Another Precision Bass vs. Jazz Bass Question

[Pings Bass]

If the width of the neck at the nut* is hard for adult sized hands, even small hands, I think there's likely a technique issue at play.

People make a big deal about minor differences in neck dimensions, but I maintain with proper technique they make very little difference. (That makes me
an outlier around here, but it comes from experience regularly switching between upright and electrics with many different kinds of necks, including P and J and 5- and 6-strings.)

*There's diminishing width difference as you play further up the neck, to the point of it being indistinguishable

 

[jdjk7]

I'm sure this question is often asked, but here's my dilemma. I'm a big guy, but I don't have long fingers. I am heading to the intermediate level. I LOVE the sound of the Fender pbass, but I like the jazz bass well enough. Playing the wider neck on the pbass is very challenging, and I lean to the playability of the jazz bass--I also like the look. I'm only interested in Fender basses, so what are my options? Can a jazz bass really work in a band or church setting? I often hear that the pbass is the way to go for almost all situations.

It's not that big of a deal. As far as the sound, they will sound different, but whether that matters to you is really a personal choice. For me, I tend to prefer different basses (or different pickup configurations) in different settings, but for me it is often on a song-by-song basis and not so much about genre or band/ensemble.

There are some who will tell you that it literally doesn't matter what kind of bass you get as long as it feels good/looks good. I don't personally agree with this, as the way different basses sound is definitely core to why I choose them over others. For someone who is still inexperienced with different basses, I wouldn't be the first to encourage being undiscerning about the sound... because I think that developing an ear for the way these instruments sound is one of the more underrated skills amongst learning bass players.

 

[sethlow3]

G&L LB-100

 

[charliethomas]

G&L LB-100

Well, I really like the LB-100 but I don't see how it's relevant to this thread. The US model shares the same nut width as modern P basses and the tribute version has an even wider nut width at 1.75"

 

[FRoss6788]

Well, I really like the LB-100 but I don't see how it's relevant to this thread. The US model shares the same nut width as modern P basses and the tribute version has an even wider nut width at 1.75"

View attachment 5131921 View attachment 5131922

Some folks can't help themselves but to suggest something other than a Fender when the OP wants a Fender.

Kinda weird.

 

[40Hz]

27654169[/URL], member: 293725"]There are some who will tell you that it literally doesn't matter what kind of bass you get as long as it feels good/looks good. I don't personally agree with this, as the way different basses sound is definitely core to why I choose them over others.

True, but only up to a point IMO.

At stage volume levels in your average space (which isn’t designed for good acoustics) a lot of those subtitles go right out the window. Sure, you’ll absolutely hear significant differences in a studio setting, when recording, or at low volume in your den or bedroom. But most of us aren’t going to be playing in ideal listening environments most times.

Then there’s the amp and cab and the player’s technique to consider. Because what we hear and think of as “the bass sound” is actually made up of three components: the instrument, the amp, and the player. Change one or more of those three elements and you get a different “bass.” Which is why using the same instrument and duplicating the rig of some other player very seldom results in player A sounding the same as player B. Or why the same bass guitar played through two different amps can sound like two different instruments. And lets not even get started on which strings to consider using with which bass.

So for the purpose of providing a straightforward answer the OP’s original question as to whether a JB can be used in a church setting, the answer is: yes. A JB would work just fine for that.

Many years ago when I was doing a lot of church service music I used a JB most times. So I can speak from personal experience even though his own mileage may vary.

And as far as his concern about whether he should seriously consider playing a less comfortable (for him) PB instead, a good answer is: since either bass would work equally well in this instance, he should just play the more comfortable instrument.

 

[Yahboy]

No panic. Pbass with J neck .

Here the solution...

Fender Nate Mendel Precision Bass - Road Worn Candy Apple Red



For small money spend....this...

Squier Sonic Precision Bass - California Blue

 

[logdrum]

If the width of the neck at the nut* is hard for adult sized hands, even small hands, I think there's likely a technique issue at play.

