Majid

Thanks Shoulderpet. I’m still in the 30-day return time frame. So I can check the preamp and if it’s not fully satisfying with that solution either, I have a possibility to return the Fender pro II and go for a more expensive model e.g. a fender am j bass ultra which also has an active circuit in it (a bit more expensive around 350€ more) I’m not sure if it’s worth paying that extra money though.

Yeah a lighter gauge string would help. I’m using the same string set as on my Yamaha though but again I get a more clear and treble sound on Yamaha. Maybe it is the nature of an active Yamaha.

My issue as I mentioned above is not the tonal personality. My issue is that when I pop the string I have to pop it harder than I use to in order to get a crisp and piercing sound. Also when I double pop or play ghost popping notes they are not clearly heard specially on the D string. G string does better.

I don’t think that the stringe are very close to the pick ups. I agree with you that different fender J basses have different personalities and tones. However, I’m comparing the videos and demos I had watched on youtube about these Fender J pro II with mine and see a difference. That’s why I think probably they have been using a booster/preamp to boost the signal and maybe adjust it a bit more with Eq! I’m also comparing its sound with my active Yamaha RBX which give me a possibility to adjust the tone via an onboard preamp and get ehat I’m looking for in tone. I know that it’s not a fair comparison but do you think if an outboard booster/preamp could help me have more clear sound?

I turned all the pick up control and tone all the way up. On the amp, When using my Yamaha then I put the low and high mid on 9 o’clock, bass on 12 o’clock and treble on 2 O’clock. But when I connect the Fender, I have to turn the treble up to around 4 or 5 O’clock, bass to 2 O’clock with cutting low mid and adding a bit to high mid to get a bit brighter sound.

Thanks Tdw and shoulderpet. But I dont think that the combo can’t produce the high freq. The reason is that I can get a bright sound with my Yamaha RBX 374 when slapping with the same string set and the same combo. But again maybe it’s because my Yamaha is an active bass and also it has basically a thinner tone. That’s why I was suggested to use an outboard preamp/booster.

Hi Tdw, Thanks for your reply. Rumble 100 doesn’t have a so called high freq horn but it has a bright function I use when I am slapping. Maybe it has the same functionality as tweeter. Right?

Hi bass lovers, I have recently bought a Fender American jazz bass pro. II which I was dreaming about since many years ago. Up to now, I have been mostly playing an active Yamaha RBX 374 with a Fender rumble 100 combo and with focus on slapping technique and tone. Now I started playing slaps on my new Fender J bass but honestly I expected a clear and clean tone out of Fender (as I heard on Youtube videos by fender bass players). Maybe it is not a fair comparison to compare an active with a passive bass, but at least I expect a tone similar to what I've heard and watched on Youtube. I changed the strings of the Fender from Nickle Roundwound to pro steel in order to get a brighter sound which would fit for slapping but I am still getting a bit round and fat sound and not bright enough as expected (I had already adjusted the amp combo with cutting mid and boosting low and high freq. by the way). My main issue is that when I do double popping on the strings or using ghost notes in triplets, the muted/ghost notes are not heard well. It causes me popping harder which hurt my finger and not so convenient. I was told by customer service of two different music stores that a bass booster/preamp can solve my issue. Currently I am checking two options for bass preamps: MXR M 81 Bass Preamp TC electronic Spark Booster I know the second one is not a bass preamp but as I understood it can also be used for bass and will probably meet my requirement. Moreover is much cheaper than the 1st option. Now, I would like to have and appreciate your point on views on if a booster/preamp can help me get the tone I'm looking for and also what booster/preamp you recommend. Best regards, Majid