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T-40 vs Jazz
- Thread starter LarryO
- Start date
Everything you ever wanted to know about the T-40:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5608727#post5608727
my first bass was a T-40
i now play fender jazz
the jazz is way better in my opinion. if something goes wrong with my jazz, i can find replacement parts easy.
my T-40 is sitting in my closet, defretted and collecting dust..
i now play fender jazz
the jazz is way better in my opinion. if something goes wrong with my jazz, i can find replacement parts easy.
my T-40 is sitting in my closet, defretted and collecting dust..
2 reasons..
it's my first bass that i ever had. My dear old dad gave it to me when i was 13..
and i dont think anyone would want it... lol its in pretty bad shape.. my Jaco inspiration defiled the neck on that bass...
i DO have some recordings made with it tho when it had frets
it's my first bass that i ever had. My dear old dad gave it to me when i was 13..
and i dont think anyone would want it... lol its in pretty bad shape.. my Jaco inspiration defiled the neck on that bass...
i DO have some recordings made with it tho when it had frets
I think both models are wonderful basses, as I own both along with a precision and a musicman.
Tonewise- The jazz can portray many different characteristics (thumpy, bright, thin, fat) based on the type of setup you have, as well as the T-40 (p/u selection,flatwounds, roundwounds, etc.). I have both basses strung with Fender 9050 M flats. These strings really thump and sound thick. Now, the Fender has a bit more of an upfront kind of sound when it comes to listening to it in the mix, the T-40 stays deep and in it's frequency spectrum, yet it can also sound aggressive and upfront as well, they are both so versitile. On the jazz, using the neck p/u only, w/ the treble rolled off, I can reach very deep and tight lows, along with some nice mids, the mids being more high mids. You can however roll them off with your EQ if you want. The T-40 can sound similar to the jazz by using the single coil mode, or even bringing the phase switch into the mix. However, I don't believe it will sound exactly the same due to p/u locations being in different places. The T-40 can also sound a bit like a Precision, in humbucker mode, however it does have more lows though, and less low mids. But like I said before, with EQing you can shape the tone so much. Both basses have a very versitile tone, but myself personally, I always pickup my Fenders before my other basses.
Reliability- The T-40 is a goliath, I don't believe you can damage this bass. The jazz bass is also a workhorse, it also won't be broken easily unless you drop it on it's neck, but even then, I don't know if you could break it. They're both very reliable and well built, even the Mexi Fenders.
Ease of Adjustment- The jazz was a simple task for me to setup myself. It took me about 40 minutes to get it right for my liking (include truss rod ad. Now the T-40 is a bit different in setup, in my opinion it is not as easy to setup due to where the truss rod adjustment is on the bass.
Good luck to you! I'm sure you will enjoy both. You cannot exactly compare them, they are different animals in a way. But you always possibly have a favorite of the two. For me, it seems that my Fenders always sway me for some reason. The mwah in their tone is beautiful.
Tonewise- The jazz can portray many different characteristics (thumpy, bright, thin, fat) based on the type of setup you have, as well as the T-40 (p/u selection,flatwounds, roundwounds, etc.). I have both basses strung with Fender 9050 M flats. These strings really thump and sound thick. Now, the Fender has a bit more of an upfront kind of sound when it comes to listening to it in the mix, the T-40 stays deep and in it's frequency spectrum, yet it can also sound aggressive and upfront as well, they are both so versitile. On the jazz, using the neck p/u only, w/ the treble rolled off, I can reach very deep and tight lows, along with some nice mids, the mids being more high mids. You can however roll them off with your EQ if you want. The T-40 can sound similar to the jazz by using the single coil mode, or even bringing the phase switch into the mix. However, I don't believe it will sound exactly the same due to p/u locations being in different places. The T-40 can also sound a bit like a Precision, in humbucker mode, however it does have more lows though, and less low mids. But like I said before, with EQing you can shape the tone so much. Both basses have a very versitile tone, but myself personally, I always pickup my Fenders before my other basses.
Reliability- The T-40 is a goliath, I don't believe you can damage this bass. The jazz bass is also a workhorse, it also won't be broken easily unless you drop it on it's neck, but even then, I don't know if you could break it. They're both very reliable and well built, even the Mexi Fenders.
Ease of Adjustment- The jazz was a simple task for me to setup myself. It took me about 40 minutes to get it right for my liking (include truss rod ad. Now the T-40 is a bit different in setup, in my opinion it is not as easy to setup due to where the truss rod adjustment is on the bass.
