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

[ThuzzleFump]

I put an Audere preamp in one of mine. Definitely more tones and a heck of a lot more oomph.

 

[moles]

....What part of "No energy, just a tiny lifeless bundle of apathetic sound. Noise, barely." sounds like a properly functioning Jazz, even to those of us who much prefer P basses?

The part where some of us have thought the same, then tweaked setup and pickup height and had surprisingly good results.

If it's not the solution - great - OP won't have to spend a dime finding out though (which he already has)

 

[wraub]

Definitely a non-issue with proper pickup height and decent technique

My technique is perfectly decent, thank you.
Pretty sure it's because, again, the PUs are so close to the strings, which is needed because of the low PU output.

 

[wraub]

If you are going to spend money on it for pickups- there are plenty of Bartolinis that fit your bill.
NOTE* many of the squire J basses uses the same sized (width) pickups, where a "real" (no offense implied) has different sized neck VS bridge pickups. Measure them up BEFORE you order anything to avoid issues. Being an older bass, you may have a conventional configuration...but you may not.

All good, standard sizing applies here...

 

[wraub]

I love jazz basses. That said, I've never experienced any time when changing the electronics on any bass has ever fixed what I perceived to be that instrument's shortcoming(s). Not saying it can't happen, just that it hasn't worked out that way for me. Sometimes it just the nature of the instrument.

These days, I prefer to just move on and find something that I love the moment I play it. I try not to rationalize anything anymore.

As always, the usual disclaimers apply.

The logic shines brightly here, but, at this point, I like pretty much everything about this bass but the electronics.

 

[twinjet]

I always had a Custom Shop 60s pickups on all my Jazz Basses because they suit me. I switched also from SS rounds to nickel rounds. Cuts down on the brightness of the overall tone.

When trying out 2016 American Jazz basses, these sounded absolutely wonderful. Those CS60s have such life compared to the Noiseless pickup they use now. IME, anyway.

Fender Accessories Custom '60s Jazz Bass Pickups

If you are going to spend money on it for pickups- there are plenty of Bartolinis that fit your bill.

Aha... I see what you did there.

 

[ThumbBum]

"Anemic coffee fart" lol dude that made me spew wine all over myself. Anywho, this is precisely why I bought a precision instead. Sounds better to me however purely subjective.

 

[Andrew Post]

Get rid of the Squier and get an American Fender or maybe a Sadowsky or Lakland. That's my suggestion.

 

[ZenG]

 

[wraub]

A little backstory, if I may- Been playing since shortly after the rocks cooled. Started with a passive bass, then went active, then went 24 frets, then went 5 string (hey, it was a turbulent time...) Only bass for a decade was an active 5 string, and I could get pretty much any tone out of it. Got this Jazz, and was eager to explore the passive, Fender-esque goodness. As stated, love the way it plays, but never really bonded with it, because the sound. Got my P bass, and it's like everything I ever wanted and needed without even knowing. But, I still have this Jazz bass...

 

[MDBass]

The part where some of us have thought the same, then tweaked setup and pickup height and had surprisingly good results.

If it's not the solution - great - OP won't have to spend a dime finding out though (which he already has)

That was mostly directed towards the "try new strings/just sell it" crowds...still, in all the hours I've spent tweaking setups a bass has never gone from barely any output to "sounds great!" just by raising the pickups

I'd imagine a case where the pickup height being that far off would be fairly obvious, since having that amount of extra space between the pickups and the strings would feel very strange to your right hand.

 

[pcake]

if you live by a GC, try and find an ibanez premium to try. the GCs around me usually have at least one SR1800e. if you like it, those are nordstrand big singles, one of my all time favorite pickups. you may want to try them with a preamp.

 

[Tele295]

I fell in love with my Jazz Bass again when I put a set of Ampeg flatwounds on it.

 

[SNCpre]

Try using one pickup at a time, or adjusting the volume controls to favor one pickup over the other, then play with different tone knob settings. This will avoid the huge midrange scoop that happens when both pickups are both fully on. Installing a switch to access a series, instead of the stock parallel, pickup wiring might also give you a tonal option you may prefer.

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)

 

[alack]

I just posted something similar to this just yesterday! I have Sadowski Black label flats on mine, and I didn't like my J for reasons similar to what you described. I was really thinking about selling it.

Last week, I bought an MXR preamp. I used it to boost the lower mids and used a compressor to squash my signal just a little bit. Now I love my Jazz!

I was considering that approach. While at the shop trying my J through an MXR pre and a few different compressors, one of the sales guys put a brand new Fender American Pro P in my hand. Straight out of the box, no pedals, the thing just sounded great. So I went in that direction.

 

[RiZzBot]

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)

wraub : thanks for the thread: i've been having thoughts about my jazz as well, so the thread is timely for me two.

Funny, I just had the same thing happen to me today. A couple of months ago I found myself falling out of love with my 2016 AM. Standard Jazz. Thought new pickups and a good setup would do the trick. I changed out the stock 60's CS for Lollar Jazz pups, and sent it in for a professional set up. Today I went to pick up my Jazz from the shop; after $200 and 15min of fudging with it; I put it down and grabbed my P. I guess I just prefer the feel and sound of my P. I'm thinking that maybe I need to give my jazz more time to grow on me. BTW, did I mention that this is the 5th jazz i'v owned and have fallen out of love with.

 

[SteveC]

A little backstory, if I may- Been playing since shortly after the rocks cooled. Started with a passive bass, then went active, then went 24 frets, then went 5 string (hey, it was a turbulent time...) Only bass for a decade was an active 5 string, and I could get pretty much any tone out of it. Got this Jazz, and was eager to explore the passive, Fender-esque goodness. As stated, love the way it plays, but never really bonded with it, because the sound. Got my P bass, and it's like everything I ever wanted and needed without even knowing. But, I still have this Jazz bass...

It just sounds to me like you are now a P bass guy. Just accept it and move on. I know a few guys who are playing passive P's after long stints with active 5's or more's. The urge to try something new, nostalgia, it's kind of "in" or whatever. I keep thinking I want to go to a simple P, but I know I won't like it. I have tried it and it just doesn't seem to be my thing. They play ok but I can't get used to the tone. I know, blasphemy.

Now I played a '66 jazz (birth year bass) last week while traveling and it was amazing. That could be my only bass. I'd give up my Roscoe 5 and 6 if it would get me that bass. Old, passive, flats, just the right a,punt of real world wear, straight neck, light and candy red with matching headstock and dot board.

 

[jklymak]

Do the series/parallel mod. Output will go up and the mid scoop will become a mid boost when in series mode.

 

[Ric5]

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)

Maybe you need a good effects pedalboard. Plug your bass into Geddy's setup and it would kick ass

 

[Ekulati]

I put the Di Marizio J's in my MIM Jazz and they sound phenomenal, YMMV, FWIW.