Fender Basses - info?

[bigtiny]

So, I have some questions about the two premier Fender basses: the Jazz and the Precision.

I know that the Jazz has two pickups and the P has a single pickup.

Can those in the know comment on other differences between the two?

-neck length/girth
-tone
-construction
-preference

Also, if you wanted to buy a REALLY good Fender bass (not necessarily vintage) would you bypass the regular stuff and go right to the custom shop???

Thanks

bigtiny

[SurferJoe46]

Take the P as the yardstick, then the J has the following:

Thinner neck
More pick ups
Pickups in different locations under the strings (harmonics and vibrations-stuff differences)
More knobs
Same length of neck usually
May have different woods in the body and/or neck
Brighter, cleaner sound, but less punch in the mix


Buy a MIM since they both have MIA pickups, necks made in Corona (USA) and the electronics are really the same.

Rats! Now I'll get the Fender knee breakers at my door again for letting that secret out.

I also feel that you cannot be complete without one of each - a J and a P. But beware! The Squiers are fast becoming the better one in price, tone and looks.

The MIAs and some of the MIMs are getting rather higher priced than they should really be in this economy I feel.

Of course - also the above (^) is somewhat anecdotal and is a combination of MY results.



These are my anecdotes anyway.

[jumbodbassman]

scale is the same. jbass will have a thinner neck at nut width and usually in contour.
IMHO tone pbass more midrangey - j bass more versatile.

constructrion - same
preference - try them both -see what YOU like not what everyone on TB says....


custom shop stuff is nice but usually very expensive.

[StrangerDanger]

You should get 1 of each from the Custom Shop.

Seriously man, if you dont know the difference between them then go to a guitar shop and play both. Play everything they got with 4 strings when you find what you like, come back here and scour the classifieds till u find the one you like.

[hdracer]

MIM & MIA neck are NOT the same, Jeez

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by hdracer

MIM & MIA neck are NOT the same, Jeez

Don't say what you don't know.

I live just a few miles from the Fender works and my neighbor's son works for Fender. They load necks with the slightest cosmetic blemish on trucks that go to Mexico twice a week.

Physically they are the same wood, made on the same machines and then they find a dark spot or the grain is just a little 'off' for a MIA.

Jeez, back at ya!

[bigtiny]

Originally Posted by StrangerDanger

You should get 1 of each from the Custom Shop.

Seriously man, if you dont know the difference between them then go to a guitar shop and play both. Play everything they got with 4 strings when you find what you like, come back here and scour the classifieds till u find the one you like.

This isn't a matter of me looking for a bass. I'm trying to educate myself about these basses. It's not the kind of info you can easily find (at least I haven't been able to) so I thought I'd ask.

bigtiny

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by bigtiny

This isn't a matter of me looking for a bass. I'm trying to educate myself about these basses. It's not the kind of info you can easily find (at least I haven't been able to) so I thought I'd ask.

bigtiny

I'll try a little more for you.

Tonight I jammed with some very nice but non-pro people who just get together for music of all sorts and as such they have little direction or know what they want to do with their talent. They have quite a bit of talent but haven't found a music style together yet.

Anyway - I took both a P and my Active Deluxe MIM J to the party just to see what they needed from me and what type of music they play.

The P can honk and lay some seriously moody tones and I've used it for a lot of the low/slow Motown bass lines. It's great for that and I honestly don't find it's got much in the way of middle or highs. If I add all the HIGHs it has - it growls and makes a nice howl that really fits a lot of surf and harder electric blues too.

Now the J is a lot snappier - not necessarily more powerful, but it can punch with jabs, if you follow me. It never lands a haymaker nor a KO punch. It just has a lot more variables in tone and sounds that the P does not have. The J seems more articulated and able to sing in multiple voices, but none of them are particularly powerful unless I used a pick or the back of my index fingernail for that Euro-popping sound on a bass.

They both fill basslines very well, but with different voices and you really have to try them separately yourself on the same amp and speaker combo if possible. Amps can color the sounds/voices of a bass too, so be aware of that and test on the same system..

[acebase62]

A third option would be a P-J combo bass, it depends on what you like to hear or play.

[johnk_10]

IME, while they are both good basses, the MIM and MIA Fenders are not the same. and i think that the pickups in the MIM's and AM standards are no where near as good as the AV RI ones.

IMO, you get what you pay for at all of their price points. what is considered a value is up to the individual.

[BillyC]

You can lean a P bass against your amp,you can't a Jazz.

[johnk_10]

Originally Posted by BillyC

You can lean a P bass against your amp,you can't a Jazz.

very true!

[acebase62]

Originally Posted by BillyC

You can lean a P bass against your amp,you can't a Jazz.

My Jazz and P-J basses have P bodies for this reason (also lighter and balanced).

I wish Fender would release a J bass with a P body.

G&L has the JB-2, Fender could offer something similar.

[bigtiny]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

I'll try a little more for you.

Tonight I jammed with some very nice but non-pro people who just get together for music of all sorts and as such they have little direction or know what they want to do with their talent. They have quite a bit of talent but haven't found a music style together yet.

Anyway - I took both a P and my Active Deluxe MIM J to the party just to see what they needed from me and what type of music they play.

The P can honk and lay some seriously moody tones and I've used it for a lot of the low/slow Motown bass lines. It's great for that and I honestly don't find it's got much in the way of middle or highs. If I add all the HIGHs it has - it growls and makes a nice howl that really fits a lot of surf and harder electric blues too.

Now the J is a lot snappier - not necessarily more powerful, but it can punch with jabs, if you follow me. It never lands a haymaker nor a KO punch. It just has a lot more variables in tone and sounds that the P does not have. The J seems more articulated and able to sing in multiple voices, but none of them are particularly powerful unless I used a pick or the back of my index fingernail for that Euro-popping sound on a bass.

They both fill basslines very well, but with different voices and you really have to try them separately yourself on the same amp and speaker combo if possible. Amps can color the sounds/voices of a bass too, so be aware of that and test on the same system..

thanks...this is the kind of info I was interested in.

bigtiny