i just got a reggie hamilton with the P/J setup. it sounds great i guess just super modern and thats not my thing right now. i was hoping for a p bass that could touch the j bass realm. i dont want a swiss army knife just a soild 70's rock bass. what should i do??? new pickups or ditch the active eq or both?
I know nothing about the preamp in your bass, but if it's properly designed, it should have no effect on the sound when the knobs are centered. EDIT: If you don't like the native sound of the bass, why did you buy it?
If the bass flat out doesn't work for you, just flip it. Either to the store you bought it from, or sell it on and try to recover your losses.
could you install an active / passive mini switch? the pickups are likely really good. that way you could get that organic sound your looking for with the option of the modern thing when you need it.
Unless the EQ has some sort of built-in "sound", or the OP is overusing it, bypassing it should have very little effect on the "organic" or "modern" sound of the instrument.
Thanks for all the replays so fast. I bought it online and it had great reviews. It does has a active/passive toggle. Helps but still not the tone I'm looking for. Feels like zero mids are happening. My 90's mim j bass has more grind. I played a Spector with the p/j steup with emg hz and it sounded amazing. Being a fender guy I hoped this would be the dream bass.
Not quite sure which part you don't like other than it being 'super modern.' I had it for a while and don't remember that being the case--my Carvin SB5000 or Yamaha BBNE2 are far more 'modern' sounding.
First, check your pickup heights. If you're getting too much "scoop" with both pickups on full, adjust the pickup heights to favor the P-pickup. Lower the jazz pickup a little and see if that doesn't give you your P-bass mojo. Second, try different strings. Different basses want different strings. Don't expect one type/brand of string to suffice on all basses. Life just isn't that simple. The good news is that strings can make a huge difference. If you noticed Mr Hamilton's post you'll see he uses/endorses LaBella so that might be a good place to start...hint hint.
I love the sound if my RH. I would suggest not using the pickups together. I hear some weird phasing and some notes just fizzle. I rarely use the bridge pickup in a band situation. With the neck pickup solo, it sounds like a PBass.
Reggie, as long as you are here, I thought I heard a regular J/J jazz bass on both Maxwell's Embrya and few tunes from a Patricia Kaas album. You played both of those albums. These days do you prefer the P/J set up more than the J/J? And what's the J/J jazz bass you typically use in addition to your P/J signature one?
Hey LaBassGuy, The bass for Patricia Kaas and Maxwell is my same '96 Jazz Deluxe V. The same bass is on Whitney's "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack. Those were all recorded before finishing the RH CS V. One of the early recordings of the CS V is "Anna" from one of Stanley Clarke's recordings. All of my electric V string basses sport Fender Fender Stainless Steel .135tw, .110tw, .085, .065, .045. As for the four bangers, it'll either be stainless, flats or tape wound. I've never liked nickel for myself. I don't like the character of nickel after string ages, gets dirty, etc. I use LaBella on my upright basses and my two ABGs. I don't really have a preference but my first Fender was a '69 P Bass fretless followed closely by an L series '64 Jazz. I've always been a fan of both the P Bass and the J Bass, while liking the body shape of the J more. Currently, most of my basses are active/passive instruments for the obvious tonal reasons. As for my JJ Basses, I have my trusty '67, Road Worn and a CS IV Mark Kendrick.