People make a big deal about minor differences in neck dimensions, but I maintain with proper technique they make very little difference. (That makes me
an outlier around here, but it comes from experience regularly switching between upright and electrics with many different kinds of necks, including P and J and 5- and 6-strings.)

*There's diminishing width difference as you play further up the neck, to the point of it being indistinguishable

You and I are the same. Scales, string spacings, they do not bother me

 

[MrAB4003]

The Jazz Bass is 70 years on the market.

In 2030 this will be true

 

[REV]

For years I only played Jazz basses (along with my upright). Like you I really like the sound of a P bass but every time I tried one I didn't like the neck so I finally put a Jazz Bass neck on a P bass body and there it was. These days I play my P bass way more than my Jazz.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Many PJ basses are available with relatively narrow J-ish necks, so it's worth exploring different options. Even Fender offers some models with this feature.

However, my personal PJ preference nowadays leans towards Yamaha BB basses.

 

[amper]

Can a jazz bass really work in a band or church setting? I often hear that the pbass is the way to go for almost all situations.

In my opinion, Precision Bass is never the way to go in any situation. You will hear a lot of things from a lot of people. Musicians are surprisingly conservative and fearful to step outside of the commonly accepted "wisdom". Use your own ears, your own eyes, your own fingers, and decide for yourself.

 

[antfarm]

Japanese Fender Precision Basses have slim necks, e.g. the Hama Okamoto Signature.

 

[amper]

Buy a jazz neck and stick it on a P bass if you're looking for the P sound with the J comfort.

Or put a Precision neck on a Jazz body, and get Jazz sound with Precision comfort. Or buy a StingRay, instead. I hate Jazz Bass necks, they are way too narrow for comfort.

 

[petermwright]

Both the PB and the JB can be used interchangeably in virtually any music setting. You can also easily install a JB neck on a PB body or vice versa if you prefer the the body and pickups of one but are more comfortable playing on the neck of the other model. It’s a fairly common modification that only requires a Phillips screwdriver and removing and reinstalling four screws to accomplish.

This 100%.

 

[BasEd]

I don’t have large hands and can happily swap between a 1.5 J and 1.75 P. It just takes time to adjust. They make you play slightly differently which is good. I prefer the 1.625 P neck which doesn’t feel too much wider than a 1.5 J. Both basses are interchangeable but I prefer P for soul and J for funk (nice slap tone although the P also as a nice slap … Forget Me Nots). The J can get lost a bit sometimes with both pickups up full as it loses some mids. Easy to fix by adjusting pickup volumes. P has plenty of mids. Both great basses.

 

[BazzaBass]

I'm sure this question is often asked, but here's my dilemma. I'm a big guy, but I don't have long fingers. I am heading to the intermediate level. I LOVE the sound of the Fender pbass, but I like the jazz bass well enough. Playing the wider neck on the pbass is very challenging, and I lean to the playability of the jazz bass--I also like the look. I'm only interested in Fender basses, so what are my options? Can a jazz bass really work in a band or church setting? I often hear that the pbass is the way to go for almost all situations.

Depends on your Theological bent

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Of course a J-bass will work. It won't sound EXACTLY like a P-bass but a J-bass with the neck pickup soloed gets close enough for most situations. Some people will even prefer a J-bass neck pickup tone over a P-bass. Personally I think a P-bass tends to "sit" better in the mix but this will depend on other factors too, like your amp/cab, your tone control/eq settings, the style of music, the band, your playing style, the room and the FOH engineer...

A J-bass can of course also give you tones that you will NEVER get from a P-bass: The thinner, growlier sounding bridge pickup and the scooped, comb filtered tone you get from blending the pickups. Personally I never use these types of tones so for me personally it's really about P-bass vs J-bass neck pickup... and I slightly prefer the P-bass.

