bassingeorge Posted July 8, 2003 Posted July 8, 2003 Hello, I'm an owner of a standard Fender jazz bass, of course, it is passive. My questions are: Can I change the system to an EMG active system? I know it will need modifications to the body, but how much of it? How much dough would it take to make this happen? Got bass?
Brendan Orr Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 First of all, welcome to the forums!!! Secondly, yes you can replace the onboard electronics with an active set. Just gotta google for it. Heres one place I found, http://www.guitarelectronics.com/preamps.html . --Brendan groove, v. Inflected Form(s): grooved; groov·ing transitive senses:1a.to make a groove in;1b.to join by a groove;2.to perfect by repeated practice;3.to throw (a pitch) in the groove intransitive senses:1.to become joined or fitted by a groove;2.to form a groove;3.to enjoy oneself intensely;4.to interact harmoniously - groov·er noun
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Thank you for your help! oh, and what other options do you recommend for improving my jazz bass? I'm looking forward to spending about $300 dlls. Got bass?
Basshappi Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 Welcome! One modification I would recommend is replace the bridge with a Badass II. That will improve its sustain quite a bit. If you shop around I believe you can find them priced fairly inexpensively. I bought one for my Jazz and I think I paid $60. Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands.
GeorgeR Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 I changed the pups in my Samick 5 string from stock active pups to EMG PJ5s (the stock pups were getting noisy and they didn't sound that good anyways). No modifications were needed at all, but be handy with the hand tools and soldering iron. The EMGs come in different sizes, so take measurements and specify what you need to the guy who sells them in your area. Cost of the pups was about $350 Cdn. If you bass is passive, you'll have to find a home for the battery (or batteries?). Good luck! Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; one lick and you suck forever.
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Yeah I know! thats so true. I already oredered one for about $78 bux , not such a good deal but it´ll be worth it. I have to say that if Fender states "standard" jazz bass, it really means "STANDARD", and that sucks! But unfortunatley that's the price to pay when you want your "signiture" sound... Anyway, thanx for the help I guess My bass does need some mod's for the battery compartment, and for the input, cuz, I want the 2 band EQ, so it's, bass,treble, volume, pan; yep 4 holes needed, so wheres the input going? don't know I'll need extra advise from you guys Got bass?
hags2k Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 Quite a few EMG pickups are self contained, meaning that the preamp that makes them active is contained in the housing of the pickup, and therefore you don't need to rout the body out to make room for a preamp board, unless you want to make room for one and for extra controls, such as an active EQ onboard. I put an active pickup in my P-Bass and it was self contained, and the only modification I had to make was to sand out the control cavity slightly to make room for a 9V battery. Took about 2 minutes for that step. Whole process: a few hours, 100 bucks, and an amazingly improved sound. unkownroadband.com - step into the unkown :-)
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Thanks! But I was thinking; are there other pickups for my jazz that will improve my sound , and I mean IMPROVE IT and does not necesarily be an active system? and the 100 bux you mentioned was for the pickups right? Also, maybe the pickups are not enough for my big upgrade, what else can I throw in? As I mentioned, I'm willing to spend about $300 dlls on my bass. Got bass?
Hepnurecords Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 Hi, Improve is a really broad term. What do you want from it that you're not getting? And is this in any way related to the nature of the bass. I'll get flamed for this but if it's not an American, or maybe Japanese, the battle maybe a losing one. Wood and construction are huge. High end pick ups won't do more than put a band-aid on that. OK. You want to go that way. PLEASE - don't take out any wood. You will regret it. As far as the knob-prob. Classic Js had stacked pots. Should be able to get all the control you need with a couple of those. My 2 cents. D.
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Thanks for that. I´m also thinking of selling this bass in exchange for another one, maybe a mexican deluxe active version, looks cool, has the actives and it´s not a piggy bank breaker. Oh and when I mean that I want to improve the sound of my bass, is because it sounds terrible, even with fresh strings on it, when plucked or slapped,or even when I play agressive fingerstyle, I get this awful Thump, it seems to coming from the poles of the pickups; another thing is the bridge, I hate it! almost non adjustable, it's the cheesiest bridge around (well, theres the rogue basses, haha, no ofense). So thats the reason I'm desperate for improvement. Wood wise, my bass is made of Alder, is not as thin as a cheaper squire model (considering is the least expensive Fender jazz). So, I'm kind of confused right now , also, I'm almost in college so money is an issue, thinking about spending $500 for the bass? What do you recommend?? Oh and thanks for your help guys Got bass?
Hepnurecords Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 $500 is a little low around here but workable... if you have the time and gumtion to really look. I picked up a nice mid 70's P bass a while back for $600. But I played some really crappy ones for a lot more first. Decent J-Basses cost money. The market is crazy, IMO for no good reason. But hunt. You may luck out tough $500 us a bit optimistic. And you seem like you won't put up with an inferior instrument. Hook up with a bassist you respect and hit the street. Deals are out there. D.
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Yeah, I'm like that, I really like things that work, but your right, money is an object , guess I'll have to work for it. Got bass?
bassingeorge Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 Anyway, let's forget about a new bass, cuz the topic is not about that, what other options may be good for my mexi jazz bass? Got bass?
