Jazz Basses - clanky?

[bucephylus]

I mainly play Jazz Basses and have for a long time. By this point, my main gigging basses are modified so that I can dial in what the OP is referring to as “clank.” Yeah, they will do that. The interesting thing is that somewhat guttural ugly clank you hear solo is part of what can make a Jazz Bass magicically sit in a guitar or horn driven mix. So, it is ultra important to do your tonal observations in the mix rather than in the bedroom.

Another key aspect is that Jazz Basses like a little messing with the signal chain in front of the amp input. And that means preamps. P Basses have their thing down in passive mode and they don’t surprise you going from solo to in the ensemble mix. Jazz Basses are different. After messing with a whole lot of different signal chains over the years, I’ve just made installing a Sadowsky preamp in the bass standard practice; mainly because I can controllably dial that “clank” in and out as needed. But, there are certainly other ways to do it. Anyhow, the “clank” quality actually can be a good thing in the mix. You just need to get it under control.

 

[higain617]

Just own it. The stank is in the clank.

 

[Carl Hillman]

I’ve had several different Jazz Basses and I always find the sound to be “clanky” and kind of annoying after a while. What do you think? Is it my playing style, taste, pickups, setup? Or do you prefer that clanky sound? Is that just an inherent trait of the jazz bass?

I'm guessing that "clank" you're getting is because of the excursion of the string rebounding off the frets.

Maybe try a lighter touch?

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

What rmayer said- turn that tone knob down, and maybe favor the neck pick up and your experience should be very different

Yes, in effect it may seem a trivial thing but the jazz bass VVT tone control system is a simple but precise device that allows great tone flexibility ... it takes some time to get used to it and understand how to operate it in order for the desired tone colour or nuance to be achieved ... of course there are pickups (especially single coil pickups) that naturally tend to be a little too growly but playing with the tone knob and slightly favouring the neck pickup allows to tame their nature fairly well .. there’s one thing, however, that in my opinion constitutes a flaw or a feature which could be improved in the VVT system and it refers to the loss of volume that is generally associated with running both pickup at full ... don’t know if there’s a remedy for this ..
If you like a round tone, you may perhaps wish to try the Bartolini Original jazz bass pickups ... the bass’ clankiness should disappear almost completely ... I personally prefer brighter pickups to be controlled based on the tune that had to be played ...

 

[2F/2F]

Not any more than Ps, IME.

If you want to get rid of clank, set the strings higher, and run your treble settings lower (on the amp or on the bass). On my amp that has a 7K treble control, I run it all the way down. Any of that frequency dialed in, and any bass sounds clanky and terrible to me. On my other amp, which has a 4K treble control, I leave it flat.

Flats can help a bit, but they can clank plenty too. E.g. Steve Harris, who IIRC has always played on very lowly set flats, so he gets a ton of clank. Have you ever heard his isolated bass tracks? It's the worst sounding bass tone ever – total garbage. Thin and clanky, completely gutless and meatless. But mix it into an Iron Maiden track, and it's heavenly.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I usually play P Basses and bright rounds seem to give me a high end “grind” that I like.

This reminds me of the first time I tried a set of stainless steel Dunlops. I found them to be too "clacky/clangy" for my tastes, so they didn't last long. Since then, the only other stainless steel strings I've tried and liked…liked a whole lot, actually…are Rotosound Solo 55 pressurewounds. In fact, I have them on a Jazz with '70s-style pickup placement and despite those basses tendency to "growl", the Solo 55's both tames and complements it.

To clarify I don’t have a Jazz at the moment.

Just out of curiosity, what exact brands/models/years did you have?

 

[Jackcrow]

This reminds me of the first time I tried a set of stainless steel Dunlops. I found them to be too "clacky/clangy" for my tastes, so they didn't last long. Since then, the only other stainless steel strings I've tried and liked…liked a whole lot, actually…are Rotosound Solo 55 pressurewounds. In fact, I have them on a Jazz with '70s-style pickup placement and despite those basses tendency to "growl", the Solo 55's both tames and complements it.


Just out of curiosity, what exact brands/models/years did you have?

I have had:

Fender Jazz Bass 24 - MIK with 2 band EQ
Squier VM Fretless
Squier VM 77 (60s spacing)
Squier VM 70s (60s spacing)

As well playing others in stores etc.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I have had:

Fender Jazz Bass 24 - MIK with 2 band EQ
Squier VM Fretless
Squier VM 77 (60s spacing)
Squier VM 70s (60s spacing)

As well playing others in stores etc.

