• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

My Jazz Bass has no balls. Help!

#43
Adjust your amp and/or raise your pickups. Those things are adjustable for a reason. J pickups are a little bit weaker than P pickups, but there's no reason a simple turn of a gain knob can't compensate for that difference.

Also, I hate to state the obvious, but you aren't running both pickups, are you? This is a sure fire way to get an anemic tone from a J. You run both pickups to get that weaker tone deliberately. If you want the beefiest tone from a stock J, you run neck pickup full on, bridge pickup full off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: westrock, Machiavelli, bulldean and 1 other person
#49
If you haven't already tried fiddling with the controls, do that first. Then fiddle with the amp EQ. Then perhaps try series. If nothing works, then look for new pickups. I think people are sometimes too quick to suggest swapping pickups.
 
#51
Typical Jazz bass. Try a Dimarzio or Seymour Duncan in the neck position. I also use a DOD bi-fet pre amp pedal to beef up the sound. If your amp has a gain push it up a bit. Also try rolling back the tone control. My 2005 CIJ suffered from the same thing as has every Jazz I've ever owned. I dropped a Seymour Duncan in it. Problem solved. Btw I only use the neck pickup, bridge is totally out of the equation.
20191102_165049.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: molteni
#53
Hardbassjunkie said:
Thanks for all the help so far. I'm leaning towards trying SD pickups. Also, I'll try playing with the EQ more. So, neck full volume, bridge slightly up, and where should I put the tone?
Click to expand...
My only real experience with Jazz basses has been my player Mexican I had a set of Hum Canceling Aguilar pickups installed and they are awesome, really clear and punchy. They are split like a P bass pickup but in a straight line jazz form.
 
#54
I had a MIJ "jazz Bass Special" basically a PJ. It was the nicest bass I ever owned, with the best fretless neck I ever dealt with. The pickups were weak and awful. I ended up putting an old American Fender neck on it and practically giving it to a kid down the street. If I ever buy another MIJ Fender, I'll replace the pickups immediately
 
#55
Gothic said:
You solder together the bridge and neck grounds, the bridge hot becomes the new configuration's ground and the neck hot becomes the new hot. And you wire it like a p-bass.
Click to expand...

...and then the pickups will probably be out of phase with each other, resulting in a very thin, lifeless sound.

Typical series wiring is: solder the minus side of the neck pickup and the plus side of the bridge pickup together, then use the neck plus for the output, and the bridge minus for the ground. The pickups add together this way, instead of subtracting.

YMMV, but this is how I've always done series wiring...
 
  • Like
Reactions: G-Point, RONTERGO, 4StringDave and 3 others
#56
LUpton said:
...and then the pickups will probably be out of phase with each other, resulting in a very thin, lifeless sound.

Typical series wiring is: solder the minus side of the neck pickup and the plus side of the bridge pickup together, then use the neck plus for the output, and the bridge minus for the ground. The pickups add together this way, instead of subtracting.

YMMV, but this is how I've always done series wiring...
Click to expand...

Yeah, true. Brainfart moment, sorry.
 
#60
Lots of good advice here already. But, before you go changing pickups or adding preamps or whatever, try a few simple things first...
  1. Change your strings. OP suggested Rotosounds but I find them severely lacking in the low end. I'd suggest GHS Boomers.
  2. Raise your pickups, as has already been described in this post.
Failing that, +1 Dimarzio Model Js.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rickter

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back