Squier vintage modified jazz fretless question.

[blamelouis]

Hi guys thought id pick your brains.
I have the above bass and while i love it the pickups sound flat and wooly.
Any ideas for a more modern ,singing and alive sound.
I know quite of a few of you have these basses and have modded them.
Cheers
Fred.

[Conan]

Aren't they fitted with Duncan Designed pickups? They're not usually described as woolly.... are they wired up correctly?

I have Wizard Hammers in my fretless J and they sound lovely (to my ears anyway). Sound is, of course, very subjective...

Upgrade to Fender pickups? [url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Bass-Guitar-Pickups_c_97.html"]GFS[/url]?

On the other hand, could it be the strings? How long have they been on and what are they? A much cheaper fix!

Edited September 16, 2013 by Conan

[AntLockyer]

I've got one of those with a fretted neck on and wooly is not the word I would use.

[geoffbyrne]

How's your EQ set, bass & amp?

G.

[Judo Chop]

Mine's not wooly at all, maybe you got a dud?

[cybertect]

I have to agree: I'm more likely to roll off the treble a little on my VM Fretless and I've strung it with D'Addario Chrome flatwounds.

[davehux]

I've had 2 VM's and both have been great. Only got a wooly sound with the tone control wound fully anti-clockwise (as with all passive tone controls)

Has someone been playing with the tone capacitor and soldered it so it's on full permanently?

[blamelouis]

[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1379328183' post='2211218']
I've had 2 VM's and both have been great. Only got a wooly sound with the tone control wound fully anti-clockwise (as with all passive tone controls)

Has someone been playing with the tone capacitor and soldered it so it's on full permanently?
[/quote]

Maybe that is the case ,i know bugger all about wiring pickups how would I check that mate ?

[blamelouis]

Had a look under the control plate.

[steve-bbb]

watches thread with interest as i have the same vmj with dd pups - i assumed that the woolliness and lowish output i was experiencing was due to the black nylons

[Grassie]

I had one of these with the DD pickups, and compared to the standard pickups in my Mexican jazz, they were indeed quieter and slightly wooly sounding. Stick some Basslines in there or even some Wilkinsons.

[Conan]

[quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1379331746' post='2211278']
I had one of these with the DD pickups, and compared to the standard pickups in my Mexican jazz, they were indeed quieter and slightly wooly sounding[/quote]

Hmmmm. Interesting that. I've not played one of the VM Squiers, but the loudest and most shouty pickup I've heard in a long time is in a Squier CV P (courtesy of Ghost Rider!).

Good ol' Fender (or "House of Fender" anyway) consistency and quality control! Not.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1379331746' post='2211278']
I had one of these with the DD pickups, and compared to the standard pickups in my Mexican jazz, they were indeed quieter and slightly wooly sounding. Stick some Basslines in there or even some Wilkinsons.
[/quote]

The Mexican Fender pickups have ceramic magnets, so they'll tend to be louder and brighter than a typical vintage style alnico pickup. I don't think this is a reflection on quality, more the style of pickup.

[Grassie]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1379332366' post='2211288']

Good ol' Fender (or "House of Fender" anyway) consistency and quality control! Not.
[/quote]
I have a VM P bass too and I am looking for a replacement pickup for that as the output on the g string is substantially quieter than the rest. Perhaps it's an issue with SD?

[davehux]

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1379331064' post='2211269']
Had a look under the control plate.
[/quote]

Looks fine to me. Does turning the tone control make a difference to the sound i.e from wooly to merangue? Just to check that it's actually working.

I swapped the stock DD's in my fretless to cheap Wilkinsons, and then to a set of Bartolinis. I sold the originals to a mate for his bitsa Jazz. His sounds so much better than mine, I wished I hadn't bothered now

[blamelouis]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1379331425' post='2211271']
watches thread with interest as i have the same vmj with dd pups - i assumed that the woolliness and lowish output i was experiencing was due to the black nylons
[/quote]

I also have the Marcus Milleresque squier vintage fretted and it sounds fantastic I have the Markbass amp flat and it pops and snarls with bottom end and lovely mid.
But if I plug the fretless in I have to do major EQing to get a reasonable sound.

I think a set of Barts might give me what I want and a new bridge.

[blamelouis]

[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1379333052' post='2211297']


Looks fine to me. Does turning the tone control make a difference to the sound i.e from wooly to merangue? Just to check that it's actually working.

I swapped the stock DD's in my fretless to cheap Wilkinsons, and then to a set of Bartolinis. I sold the originals to a mate for his bitsa Jazz. His sounds so much better than mine, I wished I hadn't bothered now
[/quote]

Seems to mate ....maybe it's just not for me ,I like a more modern plug in and keep the amp flat approach lol !
I think Barts or maybe EMG JCS's might give me what I'm after.

