Who here has modified their Atelier Z?

[scyzoryk]

I've been the owner of a beautiful passive ash/maple Atelier Z M265 jazz bass for a while and I'm wondering if any other owners have made helpful modifications to their bass.

The bass is gorgeous and built extremely well. The only two things I continually think about trying to improve are the low mid profile (ash maple has an inherent scoop, and I don't like the tone of anything else other than both pickups full-on), and the weight.

Here's what I've been doing / thinking...

• PREAMP: Since this bass is passive, I don't think I want to pay a luthier to drill an area for a preamp where none currently exists, so I run it through a Sadowsky preamp.
  
  
• PICKUPS: The Atelier JBZ-S single coils sound pretty good, but I'm tempted to try something different like Nordstrand NJ5 70s winds. I'd love something more aggressive, raspier, and beefy. I've heard great things about Aero Type 1's, but I've also heard some conflicting opinions as well.
  
  
• STRINGS: I've found Dunlop Super Brights to work amazing on this bass. They seem to have a great "crunch" to them, along with low mids.
  
  
• TUNERS: This bass comes stock with Gotoh GB30 tuners. I heard that you could upgrade to Gotoh GB528 tuners which could shave off 0.6lb!
  
  
• STRAP: My bass weighs 11lb but I find that with a Neoprene strap, the weight doesn't bother me too much.
  
  
• BRIDGE: The Atelier Z bridge is massive, but I suspect that helps with the tone and sustain, so I'd be careful to think to replace it, but it probably add a good chunk to the weight.

Anyone else have good success making modifications?

 

[Skillet]

Since I acquired my Baby Z 4PJ it's become my number one gigging bass. I was surprised to have finally found a bass with somewhat equal volume P and J pickups. The downside to that being, I don't really like the modern "active" tone. Luckily, I can pull the J volume knob up and the bass goes passive. I wasn't feeling that old school "uumph" from the P so I yanked it out and put a Dimarzio DP122 in it's place. I'm on that pickup, in passive mode, 90% of the time.

The Gotoh tuners that came on the bass worked great, but they were heavy. Somewhere in my scrounging, I had already acquired some shiny chrome Hipshot Ultralites. That helped with balance and weight. The bass weighs just under 8lbs now.

I have been using Dunlop flatwounds top strung and they've always worked great for me, but my love of TI flats led to me buy their short scale set (they're long enough to string through the body). I cut the A string a little shy. Two wraps around the tuner post wasn't enough so I'm about to put on Ye Olde Fender A string retainer on that tuner to tighten things up.

Dunlop straplocks are par for the course round these parts, and that's it. I love the neck on this little bass and can't imagine ever parting with it.

 

[two fingers]

I've been the owner of a beautiful passive ash/maple Atelier Z M265 jazz bass for a while and I'm wondering if any other owners have made helpful modifications to their bass.

The bass is gorgeous and built extremely well. The only two things I continually think about trying to improve are the low mid profile (ash maple has an inherent scoop, and I don't like the tone of anything else other than both pickups full-on), and the weight.

View attachment 4444053

Here's what I've been doing / thinking...

• PREAMP: Since this bass is passive, I don't think I want to pay a luthier to drill an area for a preamp where none currently exists, so I run it through a Sadowsky preamp.
  
  
• PICKUPS: The Atelier JBZ-S single coils sound pretty good, but I'm tempted to try something different like Nordstrand NJ5 70s winds. I'd love something more aggressive, raspier, and beefy. I've heard great things about Aero Type 1's, but I've also heard some conflicting opinions as well.
  
  
• STRINGS: I've found Dunlop Super Brights to work amazing on this bass. They seem to have a great "crunch" to them, along with low mids.
  
  
• TUNERS: This bass comes stock with Gotoh GB30 tuners. I heard that you could upgrade to Gotoh GB528 tuners which could shave off 0.6lb!
  
  
• STRAP: My bass weighs 11lb but I find that with a Neoprene strap, the weight doesn't bother me too much.
  
  
• BRIDGE: The Atelier Z bridge is massive, but I suspect that helps with the tone and sustain, so I'd be careful to think to replace it, but it probably add a good chunk to the weight.

Anyone else have good success making modifications?

Get an aluminum bridge for sure. You will likely notice zero difference in tone. And, yes, lighter tuners.

