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Pimping Jazz basses?

D

Darshan

Feb 27, 2008
9
0
#1
Hi, thanks for reading my thread.. I have a few question about doing up jazz basses and would appreciate any feed back from people with experience doing this.

First of all if I were to buy a cheap bass body and change the pickups/pre amp and potentially neck is there anything that makes say a squire body significantly different from a usa body?

Secondly I plan to put a graphite neck on the instrument.. is this easy?

Thanks, D
 
#3
moduluspostop013.jpg

Here's mine
 
#6
I've read material from some luthiers who feel that any neck, even a graphite one, will move given sting tension and time, and therefore feel it is unwise to have even a graphite truss free neck. I think I read this in regards to Carl Thompson but I can't swear to it. I've never owned one so I can't say from personal experience.
 
#7
Darshan said:
Hi, thanks for reading my thread.. I have a few question about doing up jazz basses and would appreciate any feed back from people with experience doing this.

First of all if I were to buy a cheap bass body and change the pickups/pre amp and potentially neck is there anything that makes say a squire body significantly different from a usa body?

Secondly I plan to put a graphite neck on the instrument.. is this easy?

Thanks, D
Click to expand...

The body will be different. Can you tell the difference? Probably not, depending on how it is finished.

As to swapping out pups and a neck, why not? Squier and even the MIM Fender will generally use more pieces of wood as the wood grade is or may be, lower. This does not mean inferior!

A properly built 4 or 5 piece body will be stronger and more stable than a one piece. Though the one piece should be a higer tonal quality. You know the debate over tone woods on electric basses....

The same will hold true for an SX or Turser body vs a MIJ/MIA Fender body etc...I have even heard, good sounding, plywood bodied basses!

If you get a graphite neck, IMHO, look for one with a truss rod. I think, but am not sure, that all of the currently made graphite necks are equipped with truss rods. The neck may never move, or may move slightly over the years, but the ability to adjust the neck is a very big plus.

Again, all IMHO....
 
#11
Well the J-Retro has turned it into a pure bass machine. I play mainly Drum&Bass with it and the lows are awesome.

It's very powerful though and I have to watch the ouput through my Ashdown combo. I've blown two speakers already!

Easy swap-over and well worth the money IMO.

A friend has a Audere going spare as he didn't like it, so I may try that with the Squier first.
 
#13
I am currently pimpin' an old cheap Challenger VP J-bass clone. It actually feels and plays like a real Jazz, so since I got it from a friend that havent played for years, it was a keeper. The body is a 3-piece wood construction with something that looks like 2 pieces of cheap floorboard-like wood, and 1 piece (the smallest one) that looks somewhat like decent mahogany.. But it doesn't really matter, it think it sounds just fine. So I would imagine that a squire body couldnt be too bad either :)
 
#14
thats pretty much what mine is like,its butterscotch-y,black pickguard.i want to change the neck to a cheap maple one with black block inlays.i never intended to own a jazz,but my mum got it me a a early birthday present and i havnt even heard it through an amp(the neck pickup wiring has been torn away with the previous owner turning the knob too much) sothis is purely for looks only though when i have spare the money to do it.
to OP-sorry if i hijacked your thread,but i have subscribed,and when these mods are done,i will be sure to post!!
make sure you do too,and can we see some more pimp jazz's pweeeeeeese?:D
 

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