Punch from a Jazz Bass

[Count Bassie]

I'm asking about how prominent the singular quality we call "punch" is with a Fender Jazz Bass. Seems like an elementary, newb type question, but I'm deciding between a Jazz and a SUB Stingray, and haven't played a Jazz in a pretty long time...
Simple question. I don't want to make one sound like the other, I'm just trying to help myself make a decision here, so I'm throwing this goober of a post up here.
Go ahead, have a field day with it!

 

[Swipter]

Has to be in the mids because the lows have no punch and highs have no body.

 

[JIO]

It really depends on the pu's, the electronics and the amp. A "Jazz Bass" is basically a bass with two single-coil pu's located more or less in a staggered arrangement. So for accurate reference there is a Fender Jazz bass and any other bass with two single-coil pu's made by a number of other makers. Most active J's have all the 'punch' anyone would want, but with the right combination I first mentioned - a passive J can certainly deliver punch. For historic reference there is John Paul Jones, Noel Redding, Aston Barrett & Robbie Shakespeare - all Jazz bass players. Bootsy Collins (w/James Brown) also comes to mind. In general I don't agree with the common stereotypes associated with a Jazz bass - it can deliver punch and on top of that clarity any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I've never owned or even played a Stingray - but it's a solo humbucker so very different than a J right out of the gate.

 

[BGroovy]

I prefer the scooped both pickups on sound of a jazz and that’s what I gravitate towards.

However for a traditional “punchy” mid forward sound I would say P bass or Stingray is a more direct path.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Put flats on a jazz bass and it can get punchy.

 

[bigtone23]

Solo the neck pickup for more punch.
Get an active J so you can add some bass to the soloed bridge pickup, which sounds very punchy.
Same with the soloed neck or any combination of the two pickups: add some mids (around 300-500Hz) for more punch.

 

[shojii]

Solo the neck pickup for more punch.
Get an active J so you can add some bass to the soloed bridge pickup, which sounds very punchy.
Same with the soloed neck or any combination of the two pickups: add some mids (around 300-500Hz) for more punch.

"Solo the neck pickup for more punch." - Joe Osborne enters the room...

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

A passive jazz bass probably isn't gonna be that punchy unless you boost it and/or play more aggressively.

 

[ImTheOnlyOne]

Just recently picked up a HH bass and played it alongside a jazz.
Playing a scale from open E up to above the 12th, I'd say this:
The HH burped out each note distinctly, especially down low.
The Jazz had some, hmmm, soft phase to its sound as I climbed.

Played a G in each of 3 octaves. The HH gave more sameness across octaves, whereas the Jazz pinched the higher up I played.

Maybe the humbuckers sounded more linear, while the Jazz had a curve to it,

 

[sdjfoh]

I have a bunch of Js and they are my preferred Leo design. Lots of EMG haters out there but the only active J I have is EMG and it has a ton of punch and heft. Roll off the tone just a smidge to not let the sparkle take over.

I have many J’s with passive bartolinis for warmth and the benefit of low output/low noise. They can get some nice articulation but I wouldn’t call them ultra punchy.

Delano pickups have slightly compressed sounding punch -the isolation of the low mids stand out nicely.

The Lollar J in my P/J bass might be the best I have though. I want another set for a strict J.

I have also really enjoyed Lace Sensor man o’ wars. Never got into Seymour Duncans but maybe I should try them again. Kinda curious about Tom Brantley’s and overwound Fralins.

There’s also just something great about EQ’ing some single coil custom shop Fender pickups. I pulled some 80s era single coil J pickups from a weirdo Kubicki build and they sound awesome.

 

[Micha84]

For me punch is always more about the dynamic response than frequencies. A single coil PU can be quite punchy, but maybe you want to look at compressors with longer attack times?

 

[Makten]

Wire the pickups in series. Done.

 

[Dlew919]

Parallel series switch. The growl and the punch.

 

[lomo]

The most punch (which I interpret to mean a well-defined, low mid feeling in the gut) from a JJ comes from the neck PUP soloed. That said, there's more inherent punch in a P or 'ray IMHE. An underrated bass that's all about punch all the time is the G & L L1000.

 

[MtManiac]

Maybe what I’m hearing as “punch” isn’t what other people hear, but to me most Jazz basses have plenty of punch.

 

[One Way]

A compressor set to slow attack is my tool used to increase punch. Slow attack allows the initial note volume to come through followed by the compressor slightly pulling the note volume back.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Maybe it's because I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur at this point, but how can you NOT get punch out of Jazz or P bass? Maybe I'm just cranky. It is early. I never needed to do anything other than tweak the EQ, then fuss with the tone knob depending on how the rest of band was EQ'd.

 

[Geri O]

Maybe it's because I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur at this point, but how can you NOT get punch out of Jazz or P bass? Maybe I'm just cranky. It is early. I never needed to do anything other than tweak the EQ, then fuss with the tone knob depending on how the rest of band was EQ'd.

Here, here!

And welcome to the club!....

It's not a bad place to be at all.....

 

[Count Bassie]

Good stuff here, thanks you guys. I realize this is subjective territory, but there's implied context and intent, so this is all helpful.
I've been playing my Epi Thunderbird Classic Pro through a Mesa TT-800, using the headphones out, and those TB+ pups are really high gain and distort easily- through this head especially. I've been messing with gains and volumes, but character is character, so I'm looking to find a bass with a cleaner voice. Something just a little more defined, with a nice clean punch. Something from another corner, you might say.
The Jazz Bass is interesting because it's got a pretty good scope of tone possibilities, as I recall. I'm torn between a Jazz and a Stingray...
Still love my Thunderbird, but you don't wear your steel toed work boots to a tap dancing class...

 

[Count Bassie]

Blur I believe used a Stingray driven hard for Song 2, and Geddy used a Jazz for later work with Rush. So there's what I'm seeing as a crossover area where those two animals share territory...