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Alternatives to a PJ setup?

Timmah

Timmah

Supporting Member
May 19, 2011
1,789
3,157
Connecticut
#1
I like P basses. Love 'em, in fact. But sometimes I want a little more scoop and snarl, like a Jazz with both pickups up. The natural answer ought to be a PJ configuration, but... it isn't, at least not for me. The P neck pickup loses a little grunt and bark, and the two pickups blended is quieter, with a weirdly positioned scoop that makes the sound more nasal and messy than the sweeter JJ tone.

That's not to say that the JJ tone is exactly what I'm looking for- just that the PJ ain't it. So what say you, Talkbass? What's your favorite bridge pickup for a P bass that isn't a regular J?
 
#2
You won't get what you want sound wise with a bridge pickup swap, keeping the P in the neck. You already figured this out.

Is this some extra expensive bass that would make you averse to modifying the neck pickup rout?

20170308_174127-jpg.1083888
 
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#5
I'll list a few options, but so far my conclusion is that the P works best by itself. See at the bottom for a trick that worked well for me.

Here are some other options I'd consider if I wanted a bridge pickup.
  • PP: probably the best option if you want a classic P sound + bridge pickup that blends with it well. P blends best with P. The bridge P by itself won't work well, the DG side is too close to the bridge.
  • Reverse PP: works even better IMO, IME, but the neck pickup won't have the classic P sound (but close enough)
  • Big Splits in J arrangement: individually they sound like a cross between a P and a J, and they blend great (tho not exactly a JJ sound). Avoids the issue of pickup orientation (reverse vs. normal).
  • Honorable mention: Reverse PJ. Blends better than PJ + gets the J in the bridge if you want it.
What worked best for me was simpler: wire the P in parallel, and add a cap selector switch. This extends the range of the P pickup in the high end, but caps allow you to fine tune the response. In one of the settings it sounds pretty much exactly like the P in series. This gave me the sound I imagined a PJ should do, but didn't.
 
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#8
I don’t seek out P/J axes but I seem to keep winding up with them.
IME P/J systems vary quite a bit in terms of how the two pickups interact. Ideally you get just the right extra bit of scoop & bite - and slightly more output - at the center detent. Sometimes the sweet spot is more elusive, and that can be frustrating.
No getting around some trial & error, but I would prefer my odds, buying both as a a set where the J was made specifically to work with the P.
Active pickups might be worth a look (the EMG P/J is well regarded).
Also a 2-band boost-only circuit like Aguilar OBP-1 or Sadowsky helps get me closer to the J/J vibe. (It’s not cheating if it sounds good!)
 
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#10
Timmah said:
I like P basses. Love 'em, in fact. But sometimes I want a little more scoop and snarl, like a Jazz with both pickups up. The natural answer ought to be a PJ configuration, but... it isn't, at least not for me. The P neck pickup loses a little grunt and bark, and the two pickups blended is quieter, with a weirdly positioned scoop that makes the sound more nasal and messy than the sweeter JJ tone.

That's not to say that the JJ tone is exactly what I'm looking for- just that the PJ ain't it. So what say you, Talkbass? What's your favorite bridge pickup for a P bass that isn't a regular J?
Click to expand...
The output thing will always be a problem with two pickups on. In any configuration.

But, a musicman makes a great bridge addition to a split P
 
#15
Not all PJs are created equal. I've played some in which the J pickup was apparently added as an afterthought, with little regard to how it balanced with the neck pickup. Type of pickup, placement of the bridge pickup, even the height will all affect how the bass sounds. I've found that I have little use for a bridge pickup in the classic 70s position, closer to the bridge, but move it forward a smidge and it suddenly works a lot better.
 
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#19
I love the idea of a P. I had a great P for awhile a long, long time ago that had all the right synergy.
But:
1) I don't like an offset pickup;
2) I don't like the bridge spacing;
3) My hands don't like 34-inch scale;
4) Neck dive from the weight of the large traditional tuners.
I do like:
1) The ergonomics of the body;
2) Everything "on top," i.e. controls, jack, etc.;
3) Nut width and neck profile;
4) Overall tone from the classic alder body/maple neck/rosewood fingerboard recipe.
So...many years ago I had a custom P-style bass made. Link:
A Different Custom P-style Bass | TalkBass.com
BlueBass.JPG
 
#20
JimmyM said:
Don’t know why people think the P pickup gets affected when you install a J with it. Turn off the J and it’s a P bass.
Click to expand...

Depends on how it's wired. A VVT control scheme is very different in how it works than a P bass control scheme. The volume controls are wired backwards, so when you turn it down, the tone is different than it is on a P, and when it's full up, and the J is off, the load from the second volume control changes the tone as well.

If you use a switch to take the J out of the circuit, you can fix all of this - one volume control, wired the right way.
 
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