Can a preamp in a Jazz close the sonic distance to a P?

IME, a standard preamp won't really get you there. Perhaps a 4-band with the upper mid boosted slightly and the treble rolled off might get in the same ballpark...ish.

If you can find a pre with a resonant low pass filter that you can set or sweep to 2khz or thereabouts, I reckon you might get close as well.

I'd record your bass , and try to eq it to match some direct P recordings. Then find a pre with similar roll off points etc .

 

IMHO no. The P bass split P.U. is the sound.
You might get close to it but it's not a P sound.

 

If anything, I think it would widen the gap.

 

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I think the fundamentally different timbral character of the two pickups won’t allow you to precisely match one to the other just by using EQ. Because it’s not just about the frequency curve. I think the note response and bloom of JB pickups are very different sounding when compared the PB split-coil. And those additional characteristics also make up a lot of what we think of as the signature sound of a PB and JB.

Not to say you can’t get it pretty close if you have good technique and a decent amp and cab. You can get a PBish or JBish vibe out of a lot of different basses if you work at it. But a 100% match? Dunno. Maybe somebody out there can. But I can’t. “Ish” is about as close as I can get. And which is why I eventually got myself one of each and just called it a day. I’d rather play the things than fight with them over getting them to do something they weren’t really designed for. YMMV.

 

Different tones. A P is all about miss, a J is the smile scoop.

 

Nope

 

I’ve used Audere preamps in the past and they’re a great preamp. I’ve also installed them for several friends and they’re all happy with them too. So that’s a great choice IMO.

“Ish” is also good enough for me too. If I didn’t so easily succumb to GAS it could have stopped there for me. But when something as good sounding as a Squier Matt Freeman PB and a CV 60s JB comes along for around $350 each, it was a no brainer for me.

I’m not a big Fender player. In addition to the Squiers, I do own a “real” Fender PB as well because…well…Fender! But they’re all down around 5 or 6 on my favs list. I do slightly prefer the jazz neck except in first position. But I’m fine with virtually any neck profile, width or scale thanks to Simandl.

Bottom line is if you’re playing with others regularly, you’ll eventually discover you probably need to get some sort of Fender style and sounding bass fir some things. It’s a tone too ingrained into the collective music taste subconscious to ignore if you’re serious about contemporary bass.

 

I've waded through most of those. Preamp was rarely suggested. Most common suggestions:
1) neck pickup solo, tone down low
2) Dimarzio model js
3) get a p bass

After being underwhelmed by #1 I skipped to #3. I've been happy as a clam, I love the simplicity and effectiveness.

Model J seems like a good middle ground solution though.

 

I could never get my jazz bass to sound like my P.

 

I think part of it is that Jazz pickups are narrow and tall and P pickups are low and wide.

 

No, but a P pickup can. However, then you lose the "J" sound. P basses are pretty cheap, just get a P and you'll be glad that you did.

 

If I have Bartolini split coil J pickups with sweepable mid preamp, I can get any sound I want as long as it’s not a traditional J sound.

 

I put Model J’s in everything (most of my basses are J config). If I don’t pick up a P for awhile, I think I get close, but there’s nothing quite like a P.

 

To me it's more than just beef. There's a grit to it, and the mid EQ presence is incredibly effective in a live setting. But it doesn't have to be a Fender; there are plenty of clones out there. Dean, Ibanez, peavey, Yamaha to name a few. Find a neck you like and go from there

 

Turn off your bridge pickup. Roll the tone off. It will trick the drunks in the club.

 

I’ve found it is nearly impossible to get a Jazz to sound like a P, no matter what tricks, effects or EQ are used. The Odd thing is, it is possible to get a Jazz sound from a P. When I found out Dave Hope from Kansas played a P, I couldn’t believe it. It just doesn’t seem to work the other way around.