What will a Jaguar Bass do for me.........?

[Beedster]

..........that a standard Jazz Bass won't/can't?

 

Looking at this model with 2xJ-PUPs. 

 

[Cato]

I believe some of them are 32" scale and I think there may have been a short scale variant at some point as well as some 'standard' 34" models?

 

Other than that I'm very much of the school of thought that two solid body basses that have the same pickup type in the same position will always sound very similar regardless of other differences such as body shape, wood type etc.

Edited November 16 by Cato

[ezbass]

Bassists in the audience will be intrigued. If it is the 32” version, you’d have slightly less harmonic overtones, which certainly makes some effects behave better. I see it has the classic, Jaguar upper switching, I assume that this adds more tonal variation. 

[LeftyJ]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

..........that a standard Jazz Bass won't/can't?

 

Looking at this model with 2xJ-PUPs. 

 

Absolutely nothing, but it looks cool. This was the earliest iteration of the Jaguar Bass, built in Japan with 70s bridge pickup position and somewhat noisy active 2-band electronics (that can be switched off). I believe the roller knobs up top are the EQ controls. The one in the pic appears to have had its bridge replaced with a Gotoh 201. In a way it is more limiting in tonal options than a Jazz because the pickups have on/off-switches rather than separate volume controls or a pan pot. They look tremendously cool though. 

Edited November 16 by LeftyJ

[OliverBlackman]

7 hours ago, Beedster said:

..........that a standard Jazz Bass won't/can't?

 

Looking at this model with 2xJ-PUPs. 

 

It will make you think ooo shiny new thing! 

[ezbass]

9 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

It will make you think ooo shiny new thing! 

This ^^^^ ; never a bad thing.

[floFC]

As @LeftyJ touched upon, it can be an active bass. It also has a series/parallel switch. And, I guess, a kill switch (which can easily unintentionally be activated 😅). These I would say are above what a standard jazz can do.

On the things that are different, and perhaps less that a jazz can do: it only has a master volume and a master tone - and switch to turn on or off each pick up. So no VVT and no blending. 

[ezbass]

Recognising the background, I just checked The Gallery website, it’s a 34” scale.

[neepheid]

10 hours ago, Beedster said:

..........that a standard Jazz Bass won't/can't?

 

It'll look way effin' cooler

 

[Beedster]

Thanks folks, I was asking as we've got a Who project coming up and I have this sense that neither a Jazz or a Precision is going to do exactly what I want. Anyway, I found myself watching a clip with Pino playing a Jag and two things stood out; first it sounded massive, and second, given he can choose any instrument he wants (I assume), the fact he chose to use a Jag through that tour struck me as something of a recommendation given the wide variety of tones needed across the setlist. Now I'm sure the combination of Pino and the Who's sound engineers would make any bass sound awesome, but it got me thinking. So, I checked out a few threads on TB and the consensus appeared to be 1) they sound a bit 'thicker' than a Jazz (I assume that's a function of series/parallel switching which let's face it can easily be done on s standard Jazz anyway), 2) the active circuits are noisy and not all that elegant, 3) the switching is also crude and binary and the switches themselves feel a but cheap but 4) they look so f***ing cool you just gotta have one anyway. There is something extremely visually appealing for sure, I worry that I'd end up modding the hell out of it and then realise I still prefer a Precision and sell it. i was kinda hoping someone was going to come along and say 'Best decision I ever made was buying a Jag.....' or similar.......

[basshead56]

I had one of these. One of the very early ones. Only sold it on earlier this year.

I loved it. I really did. Jazz-esque sounds but with the active eq and series/parallel options.

I insulated the living daylights out of the cavities with copper tape and the active circuit noise all but disappeared.

I popped a Jazz 'ashtray' cover over the bridge too.

I had thoughtt about sticking some lipstick style pickups in it but never got round to it.

it was mostly a case queen, rarely took it out other than for a quick noodle at home. Gorgeous instrument. Only reason i moved it on was for a part trade on my Am Dlx QMT Jazz.

 

To answer your question, it will do almost everything a Jazz can but with a different look and feel. They just look bad ass in that Hot Rod Red!!!

Edited November 16 by basshead56

[neepheid]

Only tangentially related to this discussion, but I'm having a lot of fun with my Squier Jaguar H.  The only thing it shares with this one is a body and headstock shape though.

[Beedster]

But I think I may have just solved the 'Bass I need for a Who set' problem 

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

But I think I may have just solved the 'Bass I need for a Who set' problem 

P bass with T’Bird pickups?

