Recording with the Jazz Bass

[ch willie]

Recently, I've recorded a handful of my songs. I had heard that Jazz Basses are noisy for recording, but I found that to be untrue. On one of four songs, I used the Rickenbacker because that particular song called for it. It's been my number one bass since 1978.

But I found that the Jazz Bass sounded best for the other three songs, and it recorded with no noise at all. It's just such a versatile bass, sounded so good that it was a joy to play. When my shoulder heals, I plan on joining a band or forming my own. I'm itching to put that bass to the live test.

[FrankJohnson]

I find the P Bass and J Bass Cans, musts, have-tos' and what not are entirely BS.

A good bass will sound like a good bass - and you may have to EQ it for your circumstance. Some old school P basses sound so good, but honestly that also depends on what you put them into/through and HOW. Factor in how you play.

I say that to say this...
Some basses sound better than others in the certain and specific situations where you may use them. Some may be noisey - or have issues. another example of the same model may not have that issue. every instrument has "its" own voice, and like people, some are more pleasing to the ear than others, some to some people, some - well.....not.

Thats about as deep as I am on this.......

[ch willie]

Lot of wisdom there. I try to use what the song calls for. I have never recorded my Hofner, but it is surprisingly versatile too. I thought it was just going to be a toy when I ordered it, but it is a legitimately good-sounding bass, had nice lows and a good growl on the bridge pup.

[DanTheBluesMan]

I was hoping for spring by now so I could finish my garage workshop, waiting for my bass to be built.

Instead we got 3 nor'easters in 10 days.

[ch willie]

I was hoping for spring by now so I could finish my garage workshop, waiting for my bass to be built.

Instead we got 3 nor'easters in 10 days.

Remind me of what you’re going to build. Hats off to you. I keep toying with the idea of building a Warmoth Precision. I am crap at soldering, so I’d have to get my local tech to do that.

[DanTheBluesMan]

it's a CV70 precision bass body with a tele style neck with 1.5" (jazz bass size) nut with a beautiful dark almost black fingerboard. If memory serves the neck is currently unfinished and I was thinking of a tung oil with maybe a little tint in it. I plan to polish and massage the frets, round the edges on the nut and I might put a Fender waterslide on it. For now I'm leaving the body stock until I hear how it sounds. I have a '74 reissue pickup from a previous build that I might try in it someday.

I need to drill the mounting holes for the neck and the tuners. i have a drill press but no place to use it, hence the garage project. I've got a set of La Bella flatwounds waiting for it.



soldering isn't that hard but you should practice on something you don't love first. Such a useful skill to learn, though. I used to to electro-mechanical assembly for a living and I learned to solder to mil spec. I could have been certified as Class A but I didn't feel ambitious enough at the time to pursue it. I was 19 and young and dumb. Lardy that was a while ago.

[FrankJohnson]

Dan - I LIKE that!!!!

Nice ingredients going into that thing!

Tung oil is nice - rolled edges, cleaned up frets, all equate to "played in Feel" and then add in that 1.5 nut -
the fact that it is black on black with rosewood just sweetens the pot!

[ch willie]

Dan, I like that a lot. There's just something beautiful about a blacked out Precision bass. My first ever Fender was a 70s Telecaster bass, so I like that neck. My Tele bass was a righty, and the body cut didn't allow me to let me work my southpaw magic on the upper frets, so I sold it.

[DanTheBluesMan]

thanks.

cw - don't mean to derail your thread (but don't they all get trainwrecked anyway?). Will I need a string tree on the headstock? I'm kind of thinking I might

[ch willie]

No apologies necessary. I like the look of the round string tree? On Fender basses, and I guess they’re there for a reason.