bubinga5 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Can any help..i was playing a custom Jazz of mine last night, and it was really lacking in high note punch, and just didny cut through the band..It has a aguilar II pre with EMG,s, and 2 9v batts to power the pre, so its not lacking in power.....Now the lows and mids are punchy, but it seems to lack volume at the higher end..What could this be..Wrong amp settings? Any ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 (edited) Is it on the G string that you have a problem? Has it been left near a Stingray for any length of time? If so, it's caught something called Stingrayitis. E, A, D strings take your head off, but the G just lacks something. I've noticed it on many rays I've played. Joking aside, if it is the G string, try angling the pups up to the G a bit more, it helps. If it's high up the dusty end on all the strings that you have a problem, I don't know. Edited March 19, 2009 by Rayman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbass Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Whats the action set to? If its set too low you can lose clarity on the notes, try raising the action a bit and try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 [quote name='kevbass' post='439447' date='Mar 19 2009, 05:18 PM']Whats the action set to? If its set too low you can lose clarity on the notes, try raising the action a bit and try again.[/quote] And if it's too high, don't the notes come out too quietly? The other thing to check would be how you're EQing the bass on your preamp and on your amp. What's wrong with boosting the treble if that's what's not coming through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Played it tonight with the pups angled high sid nearer the G string, ive tried turning up the treble and mid, but it doesnt seem to make any difference..It just seems to lack volume on the g strig and higher on the d string????? Even when poping the g string it just doesnt seem to want increase in volume..Could it be the pre amp..Its an Aguilar ABP2. the pups are EMG,s..Its very frustrating, as the bass has the most amazing raspy tone with real punch in the lower register..Maybe the pre amp or pups/ or both need changing??? Maybe i should ring a luthier to see what they think??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Having had 4 proper Jazz basses now (the current one is a luthier built custom shop) I have always had the same problem but usually only between the 3rd and 7th frets on the G string. This is now recognised as a failing of the Jazz bass. My current one has Sadowsky Pick-ups and it's still the same. I use a Markbass 103H 3x10 combo and no amount of EQing will sort the problem without a major compromise of the rest of the tone. I think it's something you have to live with as it appears to be the bass construction and not your pre-amp or amp. I know of friends who have changed necks with no difference although, I had read a review on the Mark King Jazz (which didn't last too long) that on that model, the problem did not exist. The only time I've owned a jazz type bass that did not have the problem was when I had a Fender Roscoe Beck V as they have a pair of Graphite rods running through so, maybe, try out a RB 4 string. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 [quote name='leschirons' post='446567' date='Mar 26 2009, 10:05 PM']Having had 4 proper Jazz basses now (the current one is a luthier built custom shop) I have always had the same problem but usually only between the 3rd and 7th frets on the G string. This is now recognised as a failing of the Jazz bass. My current one has Sadowsky Pick-ups and it's still the same. I use a Markbass 103H 3x10 combo and no amount of EQing will sort the problem without a major compromise of the rest of the tone. I think it's something you have to live with as it appears to be the bass construction and not your pre-amp or amp. I know of friends who have changed necks with no difference although, I had read a review on the Mark King Jazz (which didn't last too long) that on that model, the problem did not exist. The only time I've owned a jazz type bass that did not have the problem was when I had a Fender Roscoe Beck V as they have a pair of Graphite rods running through so, maybe, try out a RB 4 string. Best of luck.[/quote]To be honest i have had several jazz basses and none have had this problem? This happens all the way up the string. I cant help but think its an amplification problem (i may be wrong)..I am thinking about taking it to maybe John Shuker and see what he thinks... I really cant live with it, and to be honest i really dont think i should, with a bass of this quality.. Oh these basses, you cant live with them, you cant live without them!! Thanks for the thoughts Leschirons.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 2 things..... 1. off to the tech section..... 2. I'm not familiar with the Aguillar II does it have an internal pot to adjust what part of mids its boosts? My PRS pre amps have an adjuster pot on the PCB that you can adjust up or down wher you want the boost to start.... if yours has such a pot you can try turning it up so that it boosts higher up teh frequency band......? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Oooooooh and after seeing a nother thread reminded me...... put a new battery in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sub-a-dub Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) Hi, I've had similar problems. The fact that you say the problem is apparent through the length on the string suggests that dead-spots are not the problem here and a look at either the string gauge or the action on the G might help. Could be a combination of both. I have sorted this problem in the past through tweaking the pickup profile (this obviously might not counteract the problem if you are dealing with a set-up problem, but it should help a little), the action/set-up and if this didn't help you might consider putting a slightly heavier guage on the G. Another factor worthy of consideration might be the bridge?... Best, Sean Oh, have you tried the bass with different sets of strings? Just curious - it might be a factor and I have recently strung several of my basses with DR strings (40 - 100's) and there is a very even response across all the strings on the basses I have put them on, with a marked improvement in the electric and acoustic output accross the board, with the exception of the G on a fretless which is still somewhat limp, so I might need to look at that... EDIT Sunday: I was mulling over the problem with the fretless and I noticed that the lack of vol is apparent when the bass is played unplugged, so this points to a set-up issue and as the bass is a relatively new build it probably needs some settling-in time... This leads me to ask - have you noticed whether or not your problem is apparent when the bass is played unplugged? If it is, it looks like it might be a set-up issue and you probably don't have to worry about electronic issues at all! I hope this helps - I am no expert, but this was a problem that plagued me over the years from time-to-time, and it's only recently when I have had the time and resources to experiment a little, that I have been able to make any head-way: In my case I have been able to get around the problem through looking at a combination of set up and electronic tweaking... Edited March 29, 2009 by sub-a-dub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlthebassist Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I had this problem when I had my Fender Jazz. I actually poped some Bartolini pups in it - did nothing to fix the quiet string. Badass II bridge on the other hand worked fantasticly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.