Don't like PJ's?

[fretno]

The only issue is cosmetic . A p bass looks best as a P and not with that dirty little J creeping up on it .

 

[WillyW]

Nice!

Resistance for a typical, vintage-y split P is often in the 10-12.5K zone, a single coil J in the 6.5-8K range.
This is just resistance of the coil, which is not directly tied to output, which includes inductance and magnet strength to the equation. A lower wind coil (lower resistance) with strong magnets can have more output than a hot wound coil with weak magnets.

I find many inexpensive import instruments that have a humbucker to use 500K pots all around. It's probably to keep it simple for production and offset the loading from having multiple pots. 250K is Fender standard and the P and Js. I like to use a 500K tone pot with 250K volumes, it just gives a touch more range to dial in the 'air' to the tone. Once turned back to around 7-8, it sounds just like a 250K tone pot on 10. My P/J has a 500K tone and volume and a 250K M/N blend.

Thanks!

I had pulled the P pickup but not the J, each coil had a thick bar magnet that I would assume is ceramic.

With the 250 tone and .022uf cap it has beautiful response to wigglin the nob. I'm usually a tone pot all the way up kinda guy.

It has been a couple years, but I do believe I wired my double P with 250k vol, 500k M/N blend, and 250k tone, but I don't remember what cap is in it, but I didn't get this dynamic of a range on the tone pot.

 

[tvbop]

I hands down do not like messing with the P split coil PU. Tried a PJ but was always fiddling, never happy...Went back to a P bass and found myself immediately concentrating on the music and not the bass.

 

[Greywoulf]

EQ controls on an amp cannot replicate the complex, phase induced comb filtering from having two pickups (let alone two different styles of pickups) interacting on different harmonic zones of the string.
Perhaps a very detailed and deep EQ session on a DAW might get a P to sound sort-of like a P/J with both pickups blended.

I was just talking about using an amp to change a P bass's output within it's already excellent tone parameters. Geeeez, why would anyone even want a good P bass to sound like something it isn't? -Or, for that matter, a Mustang? Is a PJ Mustang a real Mustang or just something patched together by Fender to cash in on what's 'trendy?? Hey, if someone really likes the odd extra tones one can get from a PJ, that's fine. That's one thing... But don't try to tell me it's an 'improvement' over a P or a Mustang!

 

[KJMO]

I was just talking about using an amp to change a P bass's output within it's already excellent tone parameters. Geeeez, why would anyone even want a good P bass to sound like something it isn't? -Or, for that matter, a Mustang? Is a PJ Mustang a real Mustang or just something patched together by Fender to cash in on what's 'trendy?? Hey, if someone really likes the odd extra tones one can get from a PJ, that's fine. That's one thing... But don't try to tell me it's an 'improvement' over a P or a Mustang!

Haven't really seen anyone say it's a flat out improvement, but if I need a slap tone for a few songs, having the J gives me that, which makes it an improvement for me.

 

[Robot.G]

I was just talking about using an amp to change a P bass's output within it's already excellent tone parameters. Geeeez, why would anyone even want a good P bass to sound like something it isn't? -Or, for that matter, a Mustang? Is a PJ Mustang a real Mustang or just something patched together by Fender to cash in on what's 'trendy?? Hey, if someone really likes the odd extra tones one can get from a PJ, that's fine. That's one thing... But don't try to tell me it's an 'improvement' over a P or a Mustang!

 

[Greywoulf]

Haven't really seen anyone say it's a flat out improvement, but if I need a slap tone for a few songs, having the J gives me that, which makes it an improvement for me.

OK, sounds reasonable... There's room for everyone's likes and dislikes in the bass world I guess. I'm not really anti-PJ for anyone else just because I don't like them...

 

[chris_b]

IMO a PJ is a P with slight differences. I own 2 and they are first and foremost a P and second a P+.

If anyone wants any part of the sound of a J bass, get a J. That's what I did. It's the best bass for that.

YMMV

 

[WillyW]

I hate whatever it is y'all are talking about in this thread but instead of scrolling past and going to the next thread, I'm going to make sure I voice my opinion!

 

[KJMO]

IMO a PJ is a P with slight differences. I own 2 and they are first and foremost a P and second a P+.

If anyone wants any part of the sound of a J bass, get a J. That's what I did. It's the best bass for that.

YMMV

I have a Jazz, and have had several, but playing live I use a P/J and you get the P sound, and you get something closer to a J sound with both pickups up, so I don't have to change guitars every other song. Ok, so I could probably tell just listening it's not a J, but it definitely sounds quite a bit like a J, and it's scooped for a slap tone, so it works. The P/J works better than a Jazz with the neck solo'd for a P sound, etc. If I had different gigs, it could be different.

 

[Ed455]

What is that??

That is a Yamaha BBP35. Get's about 95% of my playing. So far, I've not really found a situation where it DOESN'T work. My DJ-5 got some church duty this week but the Yamaha could have fit the bill just fine. Every now an then I'll find myself saying, "this calls for the J bass (or the 'Ray, or the SR)" But almost without exception, I go back to the Yammie in short order. Just works and sounds fantastic.

 

[fourstringbliss]

I've got an Ibanez SR P/J with Dimarzio Model P/J pickups, and with the P in parallel it sounds very Jazzish.

 

[shirojiro]

I have two PJ basses - They're super versatile. I have one strung with Chromes and one with steel rounds (I forget the brand).

I never really understood all the controversy about them. I have P basses and J basses as well. They're all a little different, and I play them depending on mood or my perceived tonal needs.