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Looking for a modern J-Bass
- Thread starter MrWolf14
- Start date
Don' t want to hijack your thread. But when you ask….
The only Jazz I have is a Fender!
(see my avatar)the "real deal" for me are "real" Sandbergs.
Wise(b)ass
PS: this is becoming the most "boring" thread ever... I have already 3 pictures of a bass and they all look pretty much the same
I was wondering why you were posting the same bass over and over again, and realized by the headstocks, you were posting 3 different jazz basses. lol...… on my little phone it looked that way.
Sire v7 neck radius is 7.25, V3 is 9.5 if that makes a difference. Body of v7 is either Alder or Ash, V3 is mahogany.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
If you ever consider changing your mind about changing anything on your Fender, EMG J pickups (standard EMG with ceramic blades) will turn your bass instantly into a much more modern sounding instrument. Although you would need to fit a 9 volt battery in the cavity, many have done it successfully.
Ceramic blade pickups like EMG, Bartolini are by default very modern sounding. Alnico 5 pickups are also very snappy but have a lower resonate peak, more aggressive.
Ceramic blade pickups like EMG, Bartolini are by default very modern sounding. Alnico 5 pickups are also very snappy but have a lower resonate peak, more aggressive.
Depends on what the used market in your part of the world is like. I got my Lakland Skyline DJ-4 for $750 on the used market and couldn't be happier with it. Best neck I've ever played, pretty much everything about it is better than the MIA Fender Jazz that I used to have.
I don't know how much it costs in Europe, but Fender's Deluxe Active Jazz might fit the bill. They're well made, and have noiseless pickups with active/passive electronics. I tested the four stringer, and liked the tone and the 12" fretboard radius.
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If you want to emulate the GL Jazz feel with a more modern sound, I woul recommend getting another GL and put Nordstrand J-style split humbuckers or route it for Big Splits (killer tone!). Add a preamp of your choosing (Nordstrand or East Retro Dlx recommended) and you have a modern Jazz Bass that feels like home.
You will not easily duplicate the playability of a GL Jazz with another bass. I have several Warmoth basses with the same basic design and different configurations for the same reasons you are stating. Each is familiar feeling but different sounding.
You will not easily duplicate the playability of a GL Jazz with another bass. I have several Warmoth basses with the same basic design and different configurations for the same reasons you are stating. Each is familiar feeling but different sounding.
I see you're in Germany. A quick heads up to US people who might also be in the mood for a Jazz bass. Brand new MiM Jazz (Standard) $400 today Adorama... Not too shabby....
Fender Standard Strats / Jazz Bass / Precision 0 - Adorama
Fender Standard Strats / Jazz Bass / Precision 0 - Adorama
I modded a Squier VM77 with an Audere drop in preamp and now have a MIM Jazz with DiMarzio pickups and a John East drop in preamp. Both are\were more modern sounding than the traditional passive Jazz. Get to keep the feel you like with all the extras an active preamp gives you.
MrWolf14 I used to have the most amazing jazz style bass. It wasn't cheap, and eventually, I had to part with it for economic reasons, but it was probably the finest bass I've ever held in my humble hands. The bass I speak of is the ZON Sonus 4. It has about the fastest neck I've ever played, mixed with custom wound Bartolini J Bass pickups and a custom pre-amp. Good luck in your quest!
Whenever I hear "Modern Jazz Bass", I think Sadowsky. I mean, Will Lee and Marcus pretty much the defined the sound of the modern, active Jazz Bass.
My vote would go for a used Geddy (I'm not sure if MIM has the same neck as MIJ) and add a Sadowsky preamp. It would set you back about $1,000, but you'd have exactly what you want...
And the original Geddy remains original!
Diego
My vote would go for a used Geddy (I'm not sure if MIM has the same neck as MIJ) and add a Sadowsky preamp. It would set you back about $1,000, but you'd have exactly what you want...
And the original Geddy remains original!
Diego
Great recommendation, but might not be easy to find. I don't see it listed on G&L's site, so I'm not sure it's in production but the site isn't always complete. They left the USA M-2500 off the site for several months, even though it was obviously still in production.
Thomann has some left and OP lives in Germany. Bought one for my son, great bass, 18v preamp, modern yet different from MM Sire sound. But I agree other alternatives proposed here should be considered.
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EDIT : I guess it's the last one and the price is 150€ less than what I paid in march...
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To be clear, if you were to add an onboard preamp to a passive bass to make it active, everything about the electronics would be the same as if you left that bass passive and used the equivalent outboard preamp, except the additional 1/4" cable in the signal chain between the bass and the preamp. In other words, "passive + external preamp" = "active basses." Neither better nor worse, equivalent. Again, ignoring the extra cable.
But maybe you just want a new bass and want it to be active. In which case, nobody here can throw stones much.
Maybe find another Geddy and add a John East J-retro to it. They sell those already mounted to the control plate, you pretty much just have to solder the pickups onto the pots.
Thanks a lot for the input. As I said, I will never touch my Geddy. But this may be a valid mod once I put my hands on the next bass ;-)
