LawrenceH Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi all, long-winded post so sorry in advance... I've been chopping and changing various Fender jazz basses for a while, enjoying exploring the different tonal possibilities. All my basses have quite small, narrow frets. Funnily enough the Aerodyne, which according to the Fender website has medium jumbo frets, has the smallest and narrowest of the lot. More so than an 80s Jap, a Jap 75RI and a MIM Classic 70s (this actually has the broadest flattest-topped frets though quite low in height), and definitely a lot more than a friend's US Jazz which for me has that 'holy grail' sound. Anyway, I was wondering if any experienced luthiers here have experimented with different fret profiles, and would care to comment on the effects, if any at all, on tone/how that interacts with feel? Having experimented with different pickups, setups and pickup heights, all my basses have quite a growly sound but to get them to really bite I have to dig in hard. Whereas on my friend's 'magic' bass, that transition you get, where you dig in and it 'clanks' almost like when you pop it, happens when I play only a little harder than normal, is very abrupt and sounds somehow quite compressed which makes it very musically useful. I remember it being evident both when the bass had an almost unplayably high action and after it was set-up to be low and easy. I am wondering if the fret profile could contribute significantly to this, perhaps due to the string rattling against a broad-profiled fret top as opposed to a small, steeply profiled narrow fret. I'm getting close to happy with the basic sounds of my basses but I'd like to be able to replicate this aspect of my friend's bass and would consider the expense of a refret or even a new neck to get there. As I tried to say earlier, it's not really the tone or the feel per se but the response curve of the tone to touch. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holio.cornolio Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I think you could be on to something. I had a musicman sub which had some pretty wide frets on it. That growled like an angry badger even acoustically. My '64 reissue (sigh, she's so lovely) also has a nice growl and whilst not enormous, the frets are definitely on the larger side of medium, whereas my westone concord which has banjo frets it seems, aside from all its other shortcomings, couldn't growl enough to scare a small chipmunk. I had always put it down to 'magic wood' combinations, but let's face it, that's just the kind of bollocks we talk when what we actually mean is 'i don't know and haven't given it much thought'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 [quote name='holio.cornolio' timestamp='1320665291' post='1429502'] I had always put it down to 'magic wood' combinations, but let's face it, that's just the kind of bollocks we talk when what we actually mean is 'i don't know and haven't given it much thought'! [/quote] Yeah I think it's often attributed to pickups and/or wood but actually I've got that side of things fairly sorted - the growl I'm talking about is more that mechanical thing you can get from almost any bass if you play hard enough, a bit like fret buzz except it's not exactly! I just want it to happen at much gentler playing levels. If it were the frets then logically bridge saddle profiles would play an equal role, but they're probably much less variable (at least for a jazz with stock bridge). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This is pure conjecture, but I wonder if the shape (rather than the amount) of the neck relief is a factor in this. I mention this as when I shaved down a chunky neck to a slimmer profile then set it up with a similar action and relief as previously, there was more of the touch-sensitive growly clank after I'd shaved the neck. I think with the chunky neck/less tense trussrod the relief curve would have been different to with a more flexible neck/tighter truss rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holio.cornolio Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1320684047' post='1429953'] Yeah I think it's often attributed to pickups and/or wood but actually I've got that side of things fairly sorted - the growl I'm talking about is more that mechanical thing you can get from almost any bass if you play hard enough, a bit like fret buzz except it's not exactly! I just want it to happen at much gentler playing levels. If it were the frets then logically bridge saddle profiles would play an equal ryole, but they're probably much less variable (at least for a jazz with stock bridge).[/quote] I'm pretty sure that I know exactly what you mean. With the sub it was a very physical thing and was always there. Sometimes I was sure it was fret buzz, but in a much less choked and restricted way. A fully voiced note with plenty of physical rattle in there. Beer may also have a point as the sub had a wide yet slender neck. The jazz has a narrow and slender neck. That said, I also have a 4001,which can growl, but that's got quite a stout neck. The growls different though. Less mechanical I think, but I'm straying into magic wood territory again ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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