Anyone ever stuck a bass pickup on a Jazz?

[thisnameistaken]

I've got this silly idea about putting a third pickup on a Jazz bass, up by the neck join. And arranging some switching system where it's always a 2-pickup bass but I can run the neck pickup instead of the bridge pickup if I want.

Has anyone done anything like this before and was it useful or horrendous?

[bubinga5]

ive seen a Low End bass with a double J on the bridge and a single J on the neck...dont know how this sort of set up reacts sound wise. but if Brian does it its not going to sound bad im sure...dont know of anyone on BCer who has done it with the other as your suggesting......

what exactly do you want to gain from this pickup arrangement, or what do you think you might gain from it?

imho the neck position has a thicker sound anyway...so adding another pickup is like feeding a pig that is already had its dinner .... the natural position of string to the bridge lends itself to a thinner sound...maybe thats why Sandberg puts a humbucker in that position to fatten the sound?

i could be wrong...

Edited November 16, 2010 by bubinga5

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1025451' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:29 AM']what exactly do you want to gain from this pickup arrangement, or what do you think you might gain from it?[/quote]

A couple of things. I think with flats it might sound more open and natural, not necessarily more bassy but deeper and fuller in an acoustic type of way maybe.

I'm also thinking it might be useful for better tracking from my OC-2, which is becoming more important. Recently when recording a song I had to switch from my Thumb bass to my flats-strung Jazz for an outro because it required a long note from the OC-2 that the Thumb couldn't do - it was flubbing out too early.

[Mr Rabble]

I wouldn't do it.
Moreover I'm afraid that a neck joint pickup + actual neck pickup would sound horribly together

[Beedster]

Play a Telebass before you do it. If you like either dub or incoherent rock thud, do it. If not, use EQ, it's easier

[robocorpse]

[quote name='Beedster' post='1025596' date='Nov 16 2010, 10:25 AM']Play a Telebass before you do it. If you like either dub or incoherent rock thud, do it. If not, use EQ, it's easier [/quote]

"Incoherent Rock Thud", that's a cracking name for an album. Anyone?

[bassbloke]

I owned a Fender HM Bass. The HM either stood for 'Heartfield Model', Heartfield being a company Fender acquired in the 80s or 'Heavy Metal' - the bass had a suitably metal red crackle finish, black headstock.

It had 3 jazz pickups with a 5 way switch, which I modded to give me a three way switch and push-pull on the tone, which gave me three pickup output.

Pickup arrangement was different to the one you describe - it had two jazz pickups in the usual positions and a third in between the two to give a kind of musicman-esque feel.

Anyway, to cut a long and boring story short, I didn't feel the third pickup gave me anything - the two rear pickups sounded like a musicman without the bottom end oomph and all three pickups sounded like a jazz with one of the pickups wired out of phase - all clicky and nasal.

The two tried and tested combinations of twin jazz pickups or precision and jazz do the job admirably.

[neepheid]

I like 3 pickups on a bass, and I disagree with some of the opinions offered here.

I have recently acquired a Danelectro Hodad which has 3 lipstick pickups and all 7 combinations available. The difference is that they are all wired in series, so you get progressively more oomph the more you switch in. Because they're all single coils, there's no "mud", even on the neck pickup or neck+middle setting, unless you want it by using the tone control. I find that the different combinations bring a lot of tonal variety to the table.

I also have a Gibson G-3 but it is wired somewhat differently in that it only has a 3 way switch offering neck+middle, all three or middle + bridge.

I don't think a single coil Jazz pickup at the neck position will produce too much (or at least not as much) "mud" like a neck mounted humbucker a la Gibson EB-0/EB-3/later Fender Telecaster Bass would.

The best part is that on a Jazz if you go for it and don't like it, you can cover up any routing with a new pickguard. All the same, I'd experiment on a Squier or Jazz copy rather than butchering a prized MIA Fender

[Prime_BASS]

Three single coils you say???

EBMM Big Al 4 bass????

[Musicman20]

The single coil right on the neck on the EBMM Big Al is NOTHING but creamy and thumpy with nice definition, probably because its a single coil and a neodymium pickup. It sounds fantastic.

[redstriper]

I like this idea and wish someone would do it and post sound clips.
It could sound nice for reggae, where you don't want the growl of a humbucker, just the smoothness of a jazz with extra depth.
Isn't there a PRS bass with a single coil right by the neck that Robbie Shakespeare played for a while ?

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1032979' date='Nov 22 2010, 06:02 PM']The single coil right on the neck on the EBMM Big Al is NOTHING but creamy and thumpy with nice definition, probably because its a single coil and a neodymium pickup. It sounds fantastic.[/quote]

That's what I thought any sound ive heard from a big al SSS has been anything but muddy, unless that's what you want it do. It just goes deeper and PHatter.

[paul_5]

Doesn't Billy Sheehan have a PAF style pickup is that position? I saw him demonstrate it at one of his clinics once - produced some LLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW end!

[DanOwens]

How about the tractor bass? Darkstar + (2xJazz) = Beautiful!

[DanOwens]

I like this too (far right)

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1033206' date='Nov 22 2010, 09:24 PM']I like this too (far right)

[/quote]

That's the sort of thing I was thinking of. Whose bass is that?

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='paul_5' post='1033180' date='Nov 22 2010, 09:00 PM']Doesn't Billy Sheehan have a PAF style pickup is that position? I saw him demonstrate it at one of his clinics once - produced some LLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW end![/quote]

He has A Dimarzio Model one in the neck position, which is designed as an EB0 replacement pickup

REALLY sounds deeeeeeeep when you crank the volume xD