bisonkills

Hey all, I recently acquired a Fender Jazz USA bass (2007 I think) in a trade. Sadly, the previous owner put some serious dings in the finish. I don't mind a bit of wear, but this is plain ugly. Do you reckon these are repairable with some spot repairs / re-finishing? Or should I just resign myself to it... Secondly, anyone know of someone in the North Yorkshire area that does this kind of thing well? [URL=http://s120.photobucket.com/user/bisonkills/media/OverviewDings_zps92a1717d.jpg.html][IMG]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o194/bisonkills/OverviewDings_zps92a1717d.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s120.photobucket.com/user/bisonkills/media/Ding1_zps79ae2c9e.jpg.html][IMG]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o194/bisonkills/Ding1_zps79ae2c9e.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s120.photobucket.com/user/bisonkills/media/Ding2_zps7ba71db2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o194/bisonkills/Ding2_zps7ba71db2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Thank you! PM'd

Hi guys, Just got a Fender USA Jazz Bass in a trade (2007ish) model. One of the tuners is missing a screw on the reverse side of the tuner (the large one that holds the washer in place). Pictured below... I don't need to replace the whole tuner, just need a replacement screw. Any idea where to best source one of these? [url="http://s120.photobucket.com/user/bisonkills/media/Tuner_zps655041a9.jpg.html"][/url]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1372534433' post='2127009'] the passive ones- they were amazing sounding on the bass I played and very balanced with each other. I think that Pup heights are very critical with a PJ setup and balancing them. [/quote] I had issues with the P/J balance between the two. Tried all sorts of things, it may be that it's a one off issue with mine and I got a bit of a duff bridge pickup. I must admit to liking the overall tone of the original pickups, but needed a bit more output. The Wizards do exactly that, and the J pickup is way more usable now. Mornats, if you like the tone... Don't fix it if it ain't broken!

I just followed a Seynour duncan wiring diagram for a P pickup, and the section with the + wire sits at the top (E-A) on that diagram. All sounds fine.

Resurrecting this thread to report back. After discussing changing out the stock pups with Andy, he advised that the P/J volume issue was common to all bases with that pickup configuration. (Which is pretty much correct, the P is always going to be more powerful). He also wasn't convinced that changing out my pups would make much of an improvement as he wasn't familiar with the Overwater / Tanglewood Classic J. I must admit I was a bit miffed at the time, as it wasn't the response I was looking for or expecting. Perhaps I just caught Andy on an off day?! So, at the time I didn't come away with a solution to my problem, but at least Andy was honest about it and didn't simply flog me pickups regardless. I eventually broke down and ordered a set of the P/J (big) from Wizard anyway, which I installed this evening. Everything went smoothly... I had to hack up an old foam camping mat to get the desired pickup height but once that was sorted... well, I'm stunned. The difference is very apparent. The issue I had with the P and J outputs being a bit mismatched is significantly reduced. The Wizard P and J play far better together than the stock pickups did, and the J pickup is now far more usable. The overall tone is very full without lacking detail. The pickups respond very nicely to chords too. I've yet to get it into the practice room with the band, but so far I'm very chuffed. A worthy upgrade for anyone who owns one of the Tanglewood Overwaters. Guess they had to cut costs somewhere, eh!

Ignore me, got it sorted. It was as I suspected.

Hey guys, About to fit some Wizard pickups. Perhaps a silly question, but is there a correct placement for the two halves of the P pickup, i.e. does one half have to be top (near the E) / bottom (near the D), or are they exactly the same and interchangeable? I am guessing the half with the hot connection (positive) should be at the top (closer to the E), and the ground at the bottom?

Not a fan of the Planet waves stuff, especially the ones with the locking jacks. Awful and can wreck input sockets. Just go Van Damme cable with Neutrik jacks, and it'll be better than any of that off the shelf stuff. If you want someone to make them up, I'd recommend John at Orchid Electronics. He'll do any length of cable you want with whatever connections. All Neutrik jacks and Van Damme cable. He's also cheap, cables are the same price if not cheaper than an off the shelf cable. [url="http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/cables.htm"]http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/cables.htm[/url]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1370371999' post='2099940'] It may be just what I'm used to, but after many basses over the 37+ years I've played electric bass, and having tried just about every configuration there is, active as well as passive, volume/blend, series/parallel, etc., I always go back to standard Jazz bass V-V-T for my basses. In a P/J configuration, what I do instead is 1) make sure the J bridge pickup is a hum cancelling pickup that blends with the P pickup, and 2) put a .01 inline capacitor between the hot lead of the J bridge pickup and its volume control to eliminate the "drop-out" when both pickups are full on. [/quote] Hey iiipopes, interesting and helpful reply. Can you clarify how the cap eliminates the drop out? Does this somehow help the discrepancy in P (big output) vs. J (lower output)? Can you link to a wiring diagram that illustrates this in practice?

