bass upgrade

[aussiebass]

Hi everyone,

Im a new member to this forum and also a newby bass player.(at 40 years young)and also a left hander as well.

Currently Im taking lessons at my local music shop here in Australia and things are going quite well.I am only playing an entry level bass at the moment but I am going to buy a new one in a few weeks.My bass of choice for the money I have (not a great deal to choose from in lefty)is a Fender jazz MIM .I want to change the bridge to a BADASS 2 and also change the strings and pups straight away.My questions are ... I am thinking of some Dimarzio Ultra jazz pups as a direct replacement(are these a good choice?) and some Rotosound strings, possibly swing 66 or jazz 77, but I dont know the difference in sound between round + flatwound. Can anyone give me some advice? Does this sound like a good combination to update the sound and feel of the MIM jazz bass?

Please be gentle with me as Im only new to this scene.

Regards from down below.

[dcr]

Welcome, aussiebass! (We'll try not to confuse you with Aussie Bass Dude, who's been here a while.)

 

First of all, good on you for having the guts to take up an instrument when you're no longer a kid. A lot of us around here went that path, so you'll get plenty of sympathy.

 

Next, your taste in basses is excellent. The MIM Jazz is a very good instrument, & clearly one of the best in its price range. I have a Jazz with a Badass 2 & Ultra Jazz pickups, & these are excellent. However, I'd say start out with the Jazz & see how you go; chances are you won't feel a lot of need for the change, & if you do, you can always do it later. (That's another great thing about Fenders--all the aftermarket parts you could ever want.)

 

Rounds & flats are pretty different. There are many, many different types of each, so it's hard to generalize. But as a rough rule, rounds tend to have a brighter, more "growly" sound, and flats to have a rounder, warmer sound--more of a "thump" than a "grr." Obviously, flats also feel much smoother under your fingers. They serve different purposes & I love both. I've had each sort on my Jazz & each sounds really great. It's probably best to try to imagine the sort of sound you're after, & then go from there. If you dig the sound of Rush, you want rounds; if Motown is your thing, then it's flats for you. And so on.

 

Welcome aboard!

[Luke73]

Hi Aussiebass

 

I think you could be pretty happy with a MIM Jazz, there are some nice ones about, but check the one you like over before you buy. Based on my recent hunt here I found they have a tendency to be a little inconsistent.

 

If you're dead-set on the Badass II and upgrading the pups, for not too much more, you could buy a Geddy Lee CIJ Jazz which comes with a Badass II and nicer pups already, or the very nice Japanese 75 Reissue . The Japanese Fenders are lovely. There's also the base American model too, the highway one but I prefer the Japanese Fenders to this one. You should check them all out though

 

Or - to throw a curve ball into it, if you want to do the bridge and pickup upgrade anyway, check out the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz. I know it's a Squier - but I'm serious. They're pretty good. I've only seen one (bought it actually) - so maybe I got a diamond in the rough, but it was certainly better than some of the MIM Jazzes I checked out. I've since sold the Squier, and all my other basses and I'm off shopping myself. I'm thinking the '75 CIJ Jazz might be for me, but I'm going shopping with an open mind. Who knows what I'll bring home!

 

BTW - Welcome!

 

[Chad Thorne]

Welcome, aussiebass! Do you play lefty? Cause I do. There's a couple of us here and we can commiserate on how hard it is to find quality lefty instruments.

[aussiebass]

Hi,Chad,

Yes I'm a LEFTY as well + yes it is hard to find good left gear.

It;s hard as well to convert all the teaching books into something I can relate to.

I have looked around at most of the brands that are available in

Australia but I have decided to stick to the one that I know has

parts / service + the sound that we all love (fender.. of course)

I am going to buy a MIM jazz as I only have small fingers + the neck of these seems to be thinner than the precision. Also

It has to be a MIM as they dont have a left MIA model here in Oz.

(is there a lefty MIA jazz in the U.S ?)

So, I want to upgrade it a little bit to inprove the sound and feel. I have a Badass 2 that I bought off the net + I am looking

for some goog pups to go on as well.(any ideas?) Also thinking of using Rotosound round strings.

By the way , .. we also get a great choice of colours to choose

from as a lefty dont we. Black , White , + sunburst (extra $$)

I was realy after a loverly midnight blue.

Talk again soon ...

it's time to go + practice some more.

 

Aussiebass.

[Chad Thorne]

There are lefty MIA Jazzes but they're pricey. The MIMs are a good deal, actually largely assembled in the U.S. with painting, sanding, etc. done in Mexico, just across the border. Throw some upgraded pickups and a Badass bridge on that puppy and you'll be in business.

 

BTW, the Jazz neck is a bit slimmer than the P-Bass.

 

"Goog" pickups (teasing!) might be Fender Noiseless, or possibly Carvin has some noise-cancelling options. I have Carvin H50Ns (thank you, Dr. Sweet Willie!), which are humbuckers, in my J-Bass copy.

[jlrush]

Welcome aussibass,

 

If you want to customize the color, check out www.guitarreranch,com for aerosols in lots of colors and expert instruction on refinishing. It's a pretty cool site.

[Graham56]

Hi Aussiebass,

 

I'm a lefty too. I took up bass at age 43, nearly six years ago. And I love every minute of it.

 

I'm in a covers band with a bunch of other 40-plusses, some late starters like me, others coming back to it after a 20-year layoff. We're all after the same thing - a hobby band that will play a few gigs and have some fun. We've all got families and jobs and none of us are after making a career of it.

 

Our band played our ninth gig last Saturday in a small bar venue. Yes, we fluffed a few changes. Yes some lyrics got mangled, and yes, I hit a few clams.

 

And yes, it took all my mental capacity to concentrate on the kick drum, keep the groove while maintaining a smooth tone, damp the non-playing strings, avoid hitting the speaker stand with my headstock, avoid falling off the tiny stage, sing my BV line, and all the while watching the singer for the cue to finish.

 

And then it hit me: "Hey! I'm playing a in a BAND!! People are enjoying the sounds I'M making!!!"

 

And they were. They were dancing, singing along and generally having a great time. They cheered us between songs and at the end of the set. Even the bar-owner liked us as we had people coming into the bar and spending money because they heard us from outside.

 

It's great!

 

So stick with it - you'll have a great time.

 

Oh, and I play flats on an old late 60s P-Bass. I get a warm mellow sound which works well in our setting, against only a single guitar and two singers. They are also good for thudding away under more instruments. But there isn't much treble, and they don't really work if you wanted to 'cut through' a mix or if you like a 'snap, crackle and pop' sound.

 

Have fun!

 

Graham