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Anyone convert their P to a PJ and regretted it?

#41
Derek Kay said:
I've had a J and a P bass, although good neither was versatile enough in their individual right.

Then Macca's Yahama and Bernard Edwards "Good Times" made me notice the reverse P. Lee Sklar confirmed it.

Reduce the bottom end for E & A, replace it on the preamp, and D & A have a better bottom than before. Logic. Leo F agreed.

Between seasons of prerecording TV talent shows, Í converted my EMG hotrod to reverse P, and the difference was proved to me. The new mixes were better than earlier.

But I still wanted the growl and roar of the J as well. My last hotrod was a reverse P (70s Fender) and a SD hot stack J.
I wired it stereo out to mix then individually. I got a P sound unaltered, and the choice of adding J attributes separately mixed or together. That gave me 3 or 4 useful sounds.
Coil tap the PUs for more. Wrap shield the P and coaxial shield the wiring for still better. Still my no 1 bass.

There's no need to convert a good P or J; plenty of coys make them already. The good ones are usually active. Stuart Sender and Nick Fyffe (Jamiroquai live) show them off well.

The problem is you can't just add a Fender J to a Fender P and expect humbucking - the J must be self-humbucking ie a double coil eg a stack. Other smaller issues as well.

Whatever you choose, the PJ sound is not (yet) classic, it is a blend of the best of P and J, and different from expectations. We've all heard it on You Get What You Give - New Radicals. Listen to the fat bottom end of the P and the drive of the J.
To me it's the next development stage of the Fender bass. And don't listen with your eyes - it's ugly.
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Bernard Edwards played that line on a stingray..There's rumor that he played that line on a pbass but there's no way..
 
#42
FishDub said:
There is no way I'm considering it. However, the Spector reverse pj has me curious…
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IMHO The Spector reverse P/J is incredible. However the classic Spector tone is from active EMGs, which are different from a passive PJ setup.

I've never converted a P to a PJ, but I'm considering having it done to my fretless P-Bass. I believe adding a bridge position J pickup will add a bit of clarity, which I find it's currently lacking.
 
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#44
I have indeed… https://www.talkbass.com/threads/lo...omplete-with-questionable-squier-dna.1298681/

I don't regret it at all. I love the sound I get out of the passive EMG HZ pickups, however I'd like to eventually wire the thing with a three way switch since I basically never blend them. I'm essentially always with both pickups 100% on since the J alone isn't my favorite, and the EMG p pickup lacks the "traditional" P sound as I hear/perceive it.

But I love the scooped-ness of a PJ, so I'm very happy with how mine turned out.
 
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#46
FishDub said:
Just curious- The standard MIM P I just got sounds crazy good and will not modify it. Lots swear by the PJ. I have had a few PJs in the past and let them go. There is just something about the plain ole P being simple, and I actually thought the PJs I had didnt sound as good even with the P pickup isolated. But I am certain that many here own a P,PJ and J..IDK lately I've just preferred the feel and sound of my standard, simple P.
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I actually thought the PJs I had didnt sound as good even with the P pickup isolated.

Can you expand on that issue? It sound weird to me that the P pup solo'ed would sound different from a solo P pup?
 
#47
Bright Midnight said:
I actually thought the PJs I had didnt sound as good even with the P pickup isolated.

Can you expand on that issue? It sound weird to me that the P pup solo'ed would sound different from a solo P pup?
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Yeah its hard to explain or put a finger on. I did a side by side comparison and the P soloed on the PJ just didnt sound as good as the regular Pbass. It was close but not quite there..
 
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#48
I've always been disappointed with PJ setups, with the typical setup of a standard P and single coil J. I generally found the J didn't blend well with the P and use the P pickup 90% of the time.

I fixed the issue on my bass it had Nordy NP4 and NJ4 vintage single by swapping the the J to a Dimarzio Model J and swapping from VV to V & 3-way pup selector. Made the P more P like and the PJ sound far more useful (and still humcancelling).
 
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#49
FishDub said:
Bernard Edwards played that line on a stingray..There's rumor that he played that line on a pbass but there's no way..
Click to expand...