Good luck to you! I'm sure you will enjoy both. You cannot exactly compare them, they are different animals in a way. But you always possibly have a favorite of the two. For me, it seems that my Fenders always sway me for some reason. The mwah in their tone is beautiful.
T-40 has a wider neck, more along the lines of a P compared to the narrower neck of a J.
T-40 can go from HB to SC on either pickup independently (ie. you can have HH, HS, SH or SS pickup arrangements) plus individual volume and tone adjustments. To my ears it's much more versatile sounding than a J due to all the options available.
T-40 can go from HB to SC on either pickup independently (ie. you can have HH, HS, SH or SS pickup arrangements) plus individual volume and tone adjustments. To my ears it's much more versatile sounding than a J due to all the options available.
thanks dubstylee, that was helpful. I love my jazz but I am always looking for something else. I guess I am looking for the "maintenence free" "indesructable bass. I owned a fender with a neck that warped. I owned a eb sterling and was unsatisfied with the fact that everyone wanted to send it back to san louis obisbo if anything needed work, zon sonus ate batteries like willy wonka candy. 51 p ri.....frets to narrow. This passive Jazz that I have now is great......I just don't want to have to deal with neck issues in a few years.
i have both. i bought the jazz specifically to have that "jazz with flats" sound. i'm not a fan of zingy top end.
the t-40 is obviously going to have a helluva lot more tonal options than the jazz, and in my opinion the jazzenbacker thing the t-40 does in SC mode is a lot more enjoyable to *my* ears than the jazz.
both are almost annoyingly versatile. however, the t-40 essentially slaps the jazz around in "all around versatility."
jazz basses have always [because of their pencil necks] gone out of their way to warp for me; no matter how much i tell them i don't appreciate it.
where, with the t-40, i've contemplated punt kicking it down the my apartment buildings staircase; but won't, because i would feel bad for the stairs.
there will be snooty people that think that the t-40 isn't as good/versatile as the jazz. you know those people... "i have a $2,900 boutique jazz copy that i waited 19 months for and when i got it home i slapped a brand new j-retro and a couple darkstars in it. i just set all the controls flat, and its the most versatile thing evarrrrr!"
really? that one setting is somehow magically sonically more versatile than a passive system with sc/hb mode, series/parallel switching, and seperate volume and tone controls so you can you the three way switch to change between two totally independent sounds on the fly and combine the two signals? really?
i used to be a "P into Ampeg" kind of player. however, reading some of the reviews on the t-40 had me pull the trigger on one and honestly, despite a bit of a learning curve i'm now really happy with my t-40, jazz, and PJs. once i learned how to set the levels on things i realized how much i was missing out on. the t-40 will never be a jazz but it has a slammin' character all of it's own that i personally wouldn't trade for a multi-thousand dollar bass of any other kind.
the t-40 is obviously going to have a helluva lot more tonal options than the jazz, and in my opinion the jazzenbacker thing the t-40 does in SC mode is a lot more enjoyable to *my* ears than the jazz.
both are almost annoyingly versatile. however, the t-40 essentially slaps the jazz around in "all around versatility."
jazz basses have always [because of their pencil necks] gone out of their way to warp for me; no matter how much i tell them i don't appreciate it.
where, with the t-40, i've contemplated punt kicking it down the my apartment buildings staircase; but won't, because i would feel bad for the stairs.
there will be snooty people that think that the t-40 isn't as good/versatile as the jazz. you know those people... "i have a $2,900 boutique jazz copy that i waited 19 months for and when i got it home i slapped a brand new j-retro and a couple darkstars in it. i just set all the controls flat, and its the most versatile thing evarrrrr!"
really? that one setting is somehow magically sonically more versatile than a passive system with sc/hb mode, series/parallel switching, and seperate volume and tone controls so you can you the three way switch to change between two totally independent sounds on the fly and combine the two signals? really?
i used to be a "P into Ampeg" kind of player. however, reading some of the reviews on the t-40 had me pull the trigger on one and honestly, despite a bit of a learning curve i'm now really happy with my t-40, jazz, and PJs. once i learned how to set the levels on things i realized how much i was missing out on. the t-40 will never be a jazz but it has a slammin' character all of it's own that i personally wouldn't trade for a multi-thousand dollar bass of any other kind.
