I hate my Jazz bass... :: Update::

[wraub]

Congrats! We've all taken a tumble out of the idiot tree hitting every branch on occasion. Such is life.

Now, my friend, go and play along with some early Meshell Ndegeocello records. That's a lady right there who can make a jazz bass sound really, really, really good.

Your wisdom and understanding looms large, and, again, thanks. I am content with being the occasional idiot if I can learn from it. And, now, I have a functional Jazz bass. So, yay for me.

Miss Ndegeocello is a long time fave of mine from way back in the myspace days, when she friended me. Monster chops combined with passion, soul, and heart in a world bereft of all of those. So damn good...

 

[wraub]

doppleposte

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Hey @DavidEdenAria to answer your question, the finish was dulled by my friend George using 0000 steel wool.

 

[moles]

Best Thread Ever

Wraub - glad it's working now.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Haha! I really enjoyed this thread. Glad it's working for you now.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Hey @DavidEdenAria to answer your question, the finish was dulled by my friend George using 0000 steel wool.

Thanks....that's what I normally do myself....though I have been working on bringing a bit more shine after the 0000 steel wool.

You have to be very careful with steel wool, it sheds all over everything!

 

[Kirk Bryant]

@wraub I'm happy to hear you've solved your problem and your MIJ Jazz is sounding the way it's supposed to. Congratulations on a job well done. I was frankly sceptical about any Fender Japan product sounding crappy but stranger things have happened. You saved yourself several thousands of dollars by not buying new Pickups, preamps, strings, cords, straps, cars, dollies , airplanes..........getting divorced, moving to another country...........what did I leave out?

 

[Basshappi]

This has been a very amusing thread, a TB classic!
Glad you got it sorted out Wraub.
I have an 80's MIJ Jazz (the white jazz in my avatar pic), it is fantastic, my favorite of my Jazz basses.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

@wraub I'm happy to hear you've solved your problem and your MIJ Jazz is sounding the way it's supposed to. Congratulations on a job well done. I was frankly sceptical about any Fender Japan product sounding crappy but stranger things have happened. You saved yourself several thousands of dollars by not buying new Pickups, preamps, strings, cords, straps, cars, dollies , airplanes..........getting divorced, moving to another country...........what did I leave out?

I have several Fender Japan guitars....only one of these needed pickups replaced as they were grainy sounding ceramic Strat types.

However, the workmanship on the 80's Fenders in general is very good from what I have gathered thru the years.

 

[Lowendtech]

 

[wraub]

Further update- the PUs in the Jazz bass are not, apparently, ceramic. They appear to be non-ceramic, although true makeup is tbd. Also, the bobbins are cracked. As in, there are numerous cracks in the bobbins of both PUs.
They still sound great, so f**k it. It's a real Jazz bass now.
It's like Peter Pan was nice to hold, and also made bass.

 

[Womby]

Well, to be honest, I hate the way it sounds.
Sure, it has that great playing combination of aggressive delicacy and graceful rage that all good Jazz basses seem to have ime, and it is black, but, it sounds like an anemic coffee fart. No energy, just a tiny lifeless bundle of apathetic sound. Noise, barely.
It is, to say, blah, and trying to make it better with EQ and wishes is just hopeless. Even with an outboard boost pedal, it's like eating vanilla pudding through a straw that is well medicated and feeling fine thank you...
So, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need some new pickups.

Requirements: Loud, high output; fit standard J bass routs; passive; no exposed pole pieces.

Any suggestions? Please? Help me love, or even like, my Jazz bass? Someone..?

(1985 MIJ Squier SQ Series Jazz Bass, stock pickups)

Hi

Well, to be honest, I hate the way it sounds.
Sure, it has that great playing combination of aggressive delicacy and graceful rage that all good Jazz basses seem to have ime, and it is black, but, it sounds like an anemic coffee fart. No energy, just a tiny lifeless bundle of apathetic sound. Noise, barely.
It is, to say, blah, and trying to make it better with EQ and wishes is just hopeless. Even with an outboard boost pedal, it's like eating vanilla pudding through a straw that is well medicated and feeling fine thank you...
So, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need some new pickups.

Requirements: Loud, high output; fit standard J bass routs; passive; no exposed pole pieces.

Any suggestions? Please? Help me love, or even like, my Jazz bass? Someone..?

