redstriper

What is wrong with the original pick ups - isn't their sound just a matter of taste, rather than any actual fault? Many people also change pick ups in US jazz basses - does it make for a better bass, or just a slightly different sounding one? This quote is from tredders talking about precisions, I think it applies to jazz basses too - [quote]If you blindfolded someone and gave them a MIM, a MIJ, a US, and a Squire (and they were all well setup), I bet most people wouldn't be able to identify which was which...[/quote]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1121176' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:40 AM']for the last time.... YES! they are that good provided you appreciate them for what they are, and I mean look at them as in their "stock" livery. Great basswood body with excellent neck weight ratio, superb hi-mass bridge with brass saddles. Perfect neck fit to the body (find me a mim that has a good neck fit in the pocket and I'll eat my hat) out of the 3 CV's (jazz / 60's P and 50's P) the jazz had the best resonance out of the 3 unplugged, always a good sign. Finally, and tha'ts a fact, they are limited in the electronic department and while, say... 75% of the people here who owned one could live with the stock alnico p/ups the other adventurous 25% of peeps, like me sees them as a blank canvass for modding, (none more than me having even bovined the look of it as well as totally junked p/ups and wirings) which means they are a very decent starting point towards making it your dream Jazz bass picking and choosing the best boutique p/up to fit in them. Gareth I have read that you are someone who doesn't like tinker with mods and you prefer a stock Fender USA but think about it. £1200 spent on one of them which you weren't even full satisfied with, against a starting price of £300 for the bass and no more thant £150 on p/ups and pots leaves you with something that, a) you made it your way and that will be the best 500 quid you've ever spent on a bass that will defeat all your expectations. Man you know it makes very good sense.[/quote] Everybody loves the CVs, but how do you think the VM jazz basses compares to the CVs ?

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1120353' date='Feb 8 2011, 05:54 PM']I'll admit, the Classic Vibe basses were better value when they first came out, although as a used buy you won't find anything better for the price. I used to own a VM fretless jazz and I've played a few of the fretted VM jazz basses too. The CV holds it own as a 'proper' instrument whereas the VM basses strike me as very good buget basses. The CV basses feel better, look better, sound better and the fit and finish is better than the VM's too. YMMV, but that is my experience having owned two CV's and a VM fretless and played a few more.[/quote] It is a personal choice and I wouldn't say either is better than the other. I don't like glossy necks or white or blue guitars, so the CV doesn't look better in my eyes, which only come in those finishes. I prefer the choice of finishes in the VM range and I also prefer the sound of the Duncan pick ups in the VM, which are warmer and deeper to my ears. I haven't noticed any significant difference in the build quality between the two, certainly not enough to say one is a 'proper' instrument, while the other isn't. Feel is also a personal opinion and I feel more comfortable on a VM, as do many players - it doesn't mean one is better than another, just that everyone feels differently. When it comes to price, I thought we are talking about new instruments and I don't see where the extra £90 for a CV goes. I would not suggest that it is impossible to get anything better than a used CV for the price, because anything is possible and I have had some amazing basses for a lot less. Having said all that, I agree that both are great value instruments with enough choices to find one that suits most people in the price range. Play both and choose [b]your[/b] favourite. £228: [attachment=71618:vm.jpg] £318: [attachment=71617:cv.jpg]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1120256' date='Feb 8 2011, 04:34 PM']edit - I presume you mean bridge J pup.[/quote] Why do you presume that - have you seen the OP's name ?

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1120062' date='Feb 8 2011, 01:36 PM']The Classic Vibe basses are a lot better than the Vintage Modified ones though.[/quote] In what way? The new fretted VM sunburst jazz is nearly £100 less than the CV at £228 and I would advise comparing them to see which suits you best. The build quality is excellent on both and preference of tone, feel and look is highly personal. I have not heard of anything better for less money, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist, the new VMs seem fantastic value, while the CVs have increased recently.

