Another Precision Bass vs. Jazz Bass Question

[MtManiac]

Pretty much any bass will fit any music situation. I’m primarily a P bass player, and the people telling you this are also P bass players, and there’s this weird tribal thing most everyone slips into where they have to persuade complete strangers on the internet to like what they like - that’s all this is. Play what you like, nobody else has your hands or your ears. Things would suck if we all did the same thing.

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Play whatever feels good to you.
J or P will work in any situation.
I like both and play both whatever music I’m playing.
Sometimes I’ll grab a Ric or a T bird. I say get a jazz and still keep the P. Fun to change up.

 

[Auer]

After 42 more pages of this thread the OP has been convinced to get a 11 string wish bass and wear a hat that holds two cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

 

[JGbassman]

Use whichever feels best for you. Any competent foh engineer can make the bass work great in the mix. I personally feel string type/brand will make as much of a difference as will either a P or J style bass.

In the studio the subtleties will stand out more, but in a live setting (especially church) there is so much going on there will be little difference out front.
Many pro gospel bassists use a j-style 5 string, so that’s actually more the norm than the p bass.
I play country, and my touring rig is an American standard passive 5 string jazz into a pedalboard. I run ampless and use in ear monitoring. If you are going back and forth from finger style to slap, and active preamp could be useful to dial in a quick variance between styles.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Play whatever bass you want. You can make it work.

Tirana Porter played a different bass for each tour so he could identify the photos.
Pete Townshend play a Ric, a Strat, a Tele, a Lex Paul, and always maintained "his" sound.
Geddy played with Yes, using a Jazz, fingerstyle.

Etc.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I often hear that the pbass is the way to go for almost all situations.

This is true.
Unless of course, you use a J-Bass for most situations. (which I did for most of 3 decades)
Then I re-discovered P-Basses.

I love them both. What a dilemma!

 

[BasEd]

I think you evolve as a bass player and gradually learn what you like. It can be an expensive journey though. Your taste can also change as you develop. And one bass doesn’t necessarily fit all situations. I’ve owned over 30 basses of all sorts and prices and one of my favourites at the moment is a MIM Fender Player P, maple neck, 9.5 radius, 1.635 wide and flatish C profile neck (front to back). This would be a good place to start in my opinion. Not too expensive. I always try to buy used to keep the cost down even further. With any bass, give it time and gigs to get to know it. You can flip it if you don’t like it. Buying basses can become addictive though! Perhaps better to invest money in becoming a better player (teachers etc).

 

[Shindig73]

IF I could only have one, I’d probably get a Jazz.

I’ve heard soloed Jazz neck pickups come very close to a P bass, but can’t recall a P bass sounding entirely like a Jazz and its various pickup mixed.

My 2 cents.

 

[KaizerRainMan]

P-Bass is cool, but I prefer a Jazz. Either way, any one of those basses will have you covered.

 

[fhm555]

If you want an actual Fender with a Jazz neck, Jazz body, and a Precision pickup, you can take a look at the Aerodynes, the Reggie Hamilton signature bass, or the Fender Blacktop Jazz bass.

Don’t forget the Deluxe (MIM) and Plus (US) P models. I haven't shopped basses in several years so I’m not sure if the MIM Deluxe P still has a J neck, but it did when I bought one in 2011, but returned it as I could not get comfortable with the body after so many years playing J basses. The Plus series basses were only produced for a few years in the early 90’s so they might be tough to find.

 

[Tim Grant]

If you already have a jazz bass that you like the feel of try rewiring the pickups to a series. It is reversible if you don't like the sound or you can buy a $10 push/pull pot that will switch back to the standard pickup configuration in an instant. It is not identical but it gives you a sound closer to a P bass. There are plenty of directions online that will show you how to do the procedure.

 

[Killing Floor]

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

Same. I never thought about it. The piano I took some lessons on as a kid was 60” wide. My violin is a lot smaller.
I get how it can matter, I have preferences for neck profiles. Just don’t care about width or spacing or scale.
I often play a 30.7 fretted and a 34” unlined fretless back to back. Your brain sorts it out.
People like what they like and that’s cool.

 

[HardNHeavy]

the answer is always...you need both! or some neck swapping.

 

[BASSDROID]

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.)

Another outlier here. The bass guitars and double basses that are in my collection vary considerably, one from another. They are there because they resonate with me in one way or another. I adjust my technique to whichever instrument I am using and this doesn't bother me at all.

For those for whom this is not the case and prefer to play one instrument that meets their definition of perfection, well that's fine too! Theres absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as you are able to accomplish what you want to accomplish, musically speaking.

To the OP: As previously stated, there are quite a few options already available that encompass the qualities you are after. Try as many as you can until you find one that absolutely knocks you out.

Certainly you could also build your own. That could be a fun and awesome project especially if you decide to go down the Warmoth/AllParts rabbit hole.

 

[nickpc]

Can a jazz bass really work in a band or church setting?

I played my Fender USA Jazz for 6 years at my church, no problem. I only stopped playing it when I got my Sadowsky, which is also a Jazz.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

You need a P bass with a J neck. They can be found. I suffer from short fingers - I can't span 4 frets on a 34" scale, so I have to be creative with my technique.
If you can't find one, you can always buy a J neck and put it on a P.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

You can always rig up a series-parallel switch on a Jazz. When you put Jazz pickups in series, you’ll get closer to a PBass tone than using the J neck pickup solo’d, and you get that without the single coil hum

 

[CoughSyrup]

Don’t forget the Deluxe (MIM) and Plus (US) P models. I haven't shopped basses in several years so I’m not sure if the MIM Deluxe P still has a J neck, but it did when I bought one in 2011, but returned it as I could not get comfortable with the body after so many years playing J basses. The Plus series basses were only produced for a few years in the early 90’s so they might be tough to find.

I checked the Fender website before I posted and didn't see any current model Precision basses with a jazz width nut.

 

[mrjim123]

It's not necessarily harder, but it is more fatiguing if gigging with it.

One man's meat is another man's poison. Answers like this one should always contain a "YMMV" caveat.

 

[BigBadBen67]

The necks are interchangeable. Right now I have four P basses. Every one has a Jazz neck.

Find a Jazz neck you like, swap it out, and sell the P neck here in the classifieds