Linus27

I paid £1060 for the Jazz and it was secondhand but is totally mint. I paid £880 for the Precision and it was brand new.

Here are my two new working basses. I had kind of given up playing in bands after doing it for around 25 years and had sold all my working basses but then an opportunity came up to join my friends band. They are a very busy, popular club band playing stuff from the 50s and 60s so I was in need of a couple of working basses. I've gone from doing zero gigs to about 60 a year. The first is a Fender Jazz American Vintage 75 Reissue and the second is a Fender Precision FSR 70's Reissue. Both are amazing to play and I love how they look similar.

I bought the 70's Precision at the weekend and it is gorgeous. I bought it as a back up to my Fender 75AV RI but its so nice I might use it as my main. It comes with Fender vintage pickups as well so sounds amazing.

As Lozz has said, the Jazz does sound thinner compared to the Precision, its just the way it is. It can also depend on what pickups you have in the Jazz. My 66 Jazz has Barts and sounds thinner than my 75 Jazz but sounds so sweet. The 75 has Fender 75 vintage pickups and sounds more rounded but less dynamics tonally.

The guy that owns Ashdown is a car nut. He used to race in a black and gold Lotus 340R in the Lotus on Track series. I do track days with them and have spoken to him a few times on the forums and seen him race. Also sorted me out some nice discounts. So, not sure if they are named after James Deans cars but it wouldn't surprise me.

No, just a Markbass LMIII and 2 x Markbass N.Y. 112's. Previously to that I had an EBS Reidmar and their classic 112's.

Erm .... A lead 😊 Literally that is it. I've never been a big fan of pedals so bass, lead, head and speakers.

Well, I'm not aware of any problems but I was just wondering if there's something I'm missing, as in I would get one and it would be like a massive revelation and wondering why I never tried one before. Maybe it is something I just have no need for.

So, in 30 years of playing, I have never used a compressor pedal or felt the need for one (possibly ignorance) but I keep seeing or reading more bassists are using them. Is it becoming an essential bit of kit? Is it something you plug in and use turned on all the time. Just wondering if I am missing a trick and should of purchased one years ago.

Heaven - Drummers who can play and understand the relationship between drum and bass. Hell - Drummers that can't count, can't play in time, follow the vocals rather than beats or time and make it up as they go making it different every time.

Thanks 4000 and everyone else for the tips and thoughts. Been really interesting and appreciated the help.

I would say this is partly true but I have had a 75AV RI previously and loved it but it was being played through a different rig, a Shuttle 6. I've also had the Mexican 70's Reissue and that also sounded superb. I actually came close to buying one again instead of the 75AV RI. So I have had other Jazz basses and loved them including a 75AV RI but just not through a Markbass rig. I'm sure I can get the tone I want with the 75AV RI with the Markbass rig, I just need to find the secret key, be it strings, EQ, pickups, speakers or pre amp. I did find boosting the mids improved it but maybe I've not boosted them enough. As for always sounding more dull to my ESP, I think you are right on that one 😊

Sorry, to answer your original question. I used to have a 75AV RI a few years back and loved it. Sounded great through my Shuttle 6 and was the nicest feeling bass to play. I stopped playing and so sold it. I've now started playing again and needed a good working bass and kept my eye out for one. A mint one came up and so I tried it out through an Ashdown combo and it sounded fine so I bought it. I did try it and compared it to the Mexican 70's reissue, Fender Flea Jazz and the Fender Pro Series Jazz. They all sounded good but the 75AV RI won based on looks, previously having one and being very happy with it, being the nicest to play and sounded good.

Will be trying different string for sure. I used to love Elite Stadiums and used to use them for years so might try them again.