(1985 MIJ Squier SQ Series Jazz Bass, stock pickups)

Hi would the bridge plate make a dirrerence. Putting a different one on the strat i used to have increased the substain a lot. Should have a similar effect on a bass.

Off it. If the bass just doesnt do it for ya and you've already tried different (and new) strings its possible that any mod/upgrade wont fix your problem. With that said it may not be all Jazz basses that wouldnt meet your standards. I prefer a PJ myself but I do have a Warmoth Jazz with an Audere preamp and Nordstrand 70s wired PUs and it is the punchiest thing Ive ever heard. Damn near polar opposite of what your describing yours as. But to be honest Ive gone through alot of equipment to find my sound as well.

 

[Womby]

Why no exposed pole pieces? That's DRAMATICALLY going to limit your choices.

I'd take a look at the Nordstrand Big Blades myself based your criteria.

Technically you should be able to make a fence post into an upright guitar with the right nut, bridge and strings it should sound just fine. I am not about to suggest you do so just how flexy is the guitar. Stiffer should be better.

 

[MDBass]

Hello again, all. First, please let me reiterate... I am an idiot. I am a giant, flaming bag of poo idiot.
As mentioned, the inside of the bass was a mess, which I would have likely noticed if I had paid attention to the cavity when last I was in there... which, admittedly, was several years ago, and I have learned lots since then... But, still, I am an idiot.

In comparing the guts to the many, many online diagrams available, I discovered many irregularities, which I set right. (the odd wire mentioned above was actually for the tip of the output jack...) And...

Holy Flurking Schnit! It is loud, punchy, clicky, meaty, reedy and insistent... all of that. It sounds like a Jazz bass now.
I threw some electrical tape over the poles, and all is now right and good with the world. You may all rest easy.

I may, possibly, still part with this bass someday, or at least upgrade the PUs, but, for now, I'm gonna attempt to learn this Jazz bass with it's various oddball quirks.
I do wish it was as easy as a P bass...

My seriously sincere thanks to all who chimed in here- all of your advice led me to a solution (for now), and, for that, I am very appreciative. You all deserve a cookie. Or several cookies. I'll leave that up to you. Basically, all of you should go get some cookies.

Thank you.

Hahaha! Amazing how much better everything sounds when it's all connected properly

Glad to hear you like Jazz basses after all and don't need to sell it immediately for another P bass

 

[wraub]

<snip>

Glad to hear you like Jazz basses after all and don't need to sell it immediately for another P bass

Now, I wouldn't necessarily go that far...

 

[Freekmagnet]

@wraub, I think that this thread my be a contender for "Most Epic Fake-Out of 2017". Congratulations!

 

[wraub]

@wraub, I think that this thread my be a contender for "Most Epic Fake-Out" of 2017 so far. Congratulations!

Purely unintentional on my part, to be sure.

However, I am glad that my raging idiocy could provide some moments of light in the darkness.
(tbh, reading your travails with pickups was very helpful...)

 

[Dean N]

It's not really going to be properly fixed until there's a tort guard on it.

 

[tzohn]

Did someone mess with soldering or wiring by chance? Check pocket screws. Check bridge. I have not heard bad sounding jazz from $99 and up. And I'm P bass guy.

WINNER!!

 

[winegamd]

Hello again, all. First, please let me reiterate... I am an idiot. I am a giant, flaming bag of poo idiot.
As mentioned, the inside of the bass was a mess, which I would have likely noticed if I had paid attention to the cavity when last I was in there... which, admittedly, was several years ago, and I have learned lots since then... But, still, I am an idiot.

In comparing the guts to the many, many online diagrams available, I discovered many irregularities, which I set right. (the odd wire mentioned above was actually for the tip of the output jack...) And...

Holy Flurking Schnit! It is loud, punchy, clicky, meaty, reedy and insistent... all of that. It sounds like a Jazz bass now.
I threw some electrical tape over the poles, and all is now right and good with the world. You may all rest easy.

I may, possibly, still part with this bass someday, or at least upgrade the PUs, but, for now, I'm gonna attempt to learn this Jazz bass with it's various oddball quirks.
I do wish it was as easy as a P bass...

My seriously sincere thanks to all who chimed in here- all of your advice led me to a solution (for now), and, for that, I am very appreciative. You all deserve a cookie. Or several cookies. I'll leave that up to you. Basically, all of you should go get some cookies.

Thank you.

I'm glad you got it figured out.