Fender Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass fretless Pt 4

[soniclens]

Great vid. great playing and practical knowlege for we who are frugal. Just ordered one today and plan on making similar mods, thanks to your video. thanks again..

[KamiDisturbed]

what is that song you play at 5:30-->? is it yours? can i have the tabs, it sounds so cool :P

[paapakobe]

@KamiDisturbed Hello, yes that's from an original song so like the the improv at the end it has no tabs, charts nothing. I write & play by ear/feel. I wrote the line by singing it first.

[Jamsessionroom1337]

What amp?

[phredbass]

Too much talking just play the bass.

[666patrickbateman666]

I changed my bridge saddles to KTS Titanium and it made a huge difference on my Squire. I also changed the bridge base plate to a solid steel which also made a huge improvement to the tone.

What is the weight of your instrument ?

[paapakobe]

@666patrickbateman666 Always liked steel over the cheap alloy stock bridges, but since i've tried aluminum... wooo! I might try KTS saddles on some of my my guitars though they're pricey. I don't know the weight, it's fairly balanced & medium... not heavy

[666patrickbateman666]

@paapakobe

Aluminium ! Where did you find those?

I've been looking everywhere to find a replacement for the alloy bridges (Steel or Aluminium).

I settled for Titanium and find it really good.

I couldn't even find any made out of steel and even less aluminium.

[paapakobe]

@666patrickbateman666 There are real steel bridges but no easy to find true. Most will not say what their stuff is made of. HipShot, KSM & Babicz each have aluminum & work great. Hipshot has choice of metals and LeoQuan used to but i don't know what's goin' on there. You should check out my two KSM Foundation bridge vids and the prt4 of this jazz bass mod.

[666patrickbateman666]

@paapakobe

I wanted to retain the exact vintage look of the Fender bridge and the only one who stated what the material was made out of was KTS Titanium.

I believe that the less mass the better tone transfer

HipShot, KSM & Babicz have their own design and does not appeal to me.

Apart from changing the bridge saddles and base plate I also replaced the potentiometers and capacitor with Bourns 250K and a 47MFD cap.

Now it definately doesn't sound as the cheap bass it really is.

[paapakobe]

@666patrickbateman666 Get you. My fave KSM looks better on Peavey than F-Jazz. Babicz is chunky & LeoQuan looks more nat. The mass:material ratio is what we play with, manipulating the resonant frequencies of all the materials: strings, bridge, body, neck, RELATIVE to each other. It's like car tires. If the body is too light(tone) a heavy bridge can beef-up. But a 'transparent' bridge allows more body vibes. The BIG missing is tuning key vibe trans research!! thanx for info re: pots & caps.

[666patrickbateman666]

@paapakobe

That 47MFD cap is really good for finding that sweet tone spot !

[666patrickbateman666]

@paapakobe

Have you noticed any wear on the Ebonol fingerboard yet ?

[paapakobe]

@666patrickbateman666 Not much yet - it's scratched about the same amount. I can see it noticeably wearing a after a few years but stilll much less than a real wood board. I still prefer real wood but this this sounds great live & in studio.

[AcousticBeaver]

I have a MIM P-Bass with maple neck in Lake Placid Blue. Changed the pickguard for a mirror one. Added Gotoh 201 bridge and Seymour Duncan SPB-3's.

So beautiful!!

[MARKLINMAN1]

Excellent stuff, thanks for sharing, what strings were on here? Thanks again for a great video.

[paapakobe]

@MARKLINMAN1 I think these are the original factory strings, i may try elixirs next.

[skydogz1]

I love this movie!

[BASSment7al7]

Is aluminium not more magnetic than steel?

[levani700]

i want to know where to get that leo quan badass bridge Please???

[Whitemoon379]

@levani700 ebay

[boogieshoes]

Great vid Guitar Supastar!

[gernblensten]

have you checked out the babicz bass bridges yet?

[paapakobe]

@gernblensten No not yet, I've only seen their vids. But I have installed KSM Foundation bridges on two of my basses: this fretless Jazz and my Peavey Millennium BXP4. It is noticeably better than the Badass & more slick than the Babicz. But I'd like to try a Babicz too. I have vids about the KSM Foundation Bridge installs coming up soon - they'll be the next vids on here. Just subscribe and you'll get them. thanks

[paapakobe]

@gernblensten I've uploaded a review of the KSM Foundation Bridge here @ /watch?v=avJaDdHFc2g&

[edwardtang1977]

I like your videos! It is very well explained .

[weathered79]

all together how much did the bass and the parts cost and do you think it sounds as good or better as a more expensive instrument

[logicalbass]

man i'm not sure about the modifications you've made and how useful they are but for sure you are a hell of a bassist and you have the sound in your finger!

