I WANT TO GET A JAZZ BASS

[Jspindle]

Hello! I am a new member of this site.... and looking for some advice.

I currently have a Peavey Milestone III.... which I enjoy playing, but I'm not sure it will suit the kind of music I want to create in a forthcoming project. The kind of music I will be making will be jazzy prog. I was thinking of getting a jazz bass because I feel that the notes cut through the sound of other instruments very well..... and this is my intention, because the bass will kinda be a lead instrument.

I dabbled with the idea of getting a Squier Vintage Modified, but I'm not sure about the maple fretboard..... because I know that this gives the overall sound a certain brightness. I don't want it to be like that.... I'm hoping for a more full-rounded, deep sound but with excellent clarity of notes..... so I am considering the Squier Standard Jazz..... partly because of the rosewood fretboard.

Am I making the right decision?

I have also considered getting a secondhand jazz bass so I can fit a humbucker to it, because I know that jazz basses can be thin and tinny.

So, basically..... I just want a bass that will sound great in a dark jazzy prog band..... think King Crimson etc

I just don't think a precision bass would be suited for what I'm hoping to achieve. Ah I'm not sure.

I don't want it to sound toooooo deep because then that would distract away from my intention of giving clarity to the notes.... but deep enough will do

So there must be a bass for what I want to do. Or will I be alright with a Squier Standard Jazz bass and messing around with my amp to suit my needs?

[jezzaboy]

I wouldn`t get the Standard Squire and if you don`t fancy the VMJ due to the maple board, have a shot of the Classic Vibe Jazz as it has a rosewood board and is a large step up from the standard for not a lot of dosh more. Also, the pickups in the standard will be somewhat lacking in quality if you want to be a lead instrument. I have never have though that Jazz pickups are thin and tinny but hey, that`s only my opinion.

Don`t know if it would suit the kind of music that you want to play but I have never bought into a particular bass being right for a particular knind of music. I think that John Wetton played a P bass in King Crimson back in the day.

It`s the old saying, play as many different basses as you can until you find one that suits.

Jez

[Jspindle]

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='1069679' date='Dec 26 2010, 05:02 PM']I wouldn`t get the Standard Squire and if you don`t fancy the VMJ due to the maple board, have a shot of the Classic Vibe Jazz as it has a rosewood board and is a large step up from the standard for not a lot of dosh more. Also, the pickups in the standard will be somewhat lacking in quality if you want to be a lead instrument. I have never have though that Jazz pickups are thin and tinny but hey, that`s only my opinion.

Don`t know if it would suit the kind of music that you want to play but I have never bought into a particular bass being right for a particular knind of music. I think that John Wetton played a P bass in King Crimson back in the day.

It`s the old saying, play as many different basses as you can until you find one that suits.

Jez[/quote]

Thanks I will check out some videos of the Classic Vibe Jazz.

And John Wetton is one of my inspirations. There's nothing wrong with using a P bass for that kind of music. However, I've got it stuck into my head that some kind of jazz bass would be better suited to my needs and requirements.

[skankdelvar]

Hook yourself a s/h Jazz out the BassChat 'Basses for sale' section. Have a mess around with different blends of pick-up volume / tone roll-off. You should find a nice workable tone.

If you don't get a result, you can move the bass on for pretty much what you paid for it.

[Circle_of_Fifths]

[quote name='Jspindle' post='1069671' date='Dec 26 2010, 09:46 AM']Hello! I am a new member of this site.... and looking for some advice.

I currently have a Peavey Milestone III.... which I enjoy playing, but I'm not sure it will suit the kind of music I want to create in a forthcoming project. [b]The kind of music I will be making will be jazzy prog. I was thinking of getting a jazz bass because I feel that the notes cut through the sound of other instruments very well..... and this is my intention, because the bass will kinda be a lead instrument.[/b]

I dabbled with the idea of getting a Squier Vintage Modified, but I'm not sure about the maple fretboard..... because I know that this gives the overall sound a certain brightness. I don't want it to be like that.... [b]I'm hoping for a more full-rounded, deep sound but with excellent clarity of notes[/b]..... so I am considering the Squier Standard Jazz..... partly because of the rosewood fretboard.

Am I making the right decision?

I have also considered getting a secondhand jazz bass so I can fit a humbucker to it, because I know that jazz basses can be thin and tinny.

So, basically..... I just want a bass that will sound great in a dark jazzy prog band..... think King Crimson etc

I just don't think a precision bass would be suited for what I'm hoping to achieve. Ah I'm not sure.

