bigevilman Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Hey Guys Been a watcher of this forum for quite a while now, but never got round to registering until today, as a bit of advice is needed. I'm looking to upgrade my MIM standard Jazz bass. I've toyed with the idea of just purchasing a american series, but I'd rather get a more customised sound. At present, I play in two quite different bands:- The first is a Blues-rock band, mainly covering Hendrix, Santana, Cream etc. I play most of this with my fingers, although occasionally, I'll use a pick to get a different sound from the strings. The second is a original female fronted pop-punk band. Similar to bands such as The Starting Line & Rufio, I play with a pick exclusively. What I'm after upgrading are the pickups and the bridge. The bridge has given me endless trouble, with the saddles lowering themselves regularly. This is especially annoying when I sometimes have to adjust them mid-gig. Many other bassists I have chatted to recommend the Badass II bridge, but I haven't seen many alternatives on the market. The pickups, I'm still quite happy with, but it would be nice to get a warmer sound from them. Any suggestions for both of them? Cheers Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Hi Biggy, get a Badass, or Gotoh bridge (Gotoh copies are good too) and fit a East J Retro preamp, very easy to install, look for one secondhand, about £80-100, new £190. I have all of the above on my basses (Jazz and P bass), all are quality bits of kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Oh my fave subject... pimping... On a J I'd be hankering after a Hipshot bridge (BA are OK but they are not as well engineered as others, they are a pice of pi55 to fit tho') And pups I'd be going for a selection of SD or Bartolini... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grissle Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 An alternative to a new bridge would be to put a little Loctite Blue on the saddle height adjustment screws or even a little wood glue. Badass II bridges are Extremely easy to install, five screws, setting height and intonation is also straight forward (if you have experience with setup's, or would like to learn this is a good resource, [url="http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php"]http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php[/url] or you can have a tech do it). It's all your choice, there many great units out there as others have stated. Pickups can make one of the biggest differences in your tone. Do you want a vintage sounding tone [(warm lows, puncy low mids, nice smooth hi's) or a more modern tone (big low end, mids scooped a bit, Hi-fi hi's) these are generalizations]? Determine the tone your looking for then start from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Sir Robin Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) I can vouch for the wizards vintage J pickups (the 64s). Very nice pups, very 'vintage'!. Talk to Andy at Wizard with your requirements. Nordstrand have a great reputation as well. A East retro is a strange beast. In passive, the pickup blend does not work, and the pickups are selected using a switch. You can always use it in active mode but flat to be able to blend (but then, what's the point!). You'll need the deluxe version to blend in passive. Audere does nice pres as well. The ACG is a wild beast and will shape your sound like no other. I'd go with a nice set of vintage sounding pickups, with a bigger custom bridge, no active preamp. If you need some dirt for your punk rock band, I'd look for a second-hand sansamp, or sadowsky outboard (both are quite expensive), or equivalent. Edited June 29, 2009 by Brave Sir Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I wouldn't bother with an onboard pre-amp. Unless you're forever tweaking your sound as you play the tone controls on your amp should do a more then adequate job. Probably just about any bridge from a reputable manufacturer will perform mechanically better than the one you have at the moment. Hi-mass bridges like the Badass will change the sound of your bass and it might not be in a way that you like. If the only problem is the poor construction go for a similar design but better made version. Pickups - the quest for the right combination of bass and pickups can be never ending, and only you will know when you've got it right. I'd start by talking to either Wizard or bare Knuckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I'm with the others - a tweaked bass turns a good instrument into a great instrument that is customised for your tastes. Just don't expect to make your money back if selling it on in a few years. I'm quite traditional (which always fits a number of styles) so a Fender hi mass vintage bridge & some retro spec (Seymour Duncan) pickups more than does me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASH Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 fitted a gotoh bridge 201 on my MIM jazz last week...more sustain and more stable good price too, comparing to BAII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I've got a Gotoh 201 for sale if you're interested - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53091&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53091&hl=[/url] Shameless plug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I've used Gotoh and BA and Gotoh 201 work well with less fuss. No saddle filing or neck adjustment required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigevilman Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 [quote name='Brave Sir Robin' post='527433' date='Jun 29 2009, 09:00 AM']I can vouch for the wizards vintage J pickups (the 64s). Very nice pups, very 'vintage'!. Talk to Andy at Wizard with your requirements. Nordstrand have a great reputation as well. A East retro is a strange beast. In passive, the pickup blend does not work, and the pickups are selected using a switch. You can always use it in active mode but flat to be able to blend (but then, what's the point!). You'll need the deluxe version to blend in passive. Audere does nice pres as well. The ACG is a wild beast and will shape your sound like no other. I'd go with a nice set of vintage sounding pickups, with a bigger custom bridge, no active preamp. If you need some dirt for your punk rock band, I'd look for a second-hand sansamp, or sadowsky outboard (both are quite expensive), or equivalent.[/quote] Aye I've heard a lot of good things about Wizard pickups. Didn't Andy at Wizard work for Ken Armstrong? I don't think I'll go as far to get a pre-amp for it. I'd rather invest in a Sansamp bass driver to be honest so I have the option of using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Good shout, the sansamp. I use a programable bass driver with 3 settings on it and it gives me all the tones I need. I use the amp and plug it into the effects return loop and bypass the amps tone controls. Sometimes I use it just to fatten up the sound, other times if I need a load of treble, it`s there at a kick of a switch. Crackin piece of kit. Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 +1 for Gotoh bridges I have one on my Jazz it's much better then the standard one. I have Delano pick-ups installed that I really like, warm and punchy. they have big single pole pieces so no good if you want to keep the traditional look though. R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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