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Best PJ (Active)

Zach Gaston

Zach Gaston

Oct 30, 2020
15
21
Los Angeles
#1
I really like bright basses, but I want something with some real oomph. I have a few Music Man basses, which are definitely my favorite, and a J bass, but I am considering getting some sort of P bass.

I have tried a few passive Fender PJ basses. They were all a bit dark for my liking. I know Fender makes some active PJ basses, and I know there are some other companies, like Sire, that make active PJ basses. Any opinions about which basses tend brighter would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
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#4
TrevorG said:
I don’t own one but the fender Elites are certainly brighter than the old school ultras.
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I'll check that out!

stingray69 said:
I would have a look into the Yamaha BB series, such as a BB734a (4-string) or BB735a (5-string).
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I like the 5 string option. I don't know much about Yamaha basses. How do they compare to the "classic" P bass tone?
 
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#5
Zach Gaston said:
I'll check that out!


I like the 5 string option. I don't know much about Yamaha basses. How do they compare to the "classic" P bass tone?
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Not sure I, or anyone on TB, can definitively define the "classic" P tone, since there are so many shades of pickup voicings from brand to brand. I think it can mean quite a wide range of tones from person to person.

I'm sure some here would insist it must involve flat-wound strings? IDK.

All I can tell you is that it sounds like a great P tone to me and many, many others. There's tons of YouTube media to check out as well. :thumbsup:
 
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#6
Zach Gaston said:
I really like bright basses, but I want something with some real oomph. I have a few Music Man basses, which are definitely my favorite, and a J bass, but I am considering getting some sort of P bass.

I have tried a few passive Fender PJ basses. They were all a bit dark for my liking. I know Fender makes some active PJ basses, and I know there are some other companies, like Sire, that make active PJ basses. Any opinions about which basses tend brighter would be helpful.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you're after something like the Music Man oomph, you're probably not going to replicate that with a P bass even if it's active. It's going to sound like a P bass either way.

If you really want a tactical thermonuclear weapon, you might take a look at the L2000. I just got a fretted CLF L2000 a couple weeks ago and oompf doesn't even begin to describe it :).

But that depends on what you mean by oompf too. The L2K has an advantage of sorta being able to sound -ish like a P bass, but with a thicker kind of thump to it and OMG treble/clink/etc...

The boys across the pond at Anderton's do a good amount of playing of the CLF L2000 and L1000 too in the video below and they do in my view, a really good demo of the tone. If this fits into kind of what you're looking for, might be worth taking a look at?



L
 
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#7
stingray69 said:
Not sure I, or anyone on TB, can definitively define the "classic" P tone
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That's fair. I'll do some digging on my own.

luciens said:
If you're after something like the Music Man oomph, you're probably not going to replicate that with a P bass even if it's active.
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That's not quite what I'm looking for. I feel like I've got the MM sound covered, but I guess I wasn't really clear about that. That being said, I'll definitely check out that bass. It might find the middle ground of what I'm looking for. Thanks!
 
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#8
Ah, ok. Well another high-oompf option that is much more like a P bass is the G&L SB-1. It uses an MFD version of a split-P. It really does sound a lot closer to a P bass, but with a distinctively more powerful sound.

Steve Araujo does a good demo here comparing it to an LB-100 (which is virtually a Fender Precision):



L
 
#12
I have a few PJs and enjoy the flexibility they provide. For a bright tone I would suggest the Warwick Fortress One with the solid maple body (bring on the tone wood flames). Comparing this to the Sadowsky import PJ or the Fodera Empire (also import) it is noticely brighter and grittier. I should add that the Sadowsky and Fodera both are active/passive option.
 
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#13
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#14
Schecter Model-T Session series
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LTD AP
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New jackson x series concert basses
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Dave ellefson signature x series with reverse p
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Jackson-Guitars-X-Series-Signature-David-Ellefson-Basses.jpg
 
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#17
Zach Gaston said:
I really like bright basses, but I want something with some real oomph. I have a few Music Man basses, which are definitely my favorite, and a J bass, but I am considering getting some sort of P bass.

I have tried a few passive Fender PJ basses. They were all a bit dark for my liking. I know Fender makes some active PJ basses, and I know there are some other companies, like Sire, that make active PJ basses. Any opinions about which basses tend brighter would be helpful.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
All Ps are bright. Js are dark and mellow. Active PJ...Yamaha BB
 

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