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does the JP Pickup combination suck?

#82
Even a StingRay can P/J? ;)

EE136ECC-5520-4A99-8AFC-B7E2186AB4E1.jpg


(I actually took the P out to use in another bass, so now it's just a single J in the bridge!)
 
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#86
I wouldn't say the P/J "combination" sucks. I just don't find much use for a bridge pickup on a bass, so I find the J bridge pickup extraneous. I feel the same about the bridge pickup when playing a traditional Jazz Bass, so it has nothing to do with whether the central pickup is a J pickup or a P pickup, or any other sort of pickup.

I've had an L-2000 since 1996, and I've never once recorded a track or played a live song using the bridge pickup. Same with my now-sold EB-3 – never played the bridge pickup (and FWIW, the neck pickup sucked too, so I rarely played the bass at all). Same with my Jazz Bass (though I have had it under a year).

So to me, a bridge pickup is just something that is unsightly (except when on a Jazz Bass with the bridge cover installed), adds weight, and in some cases (such as a Fender Jazz Bass) gives me a control knob that I'll never touch. My upcoming Jazz Bass build will have no bridge pickup, and a standard P-Bass bridge cover. It'll look nice opening that area up on a Jazz Bass body.
 
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#90
Deleted member 318172 said:
Do you know any iconic song? Has a bass with J pickup in the bridge and P in the neck ever made it into a studio? I love them personally but 90% seems to be either J Bass or P Bass (or stingray...). The only "mainstream successful" user of this combinition that came into my mind was tyler joseph from twentyone pilots. Why do we see so few bassists using this pickup combination?
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David Bowie's "Let's Dance" album. Carmen Rojas used an old P bass with a J pickup added, roundwounds and a pick. "Criminal World" very indicative of that sound.
Lots of Yamaha BB action on late seventies/early eighties recordings. That's a classic PJ sound.
 
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#91
2F/2F said:
I wouldn't say the P/J "combination" sucks. I just don't find much use for a bridge pickup on a bass, so I find the J bridge pickup extraneous. I feel the same about the bridge pickup when playing a traditional Jazz Bass, so it has nothing to do with whether the central pickup is a J pickup or a P pickup, or any other sort of pickup.

I've had an L-2000 since 1996, and I've never once recorded a track or played a live song using the bridge pickup. Same with my now-sold EB-3 – never played the bridge pickup (and FWIW, the neck pickup sucked too, so I rarely played the bass at all). Same with my Jazz Bass (though I have had it under a year).

So to me, a bridge pickup is just something that is unsightly (except when on a Jazz Bass with the bridge cover installed), adds weight, and in some cases (such as a Fender Jazz Bass) gives me a control knob that I'll never touch. My upcoming Jazz Bass build will have no bridge pickup, and a standard P-Bass bridge cover. It'll look nice opening that area up on a Jazz Bass body.
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Same here, all of it.
 
#92
dBChad said:
The OP is referring to a rare P pickup in the bridge and J pickup in the sweet spot. Most of the answers refer to the more traditional PJ bases and players.

I don't know why this setup never caught on because I can't think of any bases with this setup on the commercial market. BC Rich did a double P for a few of their basses that sounded huge, and the PJ setup is one of my favorites.

OP, could you post a picture of the bass you're playing with this configuration? It sounds really interesting, and may allow TBers with more experience to give you more pertinent answers.
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No he's not. If you read his post, he said neck P, bridge J
 
#94
Deleted member 318172 said:
Do you know any iconic song? Has a bass with J pickup in the bridge and P in the neck ever made it into a studio? I love them personally but 90% seems to be either J Bass or P Bass (or stingray...). The only "mainstream successful" user of this combinition that came into my mind was tyler joseph from twentyone pilots. Why do we see so few bassists using this pickup combination?
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Megadeth bassist, and I'm pretty sure that Anthrax bassist plays one too. A bunch of ska bands from the nineties play pjs, in fact, a whole lot of bands from the nineties played PJs. I love PJs. Far more than just a P. But sadly, you can only get a bridge J out of it. I guess you could always rig one up with a neck single, and a few toggle switches.
 
#97
Spirit of Ox said:
Is that confirmed? I'm definitely hearing somewhat of a PJ tone on those songs. I knew he used an active deluxe P bass in the studio.
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Yes, he confirmed in a BassPlayer mag interview. "Some guys have gotten great active sounds, but that's just never been my world. Actually, on Dookie, I played an active P-Bass that I rented from SIR, because my basses were broken and thrashed from touring. That bass had P/J pickups, but the way I had it set, it might as well have just been a P-Bass."
 
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