What is the best single upgrade I can make to my stock Fender Jazz MIM?
Bridge? Pickups?
Whaddya think?
Bridge? Pickups?
Whaddya think?
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Modding my MIM Fender Jazz
- Thread starter superhand
- Start date
both.
I put a bad ass II bridge and DiMarzio ultra jazz's in mine. sounds great. and plays pretty well after a good set up.
you can do both for under $200
I put a bad ass II bridge and DiMarzio ultra jazz's in mine. sounds great. and plays pretty well after a good set up.
you can do both for under $200
Depends - what's wrong with it? If nothing's wrong, it probably doesn't need to be upgraded.
Really, what Pilgrim said -- the best upgrade is the one that fixes something you're not happy with.
If I could only afford one change, it'd probably be the pickups -- you can get outboard preamps any time, and I'm not sure a new bridge would be the first thing to make a big impact.
But, if my tuners were constantly slipping, or were a pain to use when tuning up, I'd invest in new tuners before changing the pups.
If I wanted a preamp, but didn't want any outboard things, then it'd be a new preamp.
If my bridge didn't let me get the intonation right, or the screws tended to shake loose, etc. I might replace that first.
So, basically, what Pilgrim said
If I could only afford one change, it'd probably be the pickups -- you can get outboard preamps any time, and I'm not sure a new bridge would be the first thing to make a big impact.
But, if my tuners were constantly slipping, or were a pain to use when tuning up, I'd invest in new tuners before changing the pups.
If I wanted a preamp, but didn't want any outboard things, then it'd be a new preamp.
If my bridge didn't let me get the intonation right, or the screws tended to shake loose, etc. I might replace that first.
So, basically, what Pilgrim said
Copper shielding in the control and pickup cavities. Star ground everything, including the bridge. Quiets the noise and no other components are changed. Cheapest best upgrade if you can do the work yourself.
Lol, good one. Shim the neck.... at least twice, it will solve all your problems and get you laid, and there will be a pot of gold in the neck pocket too.
I put a Badass 2 on my MIM, and while its nicer than the standard one (dosnt move about), I didnt notice any change in sound, so if you dont like the sound at the moment, go for pickups.
The only things that are likely to actually change your sound are:
Pickups
Strings
Everything else ia a minor factor (if any factor at all) compared to these.
Pickups
Strings
Everything else ia a minor factor (if any factor at all) compared to these.
First - are you installing the strings properly, with the end tucked into the center hole and wound from the top of the tuner down? Sometimes it's not the tuners....
Yes! The Badass=huge difference. Better is a matter of opinion. My opinion is much, much better.
i put a badass-2 on my mim fender jazz and the most obvious difference is i can set my action WAY lower w no fret buzz. the high action was by biggest pet peeve on this bass as im used to playing a peavey cirrus 5. i had no idea the new bridge would even affect the action, but it did. i also put a sd sjb-3 brigde pup on there and that made a big difference as well. -joep
