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Jacos Bass of Doom
- Thread starter ESPplayer
- Start date
Whatever PUP happened to be made by Fender the month his bass was built. The closest would probably be Fender's '62 Jazz bass PUPs, or Seymour Duncan Antiquities for Jazz Bass.
jte
jte
I choose an Antiquity II bridge pickup for my Jazz bass because, according to the website:
"The Jazz Bass pickup is made to the specifications of the mid '60s production instruments and is very similar to the pickups I re-wound for Jaco back in the early '80s."
"The Jazz Bass pickup is made to the specifications of the mid '60s production instruments and is very similar to the pickups I re-wound for Jaco back in the early '80s."
Did Jaco have the neck p'up wired in at all? I thought I read somewhere that he'd disconnected it...
I know that Jaco's bass originally had the stacked knob design, but he switched to the modern 3 pot design because it was too dark sounding with 4 pots loading down the circuit.
It's plausible though.
Nope, the neck PUP WAS connected. Listen and watch him on the Joni Mitchell performances on her DVD "Shadows and Light". He's turning the PUPs up and down a lot on that.
jte
jte
- Mar 30, 2007
- 4,017
- 321
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Genzler Amplification/Spector Basses/Mojo Hand FX
I seem to remember a wiring diagram in an old Guitar Player magazine, where Jaco had rewired his bass for master/blend/tone...
Has anyone seen this or remember this article and diagram from Guitar Player mag?
Has anyone seen this or remember this article and diagram from Guitar Player mag?
The only thing I recall from Guitar Player was the issue with Mike Stern on the cover had a little project that showed how to make a standard single-gang pot work sort of like a blend pot. I did it for a student of mine, but it wasn't real smooth.
Jaco said several times that the standard stack-knob set up didn't have the "punch" of a regular V/V/T set up. That's largely because in order for them to not interact, the original stack=knob Jazz basses had a bridging resistor in the circuit. That lowered the overall gain available from the bass. The Fender Vintage Series reproductions don't have those resistors, but the tone controls interact so you don't get the same blends as you would on a real '62 Jazz bass.
John
Jaco said several times that the standard stack-knob set up didn't have the "punch" of a regular V/V/T set up. That's largely because in order for them to not interact, the original stack=knob Jazz basses had a bridging resistor in the circuit. That lowered the overall gain available from the bass. The Fender Vintage Series reproductions don't have those resistors, but the tone controls interact so you don't get the same blends as you would on a real '62 Jazz bass.
John
Yes, the neck PUP was wired in, it was just rolled towards the bridge so much you had to know it to hear it.
you could always do what I did and just buy a Jaco relic! As far as I know though, the only difference in his bass and a normal 62 fender jazz bass is the fact that he took off the pick guard and frets. The pickups were the standard '62 jazz pickups, he just had them rewired (no idea how or what it did to them). I also just bought a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II for another bass of mine. It is VERY close to the ones in my Jaco bass. It looks exactly the same and has the same warm full tone as my fender. Hope it helps!
I went with the Bravewood version of the Bass of Doom. John at Bravewood uses the Voodoo pups and with Rotos on' it, it sounds pretty damn close to Mr. Pastorius' tone. IMHO
Edit: I have the custom made Acoustic 360 preamp too...just missing the big folded horn 18" cab but the Berg IP112 works just fine thank you.
Edit: I have the custom made Acoustic 360 preamp too...just missing the big folded horn 18" cab but the Berg IP112 works just fine thank you.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
- 253
- 68
- Disclosures
- Owner, SGD Music Products
Also don't forget if you want that Jaco tone, you need an Acoustic 361 amp! He used the Variamp mid boost (and sometimes a little distortion) on the 360 preamp, that combined with the big folded horn cab gave him that woody upright type of tone.
John is right about why Jaco switched to the V/V/T setup. I talked to Kevin Kaufman, last week, and he confirmed John's statement.
"Jaco didn't really know why the stacked setup sounded darker. He did however know, after seeing others with V/V/T setup that he wanted that for his bass. However, if he would've taken out the bridge resistor, he would've essentially accomplished the same thing."
Kevin Kaufman 08/06/09
Has anyone from Talkbass ever thought about doing a proper sit down interview with Kevin Kaufman about his time with Jaco?
It would make for very interesting reading - not only for the insight into the man as a musician (as opposed to the heavy Milkowski stuff which guys like Metheny find very misrepresentative and sensationalist) but for technical insights into his gear - bass, amp and recording sessions etc
C
It would make for very interesting reading - not only for the insight into the man as a musician (as opposed to the heavy Milkowski stuff which guys like Metheny find very misrepresentative and sensationalist) but for technical insights into his gear - bass, amp and recording sessions etc
C
