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Jazz Basses with Soap Bar Pickups
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
If you lean it up against a wall and it falls over, it's a Jazz Bass.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,890
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Sounds rational Anthony, and I mean that in the best possible way. As always, may that work for you! I'm expecting a new "Uber Jazz" build in my shop soon for some pre-NAMM electronics work and I'm hoping I don't develop a crush on it. That happened two years ago, but one of the booth worker/endorsers took it home to Denmark before I could start scheming, luckily. Just attending NAMM is plenty expensive enough for where I'm at as a functionally retired guy, really. Not sure what the pickup format will be in this new one, as my friend is perpetually trying new things. The soapbars in the fretless bass he built for me last year are sidewinder humbuckers with neo magnets, something I neither asked for or even thought about requesting. They suit me perfectly though. But I know how much you dig the 70's thing, and having lived it I sometimes do as well.
I am working on just accepting that there will always be basses and rigs I but cannot afford. My kids reaching college age are shutting down a lot of GAS. already. After a really early and record setting cold spell, I have been using my motorcycle for transportation since temperatures are near sixty. It is good to remind myself how much I love my used, eleven year old, Triumph. Like another TB’er said, it is good to appreciate what you already have.
I really dig the P-body so I went this route. Built it from an early 80's Fender body with the micro-tilt adjustment. Obviously a Status Graphite neck, Status J-pickups, Aguilar OBP-2 and a Hipshot bridge. I've used this body twice (the first had a wood neck) and this is the version of it I like the best. Good weight, sounds great and looks a bit different.
Not in my opinion. The 5501-02/5594 is its' own thing and is just too different from a jazz.
Well, ok, perhaps that was once the case. Or not.
My understanding of soap bar is the wider footprint, typically seen in a Bartolini P2 or EMG 40. Within those profiles, a whole slew of different magnet and winding configurations are now possible and available; including both single coil and humbucking designs.
Considering the single coil designs, you also have some options in terms of coil aperture, which has a strong influence on the overtone transfer.
The humbucking designs are getting really complex, and now include sidewinder designs, such as the awesome Nordstrand Zen Blades.
There really are a LOT of possible EM transfer engines under those covers these days. Can’t go by what you see on the outside anymore.
Hope that helps.
I used to "streamline" but I'm over that. If I can afford to buy, I'll keep it...forever. I'm never satisfied, it's a personality flaw of mine. Here's a my soapy JBass.
My first bass was a rather poorly made Korean Seventies Jazz Bass copy. The bridge pickup never worked, and eventually I had a DiMarzio split pickup installed at the neck position and a Gibson EB3 pickup installed at the bridge. The bass did not sound like a Jazz.
My second bass was a Rickenbacker 4000, and for the next twenty years, I don’t think I bought another Jazz Bass. I had Alembic, Spectors, a Ken Smith, Roscoe, Yamaha TRB6, two Moduluses, Peavey Millenniums, Steinbergers, etc. The one bass I had that got me Jazz territory was a fretless Peavey Foundation. That bass showed me just how cool the bridge only tone could be on a fretless.
The funny thing was that I always loved Marcus Miller and Jaco. Eventually, I bought a Fender Jazz Deluxe V and found that I loved getting close to the Marcus Miller slap tone.
Over the last 21 years, the Jazz Bass has emerged as my favorite sounding bass.
My second bass was a Rickenbacker 4000, and for the next twenty years, I don’t think I bought another Jazz Bass. I had Alembic, Spectors, a Ken Smith, Roscoe, Yamaha TRB6, two Moduluses, Peavey Millenniums, Steinbergers, etc. The one bass I had that got me Jazz territory was a fretless Peavey Foundation. That bass showed me just how cool the bridge only tone could be on a fretless.
The funny thing was that I always loved Marcus Miller and Jaco. Eventually, I bought a Fender Jazz Deluxe V and found that I loved getting close to the Marcus Miller slap tone.
Over the last 21 years, the Jazz Bass has emerged as my favorite sounding bass.
Here is Cedric Gamble two other videos playing soap bar equipped Jazz Basses. I did not say so earlier, but I think he is a fine player.
Michael Dolan built this 6 string jazz bass for me with Nordstrand Dual Coils
