Hi Guys, I am going to be in the market for a new Jazz bass pretty soon. I wanted to get some opinions on the S1 switch Fender is using these days? is anyone using one of these? how are you liking it? thanks - Tom
I had one and let it go 3 weeks after buying it. I guess I had been sold a bad one, and I believe it was an exception. The sound was sterile, the action was VERY high, and the S-1 switch did almost nothing. Nothing common with my MIA P S-1, which is PERFECT. So if you want one, do it, but try before you buy, or choose a retailer who will offer you a nice policy return. Hope this helps Jay
Hi Jay, Thanks for the post, I will have a chance to try out the bass before I buy so I should be "good to go" if I like it. Did you find that the S1 really opened up the tonal palette of the bass? - Tom
The S1 for the Precision makes a world of difference! For the jazz... it did not do much in regards to versatility.
+1. As I said above, on the J the S-1 switch seemed to do almost nothing. On the P it is quite amazing. Button up : fat P tone. Button down : modern tone. Still blown away each time I plug my P in the amp. Cheers Jay
If you are in search of versatility with the S-1 switch, I'm ready to bet on the purchase of a P instead of the J...
+1. I also wish to add that if I was out for a J by these days, I'd probably lean towards a Geddy instead of an MIA S-1. Cheers Jay
I would just as well get a nice USA J or P without that S1 but it seems that most of the Fenders around here have the Switch. If I dig the P with the S1 then Im all for it, from what Im hearing here so far the S1 J is looking less and less enticing. But again I will play both. Also, Im also going to look at the Marcus Miller model although I just wanted a nice classic styled Fender J or P. - Tom
Also, if you don't find a bass you really like, but like the S1 feature you can always just get a DPDT switch.
I've only tried an American P with S1, and it sounded awesome. Haven't tried an American J with S1 yet, but I plan on it.
My Reverend Rumblefish XL has a similar feature; one position puts both pickups together in series, which is what the Fender S-1 switch does. With the pickups in series, they act like a huge humbucker. The output should increase by about 10% and the tone should be thick and fat. If that doesn't happen with an S-1 equpped Fender, something is wrong!
i have both p and j basses with s-1 switches. i find the tone of a p with the s-1 engaged to be interesting but somewhat weak. i find the tone of the j with the s-1 engaged to be very p like and powerful. it alters the sound greatly and it is not subtle. in the end however, i bought my jazzes because they are jazzes and my p's because they are p's. the s-1 does not change this. i have never used the s-1 on either a p or j for recording. i occasionally will use the s-1 through my rig using a j but i really find it to be unnessesary as i am using an alembic f-1x pre amp and that has a lot of flexibility and is rather warm sounding. p's and j's are designed to work closely with an amp as they have minimal controls themselves. the s-1 makes slight changes in tone a little easier on the fly. most p players may want to add a little twang here and there, j players a little more bottom now and then. that is what the s-1 was designed for and that is exactly what it does. if you find a good p or j and it has an s-1, judge it as a p or j first. peace, jeff
I have a Jazz with the S-1 and give it an enthusiastic endorsement. No, it's not a P with the switch engaged, but it's thick with growl at the same time. The acoustics where we are playing regularly are terrible and this bass has been the best at cutting through.
the S-1 mod is quite useful, but it really depends if you like that tone. you really need to play one to decide
To the Group - I ran across this link recently. It's not perfect but it beats trying to describe the S-1 switch in words. Check it out -- you may find it helpful!
When the S-1 is engaged on a Jazz Bass, it makes it sound more like a Precision Bass. Excellent! When the S-1 is engaged on a Precision Bass, it makes it sound really thin. Who needs that??
I've had both too, and I agree with this. I did use the S-1 on the J for recording once, and it was great. I used it at gigs sometimes too, but generally preferred the straight J tone. Overall, I thought it was more useful on the J than the P, because it's nice to get that fat, series humbucking tone sometimes. The volume jumps a bit, the low mids fatten up, and the highs pull back a little. As jwl says, it's not a subtle change. On the P, I never used it, and I used to wonder why anyone would want to thin out the tone on a P bass. It doesn't work on mine anymore because my Seymour Duncan pickup has only two conductor wire, but in my new band I probably would use it due to the diversity of the material. I tested another P recently with the S-1, which sounded great through the store's rig. So I've come to believe that the S-1 has its place on a P.