I don't want it to sound toooooo deep because then that would distract away from my intention of giving clarity to the notes.... but deep enough will do

So there must be a bass for what I want to do. Or will I be alright with a Squier Standard Jazz bass and messing around with my amp to suit my needs?[/quote]

Hopefully I can explain this in a way that is easy to understand.

My VM-Jazz is deep, resonant and full-bodied but not with the original strings.

I was just today playing it against my Fender Precision with ROTO 77s on it, and quite frankly the tone of the VM-Jazz with Elixir Nanos on it is every bit as smooth, articulated and full of tone, filling the fundamentals and all exponential permutations of the stricken note.

I like the Motown sound and I also play a lot of Wine/Cheese Tasting Tourist's restaurants in Temecula (Wine Country in SoCal) and the VM-Jazz is every bit as comfortable there as my Fender Deluxe Jazz or my Ibanez SR/SD500 (what I call my '[i]Stradibassious[/i]') .

The Duncan-Designed Noiseless p'ups on the VM-Jazz are smooth and full of character and not at all shrill or thin.

FWIW: I also run into an MXR Bass +DI pedal, but even in flat EQ, it has a lot of great, solid and rounded voice and sound. The sustain is huge, and although you won't need much more that a few seconds of it, it's there if you're needing it for 'those times'.

The Stock Fender/Squier strings just generally aren't your dad's Oldsmobile - they are close to garbage and not at all consistent in quality and voice. The only place the 7250 NPS strings work well is on my VM-Jaguar.

So - making a short story longer and more boring - the stock strings are a crippler to the sound you CAN get out of the VM-Jazz - and if you try something with some lower backbone to them, you'll be mucho happier with the sounds you hear from the Squier.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Jspindle' post='1069671' date='Dec 26 2010, 04:46 PM']Hello! I am a new member of this site.... and looking for some advice.[/quote]


If on a budget you cant really go wrong with a Squier CV Jazz.

Saying that my HW-one cuts through a lot more. To my ears the CV Jazz is warm and deep, whereas my HW-one is more growly and defined. Both sound like a Jazz though and both have had exactly the same set of pups on them so its more just the pups.

I will add that since i started using my BDDI both have really opened up tone wise.

I disagree with the post above about the strings. I love Fender strings and the stock strings sound find, unless you dont like them of course. Each to his/her own but they are not crap stings in general (and although they arent D'Addario's they are made in the same factory).

Could you fill in some location details in your profile. It might help if you do go in to the classified section, plus, if your close by your welcome to come and have a play on mine. I might even sell it.



Cheers.

Edited December 27, 2010 by dave_bass5

[Jspindle]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1070081' date='Dec 27 2010, 01:07 PM']If on a budget you cant really go wrong with a Squier CV Jazz.

Saying that my HW-one cuts through a lot more. To my ears the CV Jazz is warm and deep, whereas my HW-one is more growly and defined. Both sound like a Jazz though and both have had exactly the same set of pups on them so its more just the pups.

I will add that since i started using my BDDI both have really opened up tone wise.

I disagree with the post above about the strings. I love Fender strings and the stock strings sound find, unless you dont like them of course. Each to his/her own but they are not crap stings in general (and although they arent D'Addario's they are made in the same factory).

Could you fill in some location details in your profile. It might help if you do go in to the classified section, plus, if your close by your welcome to come and have a play on mine. I might even sell it.



Cheers.[/quote]

I've been doing some research on youtube.

As good as the CV Jazz is, I most definitely prefer the HW-one. Amazing tone! And I think it would cut through well in the heavier parts of the music that I want to make.

Unfortunately the HW-one is too expensive for me..... it'd be great if I could find a similar bass with that kind of tone and growl. It's the best so far though..... and if I can't find an alternative, then I'd just consider getting it anyway (once I've got a bit more money).

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Jspindle' post='1070156' date='Dec 27 2010, 02:57 PM']I've been doing some research on youtube.

As good as the CV Jazz is, I most definitely prefer the HW-one. Amazing tone! And I think it would cut through well in the heavier parts of the music that I want to make.

Unfortunately the HW-one is too expensive for me..... it'd be great if I could find a similar bass with that kind of tone and growl. It's the best so far though..... and if I can't find an alternative, then I'd just consider getting it anyway (once I've got a bit more money).[/quote]

I think your right about all that. The CVJ is more mellow, although it does cut through enough for me, just not as much as the HW.
I really dont have enough experience with Jazz basses to say what else will get you the tone. Certainly both my HW1 and HW-0ne have had this tone, and my CV Jazz and DJ5 didnt. Im not sure why.
I also had a MIM 70's classic and 3 2008 MIA Jazz basses this year but still preferred the HW-one tone. Mine does have a set of Wizard 74's in it but i also had these in the CV Jazz and the tone was still not the same.

