Hi forum.
I'm starting to think about Warmoth number two and bass number one, which is slightly problematic since almost everything I know about guitars relates to the six-string breed. The plan at the moment is:
BODY: Olympic white jazz bass - everything in the showcase seems to be swamp ash which is fine with me
NECK: Either black ebony or pau ferro on roasted maple
PICKUPS: ? ? ?
BRIDGE: I've heard a lot of good things about the Babicz FCH-4
TUNERS: ? ? ?
As you can see there's a lot of unknowns in there. I've done the P vs J agonising and I think I'm fairly settled on going down the J route but as this is likely to be the only bass I buy I'd like it to cover as much ground as possible. My main concern is going down a route that makes things too bright. I like the Jazz bass sound but between the swamp ash, ebony, maple and Jazz pickups I'm wondering if I'm pushing things too far. I still want to be able to get big warm swells out of the thing. So my laundry list of questions is:
Thanks!
I'm starting to think about Warmoth number two and bass number one, which is slightly problematic since almost everything I know about guitars relates to the six-string breed. The plan at the moment is:
BODY: Olympic white jazz bass - everything in the showcase seems to be swamp ash which is fine with me
NECK: Either black ebony or pau ferro on roasted maple
PICKUPS: ? ? ?
BRIDGE: I've heard a lot of good things about the Babicz FCH-4
TUNERS: ? ? ?
As you can see there's a lot of unknowns in there. I've done the P vs J agonising and I think I'm fairly settled on going down the J route but as this is likely to be the only bass I buy I'd like it to cover as much ground as possible. My main concern is going down a route that makes things too bright. I like the Jazz bass sound but between the swamp ash, ebony, maple and Jazz pickups I'm wondering if I'm pushing things too far. I still want to be able to get big warm swells out of the thing. So my laundry list of questions is:
- Am I likely to notice a big difference between swamp ash and alder bodies?
- Do I want graphite stiffening rods in the neck? I loathe neck dive so it seems like a good option, along with the possibility of rolling off some of the brightness of the ebony or pau ferro.
- On the issue of neck dive, what are my best options for light tuners? I've read a lot of good comments about Hipshot Ultralites.
- Can anyone recommend some pickups at the warmer end of the Jazz Bass spectrum? At the moment I like the sound of the Nordstrand Big J-Blades.
Thanks!