mcnach

Yup. It will not look cool, but I frankly would not give a flying flip if they're blasting my ears.

No, I don't think you're overthinking it, your ears (your health) is far more important than any gig. I would need to be able to control at least the overall volume going into my ears. Getting your own mix would be ideal, but at the very least I'd want control over the volume in my in-ears. And make sure the buds you use seal properly and isolate you as much as possible. Customs are a good way to achieve that, but until you get those I'd try a range of tips to identify a set that works for you. The 'comply' memory foam ones tend to be pretty decent, just get the correct size for your ear canal. I've got one of these Behringer P1 units, they're pretty cheap. You can put whatever mix you get given through it and control the volume yourself. At the very least use something like that. https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0AZM

Beast. I liked the JJ, but I like the JP even better. Nicer pickups and the passive electronics are simple but they do just what I need it to do. Filed the nut slots a tiny bit as they were a bit too tall to allow a nice even lowish action, adjusted the truss rod (nice and smooth, and that little rod is handy) and saddles a tiny bit... and away you go. Not exactly a classic Precision sound (pickup is 2cm closer to the neck than standard), but it would still be recognised as Precisionesque for sure. Nice growl to it. It's also a pretty light bass for 5 strings (8.5 lbs) as I mentoned earlier. It just needs some shielding which is absent in any meaningful way. What I thought was conductive paint is just some kind of primer I guess, not conductive. But that's easy enough to fix. That pickguard needs to go 'though. I don't get why it's so popular I'll get a single ply black instead.

This is not going to be a great demo, exactly, but it's the only recording I've got so far. This is the JJ, with a foam mute. It's still very much a work in progress using a click track, ignore the horns, they're little more than placeholders right now. It'll be done better. The bassline is extremely simple with just this one sound which is dark and devoid of a lot of nuance, so not much of a demo , so more of a "it looks like a £180 bass can be ok straight out the box". Hopefully I'll get better examples in the near future. https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0vg9ghf0pitrf7/220506 - Summer wind so far.mp3?dl=0 MP3

I was looking at the Nordstrand Big Split 5 (EMG40 size) which look like a nice option too. Some route expansion needed, but with a couple of sharp chisels and taking it very slow it should not be too hard. It's another option I'm considering, since I'm the same: I don't need it to be very Jazz-like. I have just got the JP-55OP, and I'm liking it more than the JJ. Ok, part of it is the weight, it's only 8.5 lbs, which to me is as light as I could ever hope a 5 string like this to be, and it adds to the comfortable feeling. But the pickups are different too and I'm really liking the Precision pickup. I always see PJ basses essentially as a Precision with the option of bringing in some of the neck pickup sometimes. I never use the bridge alone, so I just adjust its height to the point it sounds best to me when blended equally, and it's important that the P sound is good, so from that point of view I'm very pleased and have no urge to replace anything. The P pickup is 2cm closer to the neck than it would be on a typical Precision. It still has that Precision 'bark'', when you hear it you know it is some kind of Precision, but it's a bit darker/smoother. I wish it were at the standard position, but it's a good sound. Pickups look alnico of some sort looking at the polepieces, while the JJ's are ceramic. Comparing the bridge alone on both basses, the JP one has a bit more grunt and it's a sound I could find a use for with a little added low end, while I'd never use the bridge alone on the JJ (much like I do on any Jazz, really, I find the bridge too thin), but the two J pickups together have that classic Jazz sound, so that's cool. Everything build-wise is much like the JJ, I can't fault it. The JP is passive, and the simple electronics suit the bass well. Maybe one day I'll put a Tonestyler on it, I really like those, but honestly the passive tone control does what I want it to do. Like on the JJ, shielding is just not a thing, apparently. Easy to fix, 'though. Just like on every Harley Benton bass I've had my hands on new, the nut is cut slightly tall. I am thinking that's by design now. I'm always a bit wary when I get a bass that out of the box seems to be prepared to play with highish action (the stock strings are very compliant, so it doesn't feel hard even at high action), as it can hide a multitude of fretwork sins... but when you adjust it for lower action it responds well and no fretbuzz to speak of. I only filed down the nut slots a tiny bit, so it's not quite there but the action is now fine for me. I like a medium action with enough relief so that when I did hard I don't get excessive fret noise, but not too high that it compromises my slap (which is not amazing on a good day... I learnt enough to play in a RHCP tribute band for 5-6 years, but while I can copy others it's not a technique I feel I can use very well using my own ideas, and I'm worse on a 5 string). Not a fan of tortoiseshell effects or pearloid, so I need to do something about those ugly pickguards (going for black single ply on the JP, or just vinyl wrap)... but overall I think they're pretty nice looking, the feel/balance is very good (if this is Aria's original design... well done, Aria, it's not a small body but it's shaped in such way that it feels small), the build is very good and only the electronics are a bit 'meh' in the case of the JJ. I have no complaints whatsoever about the JP. I like that they come with this nice little rod to turn the truss rod wheel. I've been using a small screwdriver for years on my Stingray, and it's fine, but this rod fits better which is a nice touch. This is the JP-55OP:

By the way, the JP55OP arrived today. Nice and light (8.5 lbs!). Different pickups to the JJ (JJ look ceramic judging by the polepieces, JP look alnico of some sort) and passive... and I prefer it to the JJ. Once again the nut is cut a little tall so you can't get the lowest action until that's done, and hopefully the frets are reasonably levelled. Just like the JJ, everything seems well built, smooth fret ends, plays well out of the box, and tonally it's a nice PJ. The P pickup is 2cm closer to the neck than on a regular Precision, but the sound from that pickup is unmistakeably that of some kind of Precision, with a nice growl. I'm done buying basses for a while now but Harley Benton is now definitely on my radar as a brand to definitely consider next time I want some other kind of bass.

@crazycloud I double-checked and the dimensions of the Delano 'AS' sized pickups match those in the JJ55OP. It's not just the overall width, but also the distance between the mounting screws: edit: the original is of decent resolution, but once embedded here it may be hard to read. You can download the image and open separately, or just zoom in within your browser (typically pressing Ctrl and + until the desired zoom level is reached). You can also view the PDF here (page 2): https://www.delano.de/downloads/jc_jcas_neck_bridge.pdf

Only listened to the first track "Armee der Tristen" and I really like it. It does have a vibe of being written according to a formula, but it's a formula I quite like! As for entry points, @ead, I second what @Barking Spiders said: Sehnsucht and Mutter would be my choices. Probably starting with Mutter, since "Feuer Frei!" is one of my favourites from all albums.

5 string JP received. It weighs 8.5 lbs!

My 5 string JJ is 9.8 lbs. Not exactly superlight but not crazy for a 5-string. I expect the 4 string ones to be a bit lighter. The balance/feel is very good, it's a really nice design and with a nice padded strap I find it more comfortable than many other lighter basses I've got... but the weight is still 9.8 lbs. I'm waiting for another 5 string, a JP. I'll report back when I get it (hopefully tomorrow, if not early next week). edit: arriving tomorrow, just got an email from DHL

What's the meaning of that verb, 'need'? I'll send the measurements tomorrow, I won't be near the bass today.

Earthing the magnets usually solves this. When they're not accessible, as in your case, it becomes more a matter of avoiding touching the polepieces. I have used clear nail varnish to put a thin coat on the offending poles and that works (and it won't be visible).

Too easy sometimes. But look, after these I really don't feel the need to get any more 5 string basses, so it's actually SAVING me money as I won't be saving for more expensive ones (don't say anything, let me believe)

That one looks more like the Comfort strap. I nearly bought that one because of the extra width, as 3" was narrower than any of the others I was considering, but I thought I already have a Comfort strap so I'd try the other one (and I like it better than the Comfort one, but both are good). They also make another kind, thinner but still wide with a layer of neoprene 'studs'. It looks nearly identical to an Ibanez brand strap I also have, and it is light and wide but it offers very little grip (my 'stage clothes' are often too smooth and 'silky'). They're all good, but I feel -for me and my circumstances- the one in the OP is my preferred choice. Any of these are a nice improvement over the usual 2" nylon types. Please share your thoughts when you receive yours

There may be something internally. It would make sense as I don't think any kind of foam on its own would be resilient enough, you just can't see or feel it so I guess it must be inside. Construction details aside, it's solid and there's nothing digging on your shoulder, just 3" of dense foam-like material covered in some kind of fabric.

I'm sure there's an app for that but I didn't try it yet

Yes, it's pretty dense, not like the stuff on pillows etc. I wouldn't call it memory foam myself (if you squeeze it, it returns straight away) but I'm not a foam expert I justcompared it to my neoprene comfort strap which has a nylon strap for support and this (Lekato) is denser, using a very scientific method: pinch between thumb and index finger My oldest Lekato strap is about 14 months now, used nearly every day and still as good as new.

I have both the dark reddish one and the black one. The middle bit is just decoration on the front. The foam covers the full 3".

I'm so weak... another NBD next week I suppose. And that's it for the rest of the year, I promise!