[Circle_of_Fifths]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1070081' date='Dec 27 2010, 06:07 AM']If on a budget you cant really go wrong with a Squier CV Jazz.

Saying that my HW-one cuts through a lot more. To my ears the CV Jazz is warm and deep, whereas my HW-one is more growly and defined. Both sound like a Jazz though and both have had exactly the same set of pups on them so its more just the pups.

I will add that since i started using my BDDI both have really opened up tone wise.

[b]I disagree with the post above about the strings. I love Fender strings and the stock strings sound find, unless you dont like them of course. Each to his/her own but they are not crap stings in general (and although they arent D'Addario's they are made in the same factory).[/b]

Could you fill in some location details in your profile. It might help if you do go in to the classified section, plus, if your close by your welcome to come and have a play on mine. I might even sell it.

Cheers.[/quote]

I've bought four basses this past year with 'Fender 7250 NPS' strings on them each. (Quotations mine, as Fender 'says' they are all 7250 NPS strings - but they lied)

Every set was different - some with black, some with red or no silks.

One set had the classic D'A colored beads on the ends, the others did not.

My MiM Deluxe Jazz had the colored beads and they were in no way D'A strings, even if made after hours on the same machines by Santa's elves. They were thinner (by micrometer) than the other [u]supposed[/u] 7250s by about .004-.006" and had a toothy feel to their surface - so much so that they felt like the teeth on a hacksaw blade standing upright when I played them.

The other 'Fender 7250s' were worse in other ways: but too sharp and tinny comes to mind instantly. Prolly great to slap or pop, but if you want true bass sounds, they sounded like a rinky-tink piano and that just wouldn't cut it for me.

Now - on the VM-Jaguar - they are a match-mate from heaven! Full-toned and pure, musical notes and good sustain without being overly so. They are even finger-friendly and not at all like playing barbed wire or re-bar*. The VM-Jag just loves these strings, by whomever or wherever they were made.

Soon - and sadly - the 'Fender 7250s' on my VM-Jaguar will die and I'll be faced with the prospect of trying to find a replacement. Since Fender is selling a totally different line of strings in the US in new boxes (black boxes, predominantly) and lots of people are complaining about the rottenness of these 'same-new' strings, there is something going on here product-wise.

I blame the bean counters.

They ain't the same strings and everyone in the US who plays a bass knows it - there is quite a lot of discordant derision and opinion about what to do about this turn of events. I am sure the effect will be felt worldwide as soon as old stock is consumed and the new strings make themselves known.

As it is, there are teams of bass players ordering the old stock as fast as they can find it, and the stores are now totally stocked with the new black-boxed 7250s. The string-love for the original strings is well placed, but unfortunately it's coming to a screeching halt.

Yeah - the original 7250s were a great string! The new versions however are all over the board for quality and musical ability.

From what I can tell at the moment, the Rotosound RS45s are supposed to be the cat's! They are 'supposed' to totally capture the OE Fender 7250 sound and tone. At least the Rotos will/should be consistent in quality and available under one manufacturer (for a while at least).

[indent][u]*Re-bar:[/u] the heavy cast iron and scrap steel that is made into thick wires over 1/2" in diameter to reinforce concrete in buildings. bridges and roadways. I don't know if that term is what is used in the UK or not, hence the asterisk. [/indent]

Hopefully youse guys over there in UK-land can find 7250s to your liking for a long time yet. Don't count upon it though. The times, they are a-changing.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Circle_of_Fifths' post='1069917' date='Dec 27 2010, 04:01 AM']So - making a short story longer and more boring - the stock strings are a crippler to the sound you CAN get out of the VM-Jazz - and if you try something with some lower backbone to them, you'll be mucho happier with the sounds you hear from the Squier.[/quote]
I agree that a different set of strings can make the world of difference. It's the first thing I do these days is take the stock strings off and put some heavy flatwounds on... but that's just my tastes.

A decent / different string will make a lot more difference to the tone compared to considering whether a fretboard is made of maple or rosewood. Depending on how great your musical ear is most bass players can't hear anything more than the subtlest of differences (if any) to the tone when comparing fretboards

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1070314' date='Dec 27 2010, 05:57 PM']I agree that a different set of strings can make the world of difference. It's the first thing I do these days is take the stock strings off and put some heavy flatwounds on... but that's just my tastes.

