Sticking with the P

klejst · #1 09-04-2011, 09:45 PM

My stock 1998 Fender Precision Standard has been my only bass and my main player for a long time now. Awesome tone and sound, good player, and overall a great bass. In fact I love that bass. Now, I have always known what benefits it was to have a second bass or a backup especially when gig'ing and traveling, but I never needed it, I consider myself lucky I guess (knock-on-wood for all that). About a week ago I came across a guy selling a Fender Jazz Bass Standard for cheap. I have heard a lot of bass players say the phrase that "a respectable bassist would have a both a Precision and a Jazz in their arsenal." I was curious, however I have never been one to be attracted to the Jazzes. But, for the price he was selling it I figured I would give it a chance. After testing it out, long story short about the only thing I liked about the Jazz was the thinner neck, but even that was not a huge deal to me. It just did not sound as good to my ears as my Precision. Now I know they are two different styles of basses with different pickups, however it just seemed to lack a lot. Perhaps my ears are just too tuned to that classic P sound. This is not hating on the Jazz bass, but it appears the Jazz is just not for me after. I'll be on the lookout for a great deal like that, but a Precision. I have always been a fan of Fender though.

SlingBass4 · #2 09-04-2011, 09:58 PM

I have both. They afford me a full pallet of sounds from Jaco back to James. There may have been a reason the Jazz was so cheap. OTOH...often times it takes some simple adjustment or modding (It's a Fender - NOT rocket science). Perhaps another bass/another time

AndrewTaran · #3 09-04-2011, 10:00 PM

Somehow me & jazz bass couldn't finally meet for almost 6 years...I had couple nice deals during this time for J, but they all didn't work. I had Fender P, Ibanez, Musicman(both Sterling and Stingray), but never had a J.
I just moved to Canada, so I sold all my stuff back in my home country. When it was time to buy a new bass here I thought : "Well, all things new so let's finally buy jazz bass!" and with this decision to buy Squier Classic Vibe Jazz I went into local music store. It was nice, beautiful looking and good sounding Jazz! But some feeling inside made me go to the bass wall and pick up that Fiesta Red P. One note, and I knew that I would buy it! They both sounded great, but P felt like my "relative" bass. I know that someday I would probably buy Jazz, 'cause I'll get into it. But P was and is my first love.

sloppy_phil · #4 09-04-2011, 10:05 PM

Well, to each his own. A Jazz is definitely a different kind of bass tonally from a P. I also ran just a Precision for a good while before I decided I needed/wanted a second bass. Instead of a Jazz, I got a Ric. Different beast altogether, but it totally satisfied that 'not-a-precision' quest I was on. In fact, I think I might even dig it more than the P....

Gaolee · #5 09-04-2011, 10:06 PM

I have a P and an EB-2. That's a different pallet of tonal colors. I don't see a need for another Fender plank.

skychief · #6 09-04-2011, 10:13 PM

theres no reason for a P bass lover to have a J bass. None. But if you could score that J for an insanely low price, you should snag it, re-sell it, and buy a nice back-up P with the money you made off the sale of the J.

for the record: Im a J bass player...wouldnt be caught DEAD playin a P!!! LOL

walterw · #7 09-04-2011, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klejst

My stock 1998 Fender Precision Standard has been my only bass and my main player for a long time now.

About a week ago I came across a guy selling a Fender Jazz Bass Standard for cheap.

this was a mexican standard?

a good bass for the money (and a great platform for upgrades), but this is not a fair comparison to your american P bass.

put some good pickups in it, and try again. (if you like the "classic" P sound, a "classic" J set from say, duncan or fender would make the most sense.)

dial in the neck by itself and you'll have a good comparison to your P. ("noise? what noise? oh, you mean that? if the crowd dosn't like it, then too bad"

)

klejst · #8 09-04-2011, 10:26 PM

Ha ha thanks for the replies guys. I guess it really is to each their own. My first love was the Precision, so I suppose I am just being pride and true to her. Maybe it was just a slight spurt of GAS with the Jazz. He sold it soon after by the way which is really no surprise. I have made due with my P for a long time, I am sure I can continue on until another good deal worth looking into comes up.

Edit: My Precision is MIM as well. Ha ha thanks walterw, yeah I am sure I would care about the sound way more before a crowd would.

walterw · #9 09-04-2011, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klejst

Addition to post: My Precision is MIM as well.

ah, then it was a fair comparison after all.

do yourself a favor and get a kick-ass pickup for that thing. the mexi pickups are not as good as the rest of the bass, if that makes any sense.

a fender "original" or duncan SPB-1 would be a big leap up in terms of sounding like the real thing (and like all the records) and would only set you back $50-$60.

jallenbass · #10 09-04-2011, 10:33 PM

George Porter Jr does OK with only a Precision.

walterw · #11 09-04-2011, 10:33 PM

oh, and i also figured out years ago that i was a P guy too, so my '96 american standard is all i have or want. (i did put a fancy fralin pickup in it, though.)

carlos840 · #12 09-05-2011, 04:10 AM

I have 2 of each and use either without any issues!

You just need to get used to the way the Jazz fills the mix, they sit in a different place!

Maybe try some flats on the Jazz! Everybody rambles on about flats on a P but a set of chromes on a Jazz is a really nice combination!

thunderstation · #13 09-05-2011, 05:46 AM

I know what you mean - i have had my Fender Precision since 1973. i've had other basses but never for very long and the precision always hit it. I got a MIM Fender Jazz for Christmas this year - I have to admit it's lot's of fun to play, but took me a while to get the tone I like and to learn it's idio-synchrises.
I did add a thumb rest & I put a strip of acoustic foam under the string next to the bridge.
But I still go back to the precision just for joy of it.

MrRobert · #14 09-05-2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

ah, then it was a fair comparison after all.

do yourself a favor and get a kick-ass pickup for that thing. the mexi pickups are not as good as the rest of the bass, if that makes any sense.

a fender "original" or duncan SPB-1 would be a big leap up in terms of sounding like the real thing (and like all the records) and would only set you back $50-$60.

Walter,
I have 2 mim p's, a '97 and an '08 and am very seriously considering putting either a fender original or a Duncan antiquity in the 08. It's been hard for me to find comparisons between the two though, so I was wondering if you have any insight on either? Can you explain the difference in sound between the stock and the original? For the price, the originals seem like a solid, low risk/high gain improvement to my bass. Friends tell me to get the antiquity, but it seems a bit spendy compared to the fender original.
Thanks!

pbassnut · #15 09-05-2011, 09:33 AM

I've got both. Love the P and it is my "desert island" bass, but the J is a great bass, too. The key (with either one) is finding a good one. With all the different pedigrees out there ... USA, MIJ, CIJ, MIM, Custom Shop, boutique knockoffs, pre-CBS, FrankenP&Js made w/parts along with all the hot rodding that is done w/aftermarket pickups and hardware ... the quality is all over the place. Even among the less than stellar, there is a certain percentage of "diamonds in the rough" that could be good with some tweaking by a skilled luthier. I suspect that there are some bassists who don't care for Fender (type) Ps and Js simply because they haven't had a chance to play a really good one. However, they're not necessarily for everybody and there are all kinds of great instrument options available for bass players these days.