I came across this article on Best Base Gear.
Passive Tone Controls Explained | eBass
This seems like an unnecessary mod justified using a faulty, or lazily argued, premise. To dabble in a bit of 'whataboutism', what about the hundreds of professional bassists out there who have used stock Jazz basses their entire career?
The argument in the article hinges on:
"A common Jazz Bass issue, as many owners are full aware, is that unless the neck pickup, bridge pickup, or both are at full volume the tone control “feels weak.” The reason for this is due to where the control is in the signal chain. The illustration below is the standard Jazz Bass wiring common to many if not all Jazz Bass models that utilize three controls."
The article doesn't actually explain this perceived problem very well, and it blames the problem (whatever it may actually be) on where the tone control falls in a typical Jazz Bass circuit. It doesn't say *why* this is the case and doesn't actually say *where* the tone control falls in the circuit, or where it falls in the improved circuit. What is actually suggested in the diagram is that the revised circuit places the tone controls between the pickups and the volume pots, and has to use a dual-gang pot to keep the two pickup circuits isolated before the two meet at the second volume pot.
Luckily BestBassGear just happen to have the perfect part in stock to make all of this work. Can you say 'corporate shill' or 'solution looking for a problem'?
The writer of the article doesn't seem very sure of the circuit, however. In the comments below it they assert that 'It is best to use a tandem pot for this'. I would go further and say it is imperative that you use a tandem pot for this, otherwise you are joining the hot outputs of both pickups together ahead of the volume controls, which will stop you from solo'ing either pickup. Ultimately this is a lot of work and wiring to overcome a perceived problem or performance issue the author can't even articulate in any meaningful sense.