Basshappi Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 Hi Bassingeorge, I recommended the BadassII bridge to you, as for pickups if you want to save some $$ and don't mind passives, I would recommend Dimarzios. I have them in a few of my basses and I really like them.No routing or other mods needed.Also make sure that the nut is correctly filed, if the slots are too deep you will get fret buzz and a duller sound. A nut made from graphite or brass is said to improve sustain and to some degree tone, but I have no experience with those.You may want to consult with a competent luthier.He would be able to assess your bass and recommend effective modifications. Just some thoughts, Good luck Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands.
Hepnurecords Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 Yup, good stuff if you want to fix up what you have. The bad ass is good. I have schaler bridges on both of my Fenders and can recomend them too. Set up is big as well, as mentioned. Nut, truss... get it right and it'll make a world of difference. I like passive circuits, though I do love my Stingray. Seymore Duncan has some nice reissues that may be worth a look(listen?). Active? Anyone here knows more than me. Good luck. D.
bassingeorge Posted July 10, 2003 Author Posted July 10, 2003 Yeah, I already talked in front of a mirror, and came to conclusion that I don´t need to much tone manipulation or actives, so, I think passive replacements are an option , what other pickups do you recommend for my jazz bass? Also, I'm interested in that brass nut, but who the hell sells them and how can I glue it to the neck? Anyway, is there a possibility to change this forums name, instead of active pickups, to jazz bass upgrades? Got bass?
Basshappi Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 You can get a brass replacement nut from Warmoth you will have to ask a luthier as to how they are secured in place because I'm not sure. As for other pickups there are many. Lindy Fralin has a good reputation as does Aero. These will set you back some as they are a little pricey.There are several review sites on the web such as Harmonycentral.com and BGRA.com (two I visit frequently)also, Bass Player did a Jazz bass pickup shoot out a while back. Check their archive as well. Of course this forum is filled with very knowledgeable folks so do some "searches" and see what turns up. You've come to the right place! Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands.
Hepnurecords Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 Brass nuts.... Please try a bass with one first. Lots of folks love them. Hell, I have one on one bass. It will really change the sound of the open strings though. Be ready for that. Any good repair shop can supply and install it. cutting the thing is non-trivial. P-ups - That's a bitch. Check the archives and online reviews. They're all different in different basses with different players. But I've not heard a bad word about the Lindy Fralins(sp?) - Cost aside. Listen, talk, post. Have an idea what you want and someone will help. D.
rumpelstiltskin. Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 a lot of people have had great success with standard jazz basses by making the following mods, which should be done in the order listed: your choice of aftermarket pickpus -- dimarzio, duncan, bartolini, rio grande, fender your choice of aftermarket preamps -- j-retro preamp, which will fit in the control cavity of a standard jazz, bartolini, aguilar OBP-1 or OBP-3your choice of aftermarket bridge -- leo quan badass II, or any number of machined brass or aluminum bridges with far more mass and shared surface area than the fender standard stamped bridgeyour choice of tuning machines and postsyour choice of pickguardyour choice of knobs to save money, you can probably do the work yourself, but the cost savings drops if you don't already have the tools yourself. robb. because i like people.
conguiño Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 Supposing I managed to fit a battery into the cavity of my P-Bass wouldn't I need to mount the battery on to something so it won't wobble around in there? I imagine an active pup-passive circuit configuration would need cavity shielding as well, right? Also, has anybody tried replacing the stock bridge on a J-Bass with those Ibanez Monorail II individual saddles. Before you badmouth Ibanez check out the Parker Fly Bass Parker Fly Bass 5 String BP Review . I'm curious as to whether or not the holes drilled for the bridge interfere with the installation of a really different bridge. Does it hurt? Only when I'm awake.
temporaryarmsglisten Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 you are in the exact same situation that i was in abou a year ago. i have a fender standard bass and i wanted to upgrade, it is a jazz by the way. i put a leo quan badass II bridge on for about $60. but then i wanted to upgrade the pickups too. i chose an emg j set and and emg onboard 3-band preamp(volume,pickup blend, bass and treble stacked on concentric pots, and mid gain and mid freq. stacked on concentric pots) i paid $300 for the whole deal: electroncs, labor, and routing. of cource routing had to be done to move the imput jack to the bottom of the body, where most jacks are, and rounting had to be done in the cavity, and the bridge pickup slot had to be widened for the bridge position emg. it was alot of routing, but i would say it was worth it. you might want to have a seperate battery compartment routed out of the back, because the battery is a tight fit in the cavity! but the sound is amazing, it was a huge step forward for my jazz and i hope it works for you.....the emg onboard preamp can be configured in 9 volt or 18. i chose 9, but id recomend 18, the preamp really does have more focus in 18 volt configuration.
bassingeorge Posted July 11, 2003 Author Posted July 11, 2003 Yeah, I don´t know if I´m going for the actives, to much routing (less wood). Oh and for the Ibanez (I had an Ibanez and they don't suck) monorail bridge(s), mm I think you need 4 holes (4 individual saddles), and the bridges are recessed into the body, thus, needing more mod's in your bass... Got bass?
Tom Capasso Posted July 12, 2003 Posted July 12, 2003 Just to add something to Robb's excellent list - Raven-Labs started making an on-board preamp that should be considered as well. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt
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