[quote="Jefenator":h7tba35h]I'm finding on my Afterburner I, there's something about series mode I just can't resist.[/quote:h7tba35h] Yes, absolutely! The series sound is bread and butter with extra balls! The mid switch or the neck pickup are good for slap, but for cutting through the mix, series can't be beaten.

I'm still discovering sounds on my AB-II. The bridge pickup with bass boosted ~40% and a slight treble cut is really tasty. On an AB-I you can boost the lower freqs on your amp, I guess, to see if it works for you. I really like the neck pickup soloed and in mach-II mode at home; but it doesn't cut through in with a band in my very limited experience. I keep trying though, it's a very good P sound that I'd like to use. Regarding parallel vs. series, I like the series more but the output increase changes what the effects do. The compressor effectively has a lower threshold, etc. It really changes the feel. For that reason, I either play in series with a volume cut on the bass, and don't change it until the song is done, or a bass-boosted bridge pup that is switched to parallel for more meat when needed.

Even on my Z3, with tonal options times ten to the twelfth, I spend 95% of the time with neck and bridge pups maxed, both in series (and the other 5% remembering why). I love the bass, but most of its' flexibility is wasted on me. I would be happy as a clam with this configuration hardwired and stacked vol/tone knobs. Frankly, if someone offered me an older Z1 in great condition with cash, and I liked the colour, I'd likely swap the Z3.

[quote="lomo":16vc03f8]Even on my Z3, with tonal options times ten to the twelfth, I spend 95% of the time with neck and bridge pups maxed, both in series [b:16vc03f8](and the other 5% remembering why)[/b:16vc03f8].[/quote:16vc03f8] Heh heh, well put! I'm seriously looking at modding my J-bass, now - give it the opportunity to kick some butt. The biggest dilemma is whether to even bother, wiring up a parallel option.

Most of my Dingwalls stay in series all the time. I would have to agree that of all the tonal possibilities available with most basses, even with a simple Jazz bass setup, I will only use a couple of settings. I'll do the rest with my fingers. I never thought about doing that mod to a J bass. Here's a link to how a couple of fellows did it: hmmm... http://www.talkbass.com/forum/archive/i ... t-262.html Mark

I tend to keep my Afterburners in series most of the time (with the occasional use of the neck pickup only), whereas my SuperJ5 gets roughly equal use of both series and parallel with some neck soloed as well. I find that using series on the SJ is kind-of like what I'd expect a PJ to sound like with, with the extra mid punch.

Interesting. I remember the first time I had an ABI it always stayed in series but since I got this one it spends about 90% of the time with neck pup soloed for that sweet P sound it cops so effortlessly. The other 10% of band time it spends in series for those really punchy slap parts that need to be out front to drive a few of our songs. I like the J sounds I get from parallel mode and I use the bridge soloed for a lot of the solo stuff I mess with at home but neither see much performance time. I've also found that while I like the sound of the bluEQube while slapping at home and practicing on my own but my tone sits better in the band mix without it.

Just did a Gypsy Jazz house party w/ a trio. If there were any setting where parallel might prevail, this would be it (can't get much mellower or sparser). Well I wound up back in series. I tried grooving in parallel (or neck) then taking melodic solos in series, but eventually found series was best for both. I usually can't keep from farting around with knobs and switches. (That's why I don't do G&L ) But I might eventually stay off that rotary switch. (Never tried neck or parallel last night with the 10-piece Salsa band. Man, the AB1 [i:2dirulmo]absolutely killed[/i:2dirulmo] on that gig.)

Lately I'm favoring series wired pu's in parallel.

I'm also coming to the same conclusion with my new ABII-X Top, that it would sound better if it was running both pickups in parallel, wired in series. Stock setup is bridge pickup wired in series, but it seems to overpower the neck pickup and gives the bass a bit of a honky/mid-strong tone that isn't quite as versatile as I'd like. Cheers, EG

I'll be performing this surgery on one of my J style basses this weekend. Mark

Yep, series for me. Sound guys want all the signal they can get. Sheldon must like series too, he wired the pups in my fretless as series with a blend knob (front/rear).

I'm a parallel man myself...I find series too hot most of the time on my ABII-5 (BluEQube, Aggy OBP-1, FD-3 pups).

I use my neck pu in series and bridge in parallel and both in parallel on my prima. If I want more bite I'll flip the bridge on to series if I want to to blow the doors out I'll go to pu in series. In the venue I play all series is to much. I'm still playing with all the possibilities with my Z3.

Hmm I also spend most of my time in series mode with both pickups in series mode. Just my favourite sound that the bass produces, although I do definitely use the other settings for songs that call for a little bit different tone.

When I 1st got my bass I was using series more, but I think it's because it sounds really good with the FD3's that are parallel. The series setting is a Sonic Freight Train.

I've had by best sound to date on a gig yesterday. I'm too tired to explain the exact sound, but I was using series, with the neck pup in parallel and bridge pup in series. The room was very boomy so I didn't boost bass, as I usually do (I even had to cut bass a little on the amp). After a while I just switched to passive. Regarding pickup series/parallel switching, I think of it as boosting a pickup. I don't percieve it as being middy or honky, but simply louder. Could be that I'm a young'un, I'm still discovering the powers of eq.