Punch from a Jazz Bass

[TonyP-]

A Stingray less scooped than a Jazz? I have a hard time with that...

Well, think of where the pickups are located on a jazz....The further away they are from each other in placement the more extreme the highs and lows will be. Hence, creating more of a midrange scoop.

 

[Count Bassie]

Well, think of where the pickups are located on a jazz....The further away they are from each other in placement the more extreme the highs and lows will be. Hence, creating more of a midrange scoop.

I'm my recollection a Jazz has a lot of mid-range, and there's one pickup in the sweet spot.
The Stingray sounds very scoopy to me, with pronounced lows and stinging, sizzly highs. And one p'up right in front of the bridge.
I know you're a knowledgeable dude Tony, but I'm not bearing witness here...

 

[SuperTheBass]

I'll go ahead and upset some people and say punchiness is more of a technique thing that it is a bass type thing. A J bass can get a pretty versatile set of tones.

 

[Geri O]

I'm my recollection a Jazz has a lot of mid-range, and there's one pickup in the sweet spot.
The Stingray sounds very scoopy to me, with pronounced lows and stinging, sizzly highs. And one p'up right in front of the bridge.
I know you're a knowledgeable dude Tony, but I'm not bearing witness here...

It's all abut individual opinion and taste, I'm so tired of repeating that as nauseam. You not "bearing witness" doesn't mean that Tony is wrong.

The definition of "scoop" lies in the eyes, errr, ears of the beholder.

Having both Stingrays and Jazz basses, the level of scoop depends on the pickup balance.

With my own experience of using a Jazz-style bass with both pups 100% all the time, I feel that the Stingray is less scooped than the Jazz.

Dial up the bridge pup or neck pup only, that all changes. How, I wouldn't know. I haven't tried it and don't intend to.

 

[Geri O]

I'll go ahead and upset some people and say punchiness is more of a technique thing that it is a bass type thing. A J bass can get a pretty versatile set of tones.

For what it's worth, I'm with ya 100% on that.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Slap some DiMarzio Model J's (wired in series humbucking) into any jazz bass and it will punch like a 20-year old Mike Tyson on HGH

 

[Count Bassie]

It's all abut individual opinion and taste, I'm so tired of repeating that as nauseam. You not "bearing witness" doesn't mean that Tony is wrong.

The definition of "scoop" lies in the eyes, errr, ears of the beholder.

Having both Stingrays and Jazz basses, the level of scoop depends on the pickup balance.

With my own experience of using a Jazz-style bass with both pups 100% all the time, I feel that the Stingray is less scooped than the Jazz.

Dial up the bridge pup or neck pup only, that all changes. How, I wouldn't know. I haven't tried it and don't intend to.

If there are mids dialed out, the result will tend to be scooped more than if the mids are dialed in. The subjective thing is true to a point, I would say, generally. But it's a question of balance, yes of course.
And the snark is noted. You might not like my response to Tony, but it's not about being difficult. No need to defend anything. I'm just interested in a pursuit here.

 

[Count Bassie]

If there are mids dialed out, the result will tend to be scooped more than if the mids are dialed in. The subjective thing is true to a point, I would say, generally. But it's a question of balance, yes of course.
And the snark is noted. You might not like my response to Tony, but it's not about being difficult. No need to defend anything. I'm just interested in a pursuit here.

And if course it makes sense how your settings are, I totally get it of course. I started off here asking a very general question about the basic nature of two different instruments. It gets involved, right.
@TonyP- my reply wasn't meant to be argumentative... I'm just under a different impression. I haven't owned a Stingray, though I've listened to a lot of them. But I have owned a Jazz.
And coming to think of it, a Precision has a lot more heavy mids on hand than a Jazz. So there's that.

 

[Wicked G]

The Jazz I'm looking at is the newer "Player" series, a '22 Mexi. Alnico p'ups.

