New MIM Jazz Bass!

[El Tedesco]

I was at GC yesterday and couldn't resist the blowout deal I got on a new black MIM J-Bass (pics to follow soon).
It's the past generation, they are really clearing them out.

I thought it is the perfect match for my old modded black P-Bass.

Also, it's the comeback of the J-Bass for me, since I sold my '84 natural Ash about 22 years ago.

As always, great and solid structural qualities. I want to turn it into a nice custom bass.

I really like the tonal flex in the Jazz Bass, because of it's dual volume control.

I love the neck. It's absolutely straight as an arrow. And slim, just the way I like it!

The frets are sticking out a bit and the fret heights are inconsistent. It's a bit buzzy at the moment, so a fret refinish is needed.

I am looking for a good replacement bridge. The original is a little flimpsy.
There is a Gotoh, which fits the original drill holes.

Maybe some of you have another suggestion for a solid bridge. I prefer not to drill new holes

This one's gonna be a work of passion and a "smack in the head" (sound wise) when it's done!

[fidopunk]

I highly recommend all the upgrades you've listed, AND a series/parallel switch. It's so worth it.

[Bluesbob]

I recommend a new bone nut and a complete and thorough set-up. The stock plastic nut almost certainly needs some sort of work, so it's not that big a deal to replace it with a good one. Open strings will have more punch and the entire neck will be consistently easier to play as well as intonate. It sounds like the neck you got is a good one. Take it all the way, you'll be glad you did!
Congrats!

[Bluesbob]

I think the Fender '75 RI bridge is as close as you can get to the original single-groove saddle bridge of the late '60's - early '70's. It is kind of flimsy, like the originals were back then, but the saddles are slightly under-sized. The Hipshot vintage bridge gets a lot of respect for keeping the vibe of an old-style Fender bridge, but with more heft. I should add that the Gotoh is also a good one, but I think you have to drill 2 additional holes.
Also, check out some of the sellers who advertise on this web-site, as well as doing a search. Somebody else can chime in here, please...

[Bluesbob]

Originally Posted by fidopunk

I highly recommend all the upgrades you've listed, AND a series/parallel switch. It's so worth it.

You'll probably want to try some different pickups, as well. In fact, you may want to replace everything, including pots and jacks.
I think you need an organized plan when building what is, "bassically" , a custom instrument. It might be better to wait until you've got a kind of over-all approach to getting the sound you hear in your head.
Get the wood right, play it a while, and you'll know where you have to go.

[Bluesbob]

The stock tuners on the MIM guitars work. The Hipshot replacement tuners for MIM Fender basses work exceptionally well. They come in all sizes. The HB7 fit the holes on my maple-board MIM '09 Fender Standard Jazz bass neck perfectly. You might even want to go for the drop-D.

Have fun!

[neocaster]

Saw one of these at GC in Plymouth Meeting, PA (sage green metallic, my favorite out of production color) and may have to pull the trigger.

[4mal]

Personally - the bridge isn't something I would change. Yes some high mass bridges will offer more sustain but think about it - how much sustain does one actually need ? I get through 'Rainy Night in Georgia' and 'Crazy' as slow ballads, half note city on a J with that flimsy bridge and I still have to control note duration... we're playing the bass, not the organ after all... YMMV and all that...

Upgrades ... for me, I would start with a good PRO setup. That would probbaly start with rolling hte fingerboard edges for a more worn in feel, addressing the fret sprout by dressing the ends, being sure that the frets are actually level and are crowned properly - That is something I have yet to see on a MIM Fender... I feel like I can do a pretty decent job on my own but... I have learned that spending a hun with the right luthier can make a $500 bass feel like a $1500 bass. I highly recommend developing a relationship with a guy like that. I'm very fortunate to have two fairly close by.

After that I would move on to pickups. That stock MIM pickups - at least those I've seen in recent years are a little hot and a little dull sounding. For my uses I want the more tranparent and punchy vibe of a vintage style pickup. I also want quiet. I'm fully loaded with Vntage Vibes at this point. Single coil edge, punch and quiet...

If you want a 'throatier' vibe, then as Pete for a set like Mal's (that would be me) split coil in J format. They are true split coils, like a P-Bass kinda thing but in a J housing. I was looking for a 'bigger' sound as opposed to a hotter sound but a sound that still retained the single coil edge and something that was real quiet. AND I wanted it to fit in a standared J housing - not stacked coils that can require routing the cavity... Physically - you can't fit the same sized wire and number of turns inside the housing given my spec. So the pickup itself is slightly less hot than a standard wind JBX4. There is plenty of output on tap though. That bass drives any of my amps or external devices just fine though I have to bring up the input vol just a tad to compensate...


BTW - I always take Petes standard output wiring scheme as opposed to spec'ing vintage cloth covered wire. His standard scheme is for very light, low cap leads enclosed in a braided shield. The shiend grounds the 'chassis' and you treat it like another ground wire. It is a part of why I consider his stuff to be out front these days.

