Jazz question: do individual parts equal the whole?

[sheepdog]

ok...I thought my bass gas might have subsided for a while, but apparently the retro jazz that just sold got me thinking. I would like a 60s style jazz, but in a 5 string. This is what I was thinking:


WARNING: LOTS OF QUESTIONS

alder body: black (would the finish type really matter?), tort pickguard, front routed body (preferably no rear route at all)

maple neck with rosewood fretboard (same question, would finish type matter?)

passive stacked volume/tone volume/tone setup

nordstrand single coil jazz pickups

vintage style tuners

a few questions on parts:

what type of nut? bone? plastic?

what type of bridge? string through bridge only? would it matter that the newer bridge has more mass than the older style?

But the bigger question is will I get my desired result?

I have more wood finishing experience now, so I think assembling one myself is possible.

[sheepdog]

Too many questions?

[Croissant Seven]

Too many questions?

I'm confused what the main question is supposed to be. I think you should go with a bone nut and don't worry too much about the string-through bridge, just use a high mass Gotoh or BAII.
What are your other questions, in the form of a question?:D
C7

[sheepdog]

Only other questions: does the finish type really matter? some say that it does. Will all these parts really give the desired result? or is mojo hard to purchase piece by piece? :D

[MrWalker]

I think the quality of a bass can be summed up in this equation:

QB = (ΣP*ΣW*ΣQ)/(L+V)

where
QB = The overall quality of the bass
P = Part
ΣP = Sum of parts
W = Workmanship and skills
ΣW = Sum of above
Q = Quality of individual parts
ΣQ = Sum of above
V = Vibe
L = Luck

Which means you need high-quality parts, high-quality workmanship and skills, both when it comes to constructing the individual parts and assembling and setting up the instrument afterwards, you need to catch the vibe (which is usually related to W) to get the mojo. Then you need some luck... (or at least lack unluck). ;)

Quick answer: If you've got the skills and mojo-know-how, then you can, with some luck, probably put together parts made by someone who has the skills and mojo-know-how to make a great instrument with lots of mojo... :)

[Rusty the Scoob]

I guess I feel somewhat qualified to answer this as the owner of a 5-string SuperJazz who spent years researching what I wanted...

Of course in my opinion what you want is a Sadowsky... IMHO he's done the best job of building exactly what you want, and spent years refining it. Even if you're not at that price range or don't want one for whatever reason, his website has a great FAQ on why he made all the choices that he did and addresses most of your specific questions.

For the sound you're going for, which is classic jazz, I would do a bone or bone subsitute nut, passive humbuckers, and a medium-weight bridge. The hi-mass bridges were great in the 70's for cutting through a loud band, but with a medium to quiet mix you will notice that you've lost some of that classic Jazz sound. Humbuckers are a bit of a compromise, but they've found ways to make them sound like classic Jazz pickups and single coils hum so badly as to be unuseable. A 2-single-coil jazz might as well not even have two separate volume pots IMHO.

IMHO if you ever plan to play rock with this bass you should also add a preamp, one that is easily bypassed. I doubt you'll find yourself bypassing it much, though.

The looks that you're going for are exactly what I've always wanted, ironically... a black jazz, rosewood, tort, classic hardware...

[sheepdog]

I guess I feel somewhat qualified to answer this as the owner of a 5-string SuperJazz who spent years researching what I wanted...

Of course in my opinion what you want is a Sadowsky... IMHO he's done the best job of building exactly what you want, and spent years refining it. Even if you're not at that price range or don't want one for whatever reason, his website has a great FAQ on why he made all the choices that he did and addresses most of your specific questions.

For the sound you're going for, which is classic jazz, I would do a bone or bone subsitute nut, passive humbuckers, and a medium-weight bridge. The hi-mass bridges were great in the 70's for cutting through a loud band, but with a medium to quiet mix you will notice that you've lost some of that classic Jazz sound. Humbuckers are a bit of a compromise, but they've found ways to make them sound like classic Jazz pickups and single coils hum so badly as to be unuseable. A 2-single-coil jazz might as well not even have two separate volume pots IMHO.

IMHO if you ever plan to play rock with this bass you should also add a preamp, one that is easily bypassed. I doubt you'll find yourself bypassing it much, though.

The looks that you're going for are exactly what I've always wanted, ironically... a black jazz, rosewood, tort, classic hardware...

thank you for the info. Sadowsky is definitely out of my price range, but I will have to check out the site again to see what he says about this. In terms of a bridge, I found a Hipshot vintage style "bent metal" bridge that I like and that would probably work well for this purpose. https://www.hipshotproducts.com/images/products/212_large.jpg

In terms of preamps, I would probably keep an outboard preamp handy. Maybe the East (J Retro) stompbox or similar.

[Rusty the Scoob]

That bridge looks good... my bass's bridge might have a little more mass than that but not by much. I'll be interested to see how your bass comes out, keep me posted! :)

[basshunter]

Basses aren't born with mojo, they acquire mojo. The closer the bass is to the specs that will please you, the easier it is to bring on the mojo. You can develop mojo in a crappy bass over time, as you work with it and find its sweet spot and figure out just when to put it into use. Great basses begin developing mojo as soon as they are in your hands, because something about them makes them effortless to play, lets them put out a tone that works in each setting you want them to, and inspires YOU just by its mere presence. It is sort of like mojo-mainlining.

So can a parts bass have mojo? Hell yes. Whether it is a Mojo-Mainliner or the Slow Boat To Mojo cannot be determined until you can Monday Morning Mojoback it. Mojo cannot be foreseen, it can only be found in the moment and then reflected upon.


I hope this helps :D

[sheepdog]

I think i have a new quote for my sig :D

[basshunter]

I think i have a new quote for my sig :D

Yeah, I liked MrWalker's formula too ;)

[MrWalker]

:thumbsup: