Getting a Jazz Bass to sound like a Musicman

[joshua.harris1234]

Hi,

I was just wondering how you would make a jazz bass get close to a more musicman kind of sound. Obviously, since most musicmans, if not, all are active basses with 2 or 3 band EQ so you'll probably need an active jazz bass to get close I'm guessing. The reason why I'm asking is that I'd like to do a Louis Johnson/Brother's Johnson cover.

Thank you,

Josh

[CamdenRob]

The best way would be to put a jazz bass up on the marketplace... sell it and buy a stingray.

Edited August 5, 2015 by CamdenRob

[CamdenRob]

...and a more sensible answer.

A preamp would help but IMO the stingray sound comes from that humbucker in the sweet spot. I've come to believe that pickup type and placement is more important to the fundamental tone of a bass than anything else. If you want a P sound, you'll need a P pickup, if you want a J sound, you'll need a J pickup at the bridge and if you want a stingray sound.... well, you'll need that pickup

Edited August 5, 2015 by CamdenRob

[JTUK]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1438761843' post='2836920']
The best way would be to put a jazz bass up on the marketplace... sell it and buy a stingray.
[/quote]

Correct.

[Machines]

Impossible, unless you added a big old humbucker in the same position and had a coil tap for the single coil sound too.

[Sammers]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1438761994' post='2836922']
I've come to believe that pickup type and placement is more important to the fundamental tone of a bass than anything else.
[/quote]

+1

You're not really gonna get close to the sound of a Stringray with a Jazz.

But if it's just for 1 song, I balance in favour of the bridge pick-up then use an EQ to scoop mids and boost the highs/lows a little bit.
It's still no-where near the inherent sound of a SR but it's closer to my ears.

[discreet]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1438761843' post='2836920']
...buy a stingray.
[/quote]

[Lozz196]

On my active Jazz I can get near by panning the pickups more to the bridge, say 70/30, then playing with the 3-way eq. Ok it`s not there exactly, but it`s a pretty good impression. I would say though, the only way to do it properly is put a MM pickup in there. Get it coil-tapped you can still have the Jazz sound as well.

[kodiakblair]

Buy a Retrovibe Super-P with the mini toggle switch mod and use a preamp pedal. Best of 3 worlds

[attachment=197980:Super P (3).jpg]

Edited August 6, 2015 by kodiakblair

[biro]

It's not just pick up position, but the very voicing of the pick up. That is to say, you can get closer to that sound -- though, to my ears, just not close enough -- with some crazy EQ curves. Needless to say, this kind of control is only available within a DAW, and I don't see how you could pull that off live without a computer.

Another option is modeling, if Peavey ever releases some ACT profile for revalver.

[PlungerModerno]

Given how many different sounds you can get out of a Stingray - I imagine a Jazz bass can sound like quite a few of them - But only with some help. Some careful EQ work can get it fairly close to a Stingray sound - but I can't imagine many on board EQ's would do the best job - Not with fixed frequencies, you'd have a far better chance with a more flexible EQ (like a parametric high - mid & low EQ - or a high resolution graphic EQ (say 25 bands or more?)).

The pickup(s) - even though both a H Stingray and a Jazz have two single coils - they are wired & positioned differently - so putting a Jazz pickup or pickups through a Stingray preamp won't give you instant Stingray sounds (I assume - I've yet to try it!).

[Treb]

There's no substitute for the real thing. Buy a StingRay, a Sterling or a Sabre for that MusicMan sound.

[Conan]

[quote name='Treb' timestamp='1438876360' post='2838341']
There's no substitute for the real thing. Buy a StingRay, a Sterling or a Sabre for that MusicMan sound.
[/quote]

A Sterling will also feel rather like a Jazz (certainly in terms of neck shape and playability) if that is what you like

[chris_b]

You won't get close with a Jazz or even a Stingray.

Louis Johnson used flatwound strings.

[Treb]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1439144654' post='2840382']
A Sterling will also feel rather like a Jazz (certainly in terms of neck shape and playability) if that is what you like
[/quote]
I beg to differ. Got a Sterling and a Lakland DJ here. Nut width may be the same, but feel and balance is quite different. ymmv.

[Bass Pedal Geek]

Yeah I have to agree with what has alredy been said. Not a chance. Wrong pickups in the wrong positions... While I have attempted to make a jazz sound like an SR, I too would try to favor the bridge and roll off some treble with the passive tone control. And/or boost lows and highs a bit on the amp or a preamp pedal.

[mcnach]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1438763951' post='2836943']
Buy a Retrovibe Super-P with the mini toggle switch mod and use a preamp pedal. Best of 3 worlds

[attachment=197980:Super P (3).jpg]
[/quote]


Except the MM pickup is at the wrong place, much closer to the bridge, and as a result it does not sound like a Stingray. Not even close. It's a nice sound, closer to a Jazz bridge but fatter, and nothing like a Stingray.

The pickup position is even a little more important than the pickup type. A Jazz single coil can get you a definite "Stingray-like vibe" if you play with its position (I experimented a bit with an old OLP bass and enlarged routing).

My Cort GB74 can't do Stingray (MM/J), my old Lakland 5502 (MM/J) could get a general vibe when using the top single coil only and choosing the mids-control centre frequency at 600Hz... but it was still pretty far.

[mcnach]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1438761994' post='2836922']
...and a more sensible answer.

A preamp would help but IMO the stingray sound comes from that humbucker in the sweet spot. I've come to believe that pickup type and placement is more important to the fundamental tone of a bass than anything else. If you want a P sound, you'll need a P pickup, if you want a J sound, you'll need a J pickup at the bridge and if you want a stingray sound.... well, you'll need that pickup
[/quote]

exactly. The right pickup and the right placement. The preamp helps you get the range of tones, but even without the preamp a Stingray sounds unmistakeably Stingray, and no preamp will "Stingrayfy" a Jazz

[MarkG3]

I think the easiest and cheapest way is just to have the bridge pickup on solo.

But as others have said, it won't sound exactly like it unless you've got the right pickup in the right spot!

[dannybuoy]

I saw a bass on Youtube where the owner had sandwiched an MM pickup between the Jazz pickups. It was slightly north of the MM sweet spot, but I reckon it should be possible to get it spot on with a Jazz with a 70s position bridge pickup to give a bit more room.

[Iain]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1439144654' post='2840382']
A Sterling will also feel rather like a Jazz (certainly in terms of neck shape and playability) if that is what you like
[/quote]

I had a lovely US Sterling in trans red - neck is, if anything, faster than the standard jazz neck and very similar to the thinner profile on my US Geddy sig model.

[bassmachine2112]

Dinnae be silly get a USA SUB bass-job done

[mr zed]

[quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1441139673' post='2856456']
Dinnae be silly get a USA Stingray - job done
[/quote]

Fixed it for you!

[mr zed]

You could of course go the other way - get a Stingray HH. Set to the rear humbucker gives you the Stingray (position 1 on the 5 way selector switch) whilst position 4 gets very close to a Jazz sound (outer coils on both pickups).

[mcnach]

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1441144829' post='2856512']
Fixed it for you!
[/quote]


nah, you merely made it slightly prettier and more expensive