I know what you mean about the volume levels of the pick ups affecting the tone. My jazz bass goes very deep and it's no coincidence that Familyman and Robbie both play jazzes for reggae. The deepest tone is with the neck pick up on about half with the tone rolled right off and no bridge pick up at all. This gives a great studio dub tone, but may not cut through enough at gigs, where an increase in level of the bridge pick up and the tone control will transform the sound. Subtle changes in volume levels can produce dramatic changes tone wise and should cover any requirement. And obviously, where and how you strike the strings is crucial as is your string choice - have fun !

[quote name='Buzz' post='1117226' date='Feb 6 2011, 12:17 AM']I'd imagine it's down to: 1) The environment they're in, re: inductive mains hum. Houses differ from room to room, same applies to other locations. 2) Knowledge of that and how to ground a bass properly, therefore reducing the hum to such as level that it's effectively been removed. Some basses are already grounded well when they leave the factory.[/quote] So you wouldn't know if the pick ups were noisy or not by trying basses in music shops, because they might be quiet in the shop and noisy somewhere else. Tricky.

It's interesting that some people find jazz pick ups noisy, while other people don't. Why is that? And why is the bridge too flimsy for some people, while most are happy with the standard one ?

[quote name='Mikeg' post='1116648' date='Feb 5 2011, 04:01 PM']For my next bass i'm either going to buy a second hand Squier vintage modified jazz, and put in some bartolini's and a high mass bridge. Or a fender jazz standard Any opinions?[/quote] Depends how much you want to spend and what you want from the instrument. There are differences in looks, finish, tone and feel and I would play both and ask yourself which you prefer and why. And what's wrong with the original bridge and pick ups on the Squier?

Happy days !

BRILLIANT.

I have 2 1x15 Flite cabs loaded with Eminence drivers. Not sure what they're made of, but they're ludicrously light (c.10k) and they sound great despite no bracing.

James Jamerson left his covers on his '62. He was quoted as saying, that Leo Fender "put them there for a reason."

A friend of mine believes the ash trays are part of the pick ups and add something to the sound, rather than just decorative.

[quote name='paulflan0151' post='1102846' date='Jan 25 2011, 09:53 PM']Hi Guys, Dont know if this has been covered as I haven't read all the comments but the wood of the bass is a major factor IMO. I'm starting a guitar workshop myself so have done a lot of research into these matters. What I have gathered is that wood, construction and pick-ups/EQ have the main inflence on a basses sound. It's the middle section of the guitar that makes the sound, the edges (horns etc) dont. [b]Generally speaking[/b] softer woods, like mohogany create a softer, deeper tone. Harder woods, maple for example are brighter and have more attack. Ofcourse you can mix the woods to get a bespoke sound. A good combo of wood is mohog body, maple top, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. you get body and warmth from the mohogany, attack from the maple. maple is strong for the neck and the rosewood is strong and dureable for the fingerboard. it's also not too bright. Then you gotta pick construction. Bolt is brighter, glue-in is similar but not as bright. then pick-ups etc etc. Hope this can help.[/quote] Generally speaking is not enough to make me spend dosh on anything. I have a bass all made from maple - neck, board and body. It is the deepest, darkest, warmest sounding bass I have ever played - more to do with the strings, frets, electrics and pups than the wood IMO.

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1085124' date='Jan 11 2011, 07:54 AM']This is where I'd point the finger. Set the intonation on the 12th fret, then take a tape measure & check that the distance from the 12th fret to the centreline of the saddles is the same as (or very close to) the distance from the nut to the 12th fret. From what you've said, the odds are it won't be & you'll need to move the bridge until the two dimensions are equal.[/quote] I tried this, but the saddles are all different distances from the 12th fret - which one should I use, or should I just take an average?

