Fender Jazz or P Bass

[Markle08]

I play a lot of punk and a lot of slower deep riffs as well. I have a P bass right now and the punk sounds great but the deeper riffs are..... ya know not up to par. I would love to get a jazz, but can I still pull off the fast punk with it?

 

[jmjbassplayer]

What do you mean, not up to par?

 

[EduardoK]

IMHO a P is deeper and a Jazz is punchier (simplistic comparison). If your P bass ain't deep enough sell it and buy another !

 

[JimmyM]

The last place I'd look for tonal problems would be in a Precision. Especially if I was playing punk. They sit so perfectly in the mix for aggressive types of music. The Jazz is a bit more hi-fi sounding than the Precision but can still get gnarly as well. I think every working bassist should own one of each (even though I don't have a Jazz currently), but for balls-out punk, and especially for distorted detuned slow riffs, you can't beat a Precision.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Ditto that. Go listen to The Damned, The Jam, The Clash, Black Flag, The Descendents, Sex Pistols, etc. etc. P-Basses for the most part.

 

[PaperbackRyder]

Hey, if ya cant afford to own several basses, try makin the most of what you got.
Maybe look into the setup and/or strings and how they are workin on that particular bass.
Try going from steel to nickel strings. Try going from rounds to flats (yeah even for punk), I like D'addario chromes for rock on my p-bass.
Take it to a pro for a good setup. Sometimes it will feel and sound like a whole new axe!
Good luck and keep us informed on how yer doin!

=JR=