True, for some people weight is an important parameter: injuries or just age sometimes means that a heavy bass is just never going to be comfortable enough, and even downright unusable for some. In these cases, I doubt any strap will help enough. But I think in many cases a change of strap could be the difference between enjoying or enduring a bass. I don't care too much if a bass is heavy provided I like the rest about it, but I do prefer light basses as long as balance is not compromised. Some of my basses are definitely heavier and I do feel it on my shoulder after a while. I hurt it a while ago and it has never recovered 100%. I just want to share one strap that has helped me a LOT. I have used all kinds. Mostly just your usual 5cm wide straps (fave: Gaucho brand, hemp straps) without padding. I have owned and tried a few others, with different amounts of padding and different widths. Comfort neoprene straps, wide and padded leather ones (Maruszczyk, for example), and a few others, including dual-shoulder types (great idea, but didn't like the way the bass sat with those). And my favourite is... Lekato. It's not as wide as others, but it's still quite wide, with a lot of padding, and seriously, when using that I forget I'm playing a heavier bass. I bought one a year ago, and I'm slowly replacing my straps with these: they're just very comfy regardless of the weight. I don't expect it'll be a miracle for everybody, but I suspect I am not such an unique human being so hopefully others may find this useful. In addition, they're not expensive compared to the options. Amazon link to Lekato strap disclaimer: I'm just a happy user, I don't gain anything from this.

You're not helping!!! (saying that loudly so others can hear me, while discreetly giving a thumbs up and a wink)

I was looking at pickup replacements and see what's out there that could be close to the Model J, ideally, and humbucking. Well, not a lot of choices!!! It seems that while 4-string Jazz pickups are very very very similar and interchangeable, the 5-string ones come in a variety of sizes. That means DiMarzio is not an option at all So no Area J or Ultra Jazz for me either. The Area J is more of a traditional Jazz pickup sound, but humbucking. It's been my favourite Jazz pickup for a while. The Ultra Jazz is a bit more mid-scooped but also very nice sounding. None of those are close to a Model J anyway. The only pickups I've found that 100% absolutely will fit are Delanos... They have 2-3 interesting options. One day. No rush. A nicely shielded guitar goes a long way to make single coil pickups not hum (much). I will probably try my old U-Retro preamp on this. The semiparametric mids in particular come very handy on Jazz style basses, in my experience. With that on, I might just leave the stock pickups: they really aren't bad at all.

No, thank YOU! You are the instigator!!! I love the black MB-5 and PB-20 too. I cry when I think about the quality of the budget instruments when I was a teenager. And not so 'budget', actually... Back in... 1986-87 my choices when I wanted a Stratocaster were to get a USA Fender (forget it), or some low quality, like very low quality copy, for around £100, which in those days was a LOT of cash for me. The Squier Affinity or Harley Benton or SX etc of today are soooo much better. But Harley Benton is starting to stand out, to me. The MB-5 (Stingray style) had very sharp frets, the nut was cut too high... but otherwise was ok. Now, I get that a lot of people are reluctant to fiddle with their instruments much but I am used to it and things like filing teh edge of frets or nut slots don't bother me at all. The MB-5 just sounds mighty and as a long time Stingray fan I was very pleasantly surprised at how Stingrayesque it sounded. The string spacing is on the narrow side for me which is not ideal, but regardless, it was teh first 5 string bass that truly spoke to me and a year later it's become not "just another bass in my collection" but one of my favourites. I'm starting to use that more than my Stingray which has been my #1 for over a decade. No, I'm not saying it is better than a much pricier USA Stingray, but it's not 'worse enough' to put me off. I think I'll end up putting a John East MMSR on it (I do miss that preamp, I use it on the Stingray). The PB-20 is my girlfriend's, but I have played it quite a bit too. Again, it just needed some very minor tidying up of the nut, and nothing else. I found a slightly tall fret I think around the 14th-15th fret area which really is of no consequence. I won't even try to level it unless it ever gets in the way (and it hasn't, in over a year). It sounds great too! You're incorregible... A JJ too??? Well, glad that you said that... because I keep looking at the 5-string PJ myself! I think I got the JJ because the fact it was substantially under the magic threshold of £200 swayed me. If it's above £200, I think about it. If it's less I just press the button and think later sometimes . I would prefer the P sound, but a neck Jazz usually makes me happy enough. However, after playing this one and finding mysef so at home with these 5-strings, I'm very very tempted to get a PJ as well. Rounds on the JJ, TI Flats on the PJ, hmmm. I'm running out of space!

Yeah, I like it too. I just wish the routing for the neck pickup were neat, like for the other pickup. Planning to vinyl-wrap the pickguard with either cream or black matt vinyl (I've got both already, and a few other crazy colours that I won't consider here although the metallic copper one might be interesting )

whoa, that's a tiny bass!!!