Yes I knew that. No idea on the spacing of my ESP 66 Jazz but as it came from the same factory that was making Fender basses and has an exact same headstock as a Fender, I am assuming the pickup spacing is going to be 60's. I am also assuming that the Fender Mexican 60's Reissue would have 60's pickup spacing although with Fender you can never tell

I've pretty much played Jazz basses for 30 years and never had a problem with them. I have found it is very dependent on what rig you are using with one rig making them sound amazing and then another making them sound just ok. So I kind of know how amazing a Jazz can sound and especially through my MarkBass rig as my ESP 66 Jazz is amazing. In fact my ESP has sounded amazing through everything. I just want to get my Fender 75 Jazz to sound the same. I kind of expected a bass this good to be a bit more special but maybe I am asking too much of it or its giving the exact sound it should and its just not the tone I want. Come to think of it, I once had the Fender Mexican 60's Reissue Jazz and that sounded amazing through my MarkBass rig so maybe I just prefer the sound of a 60's Jazz more than a 70's Jazz. I could change the pickups to the same Barts that are in my ESP but that kind of defeats the object to me of getting a 75 RI bass if you are then going to change the sound away from what its supposed to sound like. I wonder if Fender do vintage 60's Jazz pickups. Anyway, I will try fiddling with the EQ more and look at the Tech 21 pedal as well as this might be fun to play with anyway.

But can you get mwah out of a whoopee cushion??

Its not a case of finding my tone, its just lacks personality whereas the Stingray and the ESP 66 Jazz have lovely tonal qualities. The 75 Jazz is a clean warm sound but generic. Will fiddle with the filters but they didn't make much difference last time but I will certainly try again.

My rig is ridiculously simple. Basses: Fender Jazz American Vintage 75 Reissue ESP Jazz 66 Reissue Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 2EQ Rig: MarkBass Little Mark III MarkBass New York 112 x 2 Strings: Elite Stadium 40-100 Cables: OBBM Pedals: TC Electronic Tuner

https://www.musicstore.de/en_GB/GBP/Ibanez-Bass-Workshop-UB804-MOB-Upswing-Mahogany-Oil-Burst/art-BAS0009480-000 £841 so not a bad price. I think I will end up buying one for sure as it will be fun.

From 16s it sounds quite nice.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions, really appreciate it. I was thinking about it a little bit more last night and maybe wondering if it might actually be the bass to a degree. If I plug my Stingray in, even though its not a tone I want to use, the Stingray tone is very evident. What was more interesting is if I play my ESP Jazz with Bartolini pickups, its sounds lovely (it always has through any rig), very warm but quite nasally. So basically, both basses had tonal personalities which is what I am trying to achieve. The 75 Jazz however just sounded like a bass, a nice sounding bass but no personality, just a generic sounding bass. All three basses have new Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings. So maybe its the pups in the 75 Jazz and not so much the speakers. I will play with the EQ more as suggested and I also like the look of the Tech 21 PDDI pedal. That might be fun.

I don't think they have thought about it but I guess no comment is good 😊 Not sure about out front as only done three gigs but everyone has been up dancing. True, I guess good is acceptable but I kind of expected a bit more.

So, I have a great rig, a Markbass Little Mark III, 2 x Markbass New York 112 cabs and a Fender Jazz American Vintage 75 Reissue. On paper it should sound amazing and it does sound good, but not mind blowingly good. There's nothing wrong with it as such but it just lacks personality. Its just a bit nothing, no sparkle, a bit dull tonally, it just sounds like a bass rather than an amazing bass through an amazing rig. I'm wondering if it might be the speakers that's letting it down. I would of thought the bass would be perfectly good and the LMIII head is highly regarded so makes me wonder if the speakers are colouring or masking the bass tones in any way. For EQ I have bass dialled off a bit (10 o clock) and low mid, high mids and treble boosted a bit (2 o clock). Both filters are off. Strings are Ernie Ball Super Slinky. Anyone got any suggestions or thoughts on the speakers. Wondering if there's anything else I can try before thinking about alternative speakers. Any help very appreciated.

I actually like the look of this and I'm really hoping the sound is just an effect. It has to be right.