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Upgrading a Jazz Bass (suggestions are wanted)

O

Oliversan

Dec 5, 2019
6
14
#1
earlier I had posted a thread about finding a second bass to go with my rickenbacker, and I believe I found one.
I got this fender jazz MIM from GC for $410 and it’s quite pretty. It was listed as a seafoam green but it looks more like the Sherwood green, I’m not too sure really. Rosewood fingerboard, I’d assume. I’m assuming it’s all stock; the middle poles on both pups are raised so it definitely has a nice midrange sound which I really like
It is a bit worn out and beat up a bit sure. There’s some chipping on the back, some of the frets are starting to get that rusty worn out feel, screws are close to rusted, control plate is very worn out (I have a spare to replace it), machine heads still work but feel gross to the touch but that’s about it!
My current plans for right now is just to change the strings with some super slinky’s I have lying around since they came dead, oil the fretboard, wipe the body clean, replace control plate and screws for pickguard, and look inside the cavity to see what I’m working with.

I guess I’m open to any suggestions what else you’d do with a jazz bass like this? Replace any specific parts for better ones, change the pups (I like the ones already but open to any midrange specific pups), strings etc etc?

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#4
I personally feel that those pickups sound great, I wouldn’t change them.
Maybe get proper CTS pots if the bass doesn’t already have them
(Linear taper for Volumes, Audio taper for Tone)

oh...and TORT!!!

I am a proponent of High Mass bridges, many people aren’t. I would also install a Hipshot Kickass bridge. That is all...

I use those exact same EB Slinky’s on all my basses - they are awesome.
 
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#6
Congrats!
Oliversan said:
It was listed as a seafoam green but it looks more like the Sherwood green, I’m not too sure really.
Click to expand...
Based on the headstock logo that was used on the MIM Standards from that era, I'd say that it's probably Sage Green Metallic. I've got a 2-Tone Sunburst from 2000 that is quite wonderful.

My mods (not really "upgrades" per se) were mostly cosmetic. The only one of note would be the addition of an Invalid Link Removed to provide the parallel/series option. I can't say that an S-1 mod is a "must do" for Jazz owners, but for me, it makes a very versatile instrument even more useful for the kind of stuff I play.
 
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#9
garp said:
Congrats!
Based on the headstock logo that was used on the MIM Standards from that era, I'd say that it's probably Sage Green Metallic. I've got a 2-Tone Sunburst from 2000 that is quite wonderful.

My mods (not really "upgrades" per se) were mostly cosmetic. The only one of note would be the addition of an Invalid Link Removed to provide the parallel/series option. I can't say that an S-1 mod is a "must do" for Jazz owners, but for me, it makes a very versatile instrument even more useful for the kind of stuff I play.
Click to expand...

I would argue a series/parallel switch is a "must do" mod on a Jazz bass. It is pretty easy to do and adds a lot to the instrument.
 
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#11
VBT instead of VVT!

i'm a blend/pan knob 'enthusiast' so i'm going to install a VBT on my J parts-bass. i can't actually endorse the product yet, but VBT is an alternative to the VVT system(s) many complain about. here's the piece i'll be installing once i get my maple neck delivered:

Richter JB-VBT Control Plate - Best Bass Gear
 
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#12
It's got some played in mojo. I would give it a good clean (including the pots), polish the frets and do a careful setup. Then play it for a while. Playing it will prioritise your upgrades over time (if it actually needs any).
 
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#13
#1: I would leave it alone but to clean, change strings and tweak the setup as necessary. If it is a good bass as it is, then, "If it ain't broke - don't fix it!"
#2: If you must change something, my suggestion is to change to noise-cancelling pickups. I gig in places that have hum-prone wiring and house PA systems prone to ground loops, neon beer signs, etc.; all that in spite of best shielding, are prone to sending both hum and electrostatic noise into the system. And since the OP is wanting mids, several of the split-coil pickups out there do have more mids than their single coil counterparts.
 
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#14
To borrow a phrase from Dave’s World of Fun Stuff, I’d “clean the DNA off it” along with any other nonorganic gunk, oil the fretboard, polish the frets, fix/replace anything that’s broken, install some new strings, and give it a good setup.

I wouldn’t even think of modding or upgrading anything until I made what I already had as good as it could be. You can’t really know what else you need till you know what you have.
 
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#20
I agree with @garp on this one...looks like Sage Green Metallic, rather than Sherwood Green, which IME is a deeper and brighter green.

I have a hard time keeping things just as they are, whether the mods are needed are not, just to make it more my own. As others have suggested, a brown tort guard would tie in nicely with the rosewood fingerboard. I also like the idea of upgrading to a high mass bridge.

Hopefully the "orange clean" Pledge on the shelf behind it is for something other than the bass! :laugh:
 
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