The VM '70s & '77 are practically identical, so no it's surprise you had the same results. Was the VM fretless clanky, too? If so, then I may have to throw in with the "Technique and/or Strings" crowd since there are no frets to buzz against.

 

[fhm555]

Interesting, don’t think I’ve ever tried this.

I’ve can’t recall a time when i’ve ever run my controls wide open. I usually play between a third and half on my neck, just a bit lower on the bridge and heavily favoring the bass side of the tone knob. I use my amp for volume and fine tuning tone.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I have a couple Ibanez basses that are designed similar to J's. Two pickups, except active. One has Barts and it's smooth and doesn't clack. The other has Nordy's and is clacky. My point is might want to try the Bartolini classic pickups to get rid of that clanky sound. The modern pickups are designed to get that maximum clank so slap players can get the most obnoxious tones out of them in Guitar Center....

 

[faulknersj]

I’ve had several different Jazz Basses and I always find the sound to be “clanky” and kind of annoying after a while. What do you think? Is it my playing style, taste, pickups, setup? Or do you prefer that clanky sound? Is that just an inherent trait of the jazz bass?

That is right hand technique most likely, or a poor setup...or both...

 

[faulknersj]

In my experience with Jazz bass, it depends a lot on technique and tone setting.

I bought a Fender Jazz bass almost two months ago... I play P bass for years.. and when playing J bass, I have to change my finger plucking technique. What works with my P bass, doesn't work with the J bass.

...and verse visa...

 

[cnltb]

I’ve had several different Jazz Basses and I always find the sound to be “clanky” and kind of annoying after a while. What do you think? Is it my playing style, taste, pickups, setup? Or do you prefer that clanky sound? Is that just an inherent trait of the jazz bass?

I think any bass can sound clanky , depending on set up.

 

[DanielSkilberg]

I have owned a lot of jazz basses and own one right now. None of them are clanky. I usually play with nickel rounds or GHS Pressurewounds. I do the setups myself and have come to learn what setup suits me.

I can get my tone from very warm and round to growly when digging in but I never managed to make it sound clanky. Except one that came with steel strings and a very low setup when I got it. I changed the strings and got it setup the way I like it and all the clank was gone.

So it’s probably a combination of playing technique, setup, string choice and eq setting.

And I have never had a problem getting a Jazz bass being heard in a mix.

 

[Chickenwheels]

I’ve had several different Jazz Basses and I always find the sound to be “clanky” and kind of annoying after a while. What do you think? Is it my playing style, taste, pickups, setup? Or do you prefer that clanky sound? Is that just an inherent trait of the jazz bass?

In my experience, no.

 

[Father Gino]

Like many here, I’m not sure what clanky means. I don’t particularly like new strings, so one thing I might suggest is letting your strings die down a little. Another thing is changing the angle of your fingers relative to the strings. I’m finding it hard to describe this, but here goes. Play how you play with the neck of the bass horizontal. Now lift the neck up but don’t rotate your plucking hand. This should remove what I’m imagining as clank. Obviously, you can just rotate your plucking hand to get the same effect.

I also agree that the clank can be very desirable if you can figure out how to get it and lose it on demand. There’s a lot of J basses out there in the world that sound pretty good to me. I personally would try altering your technique before altering anything on the bass or signal chain.i

 

[onda'bass]

as mentioned, clank it mostly technique, and some setup thrown in. I can do both when needed on my jazz.

 

[MattZilla]

Is it my playing style, taste, pickups, setup?

could be any combo of these. Any bass, even an EB-0, can have clank extracted. It could be just that you need to crank your amp and learn to be gentle with your plucking hand. It could be the others too, though.

Or do you prefer that clanky sound?

sometimes. To get there I click on a pedal that lowers my output to give me db room to hammer the strings into the frets. Time to back to fat butt-kicking, click the pedal off and, counterintuitively, only touch the strings like I'm brushing an eyelash off of a baby's cheek. Kind of a Teddy Roosevelt approach, I guess.

Probably why many of the guys who did/do rock SVT+810 find no need for sustain enhancing brass bits on any bass- the butter's there, but you can't cut it with a hammer.

 

[Rib 13]

Transients

Almost every bass can have them and the amount of them depends on technique, strings, and setup...... some are just more forgiving than others

When uncontrolled, it is "clank"...when controlled, its part of a player's signature playing tone -- the more you assimilate, the more you "growl"

 

[40Hz]

I believe it’s more playing style and setup. I can play aggressively and get some clanky Getty Lee tone, or I can lay back and sound smooth like Joe Osborn on the same Jazz Bass. (All the while wishing I had at least half the talent of either one of them ).

Pretty much. The clank is in the player.