Getting my first Maple FB Jazz.

[dave_bass5]

Ive never played one before but i have always fancied one so i have a MIA 2009 Fender standard on its way.

I've read a lot about the tone differences between a RW and maple FB but will it really make that much of a difference?

I play all sorts of music, Motown, Stones etc up to present day stuff. Ive found that in the past my basses have sounded warm, with a nice low end but maybe a bit wooly sometimes. All have been RW.
Now the Maple FB is supposed to have a bit more bite and attack but im wondering how much and if i can EQ it out to some extent when i need a warm, mellow tone. Or is the difference really not so noticeable?

Probably silly questions but i thought i might as well ask.

Cheers.

Edited July 26, 2010 by dave_bass5

[gjones]

Well I tried a little experiment and was very impressed by the difference between RW and maple necks.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=94748&st=0&p=892196&#entry892196"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry892196[/url]

[Cat Burrito]

I have both maple & rosewood P-basses (yeah, I know you said J - I've owned both types too) and I have to say the difference is minimal. I prefer rosewood on a bass & do like maple on telecasters but there are great examples of the opposite on both. You are more likely to get obvious tonal differences by changing pickups, trying different strings or playing different ways (ie pick vs fingers) then frpm what your fretboard is made of. There is a difference but it really is slight

[neilb]

Dont need to tell you which I prefer:

[dave_bass5]

Cheers guys.
Some good replies, and i found gjones's link very interesting, but also a bit worrying.

I played a RW Jazz today (its going back for the maple version) and loved the tone, it was brighter, had more punch and depth than my CVJ ever did. But i normally find my tone gets a bit woolly as the strings get older. Im wondering/hoping a maple FB will keep the upper mids a bit longer, but also provide a bit more note definition.
I play with a pick around 99% of the time so i get a lot of cut through anyway. I can see that a lot of other factors effect the tone, and its been mentioned that a string or pup change can be just as, or more dramatic so maybe ill need to change string bran if its too much of an increase in top end.

Neil. Thats the one im getting. Its my first Sunburst and i really like how its not too bright and yellowy.

Edited July 20, 2010 by dave_bass5

[gary mac]

I think sitting playing quietly at home I can discern a slight difference, maybe.

But when in a band situation, not a jot.

[Kiwi]

fingerboard wood mainly affects the attack in my experience.

[Pete Academy]

No noticeable tonal difference IMO. Maple just feels better to me.

[dave_bass5]

Thanks again all.

I think ive made the right choice. After all, its still a jazz and thats the tone im after.

[JTUK]

hmmm ...massive difference for me with my 2...

Same pre, different pups.

RW is woodier and has a great spike, IMO..and if ever something is going to make you change strings often, it is this bass...
Slap sound is awesome, to my ears..very cultured, and not cliqued at all...altho that depends who you listen to.
I am always knocked out with the sound when I do have new strings on.

Maple... this bass underpins anything..but again, when it needs to jump out the mix for a little flashy type fill..this really jumps. There is no way you will not hear it.

If I was buying again... hmm...I would probably go for Sunburst, RW with blocks, if passive, for the woodier sound.

Thankfully, I am so pleased with the sound, I will not have this decision.

Comestically, I always favoured maple...but a block and bound RW would probably swing it.

Edited July 21, 2010 by JTUK

[Mr Fudge]

I have both and love both equally. My maple seems a bit zingier and has a better slap tone. Both have wizzard pups but the RW is string through. There are tonal differences which I have put down perhaps more to the high density top feeding Gotoh bridge on the maple.

I don't know why but the strings on my maple seem to need changing more often.

[Mr Fudge]

[quote name='JTUK' post='900856' date='Jul 21 2010, 12:04 PM']If I was buying again... hmm...I would probably go for Sunburst, RW with blocks, if passive, for the woodier sound.[/quote]


Lovely choice Sir ....

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='JTUK' post='900856' date='Jul 21 2010, 12:04 PM']hmmm ...massive difference for me with my 2...

Same pre, different pups.

RW is woodier and has a great spike, IMO..and if ever something is going to make you change strings often, it is this bass...[/quote]

Plus point for maple then. This appeals to me. Ive always had this feeling that note wise i dont have quite the definition i would like, especially after a few gigs with the same strings. I do like a woody tone sometimes but my thinking is a bit more attack would certainly come in handy.

[quote name='JTUK' post='900856' date='Jul 21 2010, 12:04 PM']Maple... this bass underpins anything..but again, when it needs to jump out the mix for a little flashy type fill..this really jumps. There is no way you will not hear it.[/quote]

Im hoping this will work for me. I dont do anything flash and dont slap but its nice to know i can get a bit more help cutting through the mix if i need it. I do find some higher notes get lost a bit on my CVJ.


[quote name='JTUK' post='900856' date='Jul 21 2010, 12:04 PM']If I was buying again... hmm...I would probably go for Sunburst, RW with blocks, if passive, for the woodier sound.

Thankfully, I am so pleased with the sound, I will not have this decision.

Comestically, I always favoured maple...but a block and bound RW would probably swing it.[/quote]

All my recent (past 5 years) basses have been RW and while i have read about the differences, its not something i have ever worried about when buying a bass before. The basses i've liked just seem to come with RW and i like the look of them.

If i was buying a P i would definitely get a Black and maple, without a second thought.

