Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

[Evan Skopp]

Click here.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Hmm... I'll have to build a FrankenJazz and check that out.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Why did they do away with this design again?

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Hmm... I'll have to build a FrankenJazz and check that out.

Either that, or a PJ bass works really well with this setup.

Why did they do away with this design again?

In all my research, I didn't find anything about that (would be interesting to find out). You could make the assumption that the v-v-t that replaced it was cheaper to manufacture or that it was just easier for musicians to use right away.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Why did they do away with this design again?

In all my research, I didn't find anything about that (would be interesting to find out). You could make the assumption that the v-v-t that replaced it was cheaper to manufacture or that it was just easier for musicians to use right away.

I found something interesting, in a book my bro-in-law gave me.

However, a 1959 photo of an early Jazz Bass shows a 3-control setup as found on post-1961 models. Evidently, the design predates the stacked-knob design. In any event, Leo settled on stacked knobs for the first production models, and Fender Sales ordered them on March 3, 1960. Subsequently, Leo returned to the 3-control design, thus proving that tinkerers are never satisfied.

note: Fender Sales was the distribution division at the time; the manufacturing division was Fender Electric Instrument Co.

The 1959 prototype:

(photo credit: Amsco Publishing)

 

[blueman335]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Does the neck PU really need a tone control? It's fairly warm to begin with. For most players, a tone pot for the bridge PU probably suffices.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

By that logic the pbass pickup wouldn't need a tone control either because it's even darker, yet there it is, and people use it all the time, in fact most wouldn't pick one up without one. I certainly do, moreso with the jazz neck pickup soloed than the split pbass pickup. Plus having the neck tone all the way down with the bridge tone all the way up, both pickups on full is a pretty dang cool tone.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Blog: The '62 Stacked Knob Jazz Bass

Does the neck PU really need a tone control? It's fairly warm to begin with. For most players, a tone pot for the bridge PU probably suffices.

Does it need one? No.

Does it benefit from having a separate tone knob than the bridge and offer you a lot more tonal options to let you fine tune your sound? Yes.