I give you The Plow.
It is a modified 2001 fretless Jazz that I bought in a pawnshop last summer for $200 (with case). I originally had ultra-light strings on it, but I was getting bored of that; and besides, I've never had any real mods done to a bass I've owned. So, before I embarked on my circle-the-continent train trip, I dropped it off at the music shop that I used to teach for. A month later, upon my return, I stop in and get it, with a total of $150 sunk into it.
So for $350 total, I have a pretty unique fretless Jazz.
The mods are:
1. Basslines Humbucker in the neck. I see Fenders with dual-coils in the bridge position all the time, but I think that defeats the purpose of owning a Jazz - the honk comes from the bridge. I never thought the neck pickup sounded great on its own, but with this monster, it fills the room.
2. BEAD tuning. God, I never once thought I'd use this. I'm no metalhead, but the allure of a blooming low B on a fretless monster was too inticing to pass up, at least for a while. Sounds especially awesome with just the new neck pickup.
3. Rewired Volume-Blend-Tone. I never liked Fender's two-volume system, for it is too much work to do a simple pickup change. I found that doing a simple rewire allowed me to cut tone changes from pickup switching in half.
4. New white pearloid pickguard.
I am extremely happy with it. I've heard people say junk about MIMs, but this one is a keeper. Better, by far (even before the mods) than any American Jazz I've played.
It is a modified 2001 fretless Jazz that I bought in a pawnshop last summer for $200 (with case). I originally had ultra-light strings on it, but I was getting bored of that; and besides, I've never had any real mods done to a bass I've owned. So, before I embarked on my circle-the-continent train trip, I dropped it off at the music shop that I used to teach for. A month later, upon my return, I stop in and get it, with a total of $150 sunk into it.
So for $350 total, I have a pretty unique fretless Jazz.
The mods are:
1. Basslines Humbucker in the neck. I see Fenders with dual-coils in the bridge position all the time, but I think that defeats the purpose of owning a Jazz - the honk comes from the bridge. I never thought the neck pickup sounded great on its own, but with this monster, it fills the room.
2. BEAD tuning. God, I never once thought I'd use this. I'm no metalhead, but the allure of a blooming low B on a fretless monster was too inticing to pass up, at least for a while. Sounds especially awesome with just the new neck pickup.
3. Rewired Volume-Blend-Tone. I never liked Fender's two-volume system, for it is too much work to do a simple pickup change. I found that doing a simple rewire allowed me to cut tone changes from pickup switching in half.
4. New white pearloid pickguard.
I am extremely happy with it. I've heard people say junk about MIMs, but this one is a keeper. Better, by far (even before the mods) than any American Jazz I've played.