I would seek out a preamp with a mid frequency sweep as well as a mid level knob.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I did

I put in an Audere preamp

I'm love with the active blend and tone control but I do find it ear drum slicing in the top end

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I'm also tempted to try Nordstrands

but now I'm thinking of Emg

why?
I love alex al's jazz sound
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SGwnaVkG6tE&feature=share
Skip to

1:12:20

 

[gerrywarwick]

My M265p came with 19mm spacing, xtct pre and gb30 tuners. I switched out the gb30s with 528 resolite tuners and they work great.
The xtct is a good preamp but it's boost only and no tone knob. Also, the gain knob on the inside is advertised as a midrange cut only control but acts like an overall gain. When it's turned all the way down, there is no output if the bass and treble are flat. When it's all the way up, it's far too loud. I get the best results from setting it too be equal volume as passive mode. If I were to change it, I'd go with a John East uni pre. It works well in my Fender Marcus Miller bass, also ash/maple.
Other than that, I'd like a larger cut out at the lower horn, so I can get to the last frets.
I wouldn't dream of replacing the pickups. The Dragonfly bass in this pic has the best preamp I've ever used. Look at the Atelier lower horn cut out compared to the others. Love my Z though!

 

[songwriter21]

I've been the owner of a beautiful passive ash/maple Atelier Z M265 jazz bass for a while and I'm wondering if any other owners have made helpful modifications to their bass.

The bass is gorgeous and built extremely well. The only two things I continually think about trying to improve are the low mid profile (ash maple has an inherent scoop, and I don't like the tone of anything else other than both pickups full-on), and the weight.

View attachment 4444053

Here's what I've been doing / thinking...

• PREAMP: Since this bass is passive, I don't think I want to pay a luthier to drill an area for a preamp where none currently exists, so I run it through a Sadowsky preamp.
  
  
• PICKUPS: The Atelier JBZ-S single coils sound pretty good, but I'm tempted to try something different like Nordstrand NJ5 70s winds. I'd love something more aggressive, raspier, and beefy. I've heard great things about Aero Type 1's, but I've also heard some conflicting opinions as well.
  
  
• STRINGS: I've found Dunlop Super Brights to work amazing on this bass. They seem to have a great "crunch" to them, along with low mids.
  
  
• TUNERS: This bass comes stock with Gotoh GB30 tuners. I heard that you could upgrade to Gotoh GB528 tuners which could shave off 0.6lb!
  
  
• STRAP: My bass weighs 11lb but I find that with a Neoprene strap, the weight doesn't bother me too much.
  
  
• BRIDGE: The Atelier Z bridge is massive, but I suspect that helps with the tone and sustain, so I'd be careful to think to replace it, but it probably add a good chunk to the weight.

Anyone else have good success making modifications?

Do not get a lighter bridge before you do lighter tuners, because a lighter bridge is a very easy way to create neck dive. You want more weight on the body to counter this.

 

[bubinga5]

I thought the M265s were active.?

Anyways I have an early Atelier Z DAL 70's Jazz 5. I believe its from 1997 and made by Mas Hino (I think). Ive had many super jazz basses but this smokes the lot of them. Sounds fat, articulate. Very 70's sounding. Weighs a really comfortable 9.3 pounds. AZ pickups and Pre. Don't feel the need to change anything. But after finding out I could take off the bell plate and pick guard without having any holes I'm thinking of getting it refinished in a different colour.

 

[scyzoryk]

Wow, gorgeous bass! Absolutely love the black/black on maple neck.

Yes mine is definitely passive. I have no idea why the previous owner ordered it that way (custom), and I've actually used a Sadowsky outboard preamp on it a few times but prefer the sound of the bass just going through a Sansamp Tech 21 NYC.

 

[taconeko]

Strange that the original owner ordered the bass without a preamp. I cannot say that I have come across that model without a pre.

In terms of modifications, go wild if it were me, I would probably replace the bridge for something lighter and thinner.

For the pickups, I am not so sure.

I always found the Atelier Z jazz pickups to be aggressive. Maybe adjust the pickup height and see what you think?

Just recently I played a Jino signature model (previously owned by the man himself) and his pickups (particularly the bridge) were quite close to the strings. The sound was super aggressive. I loved it!

 

[scyzoryk]

Super strange:

 

[gimmeagig]

Mine is a 2002 m265 Tomohito Aoki
Preamp bartolini NTBT 4 band. Pickups nordstrand split coils, Hipshot brass Bridge
I moved The bridge pick up to the '70s location.
I reshaped the bottom horn to how it is on my Moon bass and reshaped the Neck joint to give me more access to the high frets.
And I reshaped the neck to make it more slinky less like a baseball bat which it was when I got it.