Does anyone else here dislike PJ basses?

[Smooth_bass88]

I don't dislike "PJ's" at all. But I do dislike people wearing shorts onstage

 

[packhowitzer]

My son's Ibanez Mikro with a (reverse)P-J is a little beast. 28.5" scale. so easy to play. and it thumps. It sounds good with J solo'd, even better with the P solo'd, but best with P-J on full. just my .02

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

The Wilkins P/J Custom I have uses a 3 way selector switch, P only, J only and both equal.
The P only setting is totally pure P bass, the J being of the loop.
The J solo'd, being farther from the bridge is actually very usable and quite unique. Both PU's on is a very satisfying, thick, rich tone - indescribably delicious! Mr. Wilkins hit one out of the park with this configuration. I could not be happier.
Once again, here it is: NBD: Wilkins Custom P/J 4

 

[BassLife77]

I own 5 of them. 2 regular, 1 fretless, 1 tenor, 1 piccolo

 

[Davbassdude]

My Power Jazz Bass Special is one of my favorite basses it’s got a reverse p in it which sounds awesome soloed or with both pickups on. I had a modern player Jaguar for a while and I didn’t really care for it all that much. Mostly just left the jazz pickup off. The reverse p pick gives it a little extra something that really makes it work well. View attachment 3094155

Yes, but I couldn't help noticing that the only bass with a strap on it and the only other bass on a single stand is that BEAUTIFUL Ric...Just sayin' (heavily coveting)!

 

[selowitch]

PJs are all right, but I like my JPJ best:

 

[Snakeman1066]

Nope...Love them The majority of my collection are P/J's

 

[ariwax]

I don’t hate them exactly, and I have owned several, but I never found a PJ that I could really get along with. I love a good P bass, and a good Jazz bass; I just think the timbre of a Jazz bridge pickup sounds better twinned with the Jazz neck pickup rather than a split-coil P pup. It’s a matter of taste.

My main basses are a Stingray Classic, a Mustang, a P and an old Thumb NT so I also have an affinity for basses with simple controls, usually one pickup.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

Yes, but I couldn't help noticing that the only bass with a strap on it and the only other bass on a single stand is that BEAUTIFUL Ric...Just sayin' (heavily coveting)!

They all got straps! I did the dreaded truss rod adjustment on it right before I took the picture. The only bass I have that has to pop the neck off for adjustment. That in itself speaks volumes of how much I like the sound of those pickups!

 

[SteveCS]

Unlike the majority, I invariably favour the bridge pickup, be it JJ or PJ. I prefer PJ over JJ as for me the P blends more unobtrusively than a J in the same position, and for those occasions when I need big fat thick neck position tones, the P wins over a solo neck J every time.

 

[NOVAX]

Something about that split pickup bugs the heck out of me. I prefer J-J or MM. I'll never buy a P or P-J.

"I used to hate it until I ate it"
and realized that Leo was onto something.

Oh and never say never. Now, isn't that clever?

 

[amper]

"I used to hate it until I ate it"
and realized that Leo was onto something.

Oh and never say never. Now, isn't that clever?

I hate the way the split pickup looks, not the way it sounds.

 

[jamersonburton]

I like the P/J tone with both pickups maxed, I wired mine Master Volume and a 3 way switch.
I'm not trying to use it as a P that can do a J or a best of both worlds thing, I use a P/J if I want a P/J tone.

I like P's as well. Jazz basses just have a tendency to sound and feel thin when I play them but I can appreciate them.
However, I've heard people play jazz basses live and loved their tone. A friend of mine plays a road worn J that sounds fantastic!

 

[BadWithNames]

I don’t like P basses in general, so...

I want to like them, everything I hear about them makes them sound like my ideal bass. But I just hate the pickup. Don’t like the asymmetrical look. It’s place right where I typically pluck, so I always hit it. Especially because it’s typically set up in a triangular shape, or raised in the middle.

I want to like PJ’s as they seem like a more versatile version of what should be my ideal bass. But just can’t stand them from the little I’ve tried them.

 

[FunkySpoo]

For whatever reason the basses I had when I was first learning all seemed to be PJ's. To me, they seem to lack a distinct sound or character. My P sounds like a P, the Jazz like a jazz, the pj is neither and ihas it's own thing. However, I may not have encountered a really good one yet, so I am open to it anyway.

Interesting in that you say the PJ doesn't have it's own sound yet you also say the P sounds like a P the Jazz sounds like a Jazz and the PJ sounds like neither and it has it's own thing. Sounds, to me, like the PJ sounds like a PJ.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I don’t really care for Fender P/J offerings.

My MusicMan Caprice P/H is the best 4 string bass I’ve ever encountered .
I also like the vintage Yamaha P/J BB3000,BB2000, & The BC Rich P/P Mockingbird basses.

 

[donCameron]

I had a Tony Franklin Fretless. Great bass overall, but the J pickup introduced some single coil hum (some when both pickups were on, a lot when soloed). I think I would have liked it better if the J was hum cancelling. Still, there was good overall balance between the pickups, which is also a tricky thing to achieve. I guess I'd be fine with a P/J as long as both pickups are pretty even in output and don't hum, but these are elusive.

Mine had a horrible hum. There were clubs where it was almost unplayable. I contacted Tony and he mentioned that he'd had Fender switch from the original J pickup to a Dimarzio Model J starting in 2016 (mine is a 2015). I swapped it and now it is completely quiet and the tone hasn't changed at all.

 

[jastacey]

I have a PJ Bass, like the versatility of fine tuning your tone, I also like having the bridge pick-up, as a humbucker, as it's dead quite,

IMG_20180626_085239 by Invalid Link Removed, on Flickr

 

[mattj1stc]

Mine had a horrible hum. There were clubs where it was almost unplayable. I contacted Tony and he mentioned that he'd had Fender switch from the original J pickup to a Dimarzio Model J starting in 2016 (mine is a 2015). I swapped it and now it is completely quiet and the tone hasn't changed at all.

Thanks, that's good info. Mine was probably from 2010 or 2011, so it hummed.

 

[logdrum]

I only had a PJ not a J till this week (excluding the SB, MM HB and P). The P in a PJ is closer to the neck so it could be more boomy than a single P and also in all my and my son's basses (which use to be mine), the J bridge PU is further away from the bridge also (60's placement) so not as barky as the J that I like. So I can imagine if you are picky that a PJ is lesser than a pure P or J.

That is why there are EB MM Stingray and Sterling fans. Even without the active EQ, the PU placement is genius. Hail Leo Fender.