Neck pickup soloed on a single coil J-bass won't be hum-cancelling though. If you want a hum cancelling J-bass you'll either have to use both pickups at full volume (which won't sound even remotely close to a P-bass) or use hum cancelling pickups. Hum cancelling J-bass pickups may actually get you closer to a P-bass than single coils, at least if you get split coils rather than stacked coils. I think the closest I've ever gotten to a P-bass tone from a J-bass was with the SD Apollos, with the neck pickup soloed of course. The physical position of the J-bass neck pickup will always make it sound slightly different to a P but a split coil J-bass neck pickup can get you pretty close.

Anyway, get a bass with a neck that feels great for YOUR hands and worry about the tone or hum IF it turns out to be an issue. The neck is THE most important part of a bass.

J-bass necks can vary a lot too of course. The nut width may be the same but the profile and the front-to-back depth of the neck can be VERY different. Some J-bass necks actually feel bulkier to me than many P-basses.

Which leads me to the following question:

Did you try P-basses with the narrower "modern" nut widths (like the Fender Player, Aerodyne and American Pro/Performer/Ultra)?

Or did you only try "vintage reissue" P-basses with the wider nut widths (like the Fender Vintera and American Vintage/Original)?

If you've only tried the wider "vintage reissue" P-bass necks you might want to test one of the narrower ones. P-bass necks vary even more than J-bass necks and the wider models aren't for everyone. Personally I don't think something like the Player P-bass with it's rather flat "Modern C" profile should require bigger hands than many J-basses. The same goes for the rather slim Aerodyne P but if you're getting a Fender for their classic visual appearance you probably don't want an Aerodyne...

Still, if you can't find a Fender P-bass neck you like and you absolutely must have a Fender you really have no choice (outside Custom Shop...): Get a J-bass. If you end up with hum issues you can always change the pickups to a hum-cancelling type later. And don't forget, bass players have used noisy single coil J-basses with great success for DECADES.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Many PJ basses are available with relatively narrow J-ish necks, so it's worth exploring different options. Even Fender offers some models with this feature.

However, my personal PJ preference nowadays leans towards Yamaha BB basses.

I agree about the BBs. Yamaha BBs are much better instruments than Fenders when comparing models in the same price range IMO. But the OP specifically wants a Fender with a slim neck. The BB necks aren't particularly slim and if you want the classic Fender vibe you really need to get a Fender. For better or worse, there's something about Fenders that just "feels" different to a BB. And if you find a GOOD Fender they can be superb instruments too of course, they're just not as consistently good as the BBs. I could easily buy a BB untested but I would never do that with a Fender these days!

I don't think Fender have any P-basses or PJs with J-bass necks though?

Of course you could buy a Fender P-bass plus an original Fender replacement J-bass neck and sell the spare P-bass neck to cover some of the extra cost. This would still be a "Fender" I guess. But it also means buying untested. You won't know how the instruments feels, or about stuff like dead spots until you've mounted the new neck. And if I wanted to assemble a parts bass I'd rather go with Warmoth. With the right choice of options/parts a Warmoth can REALLY "feel" like a classic Fender. Warmoth is also much better quality than Fender IMO. But the OP specifically wants Fender which (as far as I can tell) limits the options to "0" if you want a P-bass with a J-bass neck...

 

[themickster]

I'm sure this question is often asked, but here's my dilemma. I'm a big guy, but I don't have long fingers. I am heading to the intermediate level. I LOVE the sound of the Fender pbass, but I like the jazz bass well enough. Playing the wider neck on the pbass is very challenging, and I lean to the playability of the jazz bass--I also like the look. I'm only interested in Fender basses, so what are my options? Can a jazz bass really work in a band or church setting? I often hear that the pbass is the way to go for almost all situations.

Play whatever you want to play; there's nothing magical or supernatural about the split coil pickup of the P, and you're not breaking any laws by having something else. If you truly must have a split coil, Fender make a PJ jazz, with the thin neck. Either that or buy some longer fingers.