I'm after a deeper, darker sound from my jazz

[sk8]

I’ve got a Honher bass with 2 EMG select Jazz pickups. I’m really after a P bass sound I think but buying a P has been frowned on by my better half!

I can get quite a good deep sound by having the front pickup at full volume and backing off the bridge a touch and running the tone full.

I’m after a dirtier darker tone and wondered whether swapping the EMGs out for Wizzard 84’s might provide this or do I have to start begging for a P!!!

Thanks in advance

[stingrayfan]

Buy of one the cheap Squier P's in the for sale section and tell her you won it in a competition when it arrives.

Edited November 20, 2007 by stingrayfan

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='sk8' post='91285' date='Nov 20 2007, 09:42 AM']I’ve got a Honher bass with 2 EMG select Jazz pickups. I’m really after a P bass sound I think but buying a P has been frowned on by my better half!

I can get quite a good deep sound by having the front pickup at full volume and backing off the bridge a touch and running the tone full.

I’m after a dirtier darker tone and wondered whether swapping the EMGs out for Wizzard 84’s might provide this or do I have to start begging for a P!!!

Thanks in advance[/quote]

IMO a J will never nail a P tone, but you can get pretty close. My J has a set of hot Wizards in it, and if I roll the bridge pup right off, that's as close as it'll ever get, I think.

What kind of tone are you after? Stranglers? Jameson? Something else?

[BB2000]

[quote name='sk8' post='91285' date='Nov 20 2007, 09:42 AM']I’ve got a Honher bass with 2 EMG select Jazz pickups. I’m really after a P bass sound I think but buying a P has been frowned on by my better half!

I can get quite a good deep sound by having the front pickup at full volume and backing off the bridge a touch and running the tone full.

I’m after a dirtier darker tone and wondered whether swapping the EMGs out for Wizzard 84’s might provide this or do I have to start begging for a P!!!

Thanks in advance[/quote]


Wire your PUPS in series.

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='BB2000' post='91301' date='Nov 20 2007, 10:03 AM']Wire your PUPS in series.[/quote]

+1

or at least fit a switch that can do it if you still want to get a jazz tone

[sk8]

I think the answer is - buy a P

[markdavid]

[quote name='sk8' post='91314' date='Nov 20 2007, 10:38 AM']I think the answer is - buy a P [/quote]

Im in the same boat as you , I have a couple of cheap copy p basses but im really after a Fender P Bass (which money wont permit at the moment) , I think the best thing to do is look for a used MIJ P Bass as these are relatively inexpensive and are good quality instruments

[sk8]

[quote name='markdavid' post='94360' date='Nov 26 2007, 12:34 AM']Im in the same boat as you , I have a couple of cheap copy p basses but im really after a Fender P Bass (which money wont permit at the moment) , I think the best thing to do is look for a used MIJ P Bass as these are relatively inexpensive and are good quality instruments[/quote]i'm thinking of getting a Squier Vintage Modified P

[markdavid]

[quote name='sk8' post='94400' date='Nov 26 2007, 09:00 AM']i'm thinking of getting a Squier Vintage Modified P[/quote]

Sounds like a good move, there meant to be very good basses for the price.

[synaesthesia]

[quote name='BB2000' post='91301' date='Nov 20 2007, 10:03 AM']Wire your PUPS in series.[/quote]

+2

[sk8]

being a spoon, how do i do that?

[wulf]

Have you experimented with where and how you pluck the strings? If you move to playing over the end of the fretboard, you will find the tone becomes deeper and more woody. Again, if you experiment with what part of the finger you use to strike the string, from nails to the side of the pad, you will get a whole range of different tones.

That doesn't give you an excuse to go and spend money on a new bass but may just get you somewhere you like for free.

Wulf

[sk8]

Yeah, i'm going to do some experimenting to truly explore the possibilities of my bass

[Beedster]

[quote name='sk8' post='91314' date='Nov 20 2007, 10:38 AM']I think the answer is - buy a P [/quote]

Yep, if you want PBass tone you need a PBass. Without being rude to anyone above, you can't get a good copy of it by playing a Jazz in a certain way or even by wiring it a certain way, trust me, I tried many times. You might get deeper certainly, but not with the trademark thump or overtones. Also, PBass tone isn't just the PUPs, it's also about the big fat neck; put a Geddy Lee Jazz neck on an otherwise thumpy PBass and it will be significantly less thumpy.
By the way, I just happen to be selling a bloody lovely example for £350 in Basses for Sale.
Chris

[sk8]

[quote name='Beedster' post='95465' date='Nov 28 2007, 08:18 AM']By the way, I just happen to be selling a bloody lovely example for £350 in Basses for Sale.
Chris[/quote]which ones that then?

EDIT - Found it!

