Unveiling ~ Part One: That '70s Jazz Bass

[Bass4ThePublic]

Woah, nice! Play it in good health! I do have a question. Would a drop D tuner make all of your other strings sharp? Since D has a lower tension than E on the neck, it sounds like that would be the case. Cheers!

 

[Malak the Mad]

Woah, nice! Play it in good health! I do have a question. Would a drop D tuner make all of your other strings sharp? Since D has a lower tension than E on the neck, it sounds like that would be the case. Cheers!

Thanks, Bass4! You stay safe, as well!

I've installed Hipshot Drop-D tuners in almost all of my basses. From what I can tell, there's no audible drop in overall tuning, intonation, pitch, etc., probably because there's still a great deal of tension on all four strings. If dropping the E-string down to "D" does cause any shift, it is so imperceptible that it isn't a significant factor. That being said, I could see how dropping it down below "D" could start affecting the other strings' tuning.

 

[InstantEctobass]

So you settle for a Squier VM 70 neck in the end? I bought THREE different VM 77 necks (with perloids) 1 from 2013 and 2 from 2017. All of them were highly flawed.

I'm still working on my 70s Jazz Bass, but mainly for the tone. I nailed the tone parts. 1997 AlNiCo Korean Squier Jazz pickups, DR Lo-Rider stainless steel strings and a 70s pickup spacing body. For the neck I just got a quarter-sawn maple neck (1 piece) from a Fender Modern Player Jazz Bass.

Seriously, I don't care for the blocks anymore!! Too much issues haha

 

[selowitch]

Not to put a fly in ointment but have you consider the G&L JB Tribute?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Not to put a fly in ointment but have you consider the G&L JB Tribute?

'Tis a fair questions, but for this particular build, no. I wanted to construct a fair visual and sonic representation of a '70s-style Jazz and the Tributes fall into more of a '60s groove. Additionally, for some reason G&L basses rarely cross my path, so I really haven't had a chance to try one out.

To be fair, though, there is currently a yummy Sunburst/Swamp Ash G&L JB body in the TB Classifieds. If that MIM Classic '70s body hadn't come my way, I would likely pounce on it and just call it a "Seventies-inspired Projekt".

 

[Malak the Mad]

So you settle for a Squier VM 70 neck in the end? I bought THREE different VM 77 necks (with perloids) 1 from 2013 and 2 from 2017. All of them were highly flawed.

I'm still working on my 70s Jazz Bass, but mainly for the tone. I nailed the tone parts. 1997 AlNiCo Korean Squier Jazz pickups, DR Lo-Rider stainless steel strings and a 70s pickup spacing body. For the neck I just got a quarter-sawn maple neck (1 piece) from a Fender Modern Player Jazz Bass.

Seriously, I don't care for the blocks anymore!! Too much issues haha

Given how good my Squier neck is, I'd hardly say I "settled" for anything. More like I had a stroke of great fortune in finding it.

I'm sorry to hear the VM necks you got didn't work out for you. Hopefully, the Modern Player neck will deliver the results you want. Just out of curiosity, what is the model, year and country-of-origin of that neck? I got to sample some of the first-generation Fender MP Jazzes when they first came out ten years ago and they felt very nice. (I'm not 100% certain, but I believe they came from the same factory that produced the much sought after, first-gen Squier Classic Vibes.)