marijan_barach's music gear

Now, the Jazz Bass needs no introduction as it is probably the most versatile, widely used, classic bass. This particular Harley Benton JB-62 is my latest adition and has some quirks that I wanted from a Jazz, tho.

First stop, the 3 Tone Sunburst basswood body with tortoiseshell pickguard is a classic(1962 was the year of the one of the most iconic Jazz Bass ever), which in terms of actual finish, looks more like a 75 Sunburst than the 62(a bit more 'open' in the middle with the burst closer to the edges of the body, which is closer in appearance to the 70s finishes) which is great because I actually wanted 70s style bass(since I have 50s style P, 60s Style SG and 80s original Aria) but I didnt want 70s neck with inlays and block fret markers, so this one came in as the best of both worlds.

Satin finish roasted maple neck with laurel fretboard and 20 frets was yet another feature I liked about this bass particularly(I wanted satin finish neck for JB and roasted is an unexpected but very desired bonus as well).

Pair of Roswell single coils, nice and punchy as you would expect from a Jazz. Volume knob for each of the two pickups, which can be blended in to taste and a master tone control. Brass bridge saddles are a nice touch as well which can only help with a bit brighter tone overall. Strung with D'Addario nickel roundwounds.

The neck pickup alone can do a fair impression of a P bass sound, even if a wee bit thinner and noisier. This is what I use when I need a more modern P sound(think 70s punk tones with a pick for example) since my actual P bass is set with flats for vintage sounds.

Bridge pickup soloed is the classic honky 'Jaco Pastorius sound' great for tight-fingerstyle, 70s Disco sounds as well.

Both together at full blend are excellent for John Paul Jones or Geddy Lee punchy fingerstyle, twangy pick tones that cut through and it is 'The Slap Tone' in my head(I will use Aria occasionally for more of an 80s Stingray-like, dry, snarly slap, like, say Paul Young-Come Back n Stay, but I generally prefer the tone of a Jazz for general slap applications).

Incredibly versatile with plethora of useful sounds, this bass is enough on its own. However I've been toying around with some possible effects that I might use with this bass eventually, so this is more of a concept really.

Dunlop Mini 105Q is great for funky wah sounds that I believe complement the sound of a J bass well. Synth pedal would be interesting(thinking Muse-Plug in Baby and Daft Punk sounds), Chorus with a pick would be an almost uncanny Duff McKagan sound(he used P/J configuration on his Jazz Bass Special but its in the same tonal ballpark) and Flanger might be interesting because I've noticed flangers like high frequency harmonic content to really shine, which J bass has plenty of. All in all, this might get revised in future.

Finally this is my 'all around' bass, I will use for everything my more 'specialised' basses are not really suitable for.