I'm a lifelong guitarist who has always dabbled with bass, primarily in the studio. I recently traded a MusicMan that I had for a few years for an import Fender Jazz. I have fallen in love with this bass and have been playing it daily in my studio. It came loaded with Quarter Pounders. Are these considered to be a little hot for a classic vintage J Bass tone?
In my guitars I have always used vintage output pickups, always preferring a cleaner tone from my pickups and using my amps for gain and volume. In other words, I'm a Seth guy not a Custom Custom guy. While I've been getting a pretty good tone with the QP's in the Jazz and I certainly dig the growl of the bridge pickup when I lay into it, in checking the specs on the pickups they are pretty hot with a lower Q than vintage units.
My music is rootsy blues/ blues rock stuff and I really would like my Jazz to have as much classic Fender character as possible.
So bass guys and gals, what say ye? Are QP's too hot for a vintage tone or do they deliver the TONE, just kicked up a notch?
And for those digging QP's in their Jazz, at what height do you have them set?
In my Fender guitars I like my single coils set fairly low. With my Jazz I've experimented with height from 1/8" from the bottom of the string to setting them as close as I can get them to the surface of the pickguard. Cannot make up my mind which I like more.
Thanks,
George
In my guitars I have always used vintage output pickups, always preferring a cleaner tone from my pickups and using my amps for gain and volume. In other words, I'm a Seth guy not a Custom Custom guy. While I've been getting a pretty good tone with the QP's in the Jazz and I certainly dig the growl of the bridge pickup when I lay into it, in checking the specs on the pickups they are pretty hot with a lower Q than vintage units.
My music is rootsy blues/ blues rock stuff and I really would like my Jazz to have as much classic Fender character as possible.
So bass guys and gals, what say ye? Are QP's too hot for a vintage tone or do they deliver the TONE, just kicked up a notch?
And for those digging QP's in their Jazz, at what height do you have them set?
In my Fender guitars I like my single coils set fairly low. With my Jazz I've experimented with height from 1/8" from the bottom of the string to setting them as close as I can get them to the surface of the pickguard. Cannot make up my mind which I like more.
Thanks,
George