Sorry for delay
Check Youtube Chic - Good Times (1978)
Chic play live, complete with mistakes - you'll love it.
Bernard playing his B C RICH with the reversed P - probably a Di Marzio

Anyway so what?
That, and Yamaha basses, made me want a reversed P. Like Sklar I used an EMG and the TV recordings I was doing in 1987 improved noticeably.
The lumpy E string and the skinny D were flatter, the A unchanged, and the G better further up. I could get a flat bottom end easier, leaving me with more choice of tone. Soon the plastic EMG bored me, so I switched to a Fender P, added a passive J stack and wired it stereo for EQing individual PUs. Obsessive eh? Well it seems to have paid off.
 
#50
For whatever reason, the P/J basses I have used VERY seldom got any use from the J pickup. That P bass sound alone is just "better" to my ears and that is just my opinion >> y.m.m.v. The one exception is my P/J fretless with Barts. The two pickups together are glorious on that bass. Fretted though...for me has always been kinda meh. I prefer a regular J bass if I need those sounds. Again just my humble $0.02.
 
#51
I'm not a big fan of the P/J configuration, but I'm open to the concept because I have played a few (P/J's) that I thought were good. However, I had a rout for J bridge pickup added to a Warmoth parts P-bass that I no longer own (sorry, no pics) and it was never the same bass afterwards, even when I rewired it with only the P pickup in the circuit. I'm not sure why that was, but the whole process soured me on ever trying that particular mod again.
 
#52
Early on (later '60s), many players modded their basses to get more tonal options. Ibanez clued in on this mod-trend and produced the first P/J [2639B] in '76. Fender joined the party late ('84), even as most modded in the '60s were Fender P-basses! (first credited to Rob Grange's modded '62 P with Ted Nugent's band in '75). Once they became commonly available, if someone wanted a P/J they just bought one.
 
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#53
I've had 2 PJ's that were built as Pj's, tried a few different pickups, and ... I like the P pickup by itself or with some sets with just a little bridge J. So i'd be fine if they were just P's.

Every once in awhile i get urge to experiment and check out used Dimarzios or Nordy etc pickups on reverb and most sellers seem to think their beat up pickups are worth 85% of new price and only about half take offers.


IMG_1069.png
,
 
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#55
I can see how some feel the sound of a P/J is an acquired taste. To each their own, I say!

With the two P/J's I own, one or two I've long since sold, and the P/P I have, rarely do I feel compelled to solo the bridge pickup, so I don't grouse about whether or not they can accurately cop that "Jazz bridge sound". It's mainly there to add a bit of "flavor" to the otherwise straightforward Precision pickup. Or, as I wrote in another thread; "The P-pup brings the meat...the J-pup adds the spice!" 😋

I will say this, though, I have never regretted converting one of my J/J's into a P/J...specifically, using the Fender Reggie Hamilton P-pup positioning. Just the opposite, it sounds even better like that, especially when the P and J pickups sonically complement each other. If they don't play well with each other, the Jazz pup may as well not exist.

TUNGXUz.jpeg
 
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#56
Malak the Mad said:
I can see how some feel the sound of a P/J is an acquired taste. To each their own, I say!

With the two P/J's I own, one or two I've long since sold, and the P/P I have, rarely do I feel compelled to solo the bridge pickup, so I don't grouse about whether or not they can accurately cop that "Jazz bridge sound". It's mainly there to add a bit of "flavor" to the otherwise straightforward Precision pickup. Or, as I wrote in another thread; "The P-pup brings the meat...the J-pup adds the spice!" 😋

I will say this, though, I have never regretted converting one of my J/J's into a P/J...specifically, using the Fender Reggie Hamilton P-pup positioning. Just the opposite, it sounds even better like that, especially when the P and J pickups sonically complement each other. If they don't play well with each other, the Jazz pup may as well not exist.

TUNGXUz.jpeg
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Considering how popular P/J's (of any brand) are and have been since first introduced, many players seem to like the combo.

I like a good J pu so much I recently swapped the J on my Glam P/J with a double J. Two, two.., two J's in one! :bassist:

1753717789675.jpeg
 
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#57
JIO said:
Considering how popular P/J's (of any brand) are and have been since first introduced, many players seem to like the combo.

I like a good J pu so much I recently swapped the J on my Glam P/J with a double J. Two, two.., two J's in one! :bassist:

View attachment 7285665
Click to expand...
What brand is that double-J? They don't seem to be too easy to source, so I am very curious.
 

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