A decent / different string will make a lot more difference to the tone compared to considering whether a fretboard is made of maple or rosewood. Depending on how great your musical ear is most bass players can't hear anything more than the subtlest of differences (if any) to the tone when comparing fretboards[/quote]

Agreed.

When i had the 3 MIA's the first two had maple and the third as rosewood. I personally couldn't hear a difference. I didnt A-B them, its just from playing at home and one gig each.

I did like the strings on all 3 and they seemed to be the same.

I also found that when i had DR Neons on my HW-one it became a different bass. It felt awkward to play and the tone was a bit mellower.

Edited December 27, 2010 by dave_bass5

[Jspindle]

I think PJ basses are what I should go for.... with plenty of tone control.

I intend on browsing the music-shops and trying out as many basses as possible.

[dave_bass5]

Yes, a PJ does seem to cover wider tone spectrum.

Its funny because i had my DJ5 converted to a PJ last year, as i like the tone of both, but now I realise i like the P tone, and the neck pup Jazz tone so i think im stuck with one or the other.

[Circle_of_Fifths]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1071418' date='Dec 28 2010, 06:04 PM']Yes, a PJ does seem to cover wider tone spectrum.

Its funny because i had my DJ5 converted to a PJ last year, as i like the tone of both, but now I realise i like the P tone, and the neck pup Jazz tone so i think im stuck with one or the other.[/quote]

Out of context, your statement feels wrong - but I fully understand the chagrin of needing [u]one[/u], no: [u]two[/u], no: [u]three[/u] basses with a variety of p'ups in different positions, not counting active and/or passive.

If I like the neck on that Reggie Hamilton when it becomes available at my GC in mid-January - then I think I'll have it all covered ---- until the next revelation!

I gotta take all the mirrors down in the house now.

[dave_bass5]

Let me clarify my previous post.

As i play the Jazz mainly with the neck soloed a PJ wouldn't be any better than what i have, although would open up more tone options than a P.

I've never needed more than one bass. Ive been playing covers in this band for around 7 years and have used everything from a Lakland 55-01, P's (both 4 and 5 string)Jazz 4 and 5), Sub, Ray34 and a few others. I only every use one bass, whatever my new bass is that becomes my gigging bass and i try and sell off the last one i brought.

All work with all songs, ranging from rock and roll to present day chart stuff. Even the Sub and Ray34 worked well for the old stuff.
I got rid of those because i was struggling with the necks a bit, i prefer the slimmer Jazz necks. The 5 strings were sold because i stopped gigging with a certain band where 5 string helped to play the same songs as my main band but in different keys.

The other changes are just me getting bored. I always seem to come back to a P or J though. The Jazz more for the neck and look, the P more for the tone. Having both now means i (hopefully) wont get bored and buy anything else and ill take one or the other to gigs.

The Duff McKagan bass (and the Japanese version it was based on) look pretty good, especially with the slim neck but i do like the Reggie H model better. I defiantly wouldn't say no to that one in black and i wish i had seen that 6 months ago.

[Mr Rabble]

IMHO you're getting too paranoid.
Have you ever tried a Jazz Bass?
Every decent, plain simple, traditional Jazz Bass can either cuts through the mix or sit within, and can be full and deep but also growly and defined.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Mr Rabble' post='1071780' date='Dec 29 2010, 02:34 PM']IMHO you're getting too paranoid.
Have you ever tried a Jazz Bass?
Every decent, plain simple, traditional Jazz Bass can either cuts through the mix or sit within, and can be full and deep but also growly and defined.[/quote]

This is true but not all jazz basses sound the same, as ive already found out.

[Conan]

[quote name='Mr Rabble' post='1071780' date='Dec 29 2010, 02:34 PM']IMHO you're getting too paranoid.
Have you ever tried a Jazz Bass?
Every decent, plain simple, traditional Jazz Bass can either cuts through the mix or sit within, and can be full and deep but also growly and defined.[/quote]

Agreed. Yes, you will get subtle differences between individual instruments, but these will be insignificant compared to the differences caused by changing strings, cabinets and amplifiers!

Try lots of basses (as you aim to do) and buy the one that you like the best after playing it - rather than making your mind up based on videos and comments made on manufacturers' websites!

If you are dead set on getting a Squier/Fender Jazz, there are some genuine experts on this site who could give you far more specific guidance than I ever could - but I suspect that at the end of the day they would still agree that the way forward is to try lots of basses and buy the one you like the feel and sound of the best. It's not rocket science.... unless you want to make it so!