More like this.... http://youtu.be/NKOUdzIYqT4

Edited September 16, 2013 by blamelouis

[Dingus]

Are you sure that changing the pickups will give you the improvements in sound that you crave ? Good as these basses are , they are at the budget end of the market , when all is said and done . Spending a lot of money , maybe even half the original value of the bass , on some replacement pickups for a budget bass is unlikely to make it sound that much better or even hugely different , in my experience. Anyway, if you were going to start swapping parts on that bass , I would look at upgrading the bridge at the same time as I would the pickups . I honestly think you would be better off keeping the Squier as it is for now - they sound pretty good to me with the stock pickups- and then eventually selling it and using the upgrade money towards a better quality fretless overall.

[Conan]

[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1379333288' post='2211303']I think a set of Barts might give me what I want and a new bridge.
[/quote]
[quote name='blamelouis' timestamp='1379333468' post='2211306']
I think Barts or maybe EMG JCS's might give me what I'm after.[/quote]

They might... or you could spend a lot of money and still have a problem. If it was me, I'd double check all the wiring (or get a tech or luthier to do it for me). If the problem genuinely[b][i] is [/i][/b]the pickups, then upgrading/changing them should make a difference - which changing the bridge (IMO) won't!

I'd still look at the strings first though!

Edited September 16, 2013 by Conan

[Lowender]

You might as well ask everyone's favorite flavor ice cream. It's meaningless. If you don't like the sound, go with the sound you do like.

Personally, I think a J bass is the classic fretless sound, so J replacements would make sense. Then again, I have a parts J fretless and replaced the chessy mexi pups with Dimarzios and they sound great, but I wouldn't recommend going with something with which you're unfamiliar.

[Conan]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1379333758' post='2211310']
Spending a lot of money on some replacement pickups for a budget bass is unlikely to make it sound that much better or even hugely different , in my experience. Anyway, if you were going to start swapping parts on that bass , I would look at upgrading the bridge at the same time as I would the pickups .[/quote]

Interesting! My experiences are completely the opposite! Doesn't make yours wrong of course (or mine) but just shows how differently people perceive things.

I've found that a new (and decent) set of strings makes the biggest difference. Then pickups (which don't have to be all that expensive, but it is worth doing your research first). Tuners can be a cheap but worthwhile improvement.

IME, "upgrading" the bridge makes little or no difference to the sound or playability of the instrument.

YMMV, caveat emptor, IME, IMO, etc!!

[steve-bbb]

have changed two bridges on squiers to gotohs - both made a 'noticeable improvement'

imho of course

[Dingus]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1379343268' post='2211471']
Interesting! My experiences are completely the opposite! Doesn't make yours wrong of course (or mine) but just shows how differently people perceive things.

I've found that a new (and decent) set of strings makes the biggest difference. Then pickups (which don't have to be all that expensive, but it is worth doing your research first). Tuners can be a cheap but worthwhile improvement.

IME, "upgrading" the bridge makes little or no difference to the sound or playability of the instrument.

YMMV, caveat emptor, IME, IMO, etc!!
[/quote]

I suppose a lot depends on your own definition of "cheap" , but my overall point is that a £250 bass with another £150 spent on it is , in most instances , not going to be so radically transformed for the better that it will give significantly more satisfying results in the long-term . In most instances it is better to spend that £400 on a better bass. It always seems like folly to me to spend a lot of money upgrading an inexpensive bass , because the most you will end up with is a cheap bass with lots of expensive bits on . I am a bit dubious about changing pickups on any O.K - sounding bass , because in my own experience ( and this might upset a few people , but I have to tell the truth as I see it) pickups don't usually make as big a difference as some would like to have you believe . Swapping a set that are absolutely crap for some decent ones will make a big improvement , but swapping one fairly respectable - sounding pickup for another supposedly superior upmarket one can all to often end up being a sideways move , and that is true on expensive basses just as much as cheaper ones . In a blind listening test a stock pickup on a Mexican Fender Jazz, , for example' can often sound just as good as an exotic, high-end pickup . Even if the O.P puts some EMG's or whatever on this bass , it still has an agathis body and ebanol fingerboard, and that will define and limit the ultimate quality of the final sound . I would recommend keeping this bass cheap and cheerful , and very enjoyable for what it is ( providing it is working as it should , ect . )

Edited September 16, 2013 by Dingus

[Conan]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1379344933' post='2211500'] I am a bit dubious about changing pickups on any O.K - sounding bass. Swapping a set that are absolutely crap for some decent ones will make a big improvement , but swapping one fairly respectable - sounding pickup for another supposedly superior upmarket one can all to often end up being a sideways move
[/quote]

Now that we [i][b]do[/b][/i] agree on! A lot of people try to convince us that their Nordstrands, Lollars [i]et al[/i] are a massive step up tonally, but I can't help wondering if they are trying to convince themselves after shelling out such a lot of money?

[the boy]

These are good basses. The pickups are quite punchy. The Duncan designed pups are known for being punchy. The problem with these guitars are the half pots....... They are sh*t and can make the bass sound wooly. Upgrade the pots it should cost you about £10.