I've tried the Player series recently and I didn't like the tone. There was no presence or sparkle, it was pretty much thump thump, thud thud. Now the Player Limited Edition Plus Top sounds beautiful to my ears with plenty of bark and sparkle and then the Player II Modified Active gives you that plus growl and the active EQ lets you fine tune your sound even more while still retaining a passive feel.

For punch I would definitely go with the Modified Active. The Plus Top is more bouncy and barky which I really like a lot. I own both the Modified Active and the Plus Top Limited Edition so there's that. BTW I also agree with @TonyP- , the Stingray is all about aggressive mids and much more so than any Jazz I've ever tried or owned. And yes I own SBMM and EBMM Stingrays as well. All IMHO but YMMV.

 

[darwin-bass]

Do we realize, yet, not everyone has the same definition of "punch"?

 

[Count Bassie]

I've tried the Player series recently and I didn't like the tone. There was no presence or sparkle, it was pretty much thump thump, thud thud. Now the Player Limited Edition Plus Top sounds beautiful to my ears with plenty of bark and sparkle and then the Player II Modified Active gives you that plus growl and the active EQ lets you fine tune your sound even more while still retaining a passive feel.

For punch I would definitely go with the Modified Active. The Plus Top is more bouncy and barky which I really like a lot. I own both the Modified Active and the Plus Top Limited Edition so there's that. BTW I also agree with @TonyP- , the Stingray is all about aggressive mids and much more so than any Jazz I've ever tried or owned. And yes I own SBMM and EBMM Stingrays as well. All IMHO but YMMV.

It's certainly possible that I've been missing something.

 

[wompwomp]

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

alternately: a mute will give a punchier envelope on a jazz bass

 

[ishouldbeking]

Depends what you call punch and how you play, but in my hands a passive jazz bass with the bridge pup dialed to 80% and everything else wide open is about as punchy as you get. Rolling either pickup back a bit eliminates the mid scoop you get from running both pups on full. Same trick works on most 2 pickup basses (4003, T40, etc.), and there's no better way to cut through. It's not going to compete with an active bass boosting low mids or something, but it's not hard to get a punchy jazz bass sound at all.

 

[FretRiff]

Blur I believe used a Stingray driven hard for Song 2

Stingray was used in the video and a couple of times on stage for that song, but not always. Alex typically uses a '58 P-bass reissue live. What you're hearing much of the time in that song's recording was the bass run through a Marshall Shredmaster then distorted through a tiny handheld Marshall MS-2 amp and, according to Stephen Street, "at mixdown was running Alex’s bass line through a Big Muff guitar pedal". (People have copied the sound all sorts of ways with all sorts of basses.) So much post-production work done on that blown-out sound (song recorded in 15 minutes, according to Alex James's autobiography) it could've been played with a cheap $100 bass.

 

[LakeEffect]

Depends, does it have Lollars? If so then yes, punch.

If not? Maybe, but less certain and variable dependent.

 

[Count Bassie]

Stingray was used in the video and a couple of times on stage for that song, but not always. Alex typically uses a '58 P-bass reissue live. What you're hearing much of the time in that song's recording was the bass run through a Marshall Shredmaster then distorted through a tiny handheld Marshall MS-2 amp and, according to Stephen Street, "at mixdown was running Alex’s bass line through a Big Muff guitar pedal". (People have copied the sound all sorts of ways with all sorts of basses.) So much post-production work done on that blown-out sound (song recorded in 15 minutes, according to Alex James's autobiography) it could've been played with a cheap $100 bass.

Not a surprise. That comment was just fuel for the conversation- I didn't really know that story- but yeah, of course it was! Thanks for the story there

 

[Count Bassie]

So many things to decide to not think about, lol. I just want to make a sound I like and stop thinking about it...

 

[Count Bassie]

,

Depends, does it have Lollars? If so then yes, punch.

If not? Maybe, but less certain and variable dependent.

Well, I punch, so maybe it'll be ok.
I'm going to end up with something and make it work.

 

[MonetBass]

 

[LakeEffect]

Good plan. It all definitely works if we make it work!