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Post subject: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:35 pm
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Hi all,

I've been considering getting another bass recently, and like the price and the reviews I've read on the Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Electric Bass Guitar Special. However, a friend of mine strongly recommends pairing the Fender Original 1962 P Bass Pickup with flat-wound strings for that classic Motown sound, and I do love the tone he gets. My question is, if I got the Squire Modified Jaguar, would switching out the neck pickup with the '62s result in phase cancellation since it's not originally designed for a p/j setup?


Thanks for your help with this!


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:07 pm
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I would not go there. Here's the MAIN reason why. That pickup may not balance well with the J-Pickup on that bass. I'd stick to the STOCK pickups on these because they are balanced in output as a matched pair. It isn't the wiring or phasing, it is the output level I'd be concerned about.

Instead look for a used Fender Standard P-Bass, they are everywhere around here for $300 to $400 tops. Stick one of the Fender Original P-Bass pickups in it instead. You'll be way happier in the long run.

One more reason, the shorter scale of the Special means it isn't going to ever sound quite like your friend's 34" scale P-Bass and your choice of flatwounds is more limited on a short scale Special. Since flats have higher tension usually, especially the Motown sounding ones, I'm not sure I'd try them on a Squier neck at all. I'd at least want a Fender Standard neck to handle the extra tension.

I use that very pickup and LOVE IT but I would not put it in this instrument or in a P/J setup. A P/J pickup pair needs to be balanced in output. Just randomly changing pickups one at a time is worse than a crap shoot, it is almost guaranteed to cause balance issues.

Also on a P/J, even active ones, the P and the J pickups when soloed never sound exactly like a Precision Bass or like a Jazz Bass because of the loading between the two. EVEN when one volume is turned all the way off the turned off pickup is still loading down the other one. So if you want a REAL P-Bass sound you need a P-Bass and if you want a real Jazz Bass sound you need a Jazz Bass. What you have is a P/J and that is a different thing tonally.


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:25 am
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Dave,

Thanks so much for the reply. Everything you've said makes perfect sense and honestly, I'd prefer to get a P-bass anyway. I'm running into one problem, though--I haven't found any used Fender Standard P-Basses in the $300-400 price range. There are none currently on eBay or in my local Craigslist.

Do you have any specific suggestions on where to look? It looks like I'm not that far from you (I'm in Columbia, SC) and I'm definitely open to driving to get a good bass at a good price.

Thanks again!


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:59 am
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One quick clarification: according to the Fender website the VM Jaguar Bass special does have a 34" scale length like the Precision.
http://www.fender.com/squier/basses/jag ... -sunburst/


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:01 pm
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The shorter 30” scale model is called Vintage Modified Jaguar® Bass Special SS.


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:01 am
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Yes Special 34 Special SS 30. Still would NOT use the FOPBPU in one regardless of the scale. My bad.


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:55 am
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PlatoFunFactory wrote:
Dave,

Thanks so much for the reply. Everything you've said makes perfect sense and honestly, I'd prefer to get a P-bass anyway. I'm running into one problem, though--I haven't found any used Fender Standard P-Basses in the $300-400 price range. There are none currently on eBay or in my local Craigslist.

Do you have any specific suggestions on where to look? It looks like I'm not that far from you (I'm in Columbia, SC) and I'm definitely open to driving to get a good bass at a good price.

Thanks again!


Maybe "EVERYWHERE" was an exaggeration. LOL. Here's some. You can get one shipped to your local GC store or to your home. The C.A. Red one in Gainesville. NICE! I've always been a sucker for C.A. Red, 3-color Sunburst and also for Fender Blonde.

Guitar Center Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
404-320-7253
$300 it looks like 2-color Sunburst but hard to tell from the photo as there seems to be a hint of red but can't say for sure.

Guitar Center Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida 32608
352-367-9067
$300 it's C. A. Red

Guitar Center Oakdale
Oakdale, Minnesota 55128
651-578-0577
$275 it's black.

Local pawn shops here turn one in good shape over for about $300. They will be tagged 350 to 400 but if you start dickering they'll usually come down. Saw one tagged at $500 but it had a hard case so worth more. Got him down to $350 on that one before I walked. The tag around here is just an asking price and they'll dicker. Some pawn shop ones are real beaters though in like 3 out of 10 shape and I wouldn't bother with one of those.

Guitar Center however won't dicker much and to dicker you need the manager on duty. The red one in Gainesville is worth a look as it is said to be 8 out of 10 and probably is a good platform for the Fender Original Precision Bass pickup swap. I don't know of a current production instrument with this pickup in it for sure but it was used in the 62 American Vintage Reissue, now discontinued. That sort of worries me that they'll discontinue it. The current 58 has a 58 voiced PU just for that instrument and the current 63 has a "Vintage" one which leads me to believe it is different from the FOPBPU used in the 62 AVRI. I think if it was the FOPBPU they'd say so.

The FOPBPU is a very bright pickup. In the P-Basses that come stock with this pickup Fender often tames the brightness a tad by using a 0.10uF tone capacitor instead of the usual 0.05uF value. However if you want bright, and I do, then leaving the stock 0.05uF cap in is worth a try. This is the brightest, fullest fidelity passive P-Bass pickup I ever tried and I think the best passive second generation P-Bass pickup ever for me. Can not say enough good about it. It comes mounted on foam which is attached to the brass shielding plate old school (Pre-CBS) style. The grounding plate is actually wired into the circuit. The pickup assembly drops right into a MIM Standard P-Bass and the screw holes even match up. Not sure about the Japanese ones though. For live work your tone will JUMP OUT compared to any other split coil pickup I've tried including all the SD's. It really rivals a first generation P-Bass in brightness but is much more immune to RFI.


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Post subject: Re: 1962 P Bass Pickup in VM Jaguar?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:00 pm
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Dave,

Much appreciated! I didn't realize that Guitar Center would ship used instruments to local stores. Admittedly, my "local" guitar center is in Charleston or Charlotte, but at least it gives me options.

Thanks for the tip on the 0.10uF tone capacitor. Don't know which way I'd want to go, but again, options.


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