Truckstop Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Hello all, a little help would be nice! Sigh, I love my Jazz! There's nothing wrong with the way it sounds, but after listening to the before/after samples that Nigel made after he fitted a J East preamp, I'm wondering whether I should just get one of those fitted and maybe get some Nordy pups while I'm at it for good measure! Active/Passive option and more responsive tone controls look good to me! Does anyone have any experience with MIM Jazzes being fitted with J East preamps? The thing is, is that my jazz feels fantastic in my hands and I've really bonded with it. Do USA Fenders have the same neck/body shape as MIMs? If I were to buy another bass, it'd have to have the exact same dimensions as an MIM Jazz 5er! So I guess what I'm asking is this: Will fitting a J East and Nordy pups to my Jazz make such a difference that I shouldnt need to bother buying a new bass? Any thoughts gratefully appreciated! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 If you are that fond of the bass,I'd say go ahead and mod it. It's what I did with my main Jazz Bass.I've gigged it so much that it's so easy and comfortable to play,so I've put DiMarzio pickups in,series/parallel switch,chrome pickup cover,Hipshot Xtender key,Badass bridge, new neckplate,straplocks,new nut and then run it through a Sadowsky preamp. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 [quote name='Doddy' post='1229337' date='May 12 2011, 09:34 PM']If you are that fond of the bass,I'd say go ahead and mod it. It's what I did with my main Jazz Bass.I've gigged it so much that it's so easy and comfortable to play,so I've put DiMarzio pickups in,series/parallel switch,chrome pickup cover,Hipshot Xtender key,Badass bridge, new neckplate,straplocks,new nut and then run it through a Sadowsky preamp. I love it.[/quote] Same here although mine has Bartolinis and an EBS preamp, do it! (I will bring it with me next time Paul) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Forget the pups. Get the J-Retro first and see how you go. The J-Retro should deliver on all but the shittest pups. Do NOT sell your Jazz if you already love its playability. That is MUCH harder to replicate with a new bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I voted upgrade. If you like the way that bass feels ad plays... that's a big % in my books of what makes a bass that I want to keep. Furthermore, you say there's nothing "wrong" with it now. Upgrade. Try the preamp alone first. I find that upgrading pickups is only worth it when you don't like them. There may be better ones, but if you're not disgusted by the way it sounds now, add a JE preamp and transform it. The J-Retro01 in particular is a fantastic preamp. Well worth it. I have one on a Westfield Jazz. Yup. I bought it very cheap and for some reason it was one of those basses that felt *just right*. Grantd nothing was top shelf quality, but the whole thing worked beautifully. I even liked the pickups. I didn't feel I *needed* to change anything. But eventually I came across a J-Retro01, and after experiecning other John East preamps I could not resist it. It's transformed the bass. It's huge. I liked it before a lot, and now I truly love it, and I often get comments about what great bass that is... followed by surprised expressions "ah, Westfield?". I have changed nothing other than that. I imagine it will have the same effect on your bass. Try the preamp first, and only the preamp. Don't even bother with the bridge unless you have clear issues about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I voted upgrade. For me the 'meat and potatoes' of a bass is how the neck feels. If you find one that works for you then keep hold of it. I've got a frankenbass that has the neck from a really dodgy Japcrap bass, but I just love the feel of it. I built the rest of the bass around being able to use that neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I recently bought PsychAndy's Yammy BB415, and passive, it was an excellent bass - but I like my actives, so I had Howard fit a U-Retro on it & a battery box, now a good bass is a great bass - in fact I jammed it the last two weeks at the Old Volunteer in Nottingham & there's a fair bit of interest in it & many compliments on the tone. As said above, go for thew JE first then decide. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) [quote name='silddx' post='1229395' date='May 12 2011, 10:16 PM']Forget the pups. Get the J-Retro first and see how you go. The J-Retro should deliver on all but the shittest pups. Do NOT sell your Jazz if you already love its playability. That is MUCH harder to replicate with a new bass.[/quote] im with Silddx.. nothing wrong with Fender's USA pups, with a good preamp.. its not a sh*te foundation to build on.. i fitted my old custom shop jazz with nordstrands and a redeemer circuit,.. took out the Nordstrands and it was way better.. this was maybe because i prefered the single coil sound and the Nords were twin Edited May 12, 2011 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 both of the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Agree with the sentiments throughout, if you have a bass that feels great, and there`s the scope to upgrade, do that rather than buy another, probably more expensive bass, which may not feel and play so good. Playability is the main thing - once you have it, keep it. In order of what I think will give more from the bass: Preamp - will more than likely give major change, form other users threads which I`ve read Pickups - if still not satisfied, these can be bought to suit tone Bridge - these do make very subtle changes - to me, they crisp up the bottom and top-end a bit, essentially "de-Fendering" the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 [quote name='silddx' post='1229395' date='May 12 2011, 10:16 PM']Forget the pups. Get the J-Retro first and see how you go. The J-Retro should deliver on all but the shittest pups. Do NOT sell your Jazz if you already love its playability. That is MUCH harder to replicate with a new bass.[/quote] This... the Retro is a very powerful pre ... If you are unhappy with the pups, then the pre will only enhance better pups anyway... but be careful as the pre with 12-15db sweeps can be overdone.. I use mine to enhance the basic pup sound..not to change it completely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 [quote name='Doddy' post='1229337' date='May 12 2011, 09:34 PM']so I've put DiMarzio pickups in,series/parallel switch,chrome pickup cover,Hipshot Xtender key,Badass bridge, new neckplate,straplocks,new nut and then run it through a Sadowsky preamp. I love it.[/quote] Why have I got the theme tune to The Six Million Dollar Man running around in my head? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1229720' date='May 13 2011, 10:14 AM']Why have I got the theme tune to The Six Million Dollar Man running around in my head? [/quote] I've got the theme tune to Inspector Gadget going on in my head! Thanks for all your advice everyone, much appreciated! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1229720' date='May 13 2011, 10:14 AM']Why have I got the theme tune to The Six Million Dollar Man running around in my head? [/quote] I normally have Laurel and Hardy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 wizzard 84's and Badass bridge, God I love my Jazz basses ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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