Fender AVI '66 J, '60s P or 5-string Stingray HH?

[Just Wrong]

I've owned various Jazzes, Precisions and Stringrays in the past, and I know you can't go wrong with any of them, but here we are...

I can only afford to have one bass right now, and I've narrowed it down to these three:

• Fender American Vintage '66 Jazz
• Fender American Vintage '60s Precision
• 5-string Stringray Special HH

I play in a cover band that's honestly a bit all over the place, leaning on top-40 music: Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Muse, etc. At home I mostly play from jazz books (Berklee Jazz Bass, Hal Leonard Jazz Bass Method, The Evolving Bassist, etc.)

I've always liked Jazzes, but I sometimes have a hard time hearing myself in a band setting with a Jazz.

Precisions aren't always the best option for the job, but they're rarely a bad one. I just find them kinda "meh" when playing at home, especially following jazz books. And right now, I play at home way more than I do with the band.

I like that the Stingray is active and a 5-string might come in handy with the band (although it hasn't been required in the 3 years I've been playing with them). But I find that they can sometimes be too... aggressive? Especially in the context of a cover band.

If you were in my position, which one would you choose if you could only pick one?

Thanks!

 

[roccobladr]

As someone who also played in a cover band and had a similar choice, I went with the 5 string HH sting ray. TBH, it’s not my favorite but it’s much more versatile for covers, you can emulate most tones well enough, sound guys always loved it, And I rarely needed to down tune with the 5 string.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Any of the three would work fine. Which bass do you find yourself reaching for first when you play? That's all that matters.

 

[Just Wrong]

As someone who also played in a cover band and had a similar choice, I went with the 5 string HH sting ray. TBH, it’s not my favorite but it’s much more versatile for covers, you can emulate most tones well enough, sound guys always loved it, And I rarely needed to down tune with the 5 string.

That's a very good way to look at it, actually. I might prefer the Jazz and the Precision, but the 5-string Stingray HH can cover much more ground...

 

[Rabidhamster]

I agree the stingray seems to make most sense for a cover band but I also don’t prefer stingrays with a second pickup or side output jack, so I voted jazz.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I really like the av2 60 P, nice slim neck with a big tone thats great with flats AND rounds. I vote the jazz. Can cop a "p-ish" tone and be pretty lively in a mix. I find boosting low mids and treble help a jazz really shine in a mix

 

[CoughSyrup]

A low B seems like it would come in pretty handy for Top 40 covers.

If the StingRay isn't your thing, might a 5 string jazz do the trick?

 

[Just Wrong]

A low B seems like it would come in pretty handy for Top 40 covers.

If the StingRay isn't your thing, might a 5 string jazz do the trick?

I tried the Fender Ultra Jazz, but thought the preamp was bland and the bass was heavy. I also tried the American Professional Jazz II (alder and roasted pine) and Precision. I thought the B string on the Precision was a bit muddy. Maybe the Pro II Jazz would be a better option?

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

I picked the only 5 string option in the list because... well... it has 5 strings!

 

[Yahboy]

How about Charvel Pro Mod IV ?

Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass PJ IV - Mystic Blue

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

@Just Wrong , the StingRay5 Special HH will be Just Right!!!

 

[MtManiac]

Are these basses you’re considering buying, or basses you own and you need to keep one of them?

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

J

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

What led you to these three choices? For the prices I see you could have a 4 and a 5 that would both be gig worthy and great for playing at home. If, however, there can be only one (Highlander bass? ), I would choose a 5, esp. for a cover band. If you ever need to transpose, it's usually better to transpose down, so...

The Bar Band Bassman

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I shy away from active basses for many reasons, so I would avoid that. If you find the right sounding Jazz Bass, it will work in nearly any musical situation. They can all sound a bit different. For example my US Lakland 4460 does not sound like my vintage 1962 Fender. They're similar, but the Lakland is a bit louder, punchier, and warmer sounding

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Well, if a Stingray is “sometimes” too aggressive, that must mean sometimes it’s not too aggressive. I don’t think you would have any problem keeping the aggressiveness of a Stingray in check. It seems like the most logical (and most flexible) choice of the three basses listed

 

[Indiana Mike]

I didn’t vote.
But

Are able to puts your hands on the VintageII’s?

I’ve got the 60’s P , and it’s a wonderful instrument. It’s got a really nice sound and a powerful passive tone control.

It’s really put together nicely.

 

[G On Bass]

5 string HH should cover most any genre in any key. I can get mine (Ray5HH) to sound bright, grindy or vintage so it's really versatile.

 

[bassdude51]

Go Jazz Bass.

The J Bass is pretty much the "do it all" bass. Neck pickup solo, close to a P. Neck + Bridge pickup with a tad of roll off on the neck and pluck near the bridge and it's close to a Stingray. Neck + Bridge pickup together full and it's "the J".

 

[Timmah]

I think the stingray has the best 34” B in the business, and the two pickup model is super versatile. I don’t think it’ll ever be fully “vintage” sounding, but it’ll cover a lot of ground very convincingly from a bandstand. Plus, a Stingray has punch for days. If you’ve had trouble being heard in the past, a SR5 is a good solve. Having that Low B is also important to me personally in a top 40 or pop setting, partially because some parts require it, and partially because dropping a song a half step for the sake of a singer gets a LOT easier.

That being said, if you haven’t needed a 5 in the past, or aren’t comfortable playing one, then by all means go with a 4 string. The Stingray neck is also a kinda unique design in that it’s somewhat narrow, and the G string is very close to the edge of the frets. When I bought mine I went through a bit of an adjustment period trying to keep it on the neck.

I don’t have any hands-on experience with either of the Fenders you mentioned, but the Jazz design seems like a better fit to me if you’re covering a lot of pop stuff. You can get pretty close to a P sound by using almost all neck pickup, and having a wider range of tones might be a plus. I’ve lusted after one of those ‘66 Js for a while though, so I’ll be curious to see who else in this thread has tried one.