cameltoe Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm a devoted precision bass player, but recently I have noticed a few things lately which have me considering buying a Jazz. The first was digging out my Adam Black Acoustic, with a 1.5" nut width, and finding it [i]effortless[/i] to play. The action is nowhere near as low as my Precisions, in fact it needs a luthier to lower the bridge, but my left hand just found the skinnier neck an easy reach, all over the fretboard. I tried a few runs I sometimes struggle with on the Precisions, and it was no problem at all. This may be amplified by the fact that both my precisions have chunky '57 style necks. I don't have the longest fingers, and had previously stayed away from skinny necks as I tended to wrap my left hand guitar-style around the neck, but I seem to have disciplined this out of myself. The second was becoming aware of the extra detail I was putting into my bass lines, but how it often felt I couldn't get away with adding too much in there. Even keeping the notes as muted as possible, I feel too many notes too quickly do not roll easily through the mix with 'my' P sound. The third was experimenting with different pickups. I'd noticed at rehearsals I had struggled to hear myself, I could [i]feel[/i] myself, the bass was shifting some serious air, but the actual notes were not as defined as I'd hoped. After trying a few, and going from too weak, to too grindy, to too boomy, I'm now questioning whether I need the power of the P bass sound after all. What do you guys think? Neck-wise, I'd still like something chunky and deep, but with the reduced width of a jazz. I also really favour the 7.25" neck radius, but have no idea if this was ever available on any jazz, let alone modern jazz basses. I've been looking at the Vintage Modified '77 Squiers, as the perfect 'gamble' bass. If i don't like them , I can move it on. As far as I can tell, there is a TTS with maple and a black with maple, and they both look awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I find them (jazzes) more comfortable by far as my fingers are too long either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Jazz all the way baby! If you roll off the bridge pickup of a Jazz then you can get pretty close to a 'P' sound anyway. Well, close enough for a pub full of pissed punters, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfunk Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I went from playing a Warwick to a G&L (both fat necks) to a squier jazz. The difference in my playing was amazing, all the band commented on it. Try a cheap squier jazz, you can always upgrade the pickups etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 It's all about the pickups and the neck! Squier pickups are pretty mediocre. Better on the VMs though... But the necks on some Squiers can be very good indeed. It's a bit of a lottery though and you would need to try before commiting to one IMO. That said, the neck on my GL jazz is incredible. I have big, strong hands and I thought I might get cramps or have my fingers tying themselves in knots around such a slim neck - nothing of the sort!! Best wooden neck I have ever played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I know my 70s Jazzes have much deeper necks than my 60s ones, and also the strings are spaced slightly closer together at the nut on the 70s too maybe to accommodate the binding round the edge of the fingerboard. I was quite surprised that such chunky Jazz necks are actually quite fast to play. I don't know if any of the 70s reissue basses replicate this though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 The Classic 70s has a deep neck. Great basses all round really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 The two Allparts Jazz necks I've just acquired are quite different. The black blocks is shallower (although still deeper than my now-deceased P neck), but although the pearl bloks is chunkier, it is still a surprisingly fast player! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I like a jazz, but they just dont sit nicely in a mix to my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Jazz Bass? Every home should have one. Like, before you buy a cooker... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1342120676' post='1730055'] Jazz Bass? Every home should have one. Like, before you buy a cooker... [/quote] One? you mean *at least* one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 [quote name='cocco' timestamp='1342120539' post='1730050'] I like a jazz, but they just dont sit nicely in a mix to my ears. [/quote] I suppose it's a matter of what sound one is after. But this comment reminded me how there seems to be a lot of people who always play with both pickups on. It's my "least favourite" option in a Jazz. Both pickups on sounds big and deep, and sounds very good with a soft/acoustic band. But with a rock band it can get lost easily. However the bridge pickup can cut through with ease. I guess I am a bridge type of person, since I seem to play nearly always with the bridge pickup alone when using a Jazz, and if not I'll be using a Stingray... with a single (bridge) pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonnystingray Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 The basic collection (to my opinion): A Precision A Jazz A StingRay You can cover everything with that.. (even though my Jazz has chisonics instead of the normal pickups..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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