What makes a J a J?

#22
Killing Floor said:
Single coil pickups in a pair. That's all.
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Yup.....pretty much. Spacing would have something to do with more specific tonality like the '70s version placing the bridge a little farther aft of the neck pickup but two single coil pickups each with their own volume control and a single tone control is the basis for the JBass sound. Or a blend control could replace one volume control.
 
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#25
Vinny_G said:
Like that?

warwick-thumb-bolt-on-5-11559.jpg
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Reported!
Posting pics like this will make people like me want to put down TB and pick up our Thumb 5ers!

Must ... resist

and .... keep

... reading ...

:dead:

[Sorry OP, you were sayin'...?]
 
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#26
Titanium said:
I’m looking to add another 5 string bass, and I really like the tone of a J bass. I don’t however, like a 34” scale, especially the tension on the B string. I know I want something 35” or longer, but the tone issue is where I’m a little unsure. With so many choices out there, I’d like to be able to start narrowing things down, but I’m curious, what characteristics of a J bass contribute most to its tone? Is it the single coil pickups and their spacing? Body shape? Tone woods (yes I think they are a thing, sorry if you don’t). I’d like to think that pickups factor in most heavily, but I’m curious what folks here have to say? Maybe there are other factors I’m missing, or there’s something I haven’t considered.
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You are doing due diligence, which is good, so don't rule anything out before you've even started.

I'd check out Sadowsky Jazz basses. They are 34" and sound better than many 35" basses. The new Metroline range from Sadowsky/Warwick are worth a listen.
 
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#27
Here's what I learned having a bass made for me. My main goal was to wind up with a good 5 string P bass. I ordered a bass with an alder body, Maple bolt-on neck, rosewood board, and a P bass pickup in the proper position. The bass happens to be 35" scale. It is all passive with volume and tone controls.


Now my bass has a bridge dual-coil pickup. It has a three-way selector for bridge/both/neck. It has a three-way selector for single/series/parallel for the dual coil.

But when I solo the neck pickup, it just sounds like a fantastic P bass.

So get an alder body, maple bolt-on neck, passive single coil pickups in either 60s or 70s positions, VVT electronics, and you're all set. 35" scale should be fine. Active preamp with passive bypass for VVT will give you a lot of on-board options.
 
#28
Titanium said:
I’m looking to add another 5 string bass, and I really like the tone of a J bass. I don’t however, like a 34” scale, especially the tension on the B string. I know I want something 35” or longer, but the tone issue is where I’m a little unsure.
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Talk to Axel Roks at Roks Instruments (Roks Instruments custom guitars & basses). This is my Nardis from him: European walnut body with American walnut top. maple neck, ebony fretboard, 35 inches, 21 frets, Häussel pickups, VBT controls - one heck of a bass (growls or purrs, your choice)
791b1be1a4dd2b48380b46224626b4a75e49a2d7.jpeg
 
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#29
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#30
Titanium said:
I’m looking to add another 5 string bass, and I really like the tone of a J bass. I don’t however, like a 34” scale, especially the tension on the B string. I know I want something 35” or longer, but the tone issue is where I’m a little unsure. With so many choices out there, I’d like to be able to start narrowing things down, but I’m curious, what characteristics of a J bass contribute most to its tone? Is it the single coil pickups and their spacing? Body shape? Tone woods (yes I think they are a thing, sorry if you don’t). I’d like to think that pickups factor in most heavily, but I’m curious what folks here have to say? Maybe there are other factors I’m missing, or there’s something I haven’t considered.
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sounds like you'd be into the Lakland 5560 bass.
 
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#34
Titanium said:
I’m looking to add another 5 string bass, and I really like the tone of a J bass. I don’t however, like a 34” scale, especially the tension on the B string. I know I want something 35” or longer, but the tone issue is where I’m a little unsure. With so many choices out there, I’d like to be able to start narrowing things down, but I’m curious, what characteristics of a J bass contribute most to its tone? Is it the single coil pickups and their spacing? Body shape? Tone woods (yes I think they are a thing, sorry if you don’t). I’d like to think that pickups factor in most heavily, but I’m curious what folks here have to say? Maybe there are other factors I’m missing, or there’s something I haven’t considered.
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I definitely don't want to restart the age-old argument about tone woods, but just want to point out that AFAIK J basses are made from a variety of different woods, just as Ps are, so it is unlikely that wood choice is a defining characteristic of the "J tone."
 
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#37
To throw this in too.
Alder over Ash.
I have combos of both with 'rosewood' and maple boards, but there is something very pleasing about Alder bodies sound.
Ash for nice grain visuals etc but for me, Alder wins out.
 
#40
Two pickups with narrow apertures in the right places - they don't have to be single coils (you don't have to have that hum), the in line hum cancelling ones can be made to work just fine. Pickup position(s) are the single most important thing in determining the tone of you bass at low and mid frequencies. Higher up, there are other things that are important, but if you want the low mid scoop of a J, you literally can't get it from eq - the eq curve that pickup positioning and combining gives you is different on every string - to make a P sound like a J, you'd need a pickup for every string, and a preamp (with a very complicated filter) for every string.

35 vs 34 is a very small difference in many ways - it doesn't affect things nearly as much as a lot of folks think it does - either one can be made to work just fine, provided you understand what's going on. If you go 35, you have to realize that 4 out of 5 of your strings are going to have a little more tension - if that's an issue, you need to use lighter gauge strings there. On a 34, you have to realize you need a big enough string on your B - the one in the pack you bought almost certainly isn't appropriate.
 
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