[jay-syncro]

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

Thanks folks, I was asking as we've got a Who project coming up and I have this sense that neither a Jazz or a Precision is going to do exactly what I want. Anyway, I found myself watching a clip with Pino playing a Jag and two things stood out; first it sounded massive, and second, given he can choose any instrument he wants (I assume), the fact he chose to use a Jag through that tour struck me as something of a recommendation given the wide variety of tones needed across the setlist. Now I'm sure the combination of Pino and the Who's sound engineers would make any bass sound awesome, but it got me thinking. So, I checked out a few threads on TB and the consensus appeared to be 1) they sound a bit 'thicker' than a Jazz (I assume that's a function of series/parallel switching which let's face it can easily be done on s standard Jazz anyway), 2) the active circuits are noisy and not all that elegant, 3) the switching is also crude and binary and the switches themselves feel a but cheap but 4) they look so f***ing cool you just gotta have one anyway. There is something extremely visually appealing for sure, I worry that I'd end up modding the hell out of it and then realise I still prefer a Precision and sell it. i was kinda hoping someone was going to come along and say 'Best decision I ever made was buying a Jag.....' or similar.......

 

 

Mate, come and have a go on THE Jag if you like? 

 

It sounds amazing. Not really a typical jazz sound, much more versatile. The electronics are not noisy. 

 

I just took it along to a recording session with a few other basses for variety and ended up playing it on every track. 

 

Jags are awesome. 

[Norris]

What will a Jaguar Bass do for me.........?

 

Being shorter scale, it will have a slightly smaller turning circle than a standard jazz bass, enabling you to turn around in the road using forward and reverse gears in fewer manoeuvres.

[Beedster]

9 hours ago, jay-syncro said:

 

 

Mate, come and have a go on THE Jag if you like? 

 

It sounds amazing. Not really a typical jazz sound, much more versatile. The electronics are not noisy. 

 

I just took it along to a recording session with a few other basses for variety and ended up playing it on every track. 

 

Jags are awesome. 

Ha, had completely forgotten that you have THAT bass mate 👌

[Beedster]

9 hours ago, jay-syncro said:

 

 

Mate, come and have a go on THE Jag if you like? 

 

It sounds amazing. Not really a typical jazz sound, much more versatile. The electronics are not noisy. 

 

I just took it along to a recording session with a few other basses for variety and ended up playing it on every track. 

 

Jags are awesome. 

Is it MIA or MIJ?

[Burns-bass]

I wouldn’t spend a fortune on one as they’re quirky!

 

I had a Squier one (with a matching headstock) and it was fantastic. Ergonomically it didn’t work for me.

[NancyJohnson]

I'm kind of of the belief that we're drawn to shapes and shiny things; while my preference is for a Thunderbird-esque body design, in reality if it's loaded with P/J pickups and passive VVT pots, it wouldn't/shouldn't sound significantly different to anything differently shaped with the same guts.  (Please don't get me started on, cough, tonewoods.)

 

The Jaguar.  I played one a few years back.  It was very pretty and shiny and was nice set up etc etc.  The owner said that the switching options towards the upper horn were nice, 'but [I] normally leave them set like this (points at the switches) and play with everything fully open'.  So he'd found his desired tone and didn't shift from that.

 

In closing, Jaguar basses look nice, they're (IMO) more eye-turning than a Jazz or Precision and in part there's more appeal to me because not many people play them.

 

 

[dudewheresmybass]

I have a modern player jag. 
its 34” and a passive pj. 
it’s currently in use for my ozzy/ sabbath trib. 
I used it at a rehearsal when we were putting the band together, and I was told not to bring a different bass. Ever lol

it truly sounds massive, but I focus the balance of the pups toward the p, with an 80/20 balance. 
 

Edited November 18 by dudewheresmybass

[jay-syncro]

4 hours ago, Beedster said:

Is it MIA or MIJ?

 

MIA mate, but with a JJ pickup set as opposed to the standard PJ 👍

[floFC]

16 minutes ago, jay-syncro said:

 

MIA mate, but with a JJ pickup set as opposed to the standard PJ 👍

Is that a mod you made? I have an MIA standard with the PJ configuration.

[jezzaboy]

I had a black one and whilst it looked as cool as, on a stage with a lighting rig it buzzed like a bee in a jar. But this was 12 ish years ago and I should just have spent some money on a decent shielding job.

[Shaggy]

Never tried one and probably never will, but Elvis Costello in his early years playing his similarly styled Jazzmaster was for me the epitome of cool.......