Block and RW would also be my ideal look. Thats why i originally went for the 70's classic.
Ive always liked the look of maple but have been too lazy to try it. Now ive found a bass that im happy playing now is a good time to see what maple can offer me (as well as my first 3TSB).

End of the day, its going to sound like a Jazz and thats all i ask.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='900874' date='Jul 21 2010, 12:26 PM']I have both and love both equally. My maple seems a bit zingier and has a better slap tone. Both have wizzard pups but the RW is string through. There are tonal differences which I have put down perhaps more to the high density top feeding Gotoh bridge on the maple.

I don't know why but the strings on my maple seem to need changing more often. [/quote]

I also have a set of Wizard 74's that i may try in the Jazz at some point. As ill be selling the CVJ anyway i might put it back to stock and keep the Wizards.

I do like the stock USA pups though. Even the small playing time i had last night with the black MIA it sounded very full and nicer than the CVJ ever did, Wizards or not.

[BassBod]

At one point I had a Bravewood Jbass with no neck..and a maple necked Bravewood Pbass. I had to try it, obviously, and the one piece big profile Pbass neck sounded amazing - really strong lows and bright attack, but also very very clear.

Part of it was the all maple construction, but also it was huge profile and mass of the neck - it was a lot more wood than a normal "skinny" J neck.

I've now got a Sadowsky PJ hybrid with maple J neck. The brightness and quick attack to the notes is there, and it sounds great. But I fancy it hasn't got the balls of the P bass Bravewood experiment??

[XB26354]

Not specifically about a jazz bass but I never played a bass with a maple board and a low B that I liked. Someone mentioned that the density of the fretboard does something to the way the lowest frequencies sound. I've owned Deluxe Jazz 5, Sadowsky MV5, Stingray 5, Dingwall ABZ 5 and played tons of Laklands, NYC Sads etc and not one of them had a B that had the same timbre, sustain or clarity that the other strings had. Maple definitely changes the tone all other things being equal, by a pretty small amount to my ears, but adds a bit of "clank" or attack to the note. Wenge is my board of choice - I've had it on so many basses and it adds that low-mid growl and deep punch that I prefer - admittedly to a very small degree, but I can hear and feel it.

[LawrenceH]

Best jazz I've ever played tone-wise was a maple. I don't know how much of that was the maple though! It had a snappy top, great mid-range bark and growl and fat fat bottom. Didn't seem to matter how old the strings were either! That bass was the one that sent me on my (still unfulfilled) quest for the perfect jazz sound. It weighed a ton but was worth it, sadly can never persuade the owner to part with it.

[JTUK]

This would be my cosmetic template...
Bartman's Sadowsky J5 a few posts down...and Sadowsky can deffo get the visuals right

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448943"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448943[/url]

Dave..if you get down my way in Kent, 40 odd mins from the D Tunnel, I have a RW or a Maple.

I should add that the bite right out of the mix is indeed a slap sound and that they both have active John East's in them, but I run them passive every now and again, just for the change.

[dave_bass5]

Cheers for the offer John.
As it happens we are playing a wedding in Kent on sat, but I'll have my new jazz by then (as long as there isn't any faults with it) so the worst thing I could do would be to play something better.

[JTUK]

I have a gig at a beer festival saturday afternoon at Mersham, M20 jct 10. after that I'll be drunk, ha ha ..!!!

[Kongo]

I recently had to change the neck on my P-bass which on a pinch was unfortunately from a maple FB to a Rosewood FB neck.
I've always preferred Maple on P-basses for the "Snap" it adds, and when I switched the necks over I immediately noticed it had gone without wondering why, I forgot what a difference it made I was confused for a while. Rosewood gives it slightly more "Beef", but I'm missing the "Snap".
So with changing a neck for the 1st time in ages whilst leaving everything the same (Including the strings at the time), the tonal difference was huge for me.

Anyone got a decent maple P-bass neck at all...no?

[dave_bass5]

Just a quick update.
My new MIA has arrived and ive had a quick play. The bass is very well set up. Very low action. I'll probably need to put a bit of relief in the neck, just to stop some buzzing down at the nut end but other thna that, perfect.

The neck feels very fast. it seems a bit strange having a harder surface to fret on (or is that my imagination?) but im sure after 30mins or so ill get used to it.

Tone wise i feel its a bit thinner than the RW was, but this is really just from memory. Certainly, i cant hear anything that cant be EQ'ed and it does seem to have a clearer tone. Not sure how this will translate on stage at gigs but im confident it will make hearing myself a bit easier. I expect ill try and tame the top end and try and get back to the warmer tone i had before but im hoping ill get a nice middle ground.

So thanks for all the relies, they really helped prepare me, made me a bit worried, and a bit excited. Job done.

look out for it in the classifieds around Christmas time lol.

[ThomBassmonkey]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='902060' date='Jul 22 2010, 04:08 PM']The neck feels very fast. it seems a bit strange having a harder surface to fret on (or is that my imagination?) but im sure after 30mins or so ill get used to it.[/quote]

Isn't maple a soft wood? Hence why you don't see maple fretlesses very often.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='902496' date='Jul 22 2010, 11:02 PM']Isn't maple a soft wood? Hence why you don't see maple fretlesses very often.[/quote]

You could be right. Maybe its because its got a gloss coating that's makeing it feel harder.

Or maybe its just me being silly :-)

[OutToPlayJazz]

Congrats on your new bass, Dave. Now all you need is a set of DR Fatbeams to make it complete. You won't believe the difference in the sound! Do we get to see some pics of this new beast of yours?