I don't see any real advantage to replaceing the pots and jack until they wear out.

Maybe the last thing I would do to start anyway is a copper foil shielding job. If you use Pete's pickups, you don't really need to shield the pickup cavities although given enough clearance it won't hurt.


Serial / parallel switches aren't somrhing I find real useful. For me the issue is that I set my basic sound and volume assuming that both pickups are up 100% - If I suddenly throw the switch to series I get a big volume bump and I lose high end - how often is that volume bump the appropriate amount of bump ? If isn't like having a variable boost after all - it's predetermined based on how the pickups behave. So I see it a boom switch. Yippee... Even on the G&L L Series basses where it is a stock feature I've never seen it as useful... again YMMV

[4mal]

I've come around on the bridge thing. I was a real proponent of the BA II and will still use it from time to time. Mostly it's for the super long travel of the bridge pieces. Occaisionally I'll stumble over something that is so poorly implemented that the BA-II will allow it to intonate in spite of other mechanical problems. The proper solution would be to dowel fill and relocate a bridge, but the cheap solution is slap on the BA II and then shape the bridge pieces properly. it is an option anyway, I kinda file it away under - not pretty but effective...

Tonally - well all my current J's have the standard bridge. I've actually removed a Gotoh 201 - which while a nice piece of work, wasn't adding anything so I'm like ... why bother ?

[El Tedesco]

Thanks guys. That's very valueable input for me.

Refinishing the frets is first on the agenda. Here is a pic:

[El Tedesco]

Originally Posted by Bluesbob

I recommend a new bone nut and a complete and thorough set-up. The stock plastic nut almost certainly needs some sort of work, so it's not that big a deal to replace it with a good one. Open strings will have more punch and the entire neck will be consistently easier to play as well as intonate. It sounds like the neck you got is a good one. Take it all the way, you'll be glad you did!
Congrats!

They put on a new Tusq nut, since the original plastic nut was already wacked before the bass even got used.
Very nice. That too, I need to appreciate, considering the price I got it for.
The neck is fabulous, really. I've seen a lot of bass necks, this one's an ace. It will allow for very low action, after I got the frets worked over.

[El Tedesco]

Originally Posted by 4mal

Personally - the bridge isn't something I would change. Yes some high mass bridges will offer more sustain but think about it - how much sustain does one actually need ? I get through 'Rainy Night in Georgia' and 'Crazy' as slow ballads, half note city on a J with that flimsy bridge and I still have to control note duration... we're playing the bass, not the organ after all... YMMV and all that...

Sustain. The Ash natural JB version has incredible sustain. I mean really!
This ones ok, just as you say.
If I need the endless sustain, I'll play my Warwick Corvette Std Fretless and we'll drown in sustain.

I used to play a Rickenbacker 4002, which was nearly ultimate in sustain, but a couple of other downsides caused me to return back to the Fender.

Originally Posted by 4mal

Upgrades ... for me, I would start with a good PRO setup. That would probbaly start with rolling hte fingerboard edges for a more worn in feel, addressing the fret sprout by dressing the ends, being sure that the frets are actually level and are crowned properly - That is something I have yet to see on a MIM Fender... I feel like I can do a pretty decent job on my own but... I have learned that spending a hun with the right luthier can make a $500 bass feel like a $1500 bass. I highly recommend developing a relationship with a guy like that. I'm very fortunate to have two fairly close by.

Agreed. I have a reference for good guitar builder, but never went to his shop.

Originally Posted by 4mal

After that I would move on to pickups. That stock MIM pickups - at least those I've seen in recent years are a little hot and a little dull sounding. For my uses I want the more tranparent and punchy vibe of a vintage style pickup. I also want quiet. I'm fully loaded with Vntage Vibes at this point. Single coil edge, punch and quiet...

If you want a 'throatier' vibe, then as Pete for a set like Mal's (that would be me) split coil in J format. They are true split coils, like a P-Bass kinda thing but in a J housing. I was looking for a 'bigger' sound as opposed to a hotter sound but a sound that still retained the single coil edge and something that was real quiet. AND I wanted it to fit in a standared J housing - not stacked coils that can require routing the cavity... Physically - you can't fit the same sized wire and number of turns inside the housing given my spec. So the pickup itself is slightly less hot than a standard wind JBX4. There is plenty of output on tap though. That bass drives any of my amps or external devices just fine though I have to bring up the input vol just a tad to compensate...


BTW - I always take Petes standard output wiring scheme as opposed to spec'ing vintage cloth covered wire. His standard scheme is for very light, low cap leads enclosed in a braided shield. The shiend grounds the 'chassis' and you treat it like another ground wire. It is a part of why I consider his stuff to be out front these days.

I don't see any real advantage to replaceing the pots and jack until they wear out.