If I'm totally honest, my blend pot usually ends up 80% P and 20% J. I almost thought of converting it to a P-Bass, but I figured I'd leave the P/J configuration for the added tonal options. It's nice to be able to dial in a bit more clarity sometimes.

Right, I’ve finally pulled the trigger on a P/J (big) set from Wizard, to replace the stock pups in my Overwater Tanglewood Classic J. Already thinking ahead in terms of wiring them up. Currently the bass is wired up with one volume pot, a blend pot and a tone control. Since I’m rewiring the whole thing I have a choice between a blend pot or two individual volume knobs for the P and the J. Is any one configuration better? Let have your pros and cons…

Got this lovely new cab of Steve... Top guy!

Recently purchased a Matamp 2x12 off Steve. Everything perfect. A great guy to deal with, and incredibly helpful when I wanted more info on the cab. Two thumbs up.

Perhaps a bit of random question, but would a pair of Celestion Truvox 1225s 12" be suitable for a bass cab? Technically a PA speaker... Any opinions?

Spoke to Andy at Wizard, who basically advised that with any P/J combo the J pickup is always going to be comparatively weak and thin sounding compared to the P. Makes sense. He seemed unsure if new pups would make that much tonal difference as he wasn't familiar with the bass. I'm also discussing the issue with Chris at Overwater who has suggested one of their own Jazz 'original' pickups as opposed to what's in there now might make a difference. So, this whole thing got me thinking. Since I tend to use mostly the P tone (with a touch of the J blended in), perhaps I should convert it to a P bass. I could put in one of the Wizard Ps, but would have to find a scratch plate that would cover the J cavity. Thoughts? Again, thanks to everyone for the feedback.

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1365428251' post='2039406'] I've got the Big pair in a couple of basses, and I really like them, very ballsy pickups, and one of the few bridge Js I'd ever consider using soloed. [/quote] Cool. Does the P still have the kind of vintage sounding warmth you'd expect from such a pickup? This is my only concern with the (big) set.

[quote name='Ant' timestamp='1365424969' post='2039321'] i have a pair of wizard hammers in one of my basses and they sound massive, lots of growly mids, try one of those in the bridge. [/quote] This may be a sensible option, I could perhaps go for a slightly overwound J pickup, and a trad (or big) P.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback! [quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1365413438' post='2039068'] Ah right, one of those made up names for something that already existed under another name lol. Cheers. [/quote] Dave and Ead, yes, what I'd likely call prog rock the other (slightly younger) members of my band call math rock. It is a discernable genre for sure, but really is an extension of the best of 70s prog with an updated palette of sounds / influences. [b]Another general question[/b] - Do you think there is much to be gained by going for more boutique pickups like the Wizards? Unsure of the quality of the Overwater pickups (No idea if they are a cheaper version of what goes in the top of the line basses?) If the difference is significant, then I'll go for it I think.

Hey guys, Right, I'm looking to change out the pickups in my Tanglewood Overwater Classic J which has a P/J pickup configuration. The P sounds good, but the J pickup is a bit thin and lacking. I'm thinking of going for a P/J set from [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/moreinfo.asp?id=54"]Wizard Pickups[/url]. He has two variations on the set, a regular P/J set consisting of a '64 Jazz Bass bridge pickup and a Trad P Bass. The other option is a P/J (Big) which are described as Fatter, Rounded more middy tone and they are just a tad more powerful. Anyone got experience with either set, or had the rare chance to compare the two? I play mostly finger style, prog rock / math rock type stuff with occasional forays in heavy riff type stuff. Examples of my playing with my band Mononoke [url="http://mononokeisaband.bandcamp.com/album/issue-1"]here[/url]. Any sage like advice welcome! I dig 70s style bass tones, bands like Free and early Yes, but that perhaps has more to with the amps they were using. I'm after a warm full tone that still cuts nicely. My rig is a Mark Bass Little Mark III with a Mark Bass NY121 cab.

Hey guys. I have a Classic J that I bought second hand a while ago. Wonderful value for money and I love the bass. I did have to rewire the whole thing and removed a lot of excess length on the wiring. I was getting some electronic buzz from the bass but resoldering everything sorted that out. I love the sound of the P pickup, but as others have mentioned the J just sounds a tad too thin to me. There's a big volume drop when I use the J, a tad too much for my liking. Was thinking of perhaps putting a Wizard P/J set in it. Any thoughts?