I had the same problem on my Ashbory with it's piezo, but touching the strings didn't help because they are rubber. It was fixed by a friend of mine and he described the modification in a post on the Ashbory forum. I don't know if it's of any help to you, but here's a copy of his post: [quote]I recently modified an Ashbory bass to fix the hum problem. These basses are mass-produced, and it seems many others suffer from the same problem. It is not an earth loop, as some people suspect (that is something quite different) but is caused by poor screening of the electronics. When I looked inside the bass, it was clear that Ashbory had gone some way towards proper screening, but had not finished the job. The instrument had conductive paint in the battery compartment (this is good) and thin foil under the plastic back plate (also good). Unfortunately neither of these were connected to earth. The conductive paint extended under the foil-covered back plate, and was supposed to make contact with it, but didn’t (this is bad). Even if it had done, none of this screening was earthed (also bad). Having areas of screening material ‘floating’ un-earthed near audio circuitry like this is actually worse than having no screening at all. Anyway, here’s the modification. Follow these instructions at your own risk – it’s not a difficult modification, but I can’t be held responsible if you damage your bass. If in any doubt, consult an instrument repairer or a tame electronics geek. Parts 5” x 1” strip of self-adhesive foil (or kitchen foil and some glue) 8” length of thin, insulated wire Small solder tag (not essential, but a very good idea) Tools Phillips screwdriver Soldering iron Scissors Long-nosed pliers or 9/16” spanner (only necessary if the jack socket earth tag is difficult to access) Procedure 1. Remove the back plate (four screws). 2. Remove the battery. 3. Unscrew the battery clip (two screws, but yours may have four, depending on how the person who assembled it was feeling at the time!). 4. Attach the self-adhesive foil as shown (run it from the upper surface of the rear of the body to under the where the battery clip attaches). If you are using kitchen foil you should glue it in place. 5. Solder one end of your new length of wire to the solder tag (if you have one). 6. Re-attach the battery clip, fastening the solder tag with one of the screws at the bridge end of the battery cavity (as shown). If you are not using a solder tag, ensure that you firmly trap a bared end of the wire under the battery clip base plate. 7. Thread the wire through the hole between the battery and circuit board cavities. 8. Next is the only potentially tricky bit. There are three tags on the jack socket, each with a wire connected. One wire (black) goes directly to the battery cavity – don’t use this tag. Another wire (yellow, on the bass I modified) goes to the front of the circuit board – don’t use this ‘inner’ tag either. The tag you want is the ‘outer-most’ one, and protrudes from the main (threaded) body of the jack socket. This had a green wire attached on the bass I modified, but the wire may be a different colour on yours). The wire from this outer tag also goes to the front of the circuit board. The pliers or spanner may be useful at this point. I had to loosen the nut of the jack socket in order to rotate the socket into a position where I could solder onto this outer tag. You may not need to do this. Solder the free end of your new piece of wire to this outer tag, as shown. I used green wire, for consistency. You should now have two wires soldered to this outer tag. 9. Replace the battery, and plug the bass into an amplifier to check that it still works. If you have used the correct tag on the jack socket, the bass will sound pretty much as it did - some hum will probably still be noticeable, but will disappear if you touch the metal of the jack socket. If it hums really loudly (worse than it did originally), you have probably selected the wrong tag on the jack socket. 10. If all is well, replace the back plate. The hum should now be gone (or at least greatly reduced). 11. Celebrate with some liquid refreshment of your choice. I had a cup of tea.[/quote] Hope this helps, I have some pics of his work too, if anyone's interested. Steve.

The wisdom Band are a long established reggae band formed in the early 80s in London and it's a great opportunity to join them - I would jump at the chance. Their latest single 'Migration Season' is a superb slice of horns driven rockers riddim: Discography here: [url="http://www.facebook.com/discography/?id=154325311249059"]http://www.facebook.com/discography/?id=154325311249059[/url]

[quote name='fryer' post='1091130' date='Jan 16 2011, 10:03 AM']I may have a chance to tour with my mate's reggae band, in JAMAICA.[/quote] What is the name of the band, are they on myspace ?

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1089956' date='Jan 14 2011, 10:44 PM']How would you describe the difference in sound (unplugged or neck pickup only) between a stock Jazz vs stock Precision bass? And what causes this difference given that they're both made from the same type of woods, bolt on construction and passive single coils?[/quote] Neck pup jazz = smooth, clean, hollow. Precision = rough, dirty, solid. Reason = different pups.