Hi guys.

OK, it's seemingly becoming rapid that I'm not getting a G3.. so..
I think my next choice would be a MIM Pbass, but I don't know if I should get that J-pup installed or not, so this is where you guys come in...!

OK, as far as I know, the J pup eliminate's hum? Correct? What else would it do for me? I'd be using stock pickups, so what kinda of sound would I get out over the standard p-bass setup?

Thanks all :)

I would get one with it installed. You will have a lot more tone with it. I don't think it cancels hum though. The single P pu will give you that warm standard bass sound, but with the J it should give some added brights and mids which would help with slapping and popping and picking. Play some both ways before you buy one thats the best way to go.

I'll need to try 'n' find one, becuase I don't the shop would be very happy if I ordered it, then didnt want it ;)

Originally posted by Microbass
Hi guys.

OK, as far as I know, the J pup eliminate's hum? Correct? What else would it do for me? I'd be using stock pickups, so what kinda of sound would I get out over the standard p-bass setup?

Thanks all :)

Hey MB,
The P-Bass is already hum-cancelling. The J-bass PU alone will add buzz (60 cycle hum) even used with the P-Bass you'll get hum from the J-bass.You can't ever get hum-cancelling from 3 coils.

I had a fender P-J bass for a couple of years. It was an OK bass, the P-Bass sound was a little fatter and less defined because it was located closer to the neck than a regular P-Bass pickup. A little too much string vibration in my opinion which led to a mushier sound. Overall it was a usuable bass but I (personally) would get alot more mileage out of a regular P or J.

You could add a noiseless J pup, like a Bill Lawrence J-45, or get a P-Bass pup with the characteristics of both (BL P-46).

there are two general kinds of noiseless Js stacked and split, split is pretty much the same as a p pickup but the coils are inline

...I have both, and neither sounds like a P. There are component, and not least circuit design differences. Same config, does not equal same voice. If it did, there would be a *very very very* small aftermarket pups industry.

:confused:

If you are referring to my post I meant of course that split-coil J pups have a similar construction to P-Bass pickups

...That's not even right...unless your definition of "similar" greatly differs from mine. Too many variables for successful comparisons, IMO.

similar construction (in this case) means to me: Both have two separate coils one for the E-A string pair and another for the D and G strings and these are reverse wound to each other as to cancel hum. The only real difference is that for the p pup the coils are in separate housings which are not in line


PS: I wasn't saying a word about similar sound

No. Leave the Precision as a pure P-Bass.

:D

Unless you have a switching device that will completely isolate the J pickup, it will influence the tone from the P pickup. The Fender HotRod P is an example. Almost a P, but not quite.

Keeping your Precision as a pure bass also opens the door to acquiring another bass. It is much more fun to have a P, a J fretless, and an L-1500/Stingray, than to have one bass.

This way you can run TI Flats on the P-bass, skinny rounds on the fretless (TI Jazz Rounds) for mwah, and gnarly stainless rounds on the L1500/Stingray for grind and slap.

What homeboy Gavin says.

Passive P/J mixes are a difficult concept to pull off well. The output from a pair of Precision pickups (which are two pickups wired in noise-cancelling mode like a humbucker) is substantially hotter than a single Jazz pickup, so there is an inherent imbalance.

Fender's pricey and now-discontinued MIA "Hot Rodded" Precision Bass used a special set of Jazz & Precision pickups that were output-matched to overcome this somewhat, but many people do not care for the resulting Jazz sound or Precision sound. These pickups were used on no other Fender bass.

I have one of these beautiful HRPBs, which I enjoy for its other features, irrespective of the P/J pickups. I find that the Precision sound is pretty much like my other Precisions, and maybe the added Jazz pickup will come in handy someday for something, I don't know.

All in all, the P/J concept seems more like a gimmick than anything else, and I would never consider modifying an otherwise serviceable instrument.

Using an active system will reduce mixing problems

If you want a passive bass you could also wire it in stereo and run it into two different amps or into a real mixer (almost the same as using an active system, probably even better)