like the post above said: it is hard to say how your bass sounds to the audience.
I am not sure what you using to run that Jazz bass (a Peavey combo in the background?).
Looks to me your just need to boost the mid range and you will be fine, but I am not sure what kind of sound are looking for. Have you tried playing more near the bridge? again, not sure what is the sound you are after. I do have a Jazz bass like yours, but with a 2Tek bridge retrofit. It sounds great to me, and is not much different than the way yours sound.
The the singer using the jeans jacket to smile every now and then.

Jazz CS with 2TEK bridge.jpg
 
#91
Listened to it a few times, cool bass playing but I do hear what you're saying. It does get lost a little. I don't know if you answered this before or if the question has been asked (if so forgive me, my phone is super slow in reading the posts). What strings do you use on it? It does sounds a little on the bright side, perhaps a heavier gauge flatwound might help? If not, yes a P Bass would probably a better bass for this. (or at least a Jazz eq'd to sound like one).
 
#92
I've got a lovely Nash JB 63, but it let me down in a jam or two, and I find myself not going back to it. I think of selling it, but can't quite bring myself to do that. It sounds nice solo, and plays like a dream. It'll be my first to go when I need funds for other projects.
 
#93
There certainly is an output difference between a jazz and precision. The precision brings the thunder and with flats and a slightly wider neck just feels so right.

However, output difference aside, I definitely get the tone I want out of my Jazz. I think it just requires a bit of experimentation.

Different strokes for different folks.

Great band by the way.
 
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#94
Alexis Duntov said:
Well, the two that I have. For the life of me I can’t get them to deliver, either in rehearsal or live. They sound great at home, but they just don’t have that punch that my P basses do. More power to those of you who can get this instrument to sound good. In my hands and to my ears, it’s thin. I know this is old hat, but I think I’m just done doing the same thing every few months and expecting a different result. For the record, I have a ‘74 Jazz with rounds and a ‘66 MIJ reissue with TI Flats. I bought the latter hoping that the 60s pup spacing would deliver more punch. But no way. My number one bass the last 18 months has been my Japanese Sting bass with chromes. It’s a one trick pony but it always delivers. I know it worked for JPJ, Larry Graham, Jaco, Geddy, but the Jazz Bass doesn’t for me. My research project is over.

Here’s a recent clip of my Sting bass delivering the goods.
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I have to disagree with you. My P Basses sounded slightly fuller but my Jazz Basses are punchy as hell. Maybe you need to work on your EQ.
 
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#95
Alexis Duntov said:
I’ve tried everything short of purchasing additional gear like pre-amps or EQ pedals. I don’t want to have to lug that stuff to gigs.
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Didn't read the entire thread.

Typically IME when a Jazz doesn't have serious punch it's because there's more highs than needed. Treble makes a bass sound loud before it actually gets loud. Experiment with rolling it back slightly and then as much as needed. I have stock older Jazzes that have as much usable punch, highs and heft as any active basses I've used.

Overly zingy strings don't help either. I use stainless steel but nickel can fatten up a thin sounding setup.

I think people get the difference between active and passive basses twisted. Unless the preamp is adding color, I can usually get very similar results with passive basses by turning the amp's pre-gain section up to get a signal level similar to an active bass. Most amps have tone controls so if you need them they're usually as good or better than anything built into a bass.

Pickup height matters.

Amplification tweaks can screw up the sound of the bass. On an amp without a really colored sound, the "fix" can be as simple as leaving the EQ alone and turn up the gains. This can be easier said than done because most people don't practice cointrolling a bigger signal with their hands, they turn their bass or amp down, killing the headroom they actually want. It's time well spent.

Combined with not having too much treble, a robust signal should be fairly easy to achieve with the right cabinet. A friend of mine didn't realize his cab was the problem with his rig and went through a series of basses and amps until he finally tried a different cab and realized his cab wasn't very good for what he wanted. And the rest of his gear was fine. A common problem.

Good luck. A stock 74 Jazz should kill unless it's broken. I have a 68 with P bass neck and two stock 78's, people swear the 78's are active.
:)
 
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#97
Alexis Duntov said:
Well, the two that I have. For the life of me I can’t get them to deliver, either in rehearsal or live. They sound great at home, but they just don’t have that punch that my P basses do. More power to those of you who can get this instrument to sound good. In my hands and to my ears, it’s thin. I know this is old hat, but I think I’m just done doing the same thing every few months and expecting a different result. For the record, I have a ‘74 Jazz with rounds and a ‘66 MIJ reissue with TI Flats. I bought the latter hoping that the 60s pup spacing would deliver more punch. But no way. My number one bass the last 18 months has been my Japanese Sting bass with chromes. It’s a one trick pony but it always delivers. I know it worked for JPJ, Larry Graham, Jaco, Geddy, but the Jazz Bass doesn’t for me. My research project is over.

Here’s a recent clip of my Sting bass delivering the goods.
Click to expand...

Have you tried a preamp? I use a Sadowsky outboard preamp and it really fattens up the Jazz for me. Still sounds like a Jazz but way more presence.
And, some people are just P or J bass players by nature. No right or wrong; just different.
 
#98
Alexis Duntov said:
Well, the two that I have. For the life of me I can’t get them to deliver, either in rehearsal or live. They sound great at home, but they just don’t have that punch that my P basses do. More power to those of you who can get this instrument to sound good. In my hands and to my ears, it’s thin. I know this is old hat, but I think I’m just done doing the same thing every few months and expecting a different result. For the record, I have a ‘74 Jazz with rounds and a ‘66 MIJ reissue with TI Flats. I bought the latter hoping that the 60s pup spacing would deliver more punch. But no way. My number one bass the last 18 months has been my Japanese Sting bass with chromes. It’s a one trick pony but it always delivers. I know it worked for JPJ, Larry Graham, Jaco, Geddy, but the Jazz Bass doesn’t for me. My research project is over.

Here’s a recent clip of my Sting bass delivering the goods.
Click to expand...

I had a beautiful Fender Jazz and no matter how I tried to accept it for its smooth fast neck and body style the sound never matched my Squier P. Bottom line for me was that it just didnt carry the lows of a P and I hated the sound of jazz pickups, an acquired taste I supposed.
 

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