Why aren't Jazz basses wired Volume-Balance-Tone?

[devnulljp]

>Why aren't Jazz basses wired Volume-Balance-Tone?
Mine is

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Was a blend pot even an option in 1960? Were any manufacturers offering a blend control? If it wasn’t a thing at the time that would explain why Leo didn’t do it.

I’m just glad he went VVT and dropped the concentric knobs.

I have never had the opportunity to try a stacked VTVT Jazz bass. Would love to to see if I like it or not. At the very least, they look cool.

 

[Bonecat]

I have been a fan of VVT for decades, but had my mind changed with the recent receipt of my Muckelroy bass. The Armstrong pickups are wired VBT and I’m loving it. Very flexible, repeatable, and a bit less knob tweaking during performances. I’m a convert…

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Easy fix if you want to change it. I’m happy with the V/V/T setup on my Jazzes but I can see the appeal.

That’s funny I actually really dislike them !

 

[Rayjay]

I hate that jazz basses aren't V-B-T- sort of makes them impractical for me as I like to do tremolo effects with my volume pot. Although, when I play a true jazz bass I usually don't use the bridge pickup.

 

[gg22]

As the neck increases the bridge decreases. .

This is not how it works. As the neck increases, the bridge is on max volume.

 

[gg22]

I congratulate those that can blend 10% of the bridge or whatever. To me, the blend pot (or dual volumes) sounds like a toggle switch. Dual volumes can sound different by setting both to, say, 70% or whatever. That's effectively changing the value of the pots used in the circuit making it deeper.

Most basses with two pickups behave like this, the only exception I know is my Lakland 55-02 - it gradually changes the tone when I turn balance pot.

 

[J Wilson]

Most basses with two pickups behave like this, the only exception I know is my Lakland 55-02 - it gradually changes the tone when I turn balance pot.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but for me, of course the tone would change. Pick in the same spot, rotate from the neck pickup (fuller sound from a bigger string arc at that point) to the bridge pickup (twangier closer to the bridge, less bass) is exactly what happens, the beauty of a two pickup bass, either solo'd or some desirable blend of the two.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Blend pot costs manufacturer ten cents more than a volume pot?

Isn't a blend pot just a normal pot?

 

[TomB]

Isn't a blend pot just a normal pot?

No. It works like a pan pot on a PA sound board. Each direction from center gradually rolls off the opposite pickup. It is a stacked arrangement wired like this:

blend pot wiring - Google Search

 

[Rolling Thunder]

No. It works like a pan pot on a PA sound board. Each direction from center gradually rolls off the opposite pickup.

Yeah, but to claim one costs more when they are identical pots?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Yeah, but to claim one costs more when they are identical pots?

They aren’t identical. I’ll leave the Google search up to you.

 

[rufus.K]

I have a series wired Jazz that's just VT

 

[Father Gino]

I’ve wondered about this question for quite a while and after reading this thread, I still see no definitive answer. Nor is there any real consensus about any tonal differences between VVT & VBT. VBT seems to be a more logical setup, but I’ve never experienced that set up on a passive bass. I’m a set it and forget sorta guy, so it doesn’t really bother me either way.
I personally don’t like no ability to blend two pickups at all, i.e. just a selector switch. To my way of thinking, a jazz bass has 5 different settings discounting the tone pot: bridge only, neck only, both on full, neck on full with bridge backed off (my personal go to) and bridge on full with the neck backed off. Different strings and different rooms might change which setting I prefer.
Does it sound different with say neck @ 80% and the neck backed off to 70% or so? I’m too unsophisticated to know.
My first real bass was a 74 jazz and after a 40 years of others, I’m back home again. VVT is what it is and that’s ok by me.

 

[Will_White]

Yeah, but to claim one costs more when they are identical pots?

It's two pots pot-centipeded together to one shaft. More complicated to manufacture, with wafers and casings that don't get used for anything else.

 

[Sparkl]

Seems like a pain in the butt to try to sort a tone with the relative level of each pickup and set an overall volume at the same time.

Why not have them with a master volume and a balance pot instead? Wouldn't it be easier?

Because more pots = higher signal losses. Also, because VVT is the oldschool way. I'm completely used to it and also prefer it to a VBT even though my Jazz Elite has that system. VVT is just more precise for mid song switches.

 

[drumvsbass]

I don't see downsides in either.

Volume swells with VVT is a PITA. Not impossible, but tricky.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Yeah, but to claim one costs more when they are identical pots?

They're two pots stacked.

 

[Paul New]

I was disappointed when they discontinued the original configuration, which seems perfect to me, and went to VVT. That’s probably another thread.

 

[Flaked Beans]

Seems like a pain in the butt to try to sort a tone with the relative level of each pickup and set an overall volume at the same time.

Why not have them with a master volume and a balance pot instead? Wouldn't it be easier?