[emanuelgtzv]

how can it do it to reduce the strings marks on the fingerboard??

gracias

[tshred666]

@emanuelgtzv i would suggest using flatwounds

[AGALEXANDRIA1]

Thanks a lot. it seems to me from what u said earlier that replacing the bridge is essential....i will do that first then play with the pu. i am now hunting for a bridge in Egypt!!!!! good luck for me!!!! thanks again

[AGALEXANDRIA1]

Great vid thanks for the insights. i bought this bass a month ago and it sounds great i still have round wounds strings on . i have to say it is the least expensive bass i have YET since i got it....i play it all the time. one question, i have a set of jazz bass pick ups from a fender stu ham which was broken in an accident. do i just install them or do i need to change the wiring ? thanks again and keep posting vids.

[paapakobe]

Try it. Because it's a Stu Hamm' PU doesn't mean it's going to sound/be better or worse. I put quick disconnect tabs on (like flat speaker connectors) & experiment swapping OR tape/alligator clip PU leads to a patch cord & hold the pickup ABOVE the strings to hear it OR rig a 'bridge' over the strings, attach the test PU w/tape/rubber band so it stays a set height & compare. Use the wiring u have, esp on the pickups, don't cut those! or someone will slap you. Protect the finish too

[Z177]

Do you realize that your 4 videos helped me deciede to buy this bass. If you were to change the pickups to NON active what make and model would you choise? This is my 2nd Squire, my first is a Vintage Modified Jazz.. Great videos,,,, Peace.

[paapakobe]

Hmm, i like what they have in there now but otherwise, Seymores, Bartolini, Fralin, so many choices depending on what you want to hear & play. I prefer the sound of regular single coils vs hum-cancelng for jazz bass, especially the bridge position. I just wanted more ummph & no noise

[paapakobe]

Glad my vids helped you! Thanks for tuning in.

[BENCHPRESSMAN]

@paapakobe Im think of getting this bass or the rondo music fretless jazz bass it looks like the Vintage Modified Jazz Bass Natual its about 100$ less.What do you think?

[paapakobe]

@BENCHPRESSMAN They look great, I love the sound of ash for bass, but I've never seen/played a Rondo in my part of town. I don't exactly shop by price tag. The Rondo's are made somewhere over there like the rest, who knows, maybe the same factory or one owned by the ugly brother of Squire's factory... but they look really nicely done - What can i say? Hearing is believing!

[BENCHPRESSMAN]

@paapakobe thanks

[stumac666]

Great vid Paapakobe! All four parts! Love your knowledge, taste, and expertise. Did you ever file those bridge saddles? If so, what did you think of the difference? I'm shopping for a bass bridge and wondering what's best. Your chops are impeccable...best to ya!

[paapakobe]

@stumac666 Thanks but im only impeccable at playing wrong(ly)! I am ordering a proper bridge file to do the saddle grooves impeccably. I suspect it will make a difference, increasing contact between the saddle & string, Now it's very minimal. I just saw pics of the KSM Foundation bridge - take a look at that too. The design is intelligent & addresses the contact diff between little height screws vs. full saddle/plate contact

[loketron]

HEY QUESTION!

when you change the pickups, do you need to change the wires and electronics in the bass to match the power of the new pickups?????????????????????

and putting active pickups in do you have to add a battery port in to power them?????????????????????

THANKS N advance!

[paapakobe]

@loketron You have to change the pot's & tone capacitor if you're going active. They affect the tone & output. I hadn't changed my cap yet & it sucks the volume out. I insulated the battery w/ elec tape & squeezed it between the new, smaller pots... no routing a seperate batt compartment.

[loketron]

thanks man. really great video.

been playin bass awhile and wondering about maybe getting a expensive bass OR do what your doing and buying a cheap bass and moding it.

squire jazz bass im thinking., anyways great vids

[MrAngel999]

thanks for these constructional vids. you rock (:

[chickenandababy]

did you find that the bad ass bridge really changed the tone or sound?

[JaydWin]

Thanks for the info on the bridge think i will get mine replaced asap. Probably the best bass squiers ever made eh :D

[paapakobe]

The last time i can remember a "cheap" guitar this good was Tokai's Strats, Les Paul & bass copies.. then they got sued! It's a GREAT bass but when you play a Fender Custom shop w/ ash body & SCN PU's... or a Victor Bailey model.. woah! Then that doesn't fit in our 'cheap' category anymore.

[PhuckHue2]

bass sounds better but that plastic fingerboard messes with the wood tone too much

[wickdom]

Thanks for the vid - a better bridge is definitely what the bass was missing. Doesn't sound that thin anymore.

[Hendrixidol]

You know what man, I was gonna put actives in mine if I got one. However, I definately know that this will be next bass. However, I HATE Seymour Duncan!!! U should've got EMGs man!!! Anyway, you should try setting it up like a 5-sting. Tune it to BEAD. I love the thick tone on that thing wtihout being too thick that the tone is muddy..very focused. All fretless models seem to do that. Post a vid of you picking, cuz I may use this for thrash metal.

[paapakobe]

I considered EMGs for a long note since they've improved so much, but I lost my ebay bids for those & the Duncan came along & i wanted more flavour. I'll try the re-string & re-tune idea... Next : cut grooves in saddles, tone control & cap. value change, new strings