As far as mid control, the 4 band Audere is great. I've got it in 3 basses, and I'm usually all about diversity as far as aftermarket equipment
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I tend to go for John East stuff myself. The red/purple bass on the top picture is going to have a U-Retro installed. I already have it, I just have to sit one day with it and make a battery cavity on the back for it. The mid-sweep control is fantastic.
For the cream one, I never wanted to invest much on it as it was more of an experiment bass, never going to be a bass I gig much (I think I've only played it live a handful of times when it was original: a Matt Freeman Precision). So I'll probably source some inexpensive preamp and see how it goes. I think I have in my drawer of parts a 3-band preamp I bought for something like $6 from AliExpress a while ago... The frequency points were right where I like them, so I'll have that one a go. If it's horrible I'll look at alternatives but I doubt I'll spend the $$$ a John East or Audere cost on this bass. To be honest, I'm tempted to go almost full circle installing the P-style pickguard and let it be a PJ. It's the "chameleon bass" it can be a PJ, a Jazz, or a... "JJ"? with very minimal effort. We'll see. When I don't have a lot of gigs I tend to get into this kind of projects, and then when I get busy they all get archived until winter again
I think Jazz bodies are more comfortable, so I grafted a Nordy PU and a Mojotone 2 band Stingray clone onto roasted Swamp ash/roasted maple J from Warmoth. Nitro finish. It's climbed to being my #1.
I'd say this has become a different debate with the introduction of the SR Special, which is arguably closer to a Jazz in tone than its predecessor.
Agreed. In 2nd gear/ position 2, you definitely get a great jazz bass tone.
This is one reason that I returned my Elite Jazz V in favor of the new Stingray5 Special . That one bass can do a P, J, Ray, and cop Gibson SG and Tbird like tones.
Still, nothing beats the good ol' 2 band eq single H ray.
All that can be achieved with style of playing and tone control. I can tell this as someone that owns a P & J, a J is A LOT easier to play.
Jazz Bass. The best sounding bass ever. So iconic. More versatile than P, more comfortable to play. Larry Graham, Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorius, Bobby Vega... they all shaped modern bass image. JAZZ IS ALL THE WAY!!!
But if, for whatever reason, you need ray tone, get one of these:
But if, for whatever reason, you need ray tone, get one of these:
I own a Jazz, Precision and a Stingray 5. There is some stuff that I do that Stingray is not ideal for but it still kinda works. For example, the Stingray could sound out of place if you were covering a roots rock or blues cover. You can do it on a Stingray but sounds more "correct" if played on a Precision bass. The Jazz is the most versatile for sure, but as was covered earlier the Stingray has a superb build quality and feels great to play. So I say buy a Jazz or Precision first and save up for a Stingray. Then buy the one you didn't buy earlier so you have all three!
Digging this thread back up because I can't decide which one I'd rather have. It doesn't really matter because I have both, and at this point I will likely always have both in my arsenal. Having played nothing but Stingrays for a while, I just purchased another Jazz bass and I love it. I didn't realize how much I appreciate having the tonal variety in one bass.
The Stingray really does feel more comfortable to play but that's totally subjective. I feel like I have to twist my wrist a bit too much when playing the jazz over the bridge pickup. Also it's just a larger instrument all together.
Starting to think maybe I should invest in a Sterling HH or HS for these reasons..
The Stingray really does feel more comfortable to play but that's totally subjective. I feel like I have to twist my wrist a bit too much when playing the jazz over the bridge pickup. Also it's just a larger instrument all together.
Starting to think maybe I should invest in a Sterling HH or HS for these reasons..
I've owned two EBMM Sterling basses over the years, and for some reason I can't seem to bond with them. The tone just doesn't excite me. Of course, many people disagree!
@brushfirewolf, have you tried the StingRay Special? I find it much more versatile than the traditional three-band Ray.
I have owned 2. Excellent instruments in every way, but I did not find them versatile (tone wise) at least not like a jazz.
The thing I love about the jazz is I'm perfectly content with the "P" sound I get from favoring the neck pickup, and also love the bridge favored with the tone rolled way back. The only issue I have with jazz basses would be the level of comfort while playing. They just feel big and, like I was saying above, I feel like my wrist gets bent in an awkward way while playing over the bridge pickup- I don't experience this with the stingray.