Maybe the last thing I would do to start anyway is a copper foil shielding job. If you use Pete's pickups, you don't really need to shield the pickup cavities although given enough clearance it won't hurt..

I had Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounds in mind, but this sounds interesting as well. Pickups come last, so this will be some time down the road.

[El Tedesco]

Originally Posted by 4mal

I've come around on the bridge thing. I was a real proponent of the BA II and will still use it from time to time. Mostly it's for the super long travel of the bridge pieces. Occaisionally I'll stumble over something that is so poorly implemented that the BA-II will allow it to intonate in spite of other mechanical problems. The proper solution would be to dowel fill and relocate a bridge, but the cheap solution is slap on the BA II and then shape the bridge pieces properly. it is an option anyway, I kinda file it away under - not pretty but effective...

Tonally - well all my current J's have the standard bridge. I've actually removed a Gotoh 201 - which while a nice piece of work, wasn't adding anything so I'm like ... why bother ?

I'll see about the bridge. I have a Schaller on my P-Bass, which I'm sure will require drilling. Together with all the other Schaller hardware it, the Bass comes off quite differently.

I've seen reviews on the Gotoh 201, saying the barrels are too large, making it hard to lower the action.
What I like about the Gotoh, the saddles ride in grooves, avoiding side to side movement.

Maybe you would want to sell me the Gotoh 201?

[Birdmankustomz]

That looks great, I'm gassin bad... for a lot of things, but isn't that the norm?

[El Tedesco]

Originally Posted by Birdmankustomz

That looks great, I'm gassin bad... for a lot of things, but isn't that the norm?

I guess we're not alone ...

I have sworn by the souls of my forefathers and very living soul that is dear to me, that I will throw the lock on!!

[4mal]

Sorry that 201 is long gone - and yeah - IME it was not a good fit and the barrel size / plate thickness was a big reason why. I really can't recommend it as a replacement bridge for a typical P or J. Still it is a very nicely made thing. Then I go back to my same old - maybe big sustain isn't really that good a thing. I suppose that is highly dependant on the musical setting.

My Ash/Maple 75 Ri J will sustain for days. I actually put GraphTech, graphite saddles on it to help tame that - and that was while playing in a rock band! If I were playing in a more rock oriented environment, maybe it would get the call more often. As it is, my former#1 sit's in it's case while my Godin Acoustibass get's all the love. If I take a J these days it's my old #2 - an alder/rosewood 62 RI - amazing bass. It fit's like an old shoe.

[bluesfordan]

are these upgrades worthwhile on a MIC bass? I've been very impressed with most of the ones I've played. Are the parts interchangeable?

[Bluesbob]

Originally Posted by bluesfordan

are these upgrades worthwhile on a MIC bass? I've been very impressed with most of the ones I've played. Are the parts interchangeable?

Up-grading parts on any instrument is conditional, based on whether or not the instrument is worth it. It doesn't matter where it was made, if it's a dog, it's a dog. So that's something you have to decide. First, do no harm. Figure out what it is that you want before doing anything. Maybe do a search here or on TalkBass for the specific changes you have in mind.
I have no idea if the parts are interchangeable on anything other than MIA and MIM, which are standard-sized, and come from the same tree, so to speak. I had an unfortunate experience trying to fit a MIM neck onto a CIJ P-bass body. Not only did it not fit, but even if I had re-drilled the holes in the neck there would still have been a large gap between the neck and the body, as well as being impossible to intonate without also moving the bridge. I paid a $54.00 re-stocking fee to be able to pass along this information.

[El Tedesco]

That's very good advice. Sometimes ugrades don't always benefit the instrument, or can't even be implemented. Also, less is often better than a lot.

Sorry, to hear about the neck issue.

I have also considered to go about the "fret overhaul" myself, but given the fact that I have never done such a thing, I probably shouldn't.

For a Pro it's a one time thing and it will be done well and correctly (provided the Pro is a Pro).

I may end up with just the fret-, intonation- and action setup.
After that maybe a set of sweet pickups.

[graphs]

The first upgrade I would do, well, maybe second after the frets, is a tortoise pickguard.

Nothing says classy like a black/rosewood J with a tortoise pickguard!

[psychetelec]

I have 4 lefty MIM Jazzes.

Sunburst-replaced white 'guard with tort.
White-stock.
Lake Placid Blue-replaced white 'guard with pearl white.
Natural Ash FSR-currently being refinished in Sonic Blue, tort 'guard will be replaced with white.

All are stock otherwise.

[superhand]

Have you done anything to your bass yet?

I'm curious because I have a MIM jazz that I bought earlier this year, and I've been thinking about maybe upgrading the pickups and the bridge.

[franchelB]

As for modding it, I think "Bluesbob"'s suggestion about a thorough set-up is the MOST important thing you can do.
My suggestion for modding, "replace as needed". I've met some phenomenal bassists and I've asked them about helping me mod by bass...and their suggestion: "Don't worry about that (stuff), just play IT!"