Don't like PJ's?

[Outshined91]

I wanted to come back around to this statement...this is no way to live as a bassist. True, you are probably doing fine with your Streamers. They're good basses. I used to play similar models. I switched because -I- appreciated the differences, felt they were positive differences, and though it meant more to me than our audiences, I felt I was giving a better presentation of the music we were doing by going back to passive P's and J's. And PJ's of course

Preach @JimmyM. I always think that no one appreciates what the bass is doing and how the player is doing it nearly as much as the bassist itself. *You're* the one playing the bass and making the music so the experience should be just as, if not more, enjoyable for you as it is for those hearing it. Play what you love because less than you think give a flying Fender's F about how you do it as long as you sound good.

Anyway, sorry to deviate from the original thread topic. Back to regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Relayer71]

What about what I posted makes you think that I only have one bass, or that my preferred bass type isn't a P? I imply my preferred aesthetics (no bridge pickup). I later mention exceptions that I have made, and reasons why I made those exceptions (If I am speaking of exceptions, then there is obviously a norm that is different from that being mentioned). I later say that the sonic differences are nil (so I must have some solid baseline for comparison with the exceptions in my collection, that are being discussed in the post).

It isn't an either/or situation. A P is my main, go-to type of bass. I have Ps and other single-pickup basses (e.g. SB-1s and L-1000s), and many basses other than Ps, some of which have bridge pickups. As mentioned, I found other purchase-worthy characteristics about the latter set, to overwhelm my dislike of their bridge pickup aesthetics. Many cool bass designs come only in the PJ orientation, and sometimes a great quality bass, or a bass that has a great price, happens to have a bridge pickup.

Ok, well that's kind of like, "she's ugly, but she's got a great personality" . I mean, you say many cool bass designs come only in PJ, but if you don't like the aesthetic of the extra pickup, doesn't that take away from the "cool design" aspect?

Don't answer, I get what you're saying. It's just that with all the choices available, I would just rather not put up with something undesirable. My OCD would get the best of me!

 

[Hawaii Islander]

Here's why I do and don't care if you don't:

View attachment 4356771 View attachment 4356724 View attachment 4356726 View attachment 4356736


Actually, I just wanted an excuse to post some new glamour shots of some of my basses. But since we're here, I've noticed for the past few years that the venerable PJ combination has been slammed for being neither fish nor fowl, and I am here to say that it is, indeed, both fish and fowl.

Let's address the most common complaints:

---It doesn't sound as good when you solo the P pickup vs not having the J on a straight-up P Bass. 100% myth, poppycock, balderdash, and bovine waste products. If a $100 SX PJ with the P soloed can sound the same as a $100 SX P as long as they have the same strings, then there is no reason every bass in the world can't have PJ's that sound the same as a regular P when the P's soloed. I used to have sonic proof of this, but it got lost in a computer crash a few years ago.

---You don't get the best of both worlds with a PJ. OK, so let's assume the sound is so different that you'd rather stick with the J. Fine by me. But the sound is not completely different by any means. I've played plenty of Jazz basses and basses with J pickups in my day and I'm well familiar with what a typical Jazz sounds like. It's close enough for the few times that I go for a J sound that I'm not sweating what little difference there is in a good balanced set of PJ's. Throw pickups in there willy-nilly, sure, it probably won't sound all that great. Just might, though.

And to reverse the situation, a good J with the neck pickup soloed may not sound identical to a good P, but it will do a convincing job as well. I have a preference for a good split P pickup in that position, but I've heard plenty of convincing P sounds out of J's. The first Precisions are single coils, too, and I never heard anyone complain that they don't sound like P's.

---60 cycle hum or whatever frequency it is in your country. Can happen, but only on rare occasions is it an issue you can't do anything about. Many bass and guitar players use single coils with no hum problems all over the world. Granted, I prefer hum-cancelling pickups for both the P and the J, but to say that it can't work because the P's a humbucker and the J is single coil is myth.

So that's why I made PJ's my jam...preferring the split P neck pickup as my main sound, but needing a more scoopy J sound on occasion. And I get it, too, and any complaints that it doesn't sound like a real J are just nitpicking.

Stopped wearing them when I was 8. JK

 

[ToneMonkey]

OP, I love ya like a brother. But nothing has dissuaded me from my dislike of all things P/J.

 

[cassanova]

I love a P/J configuration. You get the thump of a P, and the clarity and top end sizzle of a jazz. I wish more 5 strings were made with that config.

 

[JimmyM]

Reverse P - the perfect balance and the only thing Leo ever got wrong.

LOL...obviously he didn't due to all the basses that still do non-reverse. Me, I play em as they lay...I'm as likely to play reverse coil as regular coil if the overall bass is good. Just so happens that I don't have any, but I'd have bought a Guild Pilot in the 80's if I could have afforded it.

 

[JimmyM]

Does that back pickup do a a pretty decent Stingray sound?

It actually does a great Stingray sound. Larry Jundstrom from 38 Special let me sit down for a few minutes with his Lakland at a gig 20 years ago, and if you want that Stingray vibe and still have a good neck pickup, it's a solid choice. If only their bridges weren't oval...

