Modding my Jazz Bass

 Over the weekend I did a mod of one of my Jazz Basses. I installed the Audere Audio Pro JZ3 preamp. This is an incredibly versatile preamp that comes prewired onto a Jazz Bass control plate,complete with control knobs and all parts necessary to do the instal. It's a solder-less setup which uses blocks for a quick and easy change over. No soldering gun is needed at all. In fact Audere even includes wire crimps and heat tubing for the ground wire. They even throw in the battery.

 The Pro JZ3 features a super sensitive  4 band eq and a programable 3 way Z Mode switch. The Z Mode reconfigures the preamp,changing the load applied to the pickups. In other words each position of the 3 way switch affects the pickups tonality and voicing. Throw the 4 band EQ on top of that and you have a very expansive sound pallet to work with. That's not all either.The Z-Mode switch on the newly redesigned Pro series is programmable using an included button harness which temporarily attaches to a two pin jack on the units well dressed PCB. The programming instructions are straight forward and easy. Each pickup can now be voiced according to the player's needs and pickup construction (ceramic,alnico). You get that high end sound while still retaining the passive sound..but punchier,meatier,brighter.

 And did I mention the cool blue LED that lets you know how much battery life is left? Yep...it also does a great job of letting you know when you have programmed the Z Mode with the desired program mod.
 I have 2 other basses with the original JZ3 units on them and they sound amazing. The new Pro series really ups the ante with it's programmable options and 4 band EQ. I am amazed at how well constructed the unit is.Clean with no weak points or cheap parts.The pots are solid,noiseless,and actually work well with a truly noticeable frequency sweep.The Z Mode switch is well placed and usable.
 The total time it took me to instal the JZ3 was about 25 mins..and that included programming the Z Mode switch. No soldering,no schematics,no B.S.
 If you are in the mind of adding some beef to your Jazz Bass or any other bass,for that matter (they offer a pre-wired harness unit for wood top Jazz Basses or non Jazz Basses too), then do yourself a favor and check out the JZ-3 by Audere Audio.At a mere $149.00 (US dollars) you will be hard pressed to find a better pre-amp at any price point.

Audere Audio