Edited November 28, 2007 by sk8

[BB2000]

[quote name='Beedster' post='95465' date='Nov 28 2007, 08:18 AM']overtones. Also, PBass tone isn't just the PUPs, it's also about the big fat neck; put a Geddy Lee Jazz neck on an otherwise thumpy PBass and it will be significantly less thumpy.[/quote]

Bollocks. I've put many a jazz neck on a P and you can never tell if it's going to increase or decrease the thump (or indeed make any difference at all).

However, you can say with a pretty high level of confidence that if he wires his PUP's in series he's going to increase the mid range output and reduce the top end, which is going to get him closer to a P sound than the normal parallel configuration will.

All IMHO.

[Beedster]

[quote name='BB2000' post='95752' date='Nov 28 2007, 06:32 PM']Bollocks. I've put many a jazz neck on a P and you can never tell if it's going to increase or decrease the thump (or indeed make any difference at all).

However, you can say with a pretty high level of confidence that if he wires his PUP's in series he's going to increase the mid range output and reduce the top end, which is going to get him closer to a P sound than the normal parallel configuration will.

All IMHO.[/quote]


Well if it's 'all IMHO', your first word was perhaps a little harsh. As you say, it is your opinion and your entitled to it
Chris

Edited December 19, 2007 by Beedster

[synaesthesia]

[quote name='Beedster' post='96224' date='Nov 29 2007, 04:51 PM']Well if it's 'all IMHO', your first word was perhaps a little harsh. As you say, it is your opinion and your entitled to it, but I would never reply to a fellow BCer in such terms.
One more off the Xmas card list I guess
Chris[/quote]

He didn't say it to you He said the idea, i.e. to change necks ad gain the result as suggested, was. And I do not disagree.

[BB2000]

[quote name='Beedster' post='96224' date='Nov 29 2007, 04:51 PM']Well if it's 'all IMHO', your first word was perhaps a little harsh.[/quote]

Come on, no offence was meant to you personally, Chris, so don't pull a sour face. It is bollocks. It's similar to that oft cited 'fact' that only heavy basses give decent bass - or that `vintage' fenders are better than new ones. I've long ago learned that most of the 'folklore' concerning basses is just that. If the OP doesn't want to splash out on a second bass rewiring his PUPs is the most affective mod he can do.

All IMHO.

[Beedster]

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='96231' date='Nov 29 2007, 04:59 PM']He didn't say it to you He said the idea, i.e. to change necks ad gain the result as suggested, was. And I do not disagree.[/quote]

Well, I'm impressed by your mind reading capabilities No worries, my point was it ain't just the PUPs that give the classic PBass tone. Yes, you can rewire two J-PUPs, but as he said, it'll appear to boost the mids. The original post was about increasing the bottom end wasn't it?
EDIT: just incase you misunderstood my original post, I wasn't suggesting he should change necks, I was simply pointing out that all to often we assume that electrics define all aspects of the sound, which is not true.
Chris

Edited November 29, 2007 by Beedster

[Beedster]

[quote name='BB2000' post='96235' date='Nov 29 2007, 05:13 PM']Come on, no offence was meant to you personally, Chris, so don't pull a sour face. It is bollocks. It's similar to that oft cited 'fact' that only heavy basses give decent bass - or that `vintage' fenders are better than new ones. I've long ago learned that most of the 'folklore' concerning basses is just that. If the OP doesn't want to splash out on a second bass rewiring his PUPs is the most affective mod he can do.

All IMHO.[/quote]

No argument with that
Chris

[s_u_y_*]

I'm seriously considering buying a dual set of Dark Stars for my bass, because I wouldn't mind a deeper, darker sound from my Jazz. Any opinions on that?

[BB2000]

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='96243' date='Nov 29 2007, 05:18 PM']I'm seriously considering buying a dual set of Dark Stars for my bass, because I wouldn't mind a deeper, darker sound from my Jazz. Any opinions on that?[/quote]

If you're serious, I'd ask for advice on the dudepit. Only thing I know about them is that they aren't cheap ..

[SJA]

re. wiring 2 J's in series, if your EMG Select J's are the same as the ones in the PJ sets I've used, i don't think you can do that-

you need the pickup -ve and ground shield to be separate, and on EMG selects the pickup -ve is the shield.

you'd have to swap out the pickups for ones with pickup +ve, -ve and ground.

also, you could try getting a humbucking J pickup to go in neck position-
a Dimarzio ultra jazz is a split-coil humbucker, like a P pickup (won't sound exactly the same, due to coil size and positioning, but it'll give you some variation).

and there are stacked coil J humbuckers too.

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='BB2000' post='96254' date='Nov 29 2007, 05:33 PM']If you're serious, I'd ask for advice on the dudepit. Only thing I know about them is that they aren't cheap ..[/quote]

I got a quote from Fred Hammon, and I can stretch to the price including a quote for a routing job at The Gallery. I've heard numerous recordings on the Lakland site and www.basspickup.com, but I really want to try one out in person. I've been thinking about taking the plunge of this for a while... it is a big shame I missed the SE Bash Bash. I would have loved to try out obbm's Dark Star'd Lakland DD.