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

I only own one PJ, my Frankenstein P with a late 60's body and a '72 neck.
It's my main recording bass as it does a great P and a convincing J tone. This allows me to only bring two basses to a session. Two birds with one stone, y'know.

 

[Kukulkan61]

View attachment 4357966

PJ is my favorite pickup configuration!

I really dig Warwicks,I just can’t afford one!

 

[bigtone23]

I really like the P/J. Like them much more than a standard P, to be transparent about it. I don't get the snobbery and golden eared cork sniffing when haters try to insult the hard working P/J.
I only have two--a passive 4 string and active 5 string (though the 5 is technically a P/JJ). Those two basses can do it all on my cover gigs.

 

[Jigmay]

I'm posting this because I haven't seen one with a 3-way switch in the thread? This is an MJT body, Tony Franklin electronics, '74 Pbass neck, and my first P/J. The P pickup sounds great; the J pickup sounds great, both together...still acquiring the taste.

 

[Michael Eisenman]

I'm posting this because I haven't seen one with a 3-way switch in the thread? This is an MJT body, Tony Franklin electronics, '74 Pbass neck, and my first P/J. The P pickup sounds great; the J pickup sounds great, both together...still acquiring the taste.
View attachment 4358213

Here’s one with a three-way switch, a 1993 JP-90, slightly modified:

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I'm posting this because I haven't seen one with a 3-way switch in the thread?

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

Yamaha PJ all the way.

I sold my 2012 American standard jazz with the CS 60's pickups after getting my hands on the two BBs pictured below.

Shame. I'd bonded with it pretty well and it became my main gigging bass for about five years, but it just couldn't hang with these, especially the BB2000.

 

[JimmyM]

Who knew this thread would have so much legs??? Fun to see all the different PJ's we've amassed in our collections, and though mass acceptance through my gear has never been my goal, it's good to know that there's a whole bunch of us who, despite being told we're doing it wrong so often, don't buy into the myths.

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

View attachment 4358757

I smell a3-way switch thread brewing!

I posted this earlier. The switch may not be obvious. Black just above volume. A rare Wilkins P/J. May be the only one with the 3 way. I keep it centered mostly - Classic P with some rich, full extra grindy, woody seasoning. Solo P is very P. Solo J is actually useful....not as thin as usual.
In this bass's case, the P stands for Perfection, the J for Jammin'!

 

[Nebadon2000]

I played a American '75 P Till 2000 when I first retired and Sold it. Then a friend asked me to sit in with his Band until they could find a new Bass Player and I used his Fender Active Jazz for 6 months which I was not that fond of. So when it was obvious I was the New Bass Player bought a 2001 American P and never considered or even thought of buying P/J or Active Bass.

Was playing with 80's new wave, 90's Alt Rock and some newer pop so tried EBMM 25th Anniversary Bass [Aka Reflex] which eased my bias against Active Basses [could play passive also] Sold it in my second retirement.

Another friend coaxed me out of retirement to play with his Blues/Southern Rock Band which led me to my purchase of Fender Ultra Precision; thinking I would use it mainly in passive with only P pickup on and maybe adjust blend or add active occasionally. But to my chagrin I mainly use it Blend centered in Active mode; who knew

Picture is my Bass taken by Shop that sold it to me. [better than I could ever do]

 

[Nuage420]

I smell a3-way switch thread brewing!
View attachment 4358912
I posted this earlier. The switch may not be obvious. Black just above volume. A rare Wilkins P/J. May be the only one with the 3 way. I keep it centered mostly - Classic P with some rich, full extra grindy, woody seasoning. Solo P is very P. Solo J is actually useful....not as thin as usual.
In this bass's case, the P stands for Perfection, the J for Jammin'!

Funny you show the switch... I bought new pots and a summing blend for my AP-5. But I didnt check the posts and two were smooth shaft the other was split. So I ordered a little kit with two smooth shafts and it happened to be from a Tele kit and has a 3 way switch. I'm gonna look as what I can use it for and it may find it's way onto my pickguard.

 

[JimmyM]

I smell a3-way switch thread brewing!
View attachment 4358912
I posted this earlier. The switch may not be obvious. Black just above volume. A rare Wilkins P/J. May be the only one with the 3 way. I keep it centered mostly - Classic P with some rich, full extra grindy, woody seasoning. Solo P is very P. Solo J is actually useful....not as thin as usual.
In this bass's case, the P stands for Perfection, the J for Jammin'!

Wilkins builds some serious basses.

BTW, I'm totally down with the 3-way switch, and even used one at one time. Even with my 3-knob setups which work fine for me, there's times you may want to switch positions in the middle of a song and it's way quicker than turning knobs. At least was my theory till I discovered I never switched in the middle of songs. So then I'd just turn down the J pickup and use it like Ace Frehley and Angus Young to do that stuttering thing

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

Yes he does! Neck is a beauty. I just put DR Black Beauties on it. It looks stunning. I'll try to take and post a few pix.