If you have ever played a bass with hum canceling pickups that still had slight directional single coil hum, it was because the coils were uneven. Hum-canceling J pickups are an option, but In order for a pickup to be completely hum canceling, it must have two coils of equal size. Despite sounding amazing, Single Coil pickups can be noisy, and that isn’t ideal on some gigs. The result is an instrument with the versatility of a P/J, and an uncompromising, authentic P sound.īut what if you want a classic J-bass sound? Many players swear by the classic J-pickup, and the gold standard for tone is still the single coil J. The BigRig has a wider magnetic field, which makes it fatter sounding, and the FatStack has a taller magnetic field, which makes it more focussed, but both can go toe-to-toe with the P pickup. In that case, the pickups remain balanced, but the P pickup sounds a little less like itself.įor that reason, when I build a P/J, I like to use a BigRig or a FatStack in the J position. ![]() To keep that from happening, I set the P pickup much lower in the body. A J pickup can add some treble and versatility to a P bass, but a P pickup sounds so big and fat that it can overshadow the J. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have, but if you’ve been playing long enough to consider a custom build, you probably know what you like. Since LEH builds in the Fender Style, the most logical place to start is with two classic sounds: JJ and PJ. An Okoume body gives the instrument a warmth and softness, while the Ebony gives it clarity and definition. Okoume is rarely paired with Maple, and is too warm for some tastes when paired with Rosewood, but it’s a great compliment to Ebony. Okoume is a relative of Mahogany and is the warmest compliment to any fingerboard. But Ebony is also paired often with a third body wood: Okoume. Ash highlights the punchiness of its attack and Alder highlights its warmth and bloom. ![]() In the case of Ash and Rosewood, the Rosewood will retain its slow bloom, but the Ash will sharpen its punch.Įbony is paired frequently with both Ash and Alder. In that combination, the note jumps off the fingerboard––quick, sharp, and percussive––but the Alder softens the highs, resulting in a more nuanced sound. Ash pairs most often with Maple because its brighter sound and more pronounced highs enhance the Maple’s immediacy and sharpness.īut those are only the most common combinations––other combinations work too! My favorite is Alder and Maple. At LEH, I tend to choose the fingerboard first, then choose a body wood to complement the fingerboard.Īlder pairs most often with Rosewood because it's warmer sound and pronounced bass response complement similar characteristics in Rosewood. While the fingerboard is the foundation, the body wood is also extremely important. ![]() Pau Ferro is a common substitute for Rosewood, in that it shares all of Rosewood’s tonal characteristics, but with a slightly punchier attack. Figuring is purely aesthetic and Birdseye and Flame Maple fingerboards retain the tonal characteristics of unfigured Maple. I also use Figured Maple and Pau Ferro for fingerboards. Ebony sits in between (but closer to maple) with a sharper attack than Rosewood, and more bloom after the initial attack than Maple. Rosewood has a rounder, warmer response than maple, with a slower bloom. Maple has a quicker sharper attack with a more defined treble response. The three most common fingerboard woods are Maple, Ebony and Rosewood. The fingerboard is the foundation, so let’s start there. Since every LEH comes with a quartersawn maple neck, it’ll be the fingerboard and body woods that shape your tone.
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