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cons of P/J ?

#4
And to contradict Dr. Cheese (nothing personal) I kind of like the P/j slap tone.

My only gripe is that I have played more than a few that use a single coil J and hum at all settings except P alone, since there is nothing to hum cancel.
 
#7
To me the "P" gives you deeper bass... and a tone you can't get from a double J. To me J's sound thinner.
Also it depends on Active/Passive. I prefer PJ active, and JJ passive (JJ active just sound too midrangy to me)

If you use the bridge PU more on your J's... you won't be loosing much... just adding a bit more bottom to round it out. With the bridge J... you get a nice high end & midrange tone, something that a P seems to lack. My double "P" precision is great in the pocket, but lacks a bit in the upper registers.

For me, slap tone... active PJ's... but that just boils down to what you like sonically. P's are nice in the pocket... J's are nice out front. IMO
 
#9
If you solo the P- it will sound like a P.

The only problem with the bridge J is that you don't have the neck J to compensate for the coil. So unless you get a split coil or humless bridge J you are going to get hum from it when you add any volume.

I've got a P/J with a single coil J and I love the depth and variety that the J gives me. I don't really mind hum in a live setting so it doesn't bother me.

Also- I slap on the P/J and it sounds awesome. But I think the wood of the fingerboard and the brand of the pups matter more to slap sound then the configuration.
 
#11
HI

None, IMO

Rob

M1802.jpg
 
#13
Its already been mentioned, but if you have a standard single-coil in the bridge position, you will get some hum whenever you use it. You will only be hum-free when soloing the P pickup. However, there are so many good aftermarket, hum-cancelling J-style pickups out there, you can easily replace a standard Jazz pickup with the brand of your choice (Dimarzio Ultra Jazz for me).

Other than the single-coil hum issue, there are no drawbacks to the P/J setup that I can think of. Its probably my favorite pickup combo.
 
#18
Actually Gibson's tend to boom, P's thump. I have my P pup at about 3/4 and the same on the jazz. However, the P is an SD quarter pounder, and the jazz is an SD stacked jazz (much less "gain" than the P). So the jazz is just adding a touch of snarl to the solid P thump.
 
#19
i have a MIJ Power J from the 80s which has the P/J config. The P sounds good but yes, the J can sound weak. I really have to dig in to get a good tone out of it when it is soloed, and usually play closer to the bridge when I do. Combined it sounds good. I'm definitely going to replace the J sometime soon. It hums like a mofo. I have been considering a Nordstrand NJ4SV in its place, and possibly a full Nordstrand swap when I can afford it. But the P isnt bad, so I guess if it isnt broke dont fix it.

Has anyone ever made a P/J with a P and TWO Js ? Maybe P/J/J or J/P/J ? The second would probably work better - the First J would be closer to the fretboard than in a standard J - different tonal possibilities. Having the two of them next to each other might be too similar.

After typing this I remember that this is the setup on the Stu Hamm Fender. Any idea why there arent more of this setup? I havent seen it in the higher end basses that Ive looked at